I am currently not medicated but work full-time in education field. The job keeps my mind engaged and I am hyper focused. Although I still need a lot of help with organization and time management. Curious if anyone is in similar situation.
I tried stimulant meds in the past and it made me hyper anxious to get things done and I didn't want to be in that state of mind.
I want to find natural ways to deal with this lifelong condition
Thanks
Welcome to the forum!
I don't work in education now, but I did work at a charter school many years ago. I also worked in the IT department at a university for 10 years. So, I might have some understanding, but I don't have much experience with education career roles (i.e. teaching, counseling, administration).
Organization and time management are skills which can be learned. I've attempted to learn such systems many times, but none have worked for me as-is. I've adopted a few things, but I know I haven't put enough effort into my system.
• Quick note about me: I didn't get diagnosed with ADHD until 3 years ago, at 45 years old. Most of my attempts to learn organization and time management systems were in the 30 years prior. My difficulty with those systems and struggles with inattentiveness eventually led to my diagnosis. * My life has been going through a lot of challenges the few several years, and I haven't taken the time to redo it, but:
I think that the best time management and organization training that I've come across was by someone else who has ADHD: Dave Crenshaw. He is an entrepreneur, author, speaker and trainer.
• Before my ADHD diagnosis, I discovered his training on LinkedIn Learning (a subscription service). [His openness about his ADHD helped me seek my own diagnosis.]
• After my diagnosis, I reached out to him on LinkedIn, and I found out from him that he has a Udemy course "Succeeding with ADHD at work", which is like his other training, but focused on addressing ADHD challenges.
udemy.com/share/104V7E3@QBl...
He also has a YouTube channel, where he has posted a lot of time management tips (general stuff, but useful). youtube.com/playlist?list=P...
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I'll try to follow up within the next couple of days with some specific things I've learned.
Thank you so much for your detailed follow-up - I will definitely look into those resources. 👍
I know that Dave C. certainly isn't the only person to come up with a good time management and organization.
I just find that some that have been touted over the years (like the Getting Thing Done method) are not ADHD friendly.
I've tried the Bullet Journal method (which is only partly about time management), and I truly like that it's designed around personalizing it for yourself, but wasn't able to keep to it. (Maybe if I came up with a way to ease into it somehow, instead of trying to jump in with both feet.)
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One thing I like about Dave Crenshaw's system for organization is that he advocates having a limited number of designated "Gathering Points" for things for temporary placement, then having "Homes" for the things to go to. (I found the notes that I took, so I'll post them in a minute.)
Dave Crenshaw's organization system:
==================
"Gathering Points"
> Recommend 6 or less Gathering Points
- simple productivity tools
• Inbox [many-to-one, others-to-self]
• Outbox (one for each person that you regularly work with) [one-to-many, self-to-others]
"Processing"
(This is the act determining where the "Home" of the thing you're working with will be, or using it first and then putting it in its Home.)
"Homes"
> Designated 'final' resting place for things
> Any number necessary (as long as it makes sense)
• Long-term vs Short-term homes
- ST is for ready access, LT is for irregular access (i.e. for a file, ST home might be in a desk file drawer, while LT home would be in a file cabinet or file box on a shelf)
- when you see a Home is over full (over 7/8 full), schedule time to deal with it
Thank you so much! I very much agree with you that some time management and organizing methods are not ADHD friendly. Good strategies...I think where I struggle is definitely paperwork and practicing the prep time to organize so I am not searching for items when I need them. I definitely need a workable system. Thanks again for the ideas.
I’m similar. I tried medication for about 5 months last school year. Meds weren’t a good fit yet. I’m hoping to try again soon. I struggled when needing to fill time (tried and failed to build rapport with students), but I’ve learned that I socialize in certain schools better than others, and different states too. I love how busy things are, but I do get overwhelmed in lower grades when too many behaviors happen at the same time. I learned that special ed works better for me because I can handle emergent situations well. I’ve learned that it’s important to write tasks that will help organize then set a timer to do one of them. I’ve also learned that especially in education, hat not everything will ever be done. You just have to prioritize and choose what to spend your time with. Also, flexibility is key. I used to get super frustrated when my plans went to the wayside, and I don’t do that as much now and it really helps.
I was in education and up until the past few years I was ok because I could be creative and flow with the students interest levels. I retired this year when I was forced to be more scripted.
Hello! I have been a teacher for 11 years. I just got diagnosed this year. The brain fog, organization, and time management just kept getting worse and worse these last few years. I am on Strattera, a non stimulant. It seems to be working good for now. I am interested in a natural way to deal with it as well because I know I don't really want to be on meds my entire life. Timers, calendars, and separate binders and files for ech unit we cover have helped me to focus in on one unit at a time when planning.
Hello, Anyone in here I can fit in?
ADHD, Addiction, And The Empty Apathetic Void.
I’m not crazy…I’m just in crisis I think 
Difficult making decisions, “boring”, and not “adventurous”
I can not organize guest room and I need to learn that it is okay to seek out help
