Professional Documents
Culture Documents
How Adhd Affects Home Organization
How Adhd Affects Home Organization
How Adhd Affects Home Organization
Affects Home
Organization
Understanding the Role of the
8 Key Executive Functions
of the Mind
By
Lisa Woodruff
Copyright © 2017 Lisa Woodruff
ISBN-13: 978-1545589007
ISBN-10: 1545589003
This book is dedicated to all those who have helped
me grow in my knowledge and understanding of
ADHD and how it affects every aspect of a person’s
life.
Fore
F word .............................................................................. 6
Intro
oduc
ction
n ........................................................................ 8
How
H w to R
Read
d This Bo
ook ................................................... 11
Part
P 1: A
ADHD
D an
nd th
he 8 Exe
ecutiive Func
F ction
ns ............ 13
What ADH
W HD Is and d Isn’t – Let’s Get on the t
Sa
ame Pag
ge ........................................................................... 14
Th
he 8 Exec
cutiv
ve Fu
unctio
ons o
of th
he Brain Defin
D ned ........... 16
What If Yo
W ou Ha
ave More
M e Tha an One
O D gnosiis?
Diag
Yo
ou Have ADH HD And
A . . . ................................................... 19
Arre Yo
ou a Perffectionistt? .................................................... 21
Th
hree Tips Thatt Alm
most Alwa
ays Work
W k ................................ 23
Table of Contents 5
Conclusion ................................................................. 89
Lisa
L Wooodrruff hass a na atura
al affin
a nity for jigssaw
puzz
p zles— —she e ac ctuaally e
enjo
oys work
w king witth all those
pesk
p ky liittle sca atte
ered pie eces too make
m e th hemm fit
toge
t ethe er. I donn’t get
g it. (JJigsaaw puzzzles ma ake me
quea
q asy.) De espite her
h gre
eat fortu
f une in hav ving an
aptit
a tude e forr envisio
oningg orrder whe
en she
s sseess chaos
and
a for o organizinng just ab boutt anyth hing g while
w
actu
a ually y en njoyin
ng the pro ocesss, Lisa
L is s till q
quite
e a
liikea
able perrson..
Lisa
L und
dersttand
ds at its corre, as
a only
o a feew d do, the
angu
a uish and sh ham me e expeeriennced—p partticularly by
man
m ny w wommen witth A ADHD—w wheen disor
d rgan nization
over
o rwhe elmss a person n’s llife. Woome en wwith AD DHD
often
o n m move e throuugh lifee acco ompanie ed by an
unen
u ndin ng sstrea
am of “sho ouldd” mess
m sage es rrunnning
throu
t ugh the
e backs of ttheirr min nds. “I shou
uld b be able
a
to
t ke eep up withh the
e lauundrry” or
o “I sho
ould be able e to
orga
o anize e thhe hous
h se a and keep it that wa ay,” for
Foreword 7
For
F som
s eon
ne who
w doees n
not strug
ggle
e witth A
ADHD, I
had
h a heck of a tim
me c
completing this boo
ok.
Here
H e’s w
why.
ADH
A D is a c
com
mplexx spectrrum diso orde
er. I am a wife,
w
mom
m m, an
nd p
profe
essio
onal org
ganizzer.
I wass ma
aking this way too h
hard
d.
Let
L mem sstart at the
t beg
b ginnin
ng.
Too
T ofte
en, wwhen
n woome en c
call Orga
O anizee 36
65 to
o ask us
to
t heelp tthem
m ge
et orrgan
nized
d, th
hey end
e d up whiispering
Introduction 9
Knowledge is power.
Lisa
How
Ho w to
to R
Rea
ad
d Th
T is Bo
oo
ok
k
If you
y are reading ook, it is likely th
g thiis bo hat y
you hav
ve
beeen ddiag
gnossed with
h, orr susp
pect yo ou haave,, AD
DHD.
Yo
ou th
hink ffast..
Yo
ou d
don’tt ne eed rosyy exxplanatiions or lots of extrra
wo
ords.. The
ey ju
ust bog
b y
you dow wn.
Ge
et to
o the
e po
oint.
Ok
kay, I will.
In Partt 1 o
of th
his book
b k, I wwill addr
a ress a w
wholle ho
ost of
o
relatedd to
opicss thaat usually come
c e up
p wiith m
my ADH
A HD
entss.
clie
In Pa
art 2
2, I will dive
e intto e
eachh off thee sixx exe
ecutive
func
ction
ns thhat I ha ave help ped clie
entss an nd sttude
ents
over
o rcom me to liv
ve more
m org
ganizzed livess.
At
A thhe endd of each cha apteer, you’ll fin
nd a listt of
relat
r ted Organizze 36
65 p
podc castt episod
des tto he
elp you
y
delv
d e de eeper in
nto that
t top
pic.
Whe
W en you see
e this symbbol: , g
go to
orga
o anize
e3655.com/A ADHDbo ook to see pict
p turess of the
orga
o aniza
ationn id
deas me entio oned, links to additio
onal
blog
b g po osts annd pod dcassts, and links to o otther
elec
e ctron
nic re
esou
urcees.
And
A fina
ally, in Part
P 3, I will pro
ovide
e so
ome additio onal
resou
r urcees to
o heelp you
y m
mov ve fo
orwaard in g
gettin
ng your
y
hom
h me orrgan nized
d!
Let’s
L s gett sta
arted
d.
P
Paartt 1
ADDH
HDDaand th
the 8
Exe
E eccu
ut
tiv
ve Fun
ncct
tio
onns
14
1 Ho
ow A
ADHD
D Affects Home
H e Orgaaniza
ation
Wha
Wh at AD
ADHD
D IIs an
and Isn
n’t
t–
L t’s Ge
Let et on
ntthe
e Sa
am
me Pa
age
e
In this bo
ook,, I will sh
hare withh yo
ou my
m exxpe rience and
a
resea
r archh abboutt AD DHD and d hoow it re
elate
es to
o ho
ome
orga
o aniza ation
n. It stannds tto re
easo
on th
hat we
w sshouuld start
s
by
b defin
d ning term ms.
ADH
A D iss a spe ectru
um diso order thhat man
m nifessts ittself
throu
t ugh the e 8 exe ecuttive proocessses of the
e brain:
flexib
ble thinnking
g, worki
w ing memorry, self-ms monnitoring,
task
t initiation, pllann
ning, orga
o anizaation
n, iimpu ulse
cont
c trol, and d emmotio
onall conntrol.
Basic
B callyy, th
he executivee fu
unctions of the bra
ain help
h
you
y plan
n, orrgan
nize, and
d co
ompplete
e tassks.
The
T term
m “spectrum d disorderr” mea
m ns tthat wh
hich
exec
e cutiv ve ffunc
ction
ns a
are imppacted and d to
o what
w
degr
d ree varies frrom onee pe
erson
n to ano
othe
er.
While
W e yo ou mmay hav ve a deeficitt in one
e are
ea a
and be
stron
s ng in n the
e ottherr sev
ven, anothe er perso
on w
with the
same
s e diiagn
nosiss ma
ay hhave
e a defiicit ini se
even
n arreas
and
a be stron
ng inn on
nly o
one.
Part 1 – ADHD and the 8 Executive Functions 15
Th
The 8 E
Exe
ecu
utiive
e Fu
un
nct
tio
onns of
o
t
the
e Bra
B ain
n Def
D fin
ned
d
So
S what
w t are
e the
e 8 exec
e cutiv
ve fu
unctions of tthe m
mind
d?
1. Fllexib
ble Thin
T king g. Thhe abilit
a ty to o ad djustt to the
unexpec cted. So ome eone e who
w stru
uggle es with
w
exib
fle ble thinking g has a hard d tiime wh hen
so
ome eone e elsse chan ngess the eir sc
ched dule
e at the
la
ast mminute.
2 W
2. Work king Mem moryy. Th
he abilit
a ty to o kee ep mmultiple
p
piece es ofo innformmatiion in your
y r miind at the
sa
ame e timme. So omeo one wh ho strug gglees with
w
w
workiing mem mory y eaasily forggets wha at th
hey are
sa
aying in n a con
c verssatio on and
a missses sstepps in
m
multisstepp direectio
ons.
3 Se
3. elf-M
Mon nitoring. Thee ab bility to eva
e luate what w
yoou’rre doin
d g c compare ed to othe er ppeople.
Soome eone e who
w struggglees with
w self--monitoring
can have an ov verlyy positi
p ive or ov verly
nega ative
e vie
ew o of the
emselve es.
4 Ta
4. ask Initiation. Thhe aability too take a actio
on and
a
g
get starte ed. Som
S meon ne who
w struggle es wwith task
t
nitiattion kno
in ows w wha at to do,, butt ca nno ot ma ake
th
hem mselv ves do
d itt.
Part 1 – ADHD and the 8 Executive Functions 17
What
Wh t If
f You
Y uHHav
ve Mo
orre T
Th
han
n
O
One
e Dia
D agn
noosis? Yo
ou Ha
ave
AD
DHHD
D And...
nd
The
ese are co-morrbid diagno
oses of ADHD
A D.
I kn
now
w it soounds teerrib but thatt is the m
ble, b meddical term
m
thaat iis uused wh hen yo ou have
h e more m e th han on ne
diaagno osis at a tiime and d th
hey’re relat
r ted to eac ch
othher.
Let’s put it this way. If you have mild ADHD and that
is your only diagnosis, learning a few strategies and
adaptations will significantly improve your ability to
organize.
A
Are
e You
Y u a Pe
erf
fec
ctiion
nis
st?
?
Wh hile I ha
ave not don ne rresearchh onn the e interaactio
on
beetwe een pe erfectionism m anda ADH
A D, I hav ve
wittnesssed it man
m ny tim mess. Peerfec
ctionnism
m ap ppeaars to
t
exace erbate the exece cutiv ve func
f ction ning defficitss thaat
aree alread dy there
t e. A
As a gen neraal rule, iif I h
have
e twwo
clie
entss with th
he sa ame e ADDHD sym mpto oms and d one is a
peerfecction
nist, it is goinng tto be monu
m ume entally harde er
forr the
e perfecction nist to
o ge
et orrgannizedd.
Thee id
dea that there is a “p perfeect” sol ution, or
o th
he
deesire for a guara
g ante
ee that eacch strate
egy will woork
beeforee wee sta
art im
mple
emeentin
ng, ofte
o n le ads to neve
n er
sta
arting
g.
Orrgan
nizattion is a jouurne
ey, not
n a desti
d inatiion. Mo ost
pe
eoplee arre noot “b
born
n org
ganiized.” It is a skill tha
at ca
an
be
e lea
arned, and
a I wo
ould love
e to teach itt to you!
If you
y havve perfe
p ectio onistt ten
ndenncie nt you to
es, I wan t
emmbraace this neww jou
urneey. I promise
e to be kind
d an
nd
heelp you e
everry ste
ep o
of th
he way.
w
It’ss not go
oing to be p
perffect,, but ge
ettin g starte
ed will
w
bee better than the im
mperrfect me ess you
y h
have no ow.
I preac
ch ““progresss, not p
perfe
ectio
on.”
22 How ADHD Affects Home Organization
T
Thhre
ee Tip
T ps T
Th
hat
t Alm
A most
Al
lwway
ys Wo
Work
k
He
ere are e th he thre
ee tips I hav ve fouund thaat
co
onsisttenttly help
h p mmy sstudentss and clie
ents witth
AD
DHD:
#1 Use
e pe
eople
e re
esourrcess keep you
y foc
cused
d an
nd on
o
ack.
tra
But then life got going too fast, and the lack of the
daily structure of the school day or the babies’ nap
schedules left them at a loss as to how to use their
time well.
Ho
oww Ea
Each Exxe
eccuutiv
ve
Fu
unnc
ct
tio
onn Af
Affeec
ctts
Ho
omm
me Orgaannizaat
tio
onn
Parrt 2 - H
How Each Execcutivee Funcction Affeccts Ho
ome O
Organ
nizatio
on 27
2
Ex
xec
cut
tiv
ve F
Fun
nc
ction
n##1:
Fl
lex
xible Th
hin
nkking
Wh
hat iis the
e ex
xecu
utive
e fun
nctio
on off flex
xible
e thiinkin
ng?
Fle
exible
e th
hinkin
ng allow
a ws yo ou to
t move
m e freeely from
m on
ne
situ
uatio
on to ano other and to adjust in order to t
ressponnd a
apprropriiately to
o each situa
s ation
n.
Fle
exible
e thhinkiing is im
mpa acteed by
b both
b h AD DHDD annd
annxiety. Itt’s not
n unco
u omm mon n forr pe
eople e wwith eithe
e er
dia
agno osis to have
h e a rigid d “m
my way
w or t he h
high
hway y”
resspon
nse to chan
c nge.. It iss myy exxperiencce thhat this is
oftten a reactiion to
t thhe lo
oss of
o coontro
ol.
We
ere y
you exc
cited
d?
Fru
ustra
ated?
For how lo
ong?
?
28 How ADHD Affects Home Organization
Not true.
most
m t poopullar and
a wh
hich ones you
y ne ed to buy
agai
a in.
This
T s em w
syste works reeally
y we
ell when
w n you’re e on a new
n
diet
d andd yoou’ree try
ying all theese diffe
d erentt fla avorss of
prote
p ein b barss. Yo
ou caan hhavee all thee diffferen
nt fla
avors in
diffe
d erentt po ocke ets and
a eassily see
s at the e end d of the
wee
w k wh hichh one ev very
yboddy in n the
e fam mily liked most,
m
beca
b ause e thaat’s the pocckett thaat’s emp
e pty.
Diffe
D erentt solutions fo
or diiffere
ent prob
p blem
ms.
Orga
O aniza
ation is don
ne in increm al stage
menta es.
Next
N t, yoou ttried
d the
e cerea al bars
b org
ganizzer on the
door
d r annd thhat is actua
ally worrkingg. Bu
ut yo
ou hhave
en’t
foun
nd a goo
od solution ffor tthe cere
c eal.
N w you are in
Now n orrgannizattion leve
el tw
wo, whe
ere the
flexib
ble tthinkking is ha
ard..
Part 2 - How Each Executive Function Affects Home Organization 33
Now
N w if you u reeally struugggle with
w fle
exible
e thhinking,
wha
w t’s g going to o ha
appe en iss tha
at beca
b ause e youu do on’t
unde
u ersta and th hesee d differrent sy ystem ms, yo ou are
think
t king,, weell, okay,, gre
eat. You u told
d me e whhere
e to put
cere
c eal b bars,, and yoou to
old mme whe ere to t pput sttarc
ches
and
a cereal. Bu ut yo
ou d didn
n’t tell
t me wh ere to put
toma
t ato soup. And
A beccausse yo ou don’
d ’t ha ave flexxible
think
t king,, you u doon’t kno
ow w whatt to do
d with
w you ur sooup.
I didn’t e
even mentiion a ca anne ed ittemm. Wh hat do you
y
do
d with
w can nned d sou
ups??
(Don
( n’t w worrry, I wo
on’t lea
ave youu ha angi ng. Goo to
orga
o anize e3655.com/AADHDbo ook to
t seee a piccturee of the
orga
o aniza ation
n id
deas me entio
oned abov
a ve, as w well as
how
h w I sto
ore c
cans onn sho
oe o
organizers!)
This
T is w
why exible thinkking rea
y fle ally imppactts your
y
orga
o aniza ation
n skills. You
Y d
do hhave e to be kindd of flex
xible
whe
w n yo ou’rre orga
o nizin
ng. TTry diffe
d erent th hingss. Ke
eep
wha
w t is wworkking and d tryy difffere
ent so
olutionss for whaat is
not.
n
Part 2 - How Each Executive Function Affects Home Organization 35
the
t offic
ce ssupp ply area
a a. AAnything g tha
at w
was pla
astic
and
a wou uld ffit in tha
at dra
awe
er, I look
l ked at.
a
Wha
W at I e
endeed up
u comi
c ing hhom w wass an acrrylic
me with
uten
u nsil h
holde
er th
hat you
y would put in your
y r kitc
chen n to
orga
o anizee your silverw
ware drrawe er. And
A to b
be h
honeest, I
wou
w ld n not buy y thiis on
ne for the kitc chen n beecaause
unle
u ss yo ou o
only havve foour sspoo
ons, it would
w dn’tt be big
enou
e ugh. Bu ut it was
w perrfect foor my
m nigh htsta
and
draw
d wer.
Actio
A on sstepss forr imp
prov
ving you ur fle
exiblle th
hinkiing as
a it
relat
r tes to
o ho
omee orgganizzatio
on:
1
1. Liisten
n to the Orgganiize 365
3 Pod dcasst. Liisten
ning
to
o th he Orga
O anize e 3665 Podc
P cast wil l he elp you
y
w
with flexxible
e thinkinng bec causse I ’m alw ways
te
elling
g yoou th
hesee ouut-off-the
e-boox id
deass I ha ave
a
abou ut organnizin
ng. IIt will
w give
g youu a big gger
b
bankk to dra aw ffromm ass yo ou go
g to o organ nize
d
differrent areas oof yo
our hom
h me. Itt willl gro
ow your
y
m
menttal libra ary of alte ernaative
e orrgan nization
so
olutions for eac
e ch sp pace e in your hoouse.
2
2. G
Go oon Piinterrest to fiind orga
o aniza
atio n so
olutio
ons.
O
Oncee yo
ou kn noww wh hat you
y wan
nt to
o orrgannize,
g
go lo
ook at
a all the e difffere
ent way
w ys peeoplle haave
o
organized th hat item m orr spaace. Pin
ntereest is a
Part 2 - How Each Executive Function Affects Home Organization 37
Execu
utiive Fu
un
nct
tio
on #2
2:
W
Wo
ork
kin
ng M mory
g Mem y
Wha
W at is tthe e
exec
cutiv
ve fu
uncttion of work
w king memorry?
Work
W king me emorry is the cap old i nforrmation
pacity to ho
in
n the
e mind for the
t purp
p pose e of com
mpleeting
g a ttask..
“Mu
“ ltitassking
g,” you
y may
y thiink.
No,
N not
n really, but
b kinda
k a.
Rese
R earc
ch h has shown tha at non one o caan aactu
ually
mult
m itaskk. W
What mulltitasskerss do
o is ra
apid
dly ta
ask-switch.
Follo
F owing mmultisstep
p dirrectiions or com
mple eting
g math
m
word
w d prroble
emss is chaallenging g if you
u strrugggle with
w
work
w king memorry.
H e is how
Here w woorkin
ng m
mem
mory
y he
elps you
u ge
et your
y
hom
h me orrgan
nized
d.
You
Y wallk into a spa
ace e tha at ne
eed
ds to
o be
e org
ganized
and
a alll th
he disorde er is overwhelm ing. Ea ach
in
ndiv
vidua
al iitem
m inn th he rroom m yells
y ut tto you
ou y
“Org
“ ganizze m me!”” and
d it iis de
eafe
ening
g.
Part 2 - How Each Executive Function Affects Home Organization 39
When you think that you don’t have any more trash
in that room, take one more look around the room
and you’ll probably find more.
Maybe your kids left the chip bag and their plates in
the family room. Go ahead and collect all the
plates and take them to the sink. Collect all the
food and put it away. Go back. Okay, any more
plates? Any more food? And I often will say, any
more trash? Because if it’s been a day, there’s
probably new trash, right?
Ac ction
n steeps for
f im mproovin
ng your worrking
g me
emo
ory as
a
it relattes to
o ho
ome e org
ganizzatio
on:
1. Foc
cus. You ur m
mind won’t help
h p yo
ou. Y
You nee
ed
to oveerride
e it. Orrgan
nize each room in th
his
der:
ord
• er th
Ente he sspac ce and d on
nly c ect trash.
colle
Oncce all
a th he ttrashh is gon go tto sttep 2.
ne, g
(Whhen I doo this, I mutt
m ter unde
u er m my breat
b th
“Tra
ash, trash, trrash” to kee
ep m
me foocussed.)
• Ente
er th
he sspacce and
a onlly lo
ook for foodd.
Rotten foo
od, ffoodd tha
at need
n ds to o bee pu
ut
awaay, and
a dish
hes food
d wa
as oor is o
on.
• Enteer th
he sp
pac
ce and only
o loook fo
or clo
othe
es.
Dirty
y clothes, neww cloth
c hes, clothess yo ou
cleaaned thhat d
didn’t ge
et put
p a away y.
• Nexxt, pick oone type off item
m a nd c
colle
ect all
a
of thosee ite
ems befo ore movving on.
2. Use
e th he Sund
S day Baskett to lea ave yoourseelf
nottes. Emppty y yourr minnd out
o ono p paper soo yo
ou
cann fo
ocus on the e tassk at
a haand . Ke
eep all of
o
the
ese note
n es in n one lo ocation andd goo thrroug
gh
the
em eve ery Sun nday y soo you
y do
on’t miiss
imp
porta ant events o or id
deass.
46 How ADHD Affects Home Organization
Ex
xec
cut
tiv
ve F
Fun
nc
ction
n##3:
Se
elf
f-M
Mooniito
oriing
g
Wh
hat iis the
e ex
xecu
utive
e fun
nctio
on off sellf-mo
onito
oring?
Self-monitoring is the
e ab
bility
y to moonito ne’s ow
or on wn
peerformannce an nd tto mea asuree itt ag
gain
nst som
me
sta
andaard o
of what
w t is needded or expe
e ecte d.
Do
on’t skip ove
er th
his on
ne.
Ye
es, I kknow
w yo
ou.
Self-m
monittorin
ng iss key
y to
o keeepinng you
y ffocu
used
d annd
mootiva
ated
d. When you u ca
an seelf-m
moniitor, youu can se
ee
ho
ow faar you have
h e co omee an
nd be le ess ooverwwheelmeed
by
y howw fa
ar yoou neeed to ggo.
mporrtant!
See, it’s im
Focus on n ge
ettinng o
orga
anize
ed, nott on
n b
beco
omin
ng
Maartha
a Ste
ewa
art.
48 How ADHD Affects Home Organization
“Look, here are all the bags that we filled and that
are going to be gone.”
Execu
utiive Fu
un
nct
tio
on #4
4:
Ta
ask
k In
nit
tia
atiion
n
Wha
W at is tthe executive ffunc ction
n of task
t k initiiatio
on (a
also
know
k wn a as ge ettin
ng sttarte
ed)?
Task
T initiatio
on is the abiility tto begin
b n a taskk or actiivity
and
a nde
to in epennden ntly gen nerate iddeass, re sponsess, or
prob
p blem m-solving g strateg gies nec cesssary to sustain the
atten
a ntion an nd fo
ocus lev vels nee eded d to
o commplete the
task.
t .
This
T appa plies to new
n taskks orr tasks th
hat we
w d donn’t want
w
to
t do.
d Y You ma ay strug
ggle with ta ask initia
ation evven
thou
t ugh yo ou hav ve no pro obleem sta arting
g and
a
susta
s aininng yoour atte
entio
on on the prrojec cts yyou lovee to
do.
d
All
A of o uss ha ave at some
s e timme had d to dea al wwith the
in
nab bility to g
get start
s ed oon thing gs, but
b fo or p
peop ple who
w
strug
s ggle w with the e e exec cutiv
ve func
f ction n o of task
t
in
nitia
ation n, the challeenges c can be ove erwhhelmming. As
a te each her, there were
w e four skills I ussed to look k at
whe
w n I was he elpin
ng a sttude ent——an nd t hey y’re the
same
s e skills th
hat com
c me in nto p play
y with a clie nt w
who has
task-
t -initia
ation difficu
ultiess. Th
hey are:
a
Part 2 - How Each Executive Function Affects Home Organization 55
Working memory
Focused attention
Wrong.
Energy regulation
What happened?
It’s not.
I know, frustrating!
Ex
xec
cut
tiv
ve F
Fun
nc
ction
n##5:
Pl nning
lan
Wh
hat iis the
e ex
xecu
utive
e fun
nctio
on off pla
anni ng?
Pla
anning iss the
e ab
bility
y to m
man
nage
e cu nt and futur
urren f re
tassk de
ema
andss.
He
ere iis w
why you ne
eed to plan
p n to gett yo
our hom
h me
org
ganiized
d.
Pla
anning iis beeing
g abble tto se
ee the
t big--pictture goal
(in thiss ca
ase, the org
ganizzed houuse) andd brreak k tha
at
70 How ADHD Affects Home Organization
Yep—yesterday!
Yes, 21 days!
Look at your first list (we’ll call this your master list)
and pick out two to three big tasks that you’re
going to do for the day. For example, on my list, I
might have “record a podcast,” “go out to lunch,”
and “do two loads of laundry.”
• Go to work
• Go to gym
• Prepare lunch and dinner (arguably two
tasks)
• Laundry
• Grocery shopping
• Cleaning kitchen, bathroom, etc.
• Drive kids to appointments
• Go to doctors’/dentist appointments
• Help elderly neighbor with snow shoveling
• Shovel own drive
• Do taxes
• Etc.
tasks once your top three are done, but if you are
tired and the day is over, you can be done.
Just start with that. The next day, those things will be
on your mind. But here’s what I find happens. I’ve
never read this anywhere, but I know it’s true. My
brain actually works on my to-do list while I’m
sleeping. It’s awesome.
Ex
xec
cut
tiv
ve F
Fun
nc
ction
n##6:
Or
rga
anniz
zat
tio
on
Wh
hat iis the
e ex
xecu
utive
e fun
nctio
on off org
ganiization?
The
e exxecu
utive
e fun
nctio
on o
of organ
nization
n is rrelatted: it
meeanss ke
eeping track of things. Nott ne ecessariily
org
ganizing
g a spaace, but yoour abili
a ty t o re eme embe er
things—
—whhat theyy are
e an
nd wher
w re thhey aare.
It’ss fun
nny thaat I’m ttackklingg the exec
e cutiv
ve skill of
o
org ganization last, butt youu ca
an seee how
h organizzatio
on
is more
m e tha an ju
ust one
o thin
ng, right?
?
He
ere iis w
why you u neeed the
e ex
xecuutive
e functio
on of
o
org
ganiizatiion to
t ge
et yo
our h
hom
me orga
o nizeed.
Haavingg on ne plac
p ce for y yourr items, kno owinng wher
w re
tha
at p
place e is and
d retturniing item
ms too thaat p
place arre
esssenttial for main
m tain ning orga anizzatio
on in you
ur ho
ome
e.
The
e exxecutivee sk
kill o
of o
organiza
ation
n is more abou
a ut
pu
utting
g th
hingss aw
way tha an creat
c ting neww o
organizin
ng
82 How ADHD Affects Home Organization
Sorry.
“It” could be . . .
• Your house
• Your kitchen
• Your closet
• Your car
• Your purse
Awhile, huh?
You can.
Part 2 - How Each Executive Function Affects Home Organization 87
Liv
ving an o
orga
anize
ed liife iss a new
n way
y of thin
nking
g an
nd
speending your tim
me.
I kn
now
w.
Thiis litttle b
book
k paacks a b
big punc
p ch in
n ch
hang
ging
g your
mindse et abouut organ
nizattion.
ndersstan
Un ndingg ho
ow e
each h of the
e exe
ecuttive func
ction
ns
of the
e min nd impa
i actss ho
ome org ganizzatio
on g
gives yoou
owerr to tak
po ke back
b k yo our hom me and
a d mo ove fromm
clu
utterred to orga
o nize
ed.
90 How ADHD Affects Home Organization
Lisa
P
Paartt 3
Res
e our
rc
ce
ess
92
9 Ho
ow A
ADHD
D Affects Home
H e Orgaaniza
ation
T
The
e Sun
nda
ay
y Ba
ask
ket
t
(Frrom
m Thee Minndseet off Orgganiization: Takke
BBackk Your Hous
H se Onne Phhasee at a Tim me)
The
T S day Bassket wass the
Sund e sysstem
m I creatted to help
h
me
m get
g on ttop of all
a th
he p
papeer and daily
d y “too-doo”s I
had
h as a
an a
adultt.
Every
E ythin
ng sstartts with
w the Sunnday Baske et. I did
dn’t
realiz
r ze itt whhen I staarted thhe syste
em year
y rs ag go, but
prett
p ty m much every
e ythin ng I know abo out orgganizzing
can
c be leaarned with
w the Sunnday Ba aske
et. Y
You will
le
earn
n priioritizatio
on, as w
well as how
h to dea
d al with mail,
m
proje
p ects, and re efere
ence e ite
ems.
Itt’s a big
g deeal to mak
m e a Sun nday y Ba
aske
et. It usu
ually
take
t es te en h hourrs too get e everrythiing tog
gether anda
done
d e th he fiirst time
t e. Affter tha at, th
he Sund
S day Bassket
beco
b ome es a too ol tha
at yo
ou w
will use
u wee
w k af ter w weeek. It
usua
u ally take es pe eople abbouut six
x weeks to g
get into the
flow of uusing
g a Sund
S day Basket.
Som
S e o
of yo
ou may
m y be e thinkin ng, “Ugh, a ba aske
et, I
don’
d ’t ev
ven like bassketss. Th
hat’s so 1980
0s!” So b
befo
ore I
Part 3 – Resources 93
No, you don’t. You can do this. Just fill one laundry
basket at a time. Do this entire system, adding
another laundry basket and another. You didn’t get
into this situation overnight, and you’re not going to
get out of it overnight. We just have to start
somewhere or we’re always going to be living in the
piles of paper.
Breathe.
There are two reasons for this. First, you do not want
a lot on your to-do list, and second, the more you
defer things week after week, the more often you
actually decide not to do them at all. Fifty percent
of your actionable Sunday Basket items never get
done and you will decide to recycle or shred them.
Then, yes, it’s okay. Let the laundry and the dishes
pile up. Your house will not implode if you take two
or three days to organize your master closet or if
you take a couple hours a day for the 100 Day
Home Organization Program so that your house
functions better. You need to have one place . . .
only one place . . . where all of those kinds of
papers go. And then, one time a week when you
check it so you can stay on top of those requests
and be the awesome, organized woman that you
are.
T
The 100
1 0DDay
y Hom
H mee
O
Org
gan
niz
zat
tio
on Pr
rogr
ram
m
The
T 10
00 Day Hom me Orrgan nizattion Progrram
in
ncorporratees alll the
e stra
ateg
gies I use
ed in m my te
each
hing
year
y rs to o help studen nts w
whoo strrugg gled with task
t
in
nitia
ation
n.
1. D
Daily 15-m
minu
ute ttaskks
Th
his iss the
e ke
ey. W
Wee
ekly cheecklists w h sev
with ven
sp
pecific, re elate
ed 15 5-min
nute
e ttaskks are
p
price
eless.
In
nstea
ad of
o “clea anin
ng out
o your
y r pa antry
y,” I tell
yoou to go thrroug gh all
a your c erea al and
a
b
breakfast fooods.. The
e ne
ext day,
d go thro
oughh all
yoour can
ns, ettc.
2 D
2. Deleg
gate
ed deci
d sion-ma
aking
g
Part 3 – Resources 105
El
lec
ctr
ron
nic Res
R sou
urrce
es
Thiis se
ectio
on iss wriitten
n byy Betsy Fulle
F er, M MS, C CCC C-SLP.
Be
etsy is tthe CEO o of C
Commmu unicaationn C Circle
es, a
unique e aggenc cy that pro ovidees consuultin g seervic
ces tot
appp d deveeloppers and d teech com mpa aniess, as well as a
dirrect serrvice
es to o p peopple with
h dissabiilities uttilizin
ng
tecch solutions.
Appps an nd mo obile
e d devices likke iPa ads an nd
sm
martp phonnes can n maake a treemeendoous diffe
erennce in
the
e live
es o
of peeople w with A
ADHHD and
a er c
othe cond dition
ns
tha
at crreatte difficu
ulties with executive
e fu nctiionin
ng.
Recommended Apps:
Notes by Apple
Preinstalled on all Apple devices.
Notes is a staple in my life! I jot down ideas on the
Notes app daily. The app allows you to add typed
notes as well as handwritten ones. You can also
attach web links and photos. The app also has a list-
building feature that inserts checkboxes. You can
share a note, and the person you share with can
edit the note. You can also send your note via
email, text message, Twitter, Facebook, Voxer,
WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Trello, and more. The notes are
searchable, too!
Part 3 – Resources 111
Reminders by Apple
Preinstalled on all Apple devices.
Reminders allows you to make lists, set reminders,
and share these items with others. You can also set
location-based reminders with this app.
CALENDARS
Recommended Apps:
iCal by Apple
Preinstalled on all Apple devices.
iCal allows you to share appointments and is
compatible with other calendars, such as Google
Calendar, for sharing. iCal also offers a color-coding
feature. Within iCal, you can set locations,
reminders, and recurring appointment times.
TIMERS
Recommended Apps:
GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS
Recommended Apps:
Popplet by Notion
Available for iOS and at popplet.com.
Popplet is a mind-mapping app that allows you to
make graphic organizers that help you write out
your thoughts. Popplet allows you to make your
own graphic organizers without preset templates.
You can color-code templates and add text,
photos, and handwriting or drawings.
VISUAL SCHEDULES
Recommended Apps:
MEDICAL APPS
Recommended Apps:
Health by Apple
Preinstalled on all Apple devices.
Make sure you complete your medical profile in the
built-in Health app. It is accessible by emergency
responders even if your phone is locked.
FINANCIAL APPS
Recommended Apps:
MESSAGING APPS
Recommended Apps:
EMAIL MANAGEMENT
Recommended Apps:
Unroll.Me by Unroll.Me
Available on iOS or at unroll.me.
I often subscribe to emails from a company I am
interested in getting information or coupons from.
My email inbox gets full of those promotional emails,
and I cannot find the emails I actually need.
Unroll.me separates these emails and allows you to
filter certain types of email or unsubscribe from
mailing lists so you do not get any emails from a
company in the future.
SaneBox by SaneBox
Available on iOS or at sanebox.com.
SaneBox separates your email into different folders. I
use it to automatically divide my email into folders
for different projects. It also prioritizes emails that are
kept in the Inbox. If I am in a hurry, I can glance only
at the Inbox.
As a pprofe
essio
onal orgganizzer and
a pro
oducctivitty ex
xperrt,
a W
Lisa Woodrufff ha as help
ped tho ousa
andss off wo ome
en
recclaim
m th
heir hommes andd finnally gett org
gannizedd witth
heer ppracttical tip
ps, enc
courrage emeent, and d humo
h or
thrroug
gh he
er blog
b andd po
odca ast at
a Orrgannize3365.com
m.
She
e is the
e cre
eatoor off the
e onnline
e orggan
nization serie
es
whhich inc
cludees “The
“ e 100 DayD Homme Organizzatioon
Pro
ogra
am,”” “O
Organizee 101 1: Th
he Sund day Baskket,”
” an
nd
“Th
he Profe
essional O
Orgaanizzatio
on Mento orship
Pro
ogra
am.””
Lisa
a ha
as beeen feaature
ed in
n the
e Huuffing
gton
n Poost, Ladie
es
Hoome Journa al, Wom
W man’s Day,D US Neews & WorlW ld
Reeportt, an
nd Gett
G ting Org ganiized ma agazzine. She haas
apppeaared d on
o Fox Ne ews 45 5 Dayto
D on, Fox 19 1
Cinncin
nnati, WKRC
W C C Cinciinnaati, Livin
L ng DDaytton, an nd
numerrous pod dcasts.
a liv
Lisa ves iin Cinci
C ati w
nna with her husbannd G
Greg
g an
nd
theeir tw
wo tteennagee ch
hildre
en Joey
y andd Ab
bby..