Kicking off ADHD Awareness Month
October is ADHD Awareness Month! Created by a coalition of ADHD organizations- ACO, ADDA, and CHADD- the goal of ADHD Awareness Month is to share reliable information about ADHD and its treatments worldwide. Their website is chock-full of useful information about support organizations, podcasts, classes, ADHD myths and facts, and more.
One great section of the website is daily tips for life with ADHD. A tip that caught my eye is Learn how long a regular task takes.
Underestimating the amount of time a task will take is something I often noticed in my years of running a professional organizing business. I would show up at someone's home for a session and find that they wanted to organize the hall closet, spare bedroom, and kitchen cabinets ... all in 3 hours.
As an organizer, I would suggest that we focus on one space at a time. After organizing for 20 years, I know to double (or triple) the time I think a project will take - things are often more complex than at first glance.
As a coach, I help my clients design actions that feel doable to them, reminding them that best practice is to have no more than 3-5 items on your to-do list each day. I also check in at our next session to see how the planned action went. Was it easier than expected? Harder or more complicated? Starting with realistic expectations helps to avoid frustration and increases the odds of completion. I'm also a fan of celebrating tiny wins like organizing one sock drawer or crossing one task off your to-do list!
For more great tips for living with ADHD, check out adhdawarenessmonth.org.
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