Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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....

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.

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.

I was diagnosed with adult ADD several years ago. I've struggled to find guidance and direction with tasks that others find easy - keeping the house clean, putting away laundry, keeping track of bills and paperwork. I hired a professional organizer who gave me generic organizing tips, and bought many books on organizing that recommended "pretty baskets and keeping your keys by the front door". Gee, thanks. This kind of unrealistic advice (for someone with ADD) just made me feel more of a failure.

This book was a REVELATION. Cuts through the attractive but unrealistic organizing of Martha Stewart/Real Simple types (no offense) and gives REAL suggestions that work for ADD people and their families. The book is broken down into easy to manage sections, with great examples and photos. This book has changed my approach to managing my ADD and it really, really works. Thank you, Mrs. Pinsky.

In a really well laid out and visually appealing book, Susan Pinsky takes us on a tour of our homes, and suggests ways to make cleaning them up and establishing systems to minimize the chaos and clutter... Turning to many of the pages - - empathizing with virtually ALL of the problems she identified I almost found myself chuckling then wanting to cry... I imagine that most ADD'ers have had "issues" with shame and conflict resulting for difficulty cleaning and getting organized (especially when living with other people.) Here in this book Pinsky offers solutions that center mostly around themes of practicality - - simplification and de-cluttering... A recurrent theme is never to choose an organization system because of how it looks... but rather the steps it minimizes... In the world of ADD the goal is simple and practical, not ideal and perfect... I found this re-currant focus particularly useful because until recently I had no concept of cleaning... cleaning has always been a struggle for me and when I do I tend to over-do it and in the process of "micro-focusing" (as she calls it) get totally lost and get nothing done... only ending up more frustrating... however, one chapter suggests storing washing rags under the sink in a bucket... Immediately, I went to the kitchen, collected up all the rags laying in, on, around, near the sink, on the tables, on the floor even in the closet and did thusly... and have to admit I felt really proud when I actually decided to make an effort to do the dishes and immediately was able to grab the rag like a pro. - - Also, I really appreciate her advice against stacking things when storing them -- as things become hard to find, it becomes particularly problematic to a person with ADD, who instead of being able to add the item to its place, simply will give up and throw it everywhere rather than tear the closet apart...

I do have one serious criticism of the book... I think its serious but I'm still giving it 5 stars because of all the other stuff. A major theme of the book is de-cluttering... For sure, it is great advice, but the author offers advice on de-cluttering children and teenagers room which I feel is intrusive and although a short term solution, may offer more problems in the long term. As an example she suggests to ask the child to pick out toys he wants to give to charity... great advice... then goes on with her evil plan: - -she says to get it over with quickly as all children have closure issues with toys... then when the child is not around simply go in the room and get rid of all other toys he or she seems not to use... (!) - - She herself seems to feel a momentary pang of guil and mentions that as the parent you know best and have to do what's best for the child... I disagree with this: my parents constantly made efforts to organize my room and it only created a lot of resentment and antagonism... I appreciated the room suddenly becoming clean and fresh looking, but had a sense of hate and mistrust due to the intrusion and felt as if I had to hide thing to keep them from being thrown out... and also felt victimized, shamed and angry my personal space was invaded... perhaps this is a serious issue with many ADD'ers and would advice instead that instead of a one time purging perhaps having a special time of the week every week to discuss getting rid of things not needed... and even offering some kind of exchange/reward... (As for going into a teenager's room... woe daddy... let's not get into that!)

In conclusion, I really wish someone had given me this book years ago... what Ritilin can't achieve, Pinsky's advice can... there is hope. As I side note - - there was a picture of a pantry that really cracked me up... the products were the exact same as the ones in my parents house... I strongly suspect that she keeps kosher!

I think there is some gold in this book - if you ignore the parts that are lousy. I second the other reviewers in terms that her ideas are good for children, seem to assume that ADD adults are hopeless and can't improve, and cost too much money in terms of having to hire someone to do everything for you. Additionally, her ideas on how to "organize" your life are a joke. (She says to put sticky note pads by your phones for writing down your tasks as they are called in - uh, and what do you do if you have a cell phone and rarely get calls on your landline? Where do you put the notes to save them? She doesn't seem to think her clients can carry even a small notebook for messages, which would be the reasonable assumption.) I don't have ADD, but I can tell you that I thought her tone was condescending and insulting to those who do.

Instead, read 4 Weeks to an Organized Life with AD/HD by Jeffery Freed. Written by an educator with ADD and a psychiatrist who specializes in the condition, it will help you train your brain to remember what you want it to, help you learn to focus and help you to organize yourself. It won't tell you how to set up your closet, but that is where Pinsky's book might come in handy. At this point I would also get either The Clutter Diet: The Skinny on Organizing Your Home and Taking Control of Your Life. They teach you how to set up your own system that is customized to what you do, and to organize your home in a way that works for you. They stress simpler systems (one thing that Pinsky emphasizes, and I think she is right there, though I think her implementation is unrealistic.)

As well, I heartily suggest The Disorganized Mind: Coaching Your ADHD Brain to Take Control of Your Time, Tasks, and Talents, which has real suggestions for real adults who actually have a life they have to be responsible for. (I'm not suggesting Pinsky's clients don't, but she treats them like children.)

Pinsky's book's sections on transitional and rough storage are valuable. She has some things in there I haven't seen in some years of looking at the organizing literature about how people actually use space, and for that I give it two stars. I've had it for some weeks and will probably use some of the unique principles on space use to help in setting up a room for an ADD child, and perhaps some of the specific tips. But for reasons mentioned above, this should NOT be your only or main book on how to organize your life, ADD or not, especially if you are an adult. An organizer with an ADD child and who has a number of ADD clients, she has no training in ADD or how to deal with it, and it shows in her narrow assumptions about what ADD people are and are not capable of. I feel that while she is to be applauded for what she has learned, that she is out of her depth in this area. I think her attitude could be hurtful to those with ADD, which is why I am writing this review.

After reading this book, I realize how simple it is to turn my currently inefficient and multi-step systems into ones that make day-to-day living easier. I love the format of the book. I was able to peruse the chapters so I could jump right into the biggest problem areas in the house and put her solutions to work right away. Like most people with ADD, the easier I can implement something right away, the more likely I am to follow through with a project. For example, the suggestion to take the kids' hampers out of the closets and put them uncovered in the bedrooms near where their clothes are taken off, brought immediate compliance without me having to say a word. Also, now that his towel rack is in his room, my teenage ADD son actually hangs up his wet towel!

Some organizing books and magazine articles promote systems that a busy family, especially with one or two ADD members, just can't realistically maintain because they are too cumbersome. Susan Pinsky's solutions make sense and the end result is a more efficient, peaceful home. Aah...

I'm an easily overwhelmed woman with two small children. I own at least 30 books on how to manage "Adult ADD". This is by far the most useful. While I generally glean some information and tips from most books I read on the subject, this one stands out. The author endears herself to the reader in the first pages by briefly writing that her daughter was diagnosed with ADD, and you get the feeling that she's sincerely, personally invested in figuring out how to really manage some of the issues that come with ADD. It's beautifully organized, sensitive, and good-natured - but the most appealing thing about this book is that is repeats very little information I've read in other books. It is truly original, with lots of ideas I've never seen that have helped me greatly. I've found that generally, if you've read one ADD "tip" book, you've read them all. This book is a striking exception to that rule. I highly suggest it!

If your home is filled with junk and clutter, and you have no idea where to start, this is a useful book. While many of the solutions are not new, the presentation and pictures make it easy to visualize her points. For example in the kitchen, the author recommends buying one shape of plastic containers so they stack neatly--illustrated with before & after pictures.

Pinsky's repeated emphasis on making organization convenient and functional over beautiful made a significant difference in my home. I have spent years trying to eliminate piles of clutter and junk in my living room because I resisted putting a trash can in there. In reality, a trash can looks better than piles of stuff all over and I am actually using it.

Some of the solutions offered--using disposable dishes--are not practical long term solutions, but if you are trying to quickly "unshovel" yourself they might be worth a try for a week or two.

If you have ADD, or are a very visual and creative person--this book will help you get moving faster than any other on the market. You can open it up, imagine a project and start working within a half-hour. Even if you only organize one room in your home after reading this book, you will have some realistic, permanent solutions for the future.

this book is amazing, it's like the author took many years to study my living habits. i never knew how much AD/HD affected my home life, i though it only effected school and driving. i bet it probaly effects the workplace too, i wonder if there is any books about that. the 2 most important things it said that struck me to the bone is how ppl with AD/HD require more engery imput into any task, so they get tired and overwhelmed much eaiser, and that what you don't see you forget about, end up buying duplicates of, and that is it hard for someone with AD/HD to get rid of stuff, getting rid of too much too fast is overwhelming. And as i had started to discover on my own that taking closet doors off helps me a lot to keep the closet organized and helps me to keep track of clean clothes and put them away eaiser, the book also said sometime you need to remove cubard doors, keep things out in the open, it may not me more attractive but it is more fuctional, fuctional is the key to keeping the AD/HD home organized. fuctional is easily accesable and easy to put back. The book goes into details of how to display things and where to put things so that it makes the most sence... it also gives us permision to not make our beds!!!! personaly with my bed when it's not in use (wich it is a lot, also explained in the book) i leave it with just the pillow and fitted sheet on it, all the sheets and blankets are on a shelf between the side of my bed and the wall. sometimes they are folded sometimes they are not, but it's easy access and easy to put back and i dn't have to get out of bed att night if i wake up cold and need another blanket. some stuff in the book is logic, like next to every phone there should be a notebook and a pen/pencil, personaly when i did this i velcroed the notepad and pen to the shelf next to the phone. that is just a little of what the book is about, you have to read it for the details of how to do it. if you want to contact me for help beyond what the book can give you i am at fight_the_good_fight@hotmail.com Also i learned that having less stuff really does decrease stress, i had to spend a weekend away from home and only had 2 hours to pack, taking only the nessisties and living with only them really helped me focus on my life and what i needed to do about the things that werre stressing me out.