ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life: Strategies that Work from an Acclaimed Professional Organizer and a Renowned ADD Clinician 2nd Edition

I thought this book might help me learn to use ADHD specific advice to declutter and organize effectively. It did that, but also it did so much more. I learned so much about myself and how I relate to the world, more than any from any other book about declutterring or ADHD I had read. It’s written very clearly and organized in a way that my brain could comprehend. I didn’t just learn about how to organize my things, but also how to organize my time, my schedule and how to effectively get tasks completed without hyperfocusing, losing concentration or leaving things half finished. Highly recommend.

Once upon a time, new Organizer slaying dragons, I read the 2002 edition of “ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life” by Judith Kolberg & Kathleen Nadeau. This was my review:“I had an unusual reaction to this book by Kathleen G. Nadeau, a highly-regarded ADD coach. This is an excellent resource for ADD-abled people because it is explicitly formatted for people with ADD - they can usually read it, when other traditionally-formatted books on the subject might not work for them at all. I LOVE to read. I had a horrible time trying to read this book. It was HARD. It was almost as if, because, at least as far as I know, I don't have ADD, the book was fighting against me. That was a VERY instructive experience. Kinda like wearing a blindfold for a day to try to understand what it's like to be blind.”Now, singed veteran, I’ve just finished the 2017 edition. 2017 is disarmingly different. Most startling, I found it easier to read- and there are reasons why. The print is smaller. The subheadings, sidebars and similar are more closely integrated into the main text. There’s less italicized copy. I’d love to grab a coffee with Ms. Kolberg and Dr. Nadeau and ask “WHY?”. I’m not criticizing the changes, which I’d bet are practical, because, for example, there’s more (new) material in the 2017 edition. But burning curiosity “WHY?” nonetheless.The most compelling changes – there are two new chapters. One goes in-depth into Financial Management, and one looks at the monster’s den that is the digital world. This edition of Kolberg’s and Nadeau’s collaboration is just as funny as the old, just as accessible. And now even more critically instructive for ADD-abled people. If you have the old edition, it is worthwhile to update to the new. If you don’t have this work at all, it is valuable for people with ADD or the people who would like to help their ADD-challenged clients, colleagues, friends and family.Lauren Williams, Certified Professional Organizer(R), Owner, Casual Uncluttering LLC, Woodinville, WA USA

Why did I give "ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life" four stars? If I only gave it three stars, then some people might think the book isn't worth buying, but it is worth buying. I didn't give it five stars because it should be concise. Some of the information is repeated, and some of the sentences should have been deleted. Being concise is especially important for the target audience--people with ADD.Another reason why this book didn't get five stars is the book says to make decluttering fun, but it doesn't give many ideas about how to make it fun. This is why I bought the book. I want to make decluttering fun.I also want to figure out which papers I can get rid of and what ideas I can use to motivate myself to go through my papers and other clutter or do anything. There isn't enough info in this book for me to go through all of my papers and figure out which papers I can get rid of. Most of my clutter is papers, so this is important info to have.I am a member of a group for people who want to declutter and one of the members recommended this book and said it is a good book for everyone, not just for people with ADD. So I thought a lot of material in the book would be for decluttering. Some of it is, but I was hoping more of it would be.There are so many ideas in this book about a variety of things that everyone should find some that appeal to them and will help them. I wasn't expecting any humor in this book due to the subject matter, but I found one thing humorous on page 111. I don't think the author was trying to be humorous.I recently read this book and I haven't yet gone to any websites recommended in this book.

Helped me to better understand the ADHD brain and how to help me to organize

While I have read plenty of books about adult ADHD and how to handle it, this was certainly one of the best. The fact that it targets very specific areas of organization in a clear, ADHD-optimized format made it easy to absorb what I was reading. I've implemented many of the strategies suggested by the authors and have started to truly develop lasting routines and habits re: home and work organization for the first time in my life. In the past my attempts have been short lived (as many other ADHD adults will understand).The improvements I've seen in my home life have been wonderful. I am more productive and more comfortable thanks to having systems in place, and even when I fall out of cleaning or organizing for a while I can take comfort in knowing that I have solutions in mind for when I get back on the wagon. I keep this book handy right by my bed so I can glance at it as needed.I highly recommend this book to anyone who is ready to seriously commit to being a more organized, productive, and effective adult with ADHD!