How do you stay organized - "Executive Function"

[WonderingWoman]

Over on the processing speed discussion I started talking about one of my favorite topics (perhaps I should have put this over in the obsession area) which is 'self-help books about how to live organized.'

Do you have a favorite book or technique for staying on top of things?

I like David Allen's 'Making it all work.' I mostly execute it on my calendar function of my phone.

Peace Out,
WonderingWoman

[SomethingElse]

I try to keep an up-to-date diary, reminding me of things I've done or things I need to do. I also like writing lists, so will write lists of tasks and tick them off. If I start writing a list, I'll often also include things that I've already done so that I get the satisfaction of crossing them off and it sort of mentally feels more like I've been 'kick-started' and will be more likely to complete other tasks in order to make sure the whole list gets crossed off, or at least most of it. And then, if I have a couple of things I haven't done, I'll sometimes write them on a fresh list and then cross the original list off so that it feels 'finished' and I don't have to think about that list anymore.

[goddessoflubbock]

I absolutely live for/on my Blackberry. Without it, literally nothing would happen around here. Lately however I've developed memory problems associated with periods of low oxygen, and so now while I religiously put everything in my BB, I'll sit up at night reviewing the agenda wondering what I maybe forgot to put in. Usually it's nothing since I've been using the BB so long it's a habit. I tend to be hyper-organized in everything tho. The day I got fired, I was actually cleaning my desk bc the computers were down.

My son's biggest difficulty is EFD. He cannot prioritize or organize, and will do homework then lose track of it and never hand it in. He won't allow us to touch his stuff, so we can't get to a baseline of organized (which makes me nuts!).

[renaeden]

I don't have any strategies, I just try to remember stuff. I do write down appointments when I make them, though.

I try to keep my life as simple as possible, even when I go to uni. If I have to do something social then I keep it as the one social thing I have to do that day and I will not do anything else. So If I am going to see a friend, I will not do anything else that day.

[Civet]

I do something similar to what Benji does, but I keep my lists on a dry-erase board hung on my bedroom wall. I work at home so this is particularly effective for me since I can check it easily. I used to write lists of "to dos" on note paper and then I'd have little bits of paper floating around everywhere so that's not an approach I'd recommend. Having something stationary to go back to is what helps me, and I also have the good feeling of satisfaction of being able to cross something out right after I've completed it. The other good thing is that since it's dry erase it's plastic and I can erase things and rewrite them to another day if I'm finding I don't have the time or the energy to handle everything I've allotted for a particular day.

Oh yeah, my dry erase board is divided by the days of the week plus one "notes" section, so this makes it easy to plan for the week ahead, and I just add things that are coming up or need to get done in the coming weeks after that one to "notes." I've also found writing important info on my wall calendar helps me remember things. My roommate goes away a lot so I have started taking down the dates she leaves and returns for example, so I don't have to ask her ten times and still not remember later.


I wonder, does anyone has any strategies for things like following directions? I have a hard time when doing things that require multiple written steps, like cooking from a recipe book or following driving directions. I can manage it but it always feels very difficult and I have to constantly refer back to my list/directions.

[WonderingWoman]

I wonder, does anyone has any strategies for things like following directions? I have a hard time when doing things that require multiple written steps, like cooking from a recipe book or following driving directions. I can manage it but it always feels very difficult and I have to constantly refer back to my list/directions.

I follow crochet patterns and it drives me up the wall when they write a series steps in paragraph form - ug!!

So I make a copy on my printer and enlarge, or retype onto my computer and put each step into list form, then I work with a pencil and mark off the completed lists. For my son when he was misdiagnosed with NVLD I make an index card with a vertical slit so that he could relocate the step he was on without effort.

I'm very grateful for those NVLD training days, because I love using white space effectively. Everyone likes it. I may be terrible on spelling, but I'm excellent with 'use of white space' - perhaps in addition to spell checker, we can have 'space checker' software?

When I visit friends at the hospital I find the receptionists are particularly unhelpful about giving info to get me to my friend's room. And it's always 3 steps or more. They act like 'everyone knows' the reference points they are referring to. They often fire off the directions verbally and rapid-fire, with lots of 'I hate my job and I hope you'll go away soon' nonverbals. So, as a political issue, I've made it a point to 'smile, slow down, make eye contact' and warmly request that the person hand me some paper, and wait while I pull out my pen, and repeat each direction slowly while I write it down. Then I thank graciously with lots of positive nonverbals turned way up to max volume. It was hard to force myself to do this in the beginning, but it's habit now.

Peace Out,
WW

[WonderingWoman]

My son's biggest difficulty is EFD. He cannot prioritize or organize, and will do homework then lose track of it and never hand it in. He won't allow us to touch his stuff, so we can't get to a baseline of organized (which makes me nuts!).

This was a huge issue for DS14, both the 'not handing in homework he did' and the 'it's my stuff.
I got a lot out of
http://www.organizedstudent.com/book.html
But then again, the school was applying enough pressure, and he was younger - age 11 - and scared, so that he could overcome his reluctance to 'dependence.' Maybe you could trade another parent so that you work with someone else's kid and they work with yours.

After I read the book, I gave DS sections to read. "Ok, now we have to decide on a notebook system, read this page and decide which you want to try first." And I did all the parts that didn't involve choice, like setting up the 'ABC file.' I forget what Donna calls it, but in our house 'ABC' brings to mind the joke about offering someone ABC gum - already been chewed. And when my son finishes a unit at school- believe me it's so throughly chewed that the reference is funny at our house.

The most ironic part is that when DS was 8 I got aboard the 'Flylady.net' forum and started getting our physical environment in order. Now DS doesn't remember how I used to be, and thinks I'm the most organized mom in town! LOL! DH gets a kick out of that one. I'll say one thing for parenting, I'm motivated to do stuff for my son that I would never have been motivated to do for myself. Ok, maybe not never, but ....

Peace Out
WW

[SomethingElse]

I do something similar to what Benji does, but I keep my lists on a dry-erase board hung on my bedroom wall. I work at home so this is particularly effective for me since I can check it easily. I used to write lists of "to dos" on note paper and then I'd have little bits of paper floating around everywhere so that's not an approach I'd recommend. Having something stationary to go back to is what helps me, and I also have the good feeling of satisfaction of being able to cross something out right after I've completed it. The other good thing is that since it's dry erase it's plastic and I can erase things and rewrite them to another day if I'm finding I don't have the time or the energy to handle everything I've allotted for a particular day.

I have a drywipe board, but I tend to find that harder to use than lists because I can't take it with me where I go, and sometimes, even if I have items that aren't at all personal, I feel uncomforable with other people reading them.

I would also probably prefer mine if it had space for multiple days, which it doesn't.

[goddessoflubbock]

The switching kids thing sounds like a good idea. Obviously my organizational methods aren't working for him. At work, DS just works off a list his boss provides and does a great job. Yet invariably forgets to sign in/out which is how he gets paid!! Luckily his boss has been good about paying him....

[WonderingWoman]

Luckily his boss has been good about paying him....

That is lucky! Maybe 'login' needs to be the first thing on the list....wink

[goddessoflubbock]

Luckily his boss has been good about paying him....

That is lucky! Maybe 'login' needs to be the first thing on the list....wink

ROFL Actually a great idea

[Civet]

Thanks for the tips, WonderingWoman. Next time I try to do a more complicated recipe I might try your idea of retyping it and printing it so I can mark it off as I go. I find my biggest problem is skipping ahead directions or skipping around the page as I read. I don't usually have this problem when reading but I guess when my mind is trying to do both "read directions" and "act on directions" it is too much distraction/focus shifting. Definitely the worst is when they put multiple steps into one subsection like you mentioned on your crochet instructions.

As for wandering around buildings lost I do that often. Usually I attempt to follow the directions they gave me and end up about halfway there and either wander around until I find the place on my own or find someone else to get me the rest of the way, heh. Usually the directions given aren't adequate for me to follow because whatever image I have in my mind never matches what the reality is.

Benji- Since I work at home it's easier for me to refer to the stationary white board. If I worked outside of the house I imagine this would be different. As far as others seeing what I wrote, my handwriting is awful enough that I doubt they could read it

[WonderingWoman]

I find my biggest problem is skipping ahead directions or skipping around the page as I read. I don't usually have this problem when reading but I guess when my mind is trying to do both "read directions" and "act on directions" it is too much distraction/focus shifting.

Sometimes I place an index card over the bottom of the directions to serve as an eye-pointer - so I don't have to think and act at the same time. That way every time I finish a step, I move the index card down.

I know people who put their lists inside plastic page protectors and write on the outer sheet with dry-erase markers and then wash the whole thing off at the end. I haven't done that with recipies, but I did have a 'child behavior evaluation list' that I used on my son for a while, and did it with that.

Wink,
WW

[Sophist]

For the repeatable reminders (like monthly bills) I have an alarm in my phone that sounds each month to remind me of them. And then for the variable stuff, I have a datebook which I normally sit on my desk at work and then glance at it each day.

For other things, like lists of to-do's, I enjoy using the desktop sticky notes that come with Win7. I tend to be very good at organizing and so keeping track of these things comes somewhat easily. I love organizing things.

My multitasking is poor, but as far as to-do's, I tend to remember the majority of things without needing the reminders I have set in place. But since there are so many, I still have backups because I will likely forget something. But overall my executive functioning in this area is excellent and I tend to lend my ability to my ex as well and remind him about to-do's and various appointments throughout the day, because he is HORRIBLE at it. He puts almost everything in his scheduler on his computer, but if he doesn't put it in, he almost certainly WILL forget it. I tend to have to remind him about a given item throughout the day until he finally does it.

I tend to have very good visual imagery for dates and calendars. I can picture quite easily an entire week at once and see the different items laid out on it. My ex has no concept of dates; they all run together for him and he is unable to see them holistically. I am this way with other types of information, but dates come naturally to me.