ADD Student

Last night, my good friend Cara from The Household Helper had a seminar about organizing your home. There were several questions about getting your kids (and your husband!) organized and Cara had some great answers.

As you know, organization is something that people with Attention Deficit Disorder really struggle with. Being well organized and having a system that works for you can make a huge difference in your life.

Cara’s ideas weren’t specific to ADHD, but I think they were good ones just the same. Here are two of them (and she applied them equally to kids and husbands):

Cara is big on to-do lists. She thinks that there is a real sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that comes from crossing things off a list. She also believes that it is more emotionally satisfying done on paper than a computer. She suggests a chore chart for kids, broken down very simply. “Clean your room.” is too broad. Instead, use “Put dirty clothes in hamper” and “Make your bed”.

She says the same idea is good for husbands – presented a little differently, of course. She says that often husbands would be more willing to help out if they knew what to do. A “honey do” list tells them how they can help and Cara says it enlists more cooperation than asking or telling.

Cara’s other idea is about containers, and I think it’s a great one. Provide containers for everything you can think of. (Hint: get an idea of what you’re storing before you buy the container, so that it’s the right size. Make it attractive, too.)

Cara has a small bowl for her husband’s keys, wallet and change on the dresser in the bedroom. Papers that the kids bring home from school are placed in a “in box” on the kitchen counter. Things are easily accessiible and easy to see, but still neat. I like this idea a lot!

If you’re interested in more of Cara’s ideas, she has a special now. If you purchase her book “The Household Helper’s Guide to Home Organization” for $8.97, she will add “Organizing the Kids” for free! If you’d like to know more, just click the image below.