ADHD Organization - Decision-Making

As I mentioned last week, I attended a seminar for professional organizers dealing with ADHD clients by Joyce Kubik. She gave us some insight on decision-making and the ADHD mind.

She said that those with ADHD will say yes to people requesting their time, their help, their volunteer hours in order to get an "attaboy." She also stated that it is very hard for them to estimate how much time it takes to accomplish a task. This explains why many are over-committed.

A logical application for those of us who have friends, family, or clients with ADHD is to give positive encouragement, even on the smallest things they do. She described a lifetime of experiencing exasperation from others because she forgot something, was late, couldn't find something, etc. How nice for us to be a source of encouragement! In addition, we should be careful not to take advantage of our ADHD friends and family since they are so willing to help.

She encouraged those with ADHD, if unable to make a decision, to write down their thoughts on the decision so it could be revisited without having to do the rethinking. Those with ADHD are more likely to remember something they have written down.

A tool that helps me in decision-making is listing all the positives for that decision and listing all the negatives. For some reason, writing it down helps clear my mind because I can see it on paper. Usually by doing this exercise, I can clearly see both sides of the issue and it becomes obvious to me what decision I should make. This exercise also takes the emotion out of the decision, making it easier to make a logical decision, helping the ADHD person say no to something that does not fit with his priorities.

When a decision is made, if it must be scheduled on the calendar, it should be done immediately.

Do you have suggestions for coping with ADHD?


Related posts: Helping Your ADHD Child Get Organized