The first tip to staying organized? Reading things all the way through. I picked up this book because I thought it was called “Order from Chaos.” I thought about DNFing the book when I heard the subtitle but stayed to learn what it is like to stay organized when your brain works against that goal.
SYNOPSIS
About Order from Chaos:
Stop paying the high cost of disorganization.
Late fees on forgotten bills. A home full of clutter and unfinished projects. Eroding respect with your friends, family, and colleagues. Health worries from doctor’s appointments you keep meaning to schedule. Nonstop anxiety as you wait for the other shoe to drop.
You deserve better.
Order from Chaos will teach you how your brain works and how to stop getting in your own way. Mixing stories from the trenches of her own experience as a mom and wife with ADHD with wise, well-researched advice from her years as a blogger at The ADHD Homestead, Jaclyn Paul shows you how to design your own system for restoring order.
Past failures don’t have to define you.
from the author’s own blog at https://adhdhomestead.net/orderfromchaos/
MY THOUGHTS
As stated above, I do not have ADHD. I have no idea if reading this book will make an adult with ADHD feel. I will say that it gave me real insight into how ADHD can impact a person’s ability to get things done and keep things organized. If you have an adult in your life with ADHD, it might be worth a read just to provide understanding and empathy.
I do think that a lot of the tips and tricks the author provides are just as useful even if you don’t have ADHD. Furthermore, I can see significant value for people dealing with personal crisis or mental health conditions. Generally, I think a bulk of the book is systems to have in place for when your working memory is lacking. With that being said, nearly every tip is tied to ADHD and the author far too frequently uses “ADHer” so if this is going to annoy you either use the physical book where you can skip it or read it over a longer period of time. I listened to the bulk of the 7 hours of the audiobook in one weekend while paining my apartment and so the irritation may have been situational.
The author takes advice different avenues of self help (Marie Kondo, Bullet Journal, Mini Habits, Getting things Done by David Allen) and applies then in one book to adults with ADHD. Actually, large chunks of the books are basically an homage to Getting Things Done. I have not read this book (annoyingly referred to as GTD here) but the author hypes it so much that I found myself asking, why not just read Getting Things Done?
The author does also try as much as possible to highlight the unique qualities of her own ADHD and how they can present differently than her husband’s or anyone else in the ADHD community. She gives manageable chunks of information and ends each chapter with a reminder of the goal. If I had the physical book, I would most likely have stopped and worked through each tip one at a time.
Did I do that? Noooooo. So I felt overwhelmed. The author uses a LOT of apps and strategies to short circuit her ADHD. She also forces herself to do a lot of things on a regular basis that I would struggle to remember to do without a personal secretary. I finished the book knowing that I would need to eventually hold a physical copy for all the recommendations.
The author is dedicating to making her own life, and the lives of others with AHDH easier. If you have someone in your life with ADHD, or you just feel like you are losing the battle against chaos – this book is a quick one that is stuffed full of tips!
Tell me, please! What is the best book you’ve ever read about organizing your life?
Silver Button Books 