The Disorganized Mind: Coaching Your ADHD Brain to Take Control of Your Time, Tasks, and Talents (Hardcover)

by Nancy A. Ratey (Author) "Who are you, and what do you love?..." (more)
Key Phrases: time mismanagement, mismanage time, disorganized mind, The Disorganized Mind, New York, Attention Deficit Disorder (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Ratey has produced a valuable resource for people addressing the daily challenges caused by the neurobiological condition of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Symptoms of ADHD include difficulty with organization, focus, and time management. Ratey, a professional ADHD coach who was diagnosed with the disorder herself while in graduate school, provides a set of concrete tools that ADHD adults can use to help themselves traverse both personal and professional situations, though the author emphasizes that her book is not a substitute for diagnosis and treatment. Short sections explaining the biological reasons for the disorder's more exasperating symptoms are contributed by Ratey's husband John, a psychiatrist specializing in treatment of ADHD and co-author of Driven to Distraction, a seminal ADHD book. With a nod to her audience, Ratey divides her book into sections that can be absorbed in small increments, including her own struggles with the disorder, her six-step "A.N.S.W.E.R" system, case studies and tips from spouses and employers. For ADHD sufferers, Ratey's book might not be a one-stop remedy but it's an extremely helpful starting place.
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Review

Advance praise for The Disorganized Mind:

“Nancy Ratey, the queen-maven of coaching, has written a masterful and practical guide to the world of promoting peak performance and peace of mind through the power of coaching.  The Disorganized Mind will make all who read it more successful, less stressed, and happier in their pursuit of their goals.  This book is a total winner!”
- Edward Hallowell, M.D., co-author of Driven to Distraction and author of CrazyBusy

“In a very warm and personal style, Nancy Ratey, a true pioneer in the field, demonstrates the depth of her expertise and empathy for adults with ADHD. In her book, The Disorganized Mind, Ratey skillfully guides the reader through a potentially life changing process!”
- Sari Solden, MS, author of Women with ADD and Journeys through ADDulthood

“Well done! This book will really help ADDers understand what coaching is and how they can self-coach. It's a compassionate book clearly based on years of successful coaching experience. I'll recommend it to my clients.”
- Judith Kolberg, Award-winning professional organizer. Co-author, ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life

“Speaking as a mother of a child with LD and ADHD, I knew little about coaching prior to reading Nancy Ratey’s extremely insightful book.  I particularly liked the chapter on Time Mismanagement as I have seen first hand how challenging this can be.  Nancy’s book will inspire, and serve as an invaluable life guide for those who lead scattered, disorganized lives.”
- Anne Ford, Chairman Emeritus, National Center for Learning Disabilities and author of Laughing Allegra and On Their Own

“Through her years of experience coaching others with the disorder, Nancy Ratey has seen firsthand that people can change their lives.  The book demonstrates the power of coaching and/or self-coaching and the difference it can make for those with ADHD.”
- From the Foreword by John J. Ratey, M.D., co-author of Driven to Distraction

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312355335
• ISBN-13: 978-0312355333
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #12,986 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomenal Book for dealing with ADD/ADHD! YAY!, September 5, 2008

By	Linda Hensens "ADD Diva" (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book because I was hoping that it would provide me with the necessary tools to calm my otherwise disorganized ADD mind. The book description on Amazon seemed to fit my situation perfectly, and I impulsively bought the book here on eBay. I thought that in a worst case scenario, I may pick up a tool or 2 that would help me somehow. My best case scenario of actually being able to USE the information was what I was shooting for.

Imagine my pleasant surprise when I received this book and found that it would help me in numerous situations that I struggle with every day. If you have ADD/ADHD, then you would be familiar with the impulsivity, distraction, hyperfocusing, finanacial distasters, clutter in your home, and on and on. I deal with one or more of these situations every single day that rolls over my head. For me, it is very frustrating.

Nancy Ratey has ADD and dyslexia, and she has grown up with it all of her life. She has managed to carve out ways to deal with ADD through being a life coach for adults with ADD. This book is a testament to her abilities as a coach, along with client histories to show how she helped those clients conquer the very ADD symptoms that we all struggle with on a good day.

She developed the A.N.S.W.E.R. strategy that gives the reader a way to analyze what is working for them and what is not. My favorite part of the book is how she consistently teaches her clients and her readers to not look at ADD as a problem child, but rather look at it as a neurological condition that has to be managed. ADD patients are NOT a disease. We are all people, creative people, and we all deal with the same or similar situations in our every day world.

Some of us may have more impulsivity and distraction, while others may hyperfocus on things that can cause discord in both our personal and professional lives. The author shows us how bring balance into our otherwise chaotic worlds with down-to-earth strategies and concepts that are easy to understand.

This book gave me hope that I CAN do what I set out to do. I just have to structure my life and my goals in such a way that the ADD works with me and not against me. I can do that! So can others who have the distinction of having been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD.

It does NOT have to be a thorn in your behind, unless you make a conscious choice for it to be there. The author has appendices in the back that list ADD support groups and ADD resources to help all of us change that which drives us nuts without coaching.

I found that I work best with someone to coach me and/or be an accountability partner. Hiring a coach is an expensive venture, and this book shows me how to become my own coach when money is tight, as it is right now.

This is definitely a book that I will refer back to over and over again. I think that if you purchase it, you will use it until the pages are worn out from use.

I do hope that the author will come out with a workbook that will coincide with the content of this book to offer the reader full-size workbook pages to keep up with the information and questions that we need to ask ourselves when we are trying to come up with solutions based on this book.

Controlling my ADD is going to be easier with the help of this book. I think it just might reach out to help quite a few other people too! I think this was one of my better impulsive buys, and it is definitely one that I do not regret making. Get a copy today!

113 of 143 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I truly found this book limited and limiting, June 17, 2008

By	JackOfMostTrades "Jack" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

I am familiar with nearly every popular book written on the subject of ADD/ADHD, and I have to state I did not particularly like this one. I make the proviso that if you are newly diagnosed with ADD (and I'll assume it's an accurate diagnosis), and you don't know anything about the syndrome from a factual perspective or are not clear about the nature of or the way to address your own behaviors, perceptions, and thoughts, I suppose this book is OK. However, if you read it from cover to cover, it is, to me, quite paradoxical. Here's briefly why. The author provides so many behavioral suggestions--both technological (external) and cognitively-based (internal)--that to set up an environment to accommodate them all would be impossible. Notes on your computer, timers, signs, noises, reminders, calendars, diaries: the list goes on. Although the author begins by stating you have to find your own means to organize your life, this recommendation is soon swallowed up by a cacaphony of suggestions that no working person, at least, could follow. Another problem I found is that the book is very proscriptive regarding what is 'normal.' For example, if you have ADD and have a penchant for going into narratives instead of getting to the point, well, there's a mental reminder to change your communication style. But maybe the narrative IS an essential part of the point.

I understand that the book is meant for the educated, affluent (the author states that these make up the bulk of her clientele) and therefore must conform to a corporate style of managerial behavior, but there's too much and/or thinking in the suggestions. A book can be written that way, but a life is rarely lived that way. Anyone who works with others knows the best time managers are at the mercy of the unexpected. Things break down, people break down, society changes, politics change constantly. The idea of 'future shock' that has been around for maybe 40 years (?) suggested that things occur so rapidly in our culture, you cannot keep up with them. If you agree that everyone is in that situation, then certainly a series of behavioral/cognitive cues is not going to do much to alleviate the relentless march of information and the drive for improvement. A newer phenomenon--which is the growing isolation of the individual (think of the book 'Bowling Alone' that showed that statistically most people in bowling alleys are bowling by themselves)--belies the idea of finding a friend/relative to serve as an informal 'coach.' I can just imagine calling up any number of acquaintances and saying, "By the way, would you mind having a 10-minute phone discussion every night about 8 so I can get a reality check on my ADD?" I don't know about the authors' social network or yours, but the people I know sure wouldn't be too keen on the idea. It's hard enough for family members to even see one another considering our overloaded schedules. I'll stop here; I could probably write a book in response to this one, but I'm not getting paid--unlike the author.

One more thing, though, has there ever been an objective study to test empirically whether coaching (either by an ADD coach or self-coaching) for someone with ADD works? You know, double blind research between a control group and a treatment group? Or as people in the field like to say, evidence-based success in treatment? I said I'd stop. OK. There's some great books available that address the issues in this book although they're not necessarily for people with ADD.

NOTE: A number of people have asked about recommended books/materials. I'll give a few here, since an entire list would take a bit of time, but perhaps I can get to it soon. I am not connected in any business way to any of them:

I highly recommend 'The Creative Habit' by Twyla Tharp, a renowned choreographer. Read the book and I think you will find out why I think it's great. I also recommend 'The War of Art' by Steve Pressfield, which is a book about writing and creativity, but again, it really can be applied to focusing, distraction, life style, etc. Pressfield is a novelist; his most famous book is probably 'The Legend of Bagger Vance.' Then you could try 'Stop Whining...' by L. Winget (not the whole title but it's here on Amazon). This book is a bit harsh but I think has some good points. Here is a management consultant who says that time management is an illusion, and explains why. I would also recommend 'Man's Search for Meaning' by Victor Frankl, or any of his other books. He is a man who survived Auschwitz, and knows something about coping in a harsh environment. He re-popularized the expression-attributed to Nietzche, "He who has a 'why' to live can live with any 'how.' In terms of a 'technology', you can find a free planner if you search the net and type in 'emergent time management.' You can print out as many copies as you want and create your own planner. The concept behind this simple planner is that what one does and what happens to someone during the course of the day will decide how you spend the rest of the day. It's a heuristic concept, and you just start with 3 things you need to accomplish and try to complete them. As you go through the day, you add things based on new developments. There's even a section of each page for 'doodling.' That's it for now. Sorry for any typos.

P.S. Another book specifically about ADHD that I would recommend is by a physician who has it, as do his children. The title is Scattered by Gabor Mate and is available right here on Amazon. The author has a humanistic approach to ADHD, and believes the 'cure' isn't simply various time-reminder technologies, but an awareness of the self with its many components such as the physical, biological, perceptual AND spiritual. I don't understand why his book is not more well-known.

25 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buisness Owner with ADD, April 3, 2008

By	James Case (Ohio USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I own a commercial real estate company in the Midwest and was diagnosed with adult ADD about 10 years ago. Through all my research and readings, I found this book to have the most practical solutions to the problems I face everyday. In many cases, it felt as if I was reading about myself. I have already asked my assistant to read the book so that we may implement some of the strategies Ms. Ratey has discussed in her book. Thanks for writing this book in a way that I can use it in my everyday life.