Posted on

ADHD or not ADHD?

 

frustrated-at-computerAs a Professional Organizer, I work with a lot of different flavors of people. It seems that almost all of my clients or new clients say that they have ADHD or ADD. I ask them if they were diagnosed. It’s amazing how many of them answer “yes” and have self-diagnosed themselves and not been diagnosed by a professional. In this media saturated society and with the omnipotent pressure by media and society to “Be all that you can be”, we are simply – overwhelmed. “Overwhelmed” is the word that I constantly hear from clients, friends, family and associates. Organization of the mind (Mind Organizing) plays a key role in helping to ease this anxiety and focus challenge.

Below are some questions from the World Health Organization that may help you see if you actually do have ADHD.

ADHD or OBLT? (Overwhelmed By Life Today)

 

If you answer Often or Very Often (on a ranking scale of Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often or Very Often) to four or more of the following questions, it may be beneficial to consult with a health professional to see if you have ADHD. In the last six months….

 

  1. How often do you have trouble wrapping up the final details of a project once the challenging parts have been done? (never/rarely/sometimes/often/very often)

 

  1. How often do you have difficulty getting things in order when you have to do a task that requires organization?

 

  1. How often do you have problems remembering appointments or obligations?

 

  1. When you have a task that requires a lot of thought, how often do you avoid or delay getting started?

 

  1. How often do you fidget or squirm with your hands or feet when you have to sit for a long time?

 

  1. How often do you feel overly active and compelled to do things, like you were driven by a motor?

 

Source: World Health Organization

 

I recommend reading some of my past posts. Here is one to get started  à

http://q3r.4aa.myftpupload.com/transitioning-fall-organizing-tips/

Let me know what you think. I offer a free phone or Skype consult.

 

Posted on

The Distraction Crisis – Mind Organization

Vintage Brain painting
Vintage Brain

In the book “Organize Your Mind, Organize Your Life: Train Your Brain to Get More Done in Less Time” by Margaret Moore and Paul Hammerness MD, they write of what they call the Distraction Crisis. Phones, computers, driving, media saturation and overall — life in our society. Anxiety and depression disorders have increased tenfold in the past 5 years. I selected some  facts to share with you regarding this topic. This snippet shows  only a fraction of how being disorganized in our minds negatively effects our behaviors. Remember to breathe and be mindful. Take time to take care of your brain and be present in the moment. Mind Organization is the key.

Here are the facts:

“Some other distressing distraction-related statistics:

  • Forty-three percent of Americans categorize themselves as disorganized, and 21 percent have missed vital work deadlines. Nearly half say disorganization causes them to work late at least two times each week.
  • A lack of time management and discipline while working toward [financial] planners’ professional goals contributes to 63 percent of those surveyed facing obstacles regarding their health. There is a direct correlation between too much stress, deteriorating health and poor practice management.
  • Forty-eight percent of Americans feel that their lives have become more stressful in the past five years. About one-half of Americans say that stress has a negative impact on both their personal and professional lives. About one-third (31 percent) of employed adults have difficulty managing work and family responsibilities. And over one third (35 percent) cite jobs interfering with their family or personal time as a significant source of stress.
  • In a Gallup poll, 80 percent of workers said they feel stress on the job, nearly half said they need help in learning how to manage stress and 42 percent said their coworkers need help coping with stress. Job stress can lead to several problems, including illness and injury for employees, as well as higher insurance costs and lost productivity for employers.
  • According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 80 percent of our medical expenditures are now stress-related.5 Seventy percent of employees work beyond scheduled time and on weekends; more than half cited “self-imposed pressure” as the reason.”.

Those facts alone are stressful. Please take a few minutes to ponder how you can alter your behaviors to slow down the constant brain chatter and move into a more peaceful and less chaotic way of being with mind organization. Again, please feel free to send me any of your thoughts. The first 5 people who reply will get a free 1/2 hour Organizing phone or Skype consult.

Kathryn@Seattle-Organizers.com