Organization is often a problem for those with ADHD. I know it is a big problem for me. I discovered that I had ADHD because of my disorganization. I was reading a book by Sandra Felton called The Messies Manual. In it she described a woman who came home from the grocery store and put up only half her groceries and left the rest of the bags in the floor because she had had enough of the "grocery task". I was reading and avidly nodding my head until I read, "this could be a symptom of ADHD".
Many times those with ADHD are inconsistent in their attempts at organization. They know what they are supposed to do and when highly motivated, they can keep themselves organized for a period of time, but something else eventually takes priority, and the person is not longer highly motivated and disorganization takes over again. This inconsistency frustrates others, too. Many times those with ADHD are seen as lazy or rebellious because they have proved they are capable of this organization. Since the capability is there, the disorganized person just must not be trying, or so others think. The ADHD person can also blame himself for not being able to consistently stay organized and this may lead to self-esteem issues.
Many people with ADHD, like me, have a library of books about organization. Many have tried to become more organized many, many times and have failed, but there is hope! You can become more organized, but you must realize that you have to take it slow and set reasonable goals and time frames for yourself.
Medication is one way to help with organization. It made a tremendous difference in my own life. I was finally able to stay on task long enough to complete a job from beginning to end without getting distracted and involved in 20 other things. Medication does not do the cleaning and organizing for you. You still must learn how to organize as well as set goals and become motivated to actually do the work involved.
Here are some practical tips to become more organized that will work for anyone, but are particularly helpful for those with ADHD:
Divide up your big tasks into much smaller ones. Make sure you list what needs to be done in small steps and then make it a goal to complete five tasks per day. For instance, don't put on your list "clean living room" but instead put things on your list like:
