Organization
Organization is the ability to create and maintain systems to keep track of information or materials. You might feel prepared and confident because you know where to find things when you need them.
Definition: Ready. The ability to create and maintain systems to keep track of information or materials. You might feel prepared and confident because you know where to find things when you need them.
How this might show up…
- You are generally tidy.
- You have a place for everything. In fact, you probably have routines for putting things away.
- You can find things easily … “It’s right here.”
- People often see you as efficient, competent, knowledgeable, and reliable.
On the other hand…
- You might not be able to function as well – or at all – in a less organized or chaotic environment.
- “Winging it” might feel uncomfortable.
- People might interpret your actions as unnecessary or not really worth the effort.
Opposite: Disorganized or Scattered. Difficulty creating, maintaining, or even using already created systems to keep track of information or materials. You might feel unprepared and scattered because you can’t find things when you need them.
How this might show up…
- You have stuff “everywhere”.
- You don’t put things away, or you put them away wherever they “fit”.
- You find yourself thinking, “Where did I put that?”
- You might often be late because you have to spend extra time looking for things. Or maybe you arrive without important tools, documents, or homework.
- You might feel embarrassed and frustrated with yourself.
- You might have challenges managing your emotions when you are late or in a hurry.
On the other hand…
- You might be comfortable (or at least used to) “winging it”.
How others might interpret this:
People might interpret your actions as unreliable, inefficient, unfocused, or even uncaring.
WARNING!
ADHDers often have DOING challenges, even when they KNOW what to do. In this way, ADHD often looks like a “performance disorder” because ADHDers KNOW what to do, they just have trouble actually DOING it. This is hard for people who can “just get started” to understand.
Now that we have said that, here are some things you can try to DO that might help. (Do you see the Catch-22 here?)
Strategies For Being Generally Prepared:
-Set aside time (even 5 minutes) to look over what you need to do.
-Ask yourself, “Do my plans/tasks look like they will work?” “Do I need anything to do this?” “Does the timing make sense?”
-Think about what might get in the way of your plans.
Strategies For Stuff:
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Strategies For Digital Organization:
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Strategies For Organizing Your Time…:
-Try Time Blocking.
-“Eat the Frog” – an expression or a technique that means to do the hardest thing first. This works for some people but not everyone. Use it if it works for you. If not, consider a “Frog Free Diet”.
-Schedule things that you know are boring or hard to do for times when you have the most energy.
More Coming Soon!