How I Organise Myself Autistic & ADHD

How I organise myself with autism and ADHD. I've been working on a system of organisation that works for me and my neurology for a long time, and I've finally found something that works for me.

In this video I'm sharing my system, and talking about what factors to consider and how to develop your own organisation system.

here is a link to all my stuff including:
- Joining my members club The Purple People
-My Amazon wish list
-Ko-Fi - my tip jar
-Rinkl - a service where you can ask me a question and I'll send you a video response
- My merch
- All my socials

[Catlily]

I am an extremely visual person. Out of sight equals out of mind. Also, after my brain gets used to seeing something in one place for too long I don't notice it anymore. So a sticky note will work for about a week. Then my brain no longer notices it.

I just realized calendars have nice pictures to get you to look at them more.

[a.o.skurtt]

OMG. theres so many shows I just forget that I was watching halfway through, and by the time I get back to them, Ive forgotten about them entirely and dont even remember anything that happened

[Cellottia]

When the children were little I had a 3 insulating tape "boxes" stuck on the kitchen wall: 1 for me and 1 each for them. All their school and social and doctor's appointments would go in there, along with ideas for places to visit or things to do that I'd found in the local magazines/newspapers. I'd update the boxes in a rolling fashion, so once the event had taken place (or been missed!). I'd use blue tack or post it notes or whatever I needed to stick things in the boxes.
I'd also have an A4 spiral bound notebook, with my day from 7.00am to 10.00pm (or thereabouts), with each hour divided up into 15 minute slots. I'd have to write this out myself once a month or so to keep ahead of the game. In here would go basics such as getting dressed, breakfast, school run so that I *knew"* I had the time to do them. (I came up with "The 2-hour Rule" which said I had to start getting ready 2 hours before I actually left the house; I thought the children took up all the time, but now they're grown up and gone, it can still take me 2 hours to get ready to leave, or ready for a Zoom meeting, etc. !!!)
I learned the hard way, and from "Organising for the Creative Person" (by Dolores Cotter Lamping and another lady: brilliantly helpful book, I found, but can't see on the bookshelf Right Now!) and from a friend spelling it out to me, that a 2 hour job will not fit into a 10 minute slot! So in this A4 book I marked out blocks of time for jobs that had to be done, whether it was baking or re-organising furniture or walking the dog or laundry, etc. This approach to micro-managing my day was very helpful indeed, as I have a very poor sense of time and by doing this I could *see* that a long job would not fit into a tiny gap of time. I think I got a lot done using this system, too.
Managing money -- avoiding bank fees -- had also been a very sore and troubling issue ever since I started earning, despite trying my level best at budgetting. Having money come in each fortnight, but go out monthly, meant I was in a perpetual daze about how to reconcile the two successfully. Now I bank with an outfit that puts money aside for my bills each time I'm paid, and puts the rest onto a debit card for me to do with as I will. They do not provide an overdraft facility, and they charge £15 a month for their service. For me, that is Well Worth the price, as I have peace of mind about my bills, I no longer pay out £30 to £70 in one month for bank fees, and I can make sensible decisions about how I spend my money. I don't usually carry more than £5 cash with me either, because if I've got cash, I spend it.
So, it took me a long time, but I got things more or less under control in the end.
I also carry a little A6 size notebook and pen, which slips in my coat pocket or handbag, and in which I can note down anything at all. That's been extremely useful, especially during difficult times when I needed to collect and act on information about housing, for example. These days it has shopping lists, to do lists, a little schedule of the run-up to Xmas and things like that in it, including recipes and crochet patterns!
Definitely, trying out various systems and taking the bits that work for *you*, to create your own bespoke system, works. So do the digital timers and reminders we have these days.
Happy organising, everyone!

[amyfernandez]

This makes so much sense. The combining of paper planning and online is so essential because if it's all online it "doesn't exist"... Out of sight, out of mind. But the journal is on the counter and I have to "run into it" and remember what I was doing. The stickers suggestion helps so much, I am going to implement this as... Your right the ADHD needs fun, but the seriousness of my thinking/analyzing autistic brain makes me forget to have fun. ;)

[simonachmueller]

I'm not diagnosed yet, but I very relate to many things you are talking about. What helps me to be on track and feel productive, at least during my business hours, is a simple trick I started to do to analyse my work. I set a timer with a short ring every 10 minutes and I have an excel sheet where I write time and what I'm working on right now every 10 minutes. That helps me feel productive at the end of the work day, and also ensures that I'm on top of my task and not procrastinating. And of course, as a software developer, I work with Scrum and try to have a single task per task routine and busy, but not overwhelming schedule.

[warpedsmurfette]

I was diagnosed with ADHD inattentive type when I was a child, but was lied to by doctors saying that I had "grown" out of it and am just now realizing that I do indeed still have it and that it is what has been impacting my life so much all these years.... I think that I may also have Autism based on the research I have been doing with the help of your videos! I have so many planners and systems that I have tried and have never stuck with them because I forget to look at them and keep up with them... lol thank you so very much for making these videos to help us out, they have been very helpful!!!

[lisataylor]

Google calendar changed my life literally. I put everything in it including as you said reminders for upcoming TV series' I'm interested in as like you I can be extremely interested then completely forget the start or midway through.

I use electronic post-it notes to store thing's that interest me, links to recipes or YouTube videos I want to watch or keep...

I love the the ' location function' and 'notes' on Google calendar where I can store the address ready to satnav unfamiliar places and add any notes about who I'm meeting or door codes etc - life changing. No forgotten appointments or information.

[henryharmonic]

This is almost the same exact system I made for myself. It's amazing to see how similar strangers' minds are.

[SparklingGlitterCookie]

I realized I do something similar where I write my to dos and ideas on online tools and when I actually want to start getting things done in the day it HAS to be on paper to feel real! Wow I feel a lot better about my ways and I’m going to refine them a bit thanks to your tips and suggestions. Great video!

[tabitas.]

I work with tiimo and a simplified/personalized bullet journal; it's a very small notebook that I can always take with me for a monthly overview and To-Do-list, while tiimo is where I do all my detailed weekly and daily planning. :)

[bnpx]

The "just for fun" part is super important🥺💖

[laurenecarter]

My 8 year old daughter has been diagnosed with inattentive ADHD. I recognise so much of myself in her that I'm going to go get myself assessed. I have also just found out that my older sister has been diagnosed at 48 years old!

[nerdrooted]

"Yes, I can forget that I was watching something midway through a season".

No need to call me out like that 😂

[minicarrie]

Love hearing your system. I could never keep up with journaling until I started adding in cute stickers and washi tape too. Somehow my lists and schedules looking cute is enough reward for me to keep up with it. And I put it all on Google Calendar too, with alerts and alarms if needed, in case I'm anywhere where I don't look at my notebook.

[Sarah-N]

OH I AM SO HAPPY YOU PUT THIS OUT!!! I've spent the last month looking at every possible method of organizing from apps to bullet journals lol. But your videos always help so much!! This timing is amazing.

[missfabidia]

I noticed over the years that digital and paper planning works better for me 😊 Thank you so much ❤

[ThatWeirdLady]

Really great ideas here! Ive tried about every system i can find but my adhd side sabotages it because it gets bored or my PDA rebels against it. Learning to "trick" your brain into engaging is key. Thank you, Ella!

[amandachapman]

I use a combination of different things: a monthly calendar on the wall for things that are happening on a particular day; a bullet journal for things that I need to plan out; post-it notes for ideas/inspiration before they get to the planning out stage. Mostly that works! And I don't worry if something slips and I have to take some remedial action.

[neurodivergentdawn]

I also have several different things: I use Tiimo to track appointments, work, classes, and general study time as well as my morning routine, evening routine and my whole life basically. I use Apple reminders to notify me to track medication. I have a planner which is purely for university deadlines, studying I want to do, classes etc (but only university things). I have separate to-do lists on my phone of things I want to get done for personal, work etc and the things on these lists are ordered with my higher priorities at the top and extra but not urgent stuff at the end. Lastly, I make a daily to do list based on what is in Tiimo, my planner, and the to-do lists on my phone to decide what to get done that day and this list is in a notebook which is always on my desk. I may also use stickers to motivate me with this daily to do list, great idea!

[PotterFreak]

The first thing my brain went to was the rainbows on your wall. Something I’ve always loved ever since I was kid and kind of a special interest of mine.
I can certainly relate to trying to plan stuff out being super difficult. I just kind of give up and don’t do anything b/c I get so frustrated and stressed trying to plan.
Google Calendar is a great idea and I’ve been using that myself to keep track of my medical appointments for anything & everything. Recently purchased myself a white board to write important things down b/c my memory has become quite terrible over the years.
I actually felt kind of relaxed watching you show how you plan and keep track of things. Made my AuDHD brain quite happy. It can be very hard to focus on one thing at a time from my brain being all go go go 24/7/365, especially when my noise sensitivity goes off and even silence is too loud for me.
I really liked your Activity List b/c it had all the things I love to do! LEGOs, play my Switch, take a bath if I need to relax, I do some clay work here & there, I do like baking but haven’t done it for awhile, watching tv or movies. Your LEGO collection and craft corner (5:32) are so cool! I’m working on building up a collection myself and organizing all the bricks (color then shape).
My depression, anxiety, chronic pain makes keeping to a schedule difficult as well. Some days I can get stuff done, some days I get a little done, and others are just so bad I can’t even get out of bed. I thank heavens for my iPad on those days the most. And every other day.