How “Doom Boxes” Can Help You Tame Clutter

by Laura Wheatman Hill
December 17, 2022
from Apartment Therapy

I recently started seeing videos in the ADHD corner of TikTok about “doom boxes,” an ominous name for something I thought everyone did, regardless of their neurotypical or neurodivergent status. Turns out, maybe not.

“Doom” is an acronym for “didn’t organize, only moved,” and a “doom box” is a space where you store these random unorganized items, just for the sake of putting them away. I have a doom closet, and I know people with doom rooms too. While a doom box may seem like an organizational no-no, you can make this habit work for you.

ADHD, decluttering, home organizing

What to Do More or Less of For A Better 2023

2022 was a different experience for all of us, but one thing is for sure: we are all looking forward to a better, improved 2023. Nobody wants to say the dirty “R” word (you know…resolutions…shhh). Instead, we’ll focus on simple things we can do more or less of, that will have a bigger, more positive impact all around.

1. Say “No” more.

Are you dreading the next time your friend asks you to pet-sit? Then say “no” next time they ask. It’s okay to say no to doing something you really don’t want to. Explain why, but don’t feel like you have to apologize profusely for it. Your friend won’t stop being your friend because you can’t do this favor for them.

New Year

Gift Guide for Adults and Kids With ADHD

More than 6 million children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with ADHD, while the prevalence of ADHD in adults is estimated at 4.4-8.1%. Chances are, someone in your circle of friends and family has ADHD. If you are giving them a present this holiday season, you may be brainstorming for practical, useful, or fun gifts. We’ve got a list of some fantastic ideas to get you started!

ADHD, gifts, Holidays

Common Thanksgiving Challenges for Kids With ADHD

by Lexi Walters Wright
from Understood.org

As enjoyable as Thanksgiving is for some families, it can often be a difficult time for kids with ADHD to manage. That’s especially true if the holiday involves gatherings and long sit-down meals. Here are some typical trouble spots and what you can do to help.

Interrupted routines

The problem: If you’re traveling for Thanksgiving, your child may be sleeping in a strange place and following an unfamiliar schedule. Even if you’re hosting, your family’s routines may be disrupted. That’s rough for kids with ADHD.

ADHD, Thanksgiving

A Wall Calendar Will Change Your Life

by Lisa Ryan
January 31, 2019
from The Cut

Nothing is more soothing to me than alphabetizing a disorganized bookshelf or ensuring that all the clothes in my closet are color-coordinated; my version of ASMR is images and videos of pantries becoming perfectly organized on Instagram. I’ve been in therapy long enough to know that this is how I manage my anxiety — when I feel like something in my life is out of control (whether it’s work or even just your typical existential dread), I can always depend on the healing qualities of organization to make me feel like I’m regaining power. And this is why I love my wall calendar.

productivity

9 Tips to Maximize Your Productivity When You’ve Got ADHD

Adults with ADHD face extra challenges when it comes to task management and organization, whether at work or at home. Overstimulation, feeling stuck, getting overwhelmed—any one or all of these can hinder your productivity and elevate your anxiety. We’ve got 9 tips to help you maximize your productivity so you can anticipate your challenges, stay focused, and finish your tasks.

1. Use your calendar for reminders and due dates.

Enter your due dates and deadlines. Then count backwards and enter mini due dates and/or reminders for completing phases of your project.

ADHD, Productivity Tips

7 Must-Do’s for an Organized Home Office

Your home office should be a space where you can get a lot of work done. That “work” may be for your job, for your household, or both. In any case, you’ll want to work in an area that is conducive to productivity and efficiency. However, if your home office is chaotic and disorganized, then read on for these must-do’s to get your work space decluttered, comfortable, and calm.

1. Organize your paperwork

Set up a paper organization system so your paperwork isn’t in multiple piles that are impossible to find anything in. Get a filing cabinet system, or a desktop paper organizer—and tackle those piles. Color code when you can, use that label maker, and shred/recycle as needed. Not sure what to keep and what to let go? Our Paper Retention Guide will help you out. Imagine how much easier it will be to find what you’re looking for once you’ve got this set up!

home office

15 Realistic Tips to Lessen Screen Time for You and Your Family

It’s fairly common knowledge now that too much screen time is unhealthy for a wide variety of reasons. According to the Nielsen research group, American adults now spend “more than 11 hours per day watching, reading, listening to or simply interacting with media.” If we assume 6-7 hours of sleep in a 24 hour day, that leaves just 6-7 hours of time daily with no screen interaction. Yikes! This shows how addicted and reliant we have become to our screens, and that can’t possibly be a good thing. For kids, it’s even more important that screen time be limited. But how to go about it without going cold turkey? We’ve created a list of practical, realistic tips on how to lessen screen time for you and your family.

1. Keep track of your screen time.

Smartphones let you check your screen time daily and weekly usage, as well as your number of pickups. Not sure how? Here’s how to do so on Apple devices, as well as on Android, which also has a feature called Digital Wellbeing to help you use your phone in a healthier, more balanced manner. You may be shocked to find, for instance, that you are picking up your phone 58 times a day (the average). Don’t forget to track screen time usage for computers, tablets, game consoles, and televisions—these all count as screens.

bad habits, smartphone, social media

Filing Cabinets Don’t Work for ADHD Minds: Help for Paper Pilers

October 19, 2020
by Lisa Woodruff
from ADDitude.mag

Did you think we would still be dealing with paper in 2020? Me neither. I was sure that the “future would be digital,” yet here I sit with stacks of paper around me and more paper in every room. If you’re wondering how to organize paperwork, start with this management system.

Paper is a Hard Habit to Break

Ours is a paper-based society.

Paper-dependence starts with birth certificates and Social Security cards. In short order, kids become paper producers. From precious handprint turkeys to report cards, they bring home so much paper that is heart-wrenching to discard. Some you keep as memorabilia; some you save for a while to remind you of an action item — like an upcoming field trip or project.

When I realized I would never be paperless, I changed my goal from eliminating all paper to having less of it.

Read the rest on ADDitude.mag.

ADHD, paper clutter, paperwork

7 Steps to Cleaning and Organizing Your Computer Desktop

Your computer desktop is the first thing you see when you log in. Is your password an entry to a desktop that is cluttered with files, folders, photos, apps, zip files, shortcuts, screen shots, and other digital detritus? If so, it could very well have a negative impact on your productivity and your stress level. It’s not hugely different from having an actual desktop that is also cluttered and disorganized. A workspace, onscreen or not, that is a jumbled mess will make you feel distracted, scattered, and anxious. Read on for some tips on getting your computer desktop cleaned and organized—then watch your productivity trend upwards!

1. Make good use of your taskbar to minimize program icons.

Look at each program icon on your desktop and consider how often you use it. The ones you use daily and at least 3x a week, keep on your desktop. The rest should be moved into the Start button on a PC, or the Applications folder in a Mac’s Finder. To neaten up your desktop even more, keep your program icons on your taskbar. On a PC, pin an icon to your Taskbar by right-clicking on it; then select “pin to taskbar.” On a Mac, simply drag and drop the icon onto your Dock. This will help keep your desktop neater and save you the hassle of finding programs because all your apps are in one spot, instead of all over your screen.

computer, organizing, Productivity Tips