Kids Awareness Series

For ADHD children in school, this seems to be an enormous problem and for parents it is often the biggest problem when they bring their children in for treatment.  Often, I will hear a parent say, “Lord, you should see their agenda!”  “Their backpack is just a mess of papers and they don’t even write their homework assignments down.”  As a parent, you have likely said something similar about your ADHD child or teenager.   If your child is completely disorganized, they are likely not doing well in school as the level of disorganization does not help keep them focused or improve attention.  It is just one more thing to distract them.  Here are some helpful hints on how to get some organization back into your child’s life.  These will also work for ADHD adults by the way!!

Have a clear set of goals of what you want to accomplish for the day, week, month and write it down in one central location.  An agenda for children is where everything needs to be written. Do not use post-it notes, they seem to get lost when you have hundreds of them in your room or around the house.

Figure out what you feel is your priority on your “to do list” and start with that one thing.  Do NOT start something else until you have finished the first task.  This goes for children trying to complete their homework and for adults trying to finish tasks at work or around the house. 

When you have time to yourself, use your time wisely.  The old saying, “work smarter, not harder” applies here.  Be productive.  If you are doing something currently and it seems to you that it is a waste of time with very little results, then change your priorities. 

Write down how long in a folder or agenda, how long you think a particular task should take.  If a task takes too long, with very little positive results, then rethink what you are doing.

Get organized.  For homework or any type of work to be organized, you first have to think about how to get it organized.  What I mean here is, look at your room or wherever you decide to work and if it is not organized, it will be really hard for you to focus on what you are supposed to be doing. 

Write down ideas in a notebook or agenda and always keep your “to do” list with you.  ADHD kids and adults often have a hard time concentrating during tasks and it will be difficult to remember what you have done and not done if you have not written it down and then checked it off when it is completed.  (You know who you are!!)

Lastly, make deadlines for yourself.  Do not say, “I will get it done”, and not put a time line on it.  Procrastination always has to be fought here.

One Response to “ADHD and How to get organized!!”