[2_b_free]

Starting this thread because no one is sharing how they are managing their lives, with ADD/ADHD. Lots of posts on medication and before/after symptoms. But that is only a small part of the disorder. 1% medication/99% organization

How are you keeping your house organized/clean?

How long did/is it take(ing) you?

What are you doing to be successful at work?

What are you doing to change behaviors and learn good habits?

What are your coping methods?

Here are some of my methods:

NO Thrift, antique, dollar stores, yard sales, craigslist free section, freecycle or browsing ebay/amazon etc. to kill time.

Freecycle posts every other day to give things away has I am finding them, right away out to the curb.

DO NOT bring anything home that is not needed for eating, drinking or cleaning. Don't buy unless their is a specific place to put it.

One Organization goal (clean out a shelf..etc)
Every day Maintenance (wash dishes, wipe counters before bed)
Minute goals - take out trash, put glass back in kitchen, etc.

Can't time myself, makes things more unpleasant then they are already.

Slowly but surely and very emotionally painful I am putting my life back in order. I prefer to take little sections and do it myself so I will learn where to put away, make room or throw away. Make new habits and know where everything is.

Hope to hear from others.

[Travelinglady]

I should do some of these things and I'm not ADD. (My son is though.) Since no one else is responding yet, I'm wondering if you have read the classic books on ADD--Driven to Distraction by Hallowell and Ratey. It gives suggestions on coping with the symptoms.

[-jimi-]

Organized?

Eh. I don't keep organized.

[Maus5321]

As it sits right now. I don't have any organization. Things have there place but it is not in any sort of organized fashion.

Originally Posted by 2_b_free

How are you keeping your house organized/clean?

Few things, small space. Still manage to lose things that are right there. Everything has a place and gets put there right away. This is when things are going ok. I've also got bipolar, and when seriously depressed, the whole system goes to hell. So periodic reclaiming is necessary. The only thing that generally keeps it from being a total disaster is not having too much stuff. (For instance, the laundry can only get so full when one doesn't have an excess of clothes...) The clean part isn't so much an issue, as I also have OCD. But again, serious depression will trump that as well. Alphabet soup doesn't seem to play together well. (Your no browsing one is excellent, 2_be_free!)

Originally Posted by 2_b_free

How long did/is it take(ing) you?

About 25 years, lol. Varies. Among the manifestations of my bipolar is over-buying at times over through the years. Later on, I'll get super-frustrated, feel like "the walls are closing in" (though really not) and go on a big clear-out. Rinse and repeat one extreme to the other. Moves are exceptionally effective in making semi-minimalism appealing. Right now I'm in about 200 sqft space. If it was full of stuff, I couldn't handle it at all. Too much stuff makes me anxious and overwhelmed (hence above reaction). The general process is on-going. Even when it slowly builds to needing a clear-out, those don't take too long, because I'm so agitated about it, I'm nearly throwing it out the door just to get it out of my sight(!)

Originally Posted by 2_b_free

What are you doing to be successful at work?

Not working.

Originally Posted by 2_b_free

What are you doing to change behaviors and learn good habits?

Trying to just be more consistent with doing things right away. Using my phone alarms and calendar to remember places I have to be, so I can be there on the right day. Also the time I need to be getting ready by and then another when I need to leave by in order to be on time (not that I always hit that mark...but it's better). Also setting alarms for med-taking times. My sense of time is very nearly non-existant. (Clock time, what day it is, what month it is, what year it is, what season it is sometimes... it's bad. Example... it'll be winter and I'll think, hmmm, wonder if I can pick up those pens cheap at a back to school sale?)

Originally Posted by 2_b_free

What are your coping methods?

Not sure I understand that outside of system.

It wasn't asked, but your questions make me wonder in what area is your biggest organizational challenge? Mine is paper. I have to write everything down immediately. Sometimes losing the thought before even having a chance to pick up a pen. So notes and lists that are just a mess, unrelated information, writing in every direction, words squished down into little triangles of open space. I try to transfer the info onto more like-with-like pages before the pile gets too overwhelming, but...let's just say I could spend several days at it right now, and this after having paper-clipped the scraps of like things together. They range from a half sheet of paper to almost postage stamps size. Won't be able to do it completely. There are always plenty of things that are illegible or make no sense that will end up getting tossed.

One paper issue is particularly frustrating. When, say, on the computer, I have to write down bits of info just to keep track while I am trying to figure something out (which bus will work out best, various features of an item to compare, like that). They aren't "real" notes, because usually a conclusion will be made. But if it's on hold.. Those papers are particularly chaotic. Pulling items off to put on the grocery list or even the to do list aren't so bad, but the rest of them are a disaster. Curious to see if anyone's answers hit on this particular bane.

[Maus5321]

Not really organizational. I have to make a list whenever I am going shopping in any kind of store. If I walk into a grocery store I have to adhere to the list. If not I will just wander around and look at things in the grocery store. Buy things I did not have on the list and never get what I went there to get in the first place.

[emptyspace]

I am terribly disorganized... in piles!
Everytime I try to "organize" a pile or clean one up, I just make another pile. It's such a pain in the ***. I find myself getting distracted or overwhelmed trying to organize and then just give up.

Ever see those "Hoarder" shows on TV, .... that is my destiny when I get older.

[hunpak]

i try to plan but then i don't i get distracted..

[unaluna]

Great thread. I got a great adhd book, when I can find it in this mess, I'll post the name. 2b, you have some good suggestions, the one bit a day thing. I do that, but I was being negative on myself, saying it wasn't enough, so I'm so happy to see someone else who does it. My stomach just seizes up when somebody says, oh just clean for 15 minutes! Maybe because I had too many deadlines at work and school and too much rush-rush from my mother - I just can't take it anymore. I'm just trying to do it calmly. Keep the dishes washed, even if it means eating a lot of sandwiches. No surprises. Consistency.

[2_b_free]

doing dishes is my anchor, I started with a dish and have kept going ever since. So far it has been six weeks, I figure it will take another six weeks to get things to "normal" and keep up with the maintenance cleaning. Once the house is in order, I will set up a schedule to maintain it. Not there yet.

[Lilithlee]

The trick for me is to never not to organized. But I think my ADD is over power by I feel very nervous if I don't know where my things are.

[jnystrom]

Originally Posted by 2_b_free

Starting this thread because no one is sharing how they are managing their lives, with ADD/ADHD. Lots of posts on medication and before/after symptoms. But that is only a small part of the disorder. 1% medication/99% organization

How are you keeping your house organized/clean?

How long did/is it take(ing) you?

What are you doing to be successful at work?

What are you doing to change behaviors and learn good habits?

What are your coping methods?

Here are some of my methods:

NO Thrift, antique, dollar stores, yard sales, craigslist free section, freecycle or browsing ebay/amazon etc. to kill time.

Freecycle posts every other day to give things away has I am finding them, right away out to the curb.

DO NOT bring anything home that is not needed for eating, drinking or cleaning. Don't buy unless their is a specific place to put it.

One Organization goal (clean out a shelf..etc)
Every day Maintenance (wash dishes, wipe counters before bed)
Minute goals - take out trash, put glass back in kitchen, etc.

Can't time myself, makes things more unpleasant then they are already.

Slowly but surely and very emotionally painful I am putting my life back in order. I prefer to take little sections and do it myself so I will learn where to put away, make room or throw away. Make new habits and know where everything is.

Hope to hear from others.

Oh geez, I hear you loud and clear! First, calgon take me away. My daughter has ADHD but I realized I had to take care of myself before I could take care of her. Who knows, I could have it. I do all the things you do but I also use meditation to calm myself down. It's called Body Wave the same folks that make my daughter's program which is a scheduler (yes, computer but keeps the whole fam. on task). Have you been diagnosed? I use the journal and the post-its alot just to keep track of everything but I feel that once I get calmed down and focused this is not so much the case anymore. Keep me posted.

[SeekingZen]

Organized??? Well, I buy things w/ the goal of getting organized (containers, baskets, decorative folders). I try and try but it hasn't worked yet!

I liked your suggestion to avoid spending time on thrift stores, amazon, etc. Difficult to do though!

Has anyone been able successful in cutting back on time spent online? I suspect that the Internet is indeed making the ADD worse.

Can't wait to read everyone's suggestions!

[2_b_free]

Before changing my dosage of adderall the first thing I usually do when starting a organizing project was to look at the organization tips and tricks on the internet and go out and buy the bins, baskets and boxes. However the ADD brain doesn't work with the tools and supplies that others can easily sort, toss and give away. More like the mess would just be transferred from one box to another and stacked haphazardly.

Now with adderall, I am able to make sense of what goes together, what I can really let go and patience this is not a one day fix.