Why Is It So Hard to Get (and Stay) Organized?

FromMore Attention, Less Deficit

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Why Is It So Hard to Get (and Stay) Organized?

FromMore Attention, Less Deficit

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Length:

12 minutes

Released:

Jan 6, 2010

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

I counted eight reasons why adults with ADHD tend to have more trouble with keeping their belongings organized. Fortunately, these eight reasons suggest eight solutions. (Updated mp3.)

Released:

Jan 6, 2010

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Success Strategies for Adults with ADHD

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Announcement: Welcome to the site, the podcast, and the books!: 2,000,000 downloads and still going strong! Welcome to adultADHDbook.com, where you will find all sorts of good stuff related to ADHD, particularly in adults. You can find every podcast episode I’ve done, going all the way back to March 2009. by More Attention, Less Deficit
6 min listen
Sense of Time: It Can’t be 5:00 Already!: People with ADHD have difficulty monitoring the passage of time and planning accordingly, a skill that’s really important in today’s busy world. As a result, they tend to spend too long on some activities and not plan enough time for others. by More Attention, Less Deficit
5 min listen
ADHD and the Evolving Personality: As with many things, growing up with ADHD can influence how your personality develops because it tends to make some situations more likely and other situations less likely. This is also affected by when you were diagnosed and whether you were treated. by More Attention, Less Deficit
10 min listen
Rewrite History: Understand Your Past (and Yourself) in a Different Way: Being diagnosed with ADHD not only enables you to create a better future, it also changes your understanding of your past. It explains all sorts of events in your life in a much less pejorative way. by More Attention, Less Deficit
6 min listen
How to Get Help When You Need It—For You or Someone Else: Many adults with ADHD are conflicted about getting help from others. Sometimes they really want it; sometimes they really don’t. Life gets easier when you find a middle road. by More Attention, Less Deficit
13 min listen
Self-Activation: Getting That Heavy Ball Rolling: Everybody has to use a certain amount of force of will to get going on boring tasks, but people with ADHD have a much steeper hill to climb. As a result, they tend to procrastinate until the pressure of a looming deadline pushes them into action. by More Attention, Less Deficit
5 min listen
To Tell or Not to Tell?: There are no absolute rules about whether you should tell someone about your ADHD, but there are some issues you should consider when making your decision. by More Attention, Less Deficit
12 min listen
Hindsight and Forethought: Using the Past and Future to Guide the Present: We use the lessons from past experiences to make better choices the next time around. People with ADHD have a hard time stopping long enough to remember those lessons and apply them forward, so they’re more likely to make the same mistakes. by More Attention, Less Deficit
8 min listen
Executive Functioning: Who’s Calling the Shots Around Here, Anyway?: The executive functions are our highest-level brain processes. They enable us to make good decisions in a complex world. Research is increasingly explaining ADHD struggles as deriving from executive functioning weaknesses. by More Attention, Less Deficit
6 min listen
Response Inhibition: It Starts with Stopping: The key to successful decision-making is that tiny little pause where we think through our options and make a good choice. People with ADHD have difficulty creating this pause and as a result get distracted, forget things, and leap without looking. by More Attention, Less Deficit
5 min listen
The Four Stages of Adjustment to a New Diagnosis: Getting diagnosed can be a really big deal that can take a long time to adjust to. Although not written in stone, people tend to go through certain stages in that process. by More Attention, Less Deficit
8 min listen
ADHD & Depression: Virtual ADHD Conference Interview: Jennifer Koretsky interviewed me about the session on ADHD and depression that I will be presenting at October’s virtual ADHD conference. It was fun for me and hopefully interesting for you! by More Attention, Less Deficit
11 min listen
What’s in a Name: Attention-Deficit or Deficit in Attention Regulation?: “Attention-deficit” implies that people with ADHD don’t have enough attention, but the real problem is that they don’t control their attention effectively. Mostly, they get distracted and shift their attention when they should have stayed on the origin... by More Attention, Less Deficit
5 min listen
Missed Diagnoses: Why Did It Take Me So Long to Be Correctly Diagnosed?: Most adults with ADHD have been diagnosed only recently. There are many reasons for why these people were missed for so many years, even when it was painfully obvious that there was something going on. by More Attention, Less Deficit
12 min listen
Persistence of Effort: The Little Engine That Sometimes Could: Once someone with ADHD gets going on something, there’s the second challenge of sticking with it all the way through. Unfortunately, most of our daily obligations don’t give partial credit for tasks that are mostly done. by More Attention, Less Deficit
5 min listen
Remembering to Remember: It’s All About Timing: In our busy lives, we all have dozens of little (and not so little) things to remember to do over the course of a day, such as phone calls and appointments. People with ADHD have great difficulty reminding themselves of these tasks at the right time, by More Attention, Less Deficit
5 min listen
Get the Most Out of Therapy: Unmedicated ADHD can affect many parts of your life, including getting treatment for it. I cover a number of the ways that this can happen as well as what you can do to minimize these effects. by More Attention, Less Deficit
13 min listen
Can I Trust Myself?: People with ADHD learn that they aren’t as reliable as they want to be. This makes sense when their ADHD is still untreated, but you can learn to legitimately have more confidence in yourself once you do get on top of your ADHD. by More Attention, Less Deficit
6 min listen
Find a Job and Career That You Can Enjoy (and Maybe Work for Yourself): It’s much easier to be happy at work if you’re in the right job. Rather than continue to work for someone else, you may find that you’re happier starting your own business. This can be a great opportunity for the right people. by More Attention, Less Deficit
10 min listen
Always Moving Forward: Folks with ADHD tend to focus more on the next thing in front of them than on circling back around to tie up the loose ends of what they were just working on. This comes mostly out of weaknesses in their working memory and prospective memory, by More Attention, Less Deficit
10 min listen
Working Memory: The Brain’s RAM: We use our working memories constantly to hold information in mind as we remember what just happened, relate it to long-term memories, and think ahead into the future. People with ADHD tend to have blinky working memories which leads to a wide variety ... by More Attention, Less Deficit
7 min listen
Emotional Self-Control: Having Feelings Without Acting on Them: People with ADHD tend to express their feelings more strongly than others do and are more influenced by their feelings than other people are. This also affects their ability to see beyond their emotions and to take others’ perspectives into account. by More Attention, Less Deficit
5 min listen
Expectation Management: Promise Only What You Can Deliver: Given that ADHD behaviors are so often misunderstood, your relationships will be more satisfying and less stressful if you actively manage what others should and shouldn’t expect from you. by More Attention, Less Deficit
7 min listen
Talk It Out: Therapy Can Offer Clarity and Peace: Therapy can be especially helpful for adults with ADHD who spent most of their lives undiagnosed. It can be helpful to understand yourself in a more accurate and less pejorative way. Here are the professional directories I mention in the podcast. ADD. by More Attention, Less Deficit
7 min listen
Knowing Is Easy; Doing Is Hard: Most people with ADHD tend to know what they’re supposed to do and how to do it, but have a tough time making it happen consistently. We’ll discuss why. by More Attention, Less Deficit
8 min listen
Is ADHD a Gift?: Some people claim that ADHD also has positive qualities. I don’t doubt that people with ADHD have all sorts of positive qualities, but I wouldn’t say that those strengths come from their ADHD. Fortunately, you don’t have to attribute them to your ADHD ... by More Attention, Less Deficit
9 min listen
What’s the Difference Between Coaching and Therapy?: It can be hard to know where the line is that separates coaching and therapy. There’s definitely some overlap between them, but there are also some important differences. by More Attention, Less Deficit
10 min listen
Build Healthy Self-Esteem: Strong self-esteem comes from what we do and what we make of those experiences. Solid self-esteem comes from doing better as well as learning to accept certain weaknesses and setbacks. by More Attention, Less Deficit
9 min listen
Nontraditional Treatments: Separate the Wheat from the Chaff: There are lots of nontraditional treatments available for ADHD, most of which have no benefit. It’s important to know what to look for when deciding whether a potential treatment has any chance of being effective. by More Attention, Less Deficit
14 min listen
Actually Get a Good Night’s Sleep: A good night’s sleep is fundamental to a productive day, but that doesn’t mean that it’s easy to get. Try these strategies to do better with this important topic. by More Attention, Less Deficit
7 min listen

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Fear of Failure: After too many setbacks and struggles, it’s tempting to want to avoid future failures. Sometimes we mask our fears with apathy, sometimes we even fear success. As easy as it is to fear failure, you don’t have to. by More Attention, Less Deficit
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Why Is It So Hard to Get (and Stay) Organized?

Why Is It So Hard to Get (and Stay) Organized?

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from More Attention, Less Deficit

Related podcast episodes