Organising yourself at WORK? How? I have ADHD pls help!

[AmIGoneMadFromItAll]

Can anyone share what works for them, what helps, what systems that really make a difference?

I'm talking even very tiny things that might appear basic to others. For example, a non-related work thing I do is make sure that things like keys always live in a particular place. That's become a strong habit built into my life now so I don't lose crucial items like the keys anymore. It means a part of my brain can relax and stop worrying about where the fuck are the keys.

So I'm not exactly sure what might be comparable in terms of work organisation but open to anything people have found helpful?

I did wonder for example if I should get several large notebooks to divide all the separate areas of my job into different lists, instead of one list?

One overall list that contains tasks from different areas really stresses me out, is that pathetic?

I find I do best if things are separated into different groupings like - and I'm not even joking, I'm actually this crap - if my clothes in my wardrobe aren't arranged in order of similar items, dresses, tops, cardigans etc, I get really stressed even trying to see what I have and overwhelmed and anxious.

Again, not sure what the obvious things are in a work environment that I could change to help with this sense of order so any ideas would be great?

Sometimes I get really panicky I'm actually developing early onset dementia because I just get so overwhelmed by stuff, especially as I mention when things aren't separated into groups, it's like my brain shuts down completely and can't start to see what the steps are to begin accomplishing the task

I also accept that I just don't file my emails but I have a special exception in the form of a single folder of exceptionally useful items: my printer code, the login details to a shared site, the instructions for what to do if X bad thing happens.

That way I only file the 6 things a year that Really matter, which I manage to hold myself to.

I’m pretty sure I have ADHD. I’m a head of department in a secondary school so I must have some good coping strategies in place, although it doesn’t always feel like it!

Emails: Like a previous poster, I just let them build up. I’ve tried various solutions that involve filing etc but they’ve never worked for me because I forget to do it. I don’t look at emails unless I’m prepared to answer or action them at that time. The unread emails therefore function as a to do list. I generally know what’s in emails as I can see who they’re from. Quite often I just wait for a second email to check it’s about something important enough for me to spend time on. Certain types of emails (eg parental emails) get answered asap.

I set a lot of emails to send automatically at a relevant time. That way I can do it while I remember.

I use Outlook Calendar for my meetings and keep it open on my desktop all the time.

When implementing any system - always keep it as simple as possible. Be realistic. Complex systems will fail.

I’d forget my own head if it wasn’t screwed on but luckily I have several classes of teenagers to remind me that I left my board marker next to the photocopier or my marking in the staff room!

I sound like a riot but I regularly get complimented on my organisation so it does work. I just have to be honest with myself about what I can do, prioritise and keep it simple.

Lots of repeating tasks in my outlook calendar , colour categorised , and checked off first thing each morning

Bullet Journal. The guy who invented the system has ADHD and he created it to help him with the issues it caused.

Don't know if I have ADHD but I struggle with stuff like this.

I like the ToDoIst app. I can use on my phone or laptop and put in tasks straight from Slack as well.

I write absolutely everything on there, even tiny things, and tick them off as I go. It makes it really easy to put things in for certain days.

Then I also plan my days on my outlook calendar. I am not very good at prioritising so try to take some time to think - when do things need doing by, how long might they take, and work backwards from there. I also plan things like deadlines in my calendar.

I use Pomodoro method.

I try to "bite the frog" (do the task I'm dreading first).

I also recommend Brainzyme Focus Pro tablets.

I don't sort emails and I don't file things. I do "pin" key emails to my outlook though

One note was a game changer for me

Second what a PP said about One Note. If you like dividing stuff into sections then you’ll love it.

I love all e-nails I need to work into an initial folder so they don’t get lost. I set time to go through the folder, work the task then move accordingly I do it every Wednesday and Friday afternoon like clockwork. If I am asked verbally to do something then I write it down immediately or I forget what I was asked. I make myself finish tasks rather than jump around between things leaving 20 things half finished…,other than that it’s difficult.

I have adhd recently diagnosed. I use spreadsheets to record what work I have to do and change the colour when billed. I have lists for my daily tasks in a specific book for the purpose which stays on my desk. If I am having a difficult day I plan out tasks into slots of time. Though I rarely can stick rigidly to it, I am crap at keeping track of time and how much can be achiev2d realistically so it helps to see how much work could ideally physically be done so I redress my unrealistic expectations. For emails I have loads of labelled sub folders so I can file them away in groups and find things easily else its overwhelming. I set alarms on my phone for important things. Its hard

For me, these are the things that work, in order of effectiveness:

1. Medication
2. Not having one set role but a very varied job. Seems counterintuitive but it suits my brain way more.
3. Having a to do list that is in columns under headings and RAG rating priorities in that list
4. Creating a routine but being able to work in a way that actually doesn't prove counterproductive. For example, having to task switch every half hour means I can't organise, lose focus, get stressed. Whereas if I can, insofar as is possible, have control over what I do and when, that helps. I am really productive when I work like that and I am able to remember things.
5. Emailing myself when I absolutely have to remember something the next day and it pops into my head at 10pm
6. Having colleagues that understand ADHD and know how to work with someone with ADHD.
7. Trying to always tidy up. If everything has a place and it is always in its place, it is much easier to find things. This was impossible for me without medication.
8. Being vocal about what it means to have ADHD in the workplace and requesting reasonable adjustments. It is a disability.
9. Post it notes everywhere to remind me to do things.

10. Knowing and accepting my own limitations.

Things that don't work:

1. Arbitrary lists
2. People who don't have ADHD telling me how to cope with it
3. Noisy, distracting environments- can't filter anything out so it makes it impossible to process. Better, but not cured, with medication
4. Other people's systems. I have to find and use my own.

@PollyPutTheKettleOnKettleOn

In true adhd fashion, I went to look up Doist app as recommended above, got distracted and have instead downloaded Habit Now.

I have absolutely no interest in documenting my daily habits but it looks like I can colour code everything.

I will get at least 2 weeks of enjoyment out of it

😂😂😂😂

I manage about 2 weeks per new organisation system too!

wrote long post now lost...

basically I have to write everything down including dates I sent emails & where work documents are, etc. I couldn't keep track otherwise!

Is a (no-reminder) entry in my work Outlook calendar, updated frequently.

google Keep lists for things like bike lock combinations, adult DC addresses, etc.

If you have time this weekend , go onto Pinterest and look for adhd planner or bullet journal/organiser.
There are some brilliant printable things to help organise your day, work, life. For me having lists in separate pages helps, I do find it relaxing to copy a design from Pinterest into my notebook.
There are adhd specific ones as well as ordinary ones.

I'm pretty sure I have ADHD and really need to sort an assessment. Been reading this morning about the fact some have shit loads of paperwork that's unorganised. I'm so embarrassed to say I've got receipts from my business , paper ones from shopping and till reads from my till (I own a restaurant) and I have a big bag for life with them shoved in, in no particular order and have been crumpled up. I'm so ashamed and scared that I need to sort this out and don't know where to start. Promised myself 1st April I'll change this and start again with a system but so far no luck. Sorry to jump on but felt like a good place to vent this

I'm in a role where I'm juggling dozens of short-term daily tasks and multiple longer-term projects with strict deadlines.
For anything that can be regularly scheduled, like monthly reporting, I put a recurring reminder appointment in my Outlook calendar.
For everything else, I have a written to do list on my A4 pad. I add and cross off actions as I go.
It eventually becomes pretty long. At that point, I prioritise certain 'must do' tasks on the list by highlighting them with a highlighter pen.
Every 3 weeks or so I write out the list from scratch and start again.

I find online methods like one note or to do lists just don't work. Equally my handwriting and note keeping are awful.

My compromise is to buy a really nice journal and try to use it for lists but it's not perfect.

I struggle when I have a list of 10 things, cross 9 off and then have 1 left which then gets forgotten about because I don't transfer it into a new list.

I bought myself a visual timer of amazon which has helped immensely as I can see how long a task takes or keeps me on track.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/neurodiverse_mumsnetters

when I have a list of 10 things, cross 9 off

I have taken to writing lists in pencil, erasing items as they get done, what's left is what needs doing

i'm another Trello user. My job is voluntary/part time, but i do have to send a lot of emails/check inboxes, there are meetings, spread sheets, a live chat group i have to moderate to do with a big event we put on...etc.

My google calendar is full of reminders and my Trello is pinned, anything i need to do goes on there and i can tag it depending on what stage the job is at... everyone else in my team also knows if they need me to do anything, it MUST go on the Trello because i will forget they even asked me...

The Filofax with dividers also works, i have my routine on the front page, and i go through it in order, and each item on the list correlates to either a section in the filofax, or the Trello board, and i can check jobs off as i do them.

I take regular breaks, listen to music, move around.. i'm slow, but i get there with stuff eventually.

I was an absolute shambles with organising myself at work. I remember I was in an office management role ten years ago and I used to hide the mail because opening them meant processing invoices which was such a chore.

Every new organisational system I started would only last a few days and doing the boring stuff felt like actual torture.

I don't have the solution - I quit working for others as I just can't hack it but that was before I realised I have adhd!

To-do list and dopamine hits, rewards, short working periods before a treat should all help a little.

And for anyone who works in an open plan office, I recommend the music app "focus at will". Its a series of music channels pulled together to help focus, but they've got an ADHD music channel. The music is a bit full on (modern, driving beat, synthetic) but the idea is that it gives your brain that to focus on, so it's not distracted by other things, but not so much that it is a distraction in itself.

If I'm trying to do something urgent or complex, I go to the toilet, get myself my cup of tea, set a timer for 45 minutes, then play the music.

I was very dubious that a specific type of music would help, but I'm very impressed.

If you have ADHD, be selective about the advice you take from people who don't know what it is like. For many it is difficult to understand why you can't just do something.

Oh, and some times of days are better for things than others. For me, first thing in the morning is simple, repetitive tasks, after 10 and before lunch is best for anything that involves hard thinking, after lunch is best for meetings and talking to people and late afternoon for emails, as they've had a chance to build up, and have often been resolved by the time I get to them.

I had a number of projects on the go at any one time so i used...

Bullet journal with one double page per week for 'to do' and appointments and full pages for different projects.

Zone off time in outlook for each task.

Review all tasks before you end the week on a Friday and bring forward important stuff only for Monday. Then forget about work.

Refresh your mind on Monday. Place time holders for these tasks in outlook around your meetings.

Plan, plan and plan again. If you have known reports to write every month, put the time in outlook now for the rest of the year. If you have big quarterly reports, put the time in outlook now to cover off the time it is likely to take. The monemtyou get asked to do a presentation, before you agree make sure you have time available to write and rehearse it, along with any documents you will need.

I have a week to view diary with a to do list each week. I keep diary close and anything that cross up from any conversation or meeting that involves an action from me guess straight on the list for the week before it needs to be actioned. If it has to be on a specific day or time it will go in diary. Diary obviously had to live in same place as if lost, I would have no idea of what I was doing each day.
I have not yet worked out a good email system other than immediately deleting after reading anything unimportant and not needing a response. This keeps my inbox fairly manageable but my deleted usually has over 1000 and every now and then I go back 6 months and start permanently deleting the ones I know will never be needed again

I'm not diagnosed but suspect I have ADD. I just downloaded OneNote on the recommendation of this thread and then stared at it blankly. Can someone explain what they use it for, specifically. With actual examples. I always look at these kinds of apps blankly because I don't get how to get all the random things in my brain into OneNote (or similar) in any kind of organised fashion.

(Does anyone else have this problem?)

I use the snooze function on email. I email myself tasks then click snooze for when i want to do them. It means everything is in one place.