Upload
others
View
5
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Organizing Your ADHD Life
Linda Anderson, MA, MCC, SCAC
©2013 Virtual AD/HD Conference® 1
Organizing Your ADHD Life
Virtual AD/HD Conference - October, 2013
Linda Anderson, MA, MCC, Getting ClearBusiness and Personal Coach
Specializing in Coaching ADHD Adults
www.gettingclear.com and healthybody-healthybrain.com
1
Before we start,
pick one thing…
2
A brain on fast forward
ADHDWhat makes it so hard?
3
� Attention – too much, too little
� Poor filters✔ Short term memory challenges✔ Inability to prioritize
� Attracted to sparkly
� Self-doubt and anxiety
AD/HD is RealProblems with Executive Functioning
4
A Formula for Change
Awareness + Behavior =
Desired Change
5
Awareness + Behavior =
Desired Change
6
• Changed perception
• Realization
• Different view
• Ah-ha moment!
• Tools/Strategies/Info
My big “ah-ha’s”
Organizing Your ADHD Life
Linda Anderson, MA, MCC, SCAC
©2013 Virtual AD/HD Conference® 2
Could we agree on this?
7
We live in a cluttered culture.
1. Life TruthThe Kwakiutls
8
Change your thinking.
Your beliefs are all made up anyway!
2. Life Truth
9
Adjust your goals.
Break one big goal into smaller goals.
3. Life Truth
10
15° vs. 180°
Trust in the power of small change (vs.
big change).
4. Life Truth
11
When you hit a brick wall… find a window.
Create a window.
√ Change your view
√ Get help
5. Life Truth
12
Create a rewarding picture.
Organizing Your ADHD Life
Linda Anderson, MA, MCC, SCAC
©2013 Virtual AD/HD Conference® 3
6. Life Truth
When you say no, what is left matters more.
• Delegating is a way of saying “no”
• It’s a muscle that you can grow.
• Take back that “yes”
• Practice saying “no” in front of
the mirror.
13
7. Life Truth
In organizing or de-cluttering one room or just
one drawer, you are taking care of yourself.
14
F. Limbos
This makes all
the other rules
work.
What do you…
15
…want more of in your life?
…want less of in your life?
…choose to change?
(Choice is a powerful thing.
Pick one thing)
What comes next?
• Containers and Containing
- Paper
- Kitchens
• Strategies for Maintaining
• Information/Prioritizing/Planning
16
17
Hmmmm….
containers?
Why
containers?
Containers
• have boundaries
• keep things outside from getting in
• keep things inside from getting out
18
Organizing Your ADHD Life
Linda Anderson, MA, MCC, SCAC
©2013 Virtual AD/HD Conference® 4
What Is It About Containers?
• save us time
• decrease stress
• give us more focus
• aesthetic or helpful
• because of the above, they feel rewarding
19
Containers (are homes for stuff) that
Useful Containers
20
Home
Most practical
Wow, the possibilities!
A Great Container
21
When it’s the right container, you can feel it.
Sometimes, You Need
a Better Container for Your Stuff
22
When it is not right, you an also feel it.
Finding Better Containers
( or Homes) for Stuff
23
�
Sometimes, you live in a tent, before you live in a
trailer, before you live in the house of your dreams
Progress not perfection.
Paper Often Needs
Home Improvement
24
Organizing Your ADHD Life
Linda Anderson, MA, MCC, SCAC
©2013 Virtual AD/HD Conference® 5
Home Improvement Tools
For Paper and Other Things
25
A Brother labeller or
a black laundry marker pen
Handling Paper Can Be Challenging
26
So, you’re not great at paper…
You might be good at some kinds
of organizing.
Get help with the tough stuff.
Organizing Big ContainersLarge Spaces
27
• Make it an occasion *– put it on the calendar
• Pick a theme – the hardware store *
• Don’t binge – set a reasonable time
• Get help – organizer, body double, friend, Craigslist
* Kolberg & Nadeau, ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize
Before Organizing ANYTHINGRemember the Kwakiutls!
Where do you start?
Get a really big trash can, shredder,
a place to donate clearly in mind.
28Oh…and recycling bin!
The KitchenA Complex Container
29
√ an information center √ food prep area
√ eating space √ social space √ transition space
Too many
things and
activities
in this
contained
space!
Organizing A KitchenA Challenging Job
30
• Can any activities take place elsewhere? Ex. Lauren’s husband’s stuff
• Create a command center
• Co-opt the dining room
• Get another pair of eyes and hands!
• A good calendar may be important
Organizing Your ADHD Life
Linda Anderson, MA, MCC, SCAC
©2013 Virtual AD/HD Conference® 6
The Calendar
31Not This So Much This
Kitchen Command Center
32
Kitchen Command Center Ideas
33
This could be TOO organized, but maybe not.
Kitchen Command Center
34
Helpful wall corners
Kitchen Command Center
35
Kitchen Organizing
Be Creative
36
Space for individual family members
Organizing Your ADHD Life
Linda Anderson, MA, MCC, SCAC
©2013 Virtual AD/HD Conference® 7
Kitchen Command Center
Great Ideas
37
Search Google images for:
“kitchen command center”
http://images.google.com/
Strategies That Help You
Get Big Jobs Done
38
• Dan’s approach to organizing the bedroom
first all the ties, then belts, then shirts, etc.
• The Mount Vernon Method –
start in one corner and go to the right
• The Sheet
Maintaining and Organizing
Strategies
39
Bites, Gobblers and Munchers * • bites – single steps [(kitchen sink, phone call]
Ex. Annie’s “brain dead” tasks
• gobblers – a few hours
• munchers – multistep [kitchen, office, bedroom]
Put gobblers and munchers in your calendar.
* Kolberg and Nadeau, ADD Friendly Way to Organize
Strategies For Maintaining
40
1. Routine stuff: 15 minutes per day
2. Create a five zone house
Zone 1 – entrance, ft. porch, DR
Zone 2 – kitchen
Zone 3 – bathroom, extra BR, Children’s bath,
children’s BR’s, office, library
Zone 4 – master BR, master bath, closet
Zone 5 – LR, family, den
3. Take one zone per week (in one month).
Spend your15 minutes per day in that zone.
www.flylady.net/ and “Get Organized for Life,” D. Rayburn
Maintaining and Organizing
41
Zone 1…
Zone 2…
Zone 3…
Zone 4…
Zone 5…
42
Maintaining and Organizing
Information (It flows In and Out)
Organizing Your ADHD Life
Linda Anderson, MA, MCC, SCAC
©2013 Virtual AD/HD Conference® 8
- Bills
- Calendar
43
Maintaining and Organizing
Information
The goal is–how not to
store it all for perpetuity.
The Mail and The Bills
44
Incoming Mail√ Sort the mail – who is best at this in the house?
√ Get rid of junk mail and the private stuff
√ Bills to one spot
Incoming/Outgoing Mail and Bills
45
Do your bills need a better home?
Bill Payment and Containment
46
Getting bills paid and out the door…
• Online banking
• Stamps, envelopes, pen, scissors –
all in one place (contain the things)
• Let the paper go! Shred. Keep only if for taxes.
• Receipts for purchases – put in one spot, then throw
Paper Maintenance
47
5 easy pieces (or 5 minutes)
Information Everywhere and
No Time to Think
48
(I used to say, “Paper, paper everywhere and no
place to sit.)
* *
Organizing Your ADHD Life
Linda Anderson, MA, MCC, SCAC
©2013 Virtual AD/HD Conference® 9
Email – Eek!Create Smaller Contained Moments
49
How much time are you taking out of
your work and life to read email? *
Consider picking set times to review email
(Containing)
*Awareness + Behavior = Desired Change
Email Tips
Great Resources!
50
On the internet:
• 11 steps to clean up your inbox – boston.com
• 13 Tips On Organizing Your Inbox – Huffington Post
• Look on YouTube! – how to organize email
Prioritizing and Planning
51
Is it possible?
But experiment. Play a little.
Planning
52
The Good Old Tablet
Consider some other ideas re: containing
Planning and PrioritizingDe-clutter Your Brain
53
To Do
1.
2.
3.
A Dump List is Not a “To Do” List
Cross off the stuff you are really
not going to do in this lifetime.
Take time in the
morning.
Prioritizing and Planning
54
54
Record. Don’t
remember!
Dry
Erase
Cambridge
Limited
Planner
Pad
Organizing Your ADHD Life
Linda Anderson, MA, MCC, SCAC
©2013 Virtual AD/HD Conference® 10
Google CalendarA Very Helpful Planning Tool
55One of my best-est tools!
Calendar as Coach
56
• Use your Google calendar like a coach
• Use color!
• Put reminders (pay bills)
• Put phone numbers in
• Integrate calendar with cell
How can you improve on your calendar?
Another Very Helpful
Planning Tool and Container
57
The Mind Map-where left brain
and right brain meet
Resource: Tony Buzan – The Mindmap Book
57
It adds play to planning
Planning
58
Mind Mapping on Mindjet
58
Mindmapping Resources
59
Find directions on how to mindmap on
You Tube!
Lifehacker.com recommends:
iMindMap FreeMind (free)
Mindjet Mindmeister
Xmind (free)
59
Some More Great Containers
60
• Mint.com - for managing money
• Evernote – (review on YouTube) note taking,
planning
• 2do, todoist – task lists
• 30/30 – for keeping breaks on track
• Paperless and Workflowy for planning
60
Very Useful Software and APPS
Organizing Your ADHD Life
Linda Anderson, MA, MCC, SCAC
©2013 Virtual AD/HD Conference® 11
Focusing
61
61
• Choose 1 to 3 things for the day
• 5 minutes or 15 for planning
• Put it in the calendar
• Use timers - time is liquid, it will get away
from you
Time Timer
So, what about you?
The Ultimate Container
62
62
• Play and create while organizing.
• Connect with others–get help.
• Imagine your desired outcome
Organizing Resources
63
63
• ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life–Kolberg & Nadeau
• Four Weeks to an Organized Life–Freed & Shapiro
• Organized For Life! – Dana Rayburn
Books
Ask for Help
64
• Body double
• Non-judgmental friend
• Craigslist
Organizing Resources
65
65
• National Association of Professional Organizers www.napo.net [Search for ADHD-organizers]
• Institute for Challenging Disorganization
www.challengingdisorganization.org
Organizers
Some Personal Wisdom
A story
66
The Closet
Organizing Your ADHD Life
Linda Anderson, MA, MCC, SCAC
©2013 Virtual AD/HD Conference® 12
What’s in the box front of your closet?
67
√ Beliefs?
√ Negative self-talk?
√ Perfectionist thinking?
√ Can’t imagine finding help?
Start imagining.
68
Awareness + Behavior =
Desired Change
I found a great container!
69
69
(It’s a
bamboo
cutlery
caddy!)
70
Odin (Odie) found a great container, too!
71
Linda S. Anderson, M.A., MCC, Getting ClearPersonal and Business Coach
Specializing in Coaching ADHD Adults
T. 215-230-7315 [email protected]
www.gettingclear.com and www.healthybody-healthybrain.com