Organizing Solutions for People With Attention Deficit Disorder: Tips and Tools to Help You Take Charge of Your Life and Get Organized [Paperback]

Susan C Pinsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2006

ADD, Attention Deficit Disorder and ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, are prevalent in society today, afflicting about 4.4% of the adult population, which is over 13 million Americans. Four out of every five adults do not even know they are ADD, and while it is often difficult to differentiate adults with true ADD from adults who are merely forgetful and disorganized, Organizing Solutions for People with ADD outlines new organizing strategies that will be of value to anyone who wants to improve their organizational, or lack of, skills in their life. The chapters consist of practical organizing solutions for ADD at Work; prioritizing, time management, and organizing documents, ADD at Home; paying bills on time, de-cluttering your house, scheduling and keeping appointments, ADD with Kids; driving them to various activities, grocery shopping and meals, laundry, babysitters, organizing drawers and closets, and ADD and You; organizing time for your social life, gym, and various other hobbies and activities. Color photographs that capture the short attention span of the reader are featured throughout, as well as sidebars and testimonials from adults with ADD, providing numerous organizational tips, such as, the importance of dividing time into minutes or moments, task completion, how to avoid procrastination, asking for help, and how not to be a packrat.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Pinsky brings real-life experience to her topic. Not only is she a professional organizer and member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, but she is also the parent of a child with attention deficit disorder (ADD). These two roles led to her creating simplified organizational systems specific to the needs of those with ADD. The book's first section explains her organizational methods; the second targets specific areas, rooms, or events that are common to almost everyone and typically present a challenge to organize and keep organized. Pinsky uses an abundance of before-and-after color photographs as well as yellow Post-its«-styled notes to highlight tips for organization. Her organizational philosophy can apply to everyone, not just those with ADD. This book is easy to read, and the pictures clearly depict the look of organization. Highly recommended for all public libraries. - Library Journal January, 2007

About the Author

Susan C. Pinsky is the author of The Fast and Furious 5-Step Organizing Solution. She is a top professional organizer and member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), as well as NAPO New England. She lives in Acton, MA with her husband and three children. http://www.organizationallyours.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Fair Winds Press (December 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159233234X
• ISBN-13: 978-1592332342
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Disorders & Diseases > Attention Deficit Disorder
  • #33 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Special Needs > Disabilities

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

107 of 108 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ADDer's Organizing Bible!!! I wish I could give it 10 stars!!!!!, August 4, 2007

By 

Wendy Cooper "Mrs. Cooper" (Southern , USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Organizing Solutions for People With Attention Deficit Disorder: Tips and Tools to Help You Take Charge of Your Life and Get Organized (Paperback)

I can't speak for the poor reviewers of this book, don't understand their reviews either??? However, I am so thankful that I didn't listen to them! I browsed through the pages that Amazon allowed me to preview, and I immediately ordered it. I gained many tips just from browsing the pages alone.

You really should browse the pages, you can get a general idea of the book this way. I am only on page 87 of the book, and I have just decluttered and organized my entire kitchen from the one sitting of reading the book! I had so much stuff that I never used taking up valuable space, it was unreal the massive amounts of dishes, unused food in the pantry, etc.

I even decluttered the china cabinet in my dining room today, to make use for the items that I do use regularly, now I have more open space in my kitchen.

I have bought so many books on organizing and cleaning, to many to even count if I still had them all! I tried them, and had a pretty good feeling at first with most of them, less so with most though. Not with this gem! Organizing Solutiions has only ideas & solutions that will work for me, an enormous ADDer! I can't believe the huge relief of finally getting my hands on the RIGHT ONE, (organizing material).

I have a ton of ideas to put to use in my bedroom, my bathroom and even my kids rooms, & I haven't even gotten to the kid's rooms section yet.

If you truely suffer with keeping your home clean and organized due to your ADD, you have got to get this manual! Even the layout is ADD friendly. And the pages are made of a nice thick quality paper that has a sheen to it.

You will not be sorry if you get this book, you will sadly still keep seaching however if you do not :(

I absolutely love, love, love this book. I am excited about cleaning, that is unheard of, lol!

Good luck on your journey.... off to finish the book....

50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to navigate; Helpful photos, January 26, 2007

By 

Barbara Bachner (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Organizing Solutions for People With Attention Deficit Disorder: Tips and Tools to Help You Take Charge of Your Life and Get Organized (Paperback)

Although nobody in my household has ADD, with just a tiny bit of tweaking, these ideas work for us, and Susan's treatment of the subject of ADD gives me a better understanding of it.

This book is so skillfully arranged, you can find the chapter on a particular area of the house quickly, and the second you find the page, the solution is right there on a sticky note for you.

Susan is all over the house with solutions for your cluttered dining table, kitchen garbage, family calendar, spice rack, and sock drawer, to name just a few, and with every step she's recommending what she calls he Brutal Purge. Too much 'stuff' is the enemy of all family members, not just those of us who do most of the cleaning, and the Brutal Purge is our ticket to freedom.

Maybe you'll skip the part about children's bedrooms if you don't have children, but you'll linger over several good solutions for something we all have ... paper clutter ... bills, magazines, recipes, invitations, to-do lists, etc., and you'll love the implementation of 'staging areas', and the concept that you don't have to feel guilty about getting rid of things.

91 of 102 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Throws in the towel a little too much, June 8, 2007

By 

Todd O'Bryan (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Organizing Solutions for People With Attention Deficit Disorder: Tips and Tools to Help You Take Charge of Your Life and Get Organized (Paperback)

Pinsky is the mother of an ADD child and, if I were the parent of a child with ADD, I'd probably give the book 5 stars. If you're a frustrated, non-ADD spouse or parent dealing with an ADD significant other who's driving you crazy, buy the book. It has some good ideas that you may be able to implement that may increase the harmony in your house without being too big a pain.

As an ADD adult, however, I found some of the suggestions completely unrealistic. I'll admit that my sock drawer is a mass of confusion, but Pinsky's solution (Throw out all your socks. Buy a bunch of white ones, all the same style, and a bunch of black ones, all the same style.) is completely unrealistic. As a teacher, I have to look at least a little professional; white or black socks with khaki pants just doesn't cut it.

The whole book has these kinds of ideas. On the subject of lawn care, her solution is to hire a lawn service. That's a great idea, but most ADD adults have trouble tracking finances, so while Pinsky claims rightly that it's worth spending some money to make organizational problems easier, following all of her suggestions would cost quite a bit.

I'm sure this wasn't her intent, but I found the book a little patronizing. As I said, if you're dealing with an ADD person in your household, get the book. You can make some of the changes and they will make that person's life easier. But if you have ADD, Pinsky's approach may strike you more as "Give up, you'll never be able to get control of your life" than an attempt to give you tools you can use to get the control you want.