LEADING AN ORGANIZED AND BALANCED LIFE WITH ADHD
Shari Pearson, a licensed Psychologist in Durham, North Carolina discusses ADHD-related issues
Organizational Skills
Strategies:
- Set aside daily time for organization. (10 to 15 minutes a day)
- Use colors and lists.
- Prioritize.
- Use a day planner.
- Deal with it now. Avoid forgetfulness, clutter, and procrastination
- Create space. Ask yourself what you need on a daily basis, and find storage bins or closets for things you don’t.
- Let the computer pay the bills. Automatic payments for your regular monthly bills and log on as needed to pay irregular and occasional ones. The best part: no misplaced envelopes or late fees.
- Balance your checkbook online. Signing up for online banking can turn the hit-or-miss process of balancing your checkbook into a thing of the past. Your online account will list all deposits and payments, tracking your balance automatically, to the penny, every day.
- End Distractions. Sit close to the speaker and away from people who chat mid-meeting
- Minimize external commotion. Face your desk towards a wall and keep your workplace free of clutter. Hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign. Let voicemail pick up your phone calls and return them later.
- Save big ideas for later. Jot great ideas down on paper for later
- Get it in writing. Ask for an advance copy of the relevant materials—such as a meeting agenda or lecture outline. At the meeting, use the written notes to guide your active listening and note taking. Writing as you listen will help you stay focused on the speaker’s words.
- Echo directions. After someone gives verbal instructions, say them aloud to be sure you got it right.
- Move around. To prevent restlessness and fidgeting, go ahead and move around—at the appropriate times in the right places. Develop structure and neat habits—and keep them up
- Set up a filing system. Use dividers or separate file folders for different types of documents (such as medical records, receipts, and income statements). Label and color-code your files so that you can find what you need quickly.
- Deal with mail on a daily basis.
Time Management
Strategies:
- Become a clock-watcher. When you start a task, say the time out loud or write it down. Allot yourself limited amounts of time for each task.
- Create a daily ten-minute routine. Attend to filing documents, processing mail, paying bills, and other mundane tasks for the same amount of time each day, and preferably in the same order. If you follow a regular routine, you can be sure you aren’t missing something important. If you have only ten minutes, you’ll know when to stop.
- Give yourself more time than you think you need. For every thirty minutes of time you think it will take you to get someplace or complete a task, add ten minutes.
- Plan to be early and set up reminders. Write down appointments for fifteen minutes earlier than they really are. Set up reminders on your computer or on paper to ensure you leave on time.
- Prioritize. Ask yourself what is the most important task you need to accomplish, and then order your other tasks after that one.
- Take things one at a time. Break down large projects or tasks into smaller, manageable steps.
- Learn to say no
General Strategies: SLEEP
- Avoid caffeine late in the day.
- Exercise vigorously and regularly, but not within an hour of bedtime.
- Predictable and quiet “bedtime” routine
- Hot shower or bath just before bed.
- Set a regular bedtime.
- Wake up at the same time every day.
- Fight after–dinner drowsiness
- Increase light exposure during the day
- Turn off your television and computer.
- When it’s time to sleep, make sure the room is dark.
- Reserve your bed for sleeping and sex
- Relaxing bedtime rituals to try
- Stay away from big meals at night
- Avoid alcohol before bed
- Quit smoking
- If you’re hungry at bedtime: a light snack before bed can help promote sleep when you pair tryptophan–containing foods with carbohydrates
- Get anxiety and stress in check