Getting Things Done

Getting Things Done

IT’S NOT ABOUT DOING MORE, IT’S ABOUT DOING THE RIGTHT THING MORE CONSISTENTLY, AND MORE EASILY.

If you have ADHD, you are constantly struggling with time management and productivity due to memory, focus regulation, motivation, time and other executive function challenges.

These challenges are due to not having the right systems in place, or not using tools that work for you.

You need to find tools that work for you.

Learn to do things differently if what you are doing is not working for you.

Learn to do things in ways that work for you.

Don’t let your days run you - you need to plan your days.

Take time to look at your calendar and to-do list at the end of each day or in the evening.

Pick out the three most important things to do first —  what are the essential things to accomplish to move you toward your goals.

Don’t try to think you can complete all you to-dos - that is too overwhelming and will set you up for failure.

Make your calendar your friend - use it!  Make sure that the things that are essential to you are on the calendar.

REMEMBER:  if it’s not scheduled, it won’t get done.

Don’t work on things that are going to keep you from achieving your goals.

The ADHD Brain & Clutter

Disorganization & executive functioning issues lead to distractibility and difficulty focusing, planning and organizing.

Trying to organize becomes overwhelming.

Procrastination and avoiding organizing are easier.

Simple de-cluttering tips to help make your life easier:

1.Don’t be impulsive when buying things. Sleep on it.

2. Keep your surfaces bare.

3.Hang clothing as soon as you take it off - use hooks

4.Discard papers & magazines routinely

Depression Rooms and Doom Piles

I read an article in the New York Times about “Depression Rooms” and “Doom Piles”

Abbe Lucia coined the term “depression room”.

The term “depression room” is relatively new.

Mental health experts recognize the link between messiness and mental health - it is real

I often find that my clients have experience some type of trauma or mental health issue and that is what led to their messiness.

Feelings of overwhelm loss, anxiety, or fatigue set off a spiraling, out of control chaos which leads to messiness and then no energy or desire to clear the clutter.

They are physically and mentally exhausted and not able to clean the house or engage in the decluttering process.

“A messy home can also contribute to feelings of overwhelm, stress an shame, making you feel worse than you already do. And while decluttering will not cure your depression, it can give you a mood boost.”

The NYT article goes on to say:

OPTIME YOUR ENERGY & YOUR SPACE

-Focus on function, not aesthetics

-Cocus on having a livable space, not a spotless one

-Things can be unsightly, but not unsanitary

-Make your home work better for you

“People who ar Neurodivergent, with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, or other executive functioning issues, also often struggle with excess clutter.”

Like “depression rooms”, the term “doom piles” has become popular to describe the random stuff that builds up, and you don’t know what to do with it

Many people feel like the clutter is endless and they are constantly cleaning and the clutter is still there

Find places for your items to live and put those things back in place after each use

Keep things at bay - spend a few minutes each morning and evening to put things away

REMEMBER: IT IS NORMAL TO HAVE SOME CLUTER IN YOUR HOME

TIME TO LET GO OF YOUR CLUTTER

PURGE PURGE PURGE

First think of things that would be easy to let go of

Grab trash bags to throw away items & boxes for items to donate

Here are some ideas of where to begin:

-Unused instruction manual

-Too many shopping bags (these can be recycled)

-Coupons (only clip the ones you will use)

-Things that are outdated, especially electronics that have been replaced

-Dry cleaner hangers - recycle them at the dry cleaner

-Orphan socks

-Old receipts - shred

-Empty shoe boxes

-Excessive cardboard boxes - limit to 3

-Toiletries that were free samples

-Junk Mail

-Gift that you will not use

Letting Go of Possessions

Decluttering can be a difficult task as possessions can create emotional baggage and unresolved issues.

We become attached to our possessions which leads to difficult in letting go of the items.

Try to think of reason to let go of clutter when struggling with getting started with the organizing process.

Ask yourself the following questions when going through the decluttering process:

1. If I went to the store today, would I buy this item?

2. Do I have anything similar that has more meaning?

3. If I get rid of this item, would it impact my life?

4. How much space is this item taking up?

5. Would I like to make someone else happy with this item?

Think about your current life goals and if these items are adding value to you current lifestyle. Are your possessions getting in the way of you moving forward with your current goals?

Start with one area of your life, such as a closet or drawer or cupboard. Go through the area, purge and see how it feels to let go of unused or out of date items.

Happy Organizing

What do you need?

I read an article in which the author made reference to the song by the Rolling Stones, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” - a classic recording.

Individuals with ADHD don’t always get what they want because ADHD interferes with their needs.

Trying to find balance in one’s life is challenging and takes hard work and a lot of effort.

Discover what you need as an individual and what is best for you, not anyone else.

Identify YOUR needs and figure out your definition of success for YOU.

Find people and things that can help you get what you need to be successful. But make sure you define that success for you, and not for someone else.

Study Skills

Lack of structure and the act of sitting down to study is extremely difficult for students with ADHD.

Be sure to have various places to study. One place might be a bedroom with a desk or a loft area with a desk, another could be the kitchen table, or the library. The key is to find a comfortable environment. Change up where you study.

Have a plan for which tasks need to be completed and when. Use a calendar to log your daily to-do list.

Make sure you have all the tools needed to study - paper, pen, pencil, notecards, highlighter.

Sit or stand to study - whatever works best for you.

Be in a quiet environment, use classical music as background noise, or use a noise cancellation devise.

Sensory Overload

Something I just read about was entitles “Coping with Sensory Overload.”

What is Sensory Overload?

When one or more of the 5 senses get flooded with information. The brain cannot process all the information coming in.

Individuals with ADHD can become so overwhelmed that they shut down avoiding certain social situations, becoming quiet and withdrawn, or leaving a social gathering.

Situational Variability

Individuals with ADHD are able to focus on things they like. The ability to engage and perform tasks comes easily if the task or activity is of high interest to them. As opposed to low interest activities which can be extremely daunting.

Due to dopamine levels being low, an ADHD person is not able to do certain tasks even if he or she knows it is easy and quick. The ADHDer is in a state of hypo focus. It has been described as “trying to move a car when the engine is turned off.

For interesting tasks, the opposite is true. Hyperfocus gets turned on and it is sometimes hard to stop or change gears.

David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue Airways, states “I have an easier time planning a twenty-aircraft fleet than I do paying the light bill.”

Situational variability is influenced by the situation or context. Therefore, it creates a conundrum for ADHD individuals.

Homework

Write down the assignment? Complete assignments? Turn in assignments on time? Pay attention to what is assigned? Follow the steps to get the information? Follow the steps for the assignment? Go to the portal for the assignment?

These tasks are daunting and challenging for an ADHD student.

Getting started

Procrastination

Going back to finish the assignment

Turn the assignment in

Help your child/student visualize the assignments. Break down the assignment into small, doable parts. Estimate completion time for the assignments. Block out specific times and place for doing homework. Create an area for doing homework that is distraction free. Use noise-cancelling headphones.

5 Types of Therapy

I read an interesting article discussing the 5 varieties of therapy.

It discusses each type of therapy in order for you to make an educated decision as to which type of therapy will help you to improve yourself.

The article was written by psychologist Dawn Potter, PsyD. She states that there a 5 different types of Psychotherapy, which is talk therapy.

So for individuals with depression, anxiety,, self-esteem, self-confidence, or self expression, one of the five types of psychotherapy would be of benefit to your mental health.

Thees are the five types of Psychotherapy:

1. Psychodynamic therapy

2. Behavioral therapy

3. Cognitive behavioral therapy

4. Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)

5. Humanistic therapy

   Research the five different therapies to find which one is a good fit for you.

Executive Function Issues

-Difficulty beginning tasks and activitis

-Poor attention span

-Limited focus

-Losing track of time

-Losing belongings

-Difficulty multi-tasking

-Shifting from tasks or shifting from activities

-Lack of ability to considering consequences before acting

-Inappropriate behaviors

-Inability to filter what others say or do

-Over-reacting to stimuli

-Lack of awareness of effects of behavior on others

-Hard to track successes and failures

-Hard to make alternative choices or think of alternative choices

Let's Create Good Habits

Habits are hard to make and easy to break.

-Set up a system to make the habit exciting and attractive

-When starting a new habit, start with baby steps and work your way up to adult steps

-Make the habit doable - you aren’t going to exercise if you choose an exercise routine that you don’t like

-Keep it simple - take small steps to reach your goals

You want to build good habits so think clearly about what you want to achieve and how to go about doing it.

Working Memory

Think about your computer. It has a storage system for all the things we create. Our brain has working memory which is a place for storing thinks we want to remember. When we have things to do, our working memory holds or stores this information long enough for us to complete a task.

We also have long term memory in our brain which becomes the more permanent form of storage. It is able to stay there when we do it repetitively .

When individuals have ADHD, short term working memory can be problematic. Distraction causes interference with working memory, as does the lesser amount of capacity in the ADHD brain to hold information needed to remember and to perform tasks.

That is why individuals with ADHD or learning differences find it hard to rely on their working memory and have difficult holding this information.

Some things that can help improve working memory:

-Create to-do lists

-Use of a calendar (I recommend one that is visible and bold)

-Work with professionals: therapist, coach, tutor

De-cluttering

Many individuals have a relationship with their clutter. They feel connected to the things that surround them. This consequently makes it more difficult to let go of the clutter.

Start a journal about your clutter. What is the clutter you are holding onto? Is it books, magazines, recipes, beauty products, or plain old stuff. Next jot notes on how these things give you happiness (or don’t give you happiness). Think about how you can start to let go of the clutter that is surrounding you. How can you create a relationship with other things in your life that will make you happy.

Chronic Disorganization

So what is Chronic Disorganization?

Chronic Disorganization is a term that refers to clutter being around for a long period of time. Some is Chronically Disorganized if they do not remember a time in their life when they were not surrounded by clutter.

You may have tried to organize your papers and possessions yourself, but the clutter creeps back. You may have tried using different systems or organizing products, but your home or office is still cluttered. The chronic disorganization causes you to become immobilized. You feel defeated. You feel embarrassed by the clutter surrounding you.

Hire a Professional Organizer or Coach to help you find a way to curb the chaos and clutter and get you on the right track to becoming more organized and efficient. A Productivity Consultant and Coach will work with you to find ways to keep your things under control.

Causes of Clutter

Clutter can be caused by various life situations and the relationship one has to the clutter. May people hold onto their possessions because they think they will need them someday, but someday never comes around.

Sometimes life transitions can cause clutter:

-Post pardum depression

-The death of a loved one

-A divorce

-Loss of a child

Any life changing situation can cause clutter. Try to take baby steps to clear the clutter.

Getting Ready to Downsize

Depending on the size of your home and the amount of possessions you own, getting ready to downsize can be a daunting process. It is overwhelming to think about going through your inventory of paper and possessions that you own and have held onto for years.

-Set up a timeline and a completion date

-Make a list of the areas you want to tackle first

-Do your research finding places to donate items or sell items

-Gather your tools - boxes, bags, markers, labels, shredder

-Visualize what you want the end result to look like

-Visualize where you want to relocate your residence and be practical about what you keep

How to Start to Declutter

Find the easiest place in your home or office to start. Look first at things that do not have sentimental value. Choose to discard of items that you have in multiples. Then let go of items you no longer use or haven’t used in years. They are taking up valuable real estate in your home or office.

Once you have gone through items you have in quantities of two or more, then move onto things that you have created an emotional attachment to. This will be more difficult to do alone. You may want to ask a friend to help or employ the services of a professional organizer. Working together with someone, especially a professional, can help ease the anxiety that goes along with the decluttering process.

Letting Go of Clutter

We become attached to our possessions.

Our attachment to these objects make it difficult to let them go.

Some of the possessions can be categorized as emotional baggage.

Other people, places, commitments, and possessions can be classified as unfinished business.

How can you get rid of this clutter, this emotional baggage, this unfinished business?

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

!. Would I buy this item for full price today?

2. Would it impact my daily life not to have this item?

3. Which of these items support and enhance your lifestyle today?

4. Which items get in the way?

5. Is the item worth the space it takes up in your home?

6. Is this item adding value to your life?

7. Do you have a similar item you like better?

8. Could this item be useful or helpful to another person?

Most of us have far more than we can actually use or need. Ask the questions above to help eliminate the chaos and clutter from your life. Visual how your space will look once the clutter is gone. Think of how peaceful your life will be and breathe in a sense of tranquility.