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Best book you’ve never heard of on … organizing.

The best book you've never heard of on getting organized

It’s been a while since I’ve shared a “Best Book You’ve Never Heard of” post. View previously featured books here.

I don’t remember who I should thank for first recommending Susan Pinsky’s book Organizing Solutions for People with Attention Deficit Disorder to me. I never would have found it on my own: I didn’t think I was the target audience, and the cover isn’t exactly eye candy. (But it turns out that’s appropriate for a book targeted to an ADD audience.)

Best Book You've Never Heard of: Organizing Solutions for People with Attention Deficit Disorder | Modern Mrs Darcy

I should start by saying that I don’t have ADD, but I’m highly distractable, and the tips in this and other ADD-targeted books have made my life a lot easier.

The book has two sections: part 1 outlines a general approach to ADD-friendly organizing. Pinsky explains what makes organizing for ADD types so hard, and what to do about it.

Her mantra, in a nutshell, is this: “The best organizational system for someone with ADD is the one that is most efficient, simplest, most convenient, and the easiest to maintain, because it requires the least number of steps and materials.” If these requirements aren’t met, there is no chance someone with ADD will follow through with an organizational system.

Part II contains individual projects, fittingly scaled to be completable in a short time frame (that is, before one might get distracted and move on to the next shiny project begging for attention). My favorite projects concern the home office , calendars and scheduling, and kids’ rooms.

This is a great little handbook I come back to again and again, especially when my home (or my calendar) begins to feel like it’s spiraling out of control.

Is organizing a struggle for you? Tell us about your struggles, solutions, and Aha! moments–ADD-related or not–in comments.

The best book you've never heard of on ... organizing

 

26 comments

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  1. Corrie Anne says:

    I despise organizing!!! I always have to listen to an audible while I do it. It’s the only way it’s going to happen. I wish I could break my habit of throwing clothes on the floor. I know it’s because I need a better system (too many things stored overhead)! Can’t wait to see the books people come up with!! I’ll be thinking about it.

  2. Missy G. says:

    I am so excited to check this out! I hate that most organizing tips seem to be for people who are already Type A personalities, and I joke that I’m a Type Z. Thank you for this recommendation!

  3. Tim says:

    I’m going to link up next Tuesday, Anne. Just finished the post and have it all scheduled and ready to go. Hope you like obscure Chesterton novels.

    Tim

    P.S. Do you have a link I can embed in my post?

  4. Rachael says:

    I love to organize. And read about organizing. And writing about organizing. In fact, I just started a series on my own blog about housekeeping — which is really about organizing in a specific domain.

    I’ll try to remember to link up on Tuesday. For all my love of organizing…. I’m not the most organized!

  5. Ellie says:

    I commented on fb about this but wanted to make a mention here as well, this has been the best organizing book I could have purchased for someone like me. I actually have ADHD and have always struggled with housework, it gets to a point where I can have mini panic attacks just not knowing where to start. On your recommendation I bought the ebook of this and read through it. It has helped in many ways, simple things that I would not have thought of before like taking the lids off of your trash cans and more that make so much more sense when someone struggles to trying to stay on task with household work. If I get frustrated with a room, I just stop and take a breath and read the chapter about that room again and it gives me clarity. Thanks again for the recommendation. I hope to blog about it after a few months of utilizing some of the advice. I’ll make sure to link to this post.

  6. Allie says:

    A book that had helped me so much in the past and I will still use is called Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley. It’s amazing. It is also by a Christian author so it does incorporate scriptures and stuff like that, which I love. But I am ADD so I’m def checking out this book!

  7. Sarah says:

    I have read that book (endorsed by Jennifer Fulwiler of Conversion Diary) and while I don’t own it, I take it out from the library now and then to find something new. It has been a life changer for me. I have not been diagnosed with ADHD (although I have a lot of symptoms), but my husband has – as an adult, no less – and I’m pretty sure at least one of my children has it. I can’t believe there aren’t more books geared towards people with ADHD because organizing is so hard! This one has great suggestions. The best for me have been not putting tops on boxes (in fact, we’ve discovered we do better keeping things vertical rather than stacking), and limiting plasticware to one drawer. And simplify, simplify, simplify.

    Reading this makes me think it’s time for a check-out again! I have some new areas to tackle and could use ADHD-friendly ideas.

  8. Jocelyn says:

    Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern is the best book on organising I have read so far but I must definitely check out Susan Pinsky’s book because I am ADD.

  9. Deborah says:

    The best (and little known) book I’ve read on organizing is “It’s Hard to Make a Difference if You Can’t Find Your Keys” by Marilyn Paul. She takes a very interesting approach to looking at what’s behind disorganization.

  10. Shirley Baker says:

    I just read this book recently and loved it: Blessed are the Misfits by Brant Hansen…….
    Oh, I can’t just tell of one book…….This one:Whispers of Rest by Bonnie Gray.

    Shirl

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