How did you guys learn to be organized and not be dependant?

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TheConfuzzledAspie
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28 May 2014, 1:26 am

PerfectlyDarkTails wrote:
I have a thing for being organized while I wasn't before. I had to develop organizational skills to make up for defects in memory. Everything in certain orders, everything electronically reminded by the hour, every detail databased and filed away and every penny accountable.

It developed during business organizational skills learning and the ability to employ as many organizational systems to meet personal targets, time save and get everything in functional order. It was either develop this organizational skill, or simply crash and burn. It's often not just an Autism related issue, but one that's rarely 'in use'. A lot of people could just remember things and rely on remembering without even taking notes. I couldn't do that in any personal or professional capacity so had to come up with something.

I have reminder apps for all life tasks, ordered in hourly fashion, every penny of money going in and out detailed in money apps and spreadsheets, details of movies, music, games, everything accountable by name, price, when where its bought and to see if its seen or completed. Repeating shopping list apps, planning apps like gannt charts, brain storming apps, equation apps, medication reminder apps and anything that comes to mind, written down in a hand note book.

I still need prompting but, I'm long learning crucial life skills for safe household tasking with caring support, if anything hasn't been thought of being organized yet, I would know how to plan and develop how to organize it.

I have an IT Systems, programing and minor business educational background though, but I guess I could surpass many NT's in organizing stuff... so... there's no excuse for me anymore...


Wow, that's really interesting, I always love to hear about aspies that have done good for themselves :)


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zer0netgain
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28 May 2014, 4:46 am

You have to find what works for you.

Cooking for one or two is hardly worth it. Many single NTs may cook a batch of food and divide them up for meals during the week rather than cook every time they need to eat. You can also find healthy, easy-to-prepare meals to put into your diet. Find what works for you and make a plan to do it so they are available when you need them.



grister
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28 May 2014, 11:44 am

I've always struggled with being organized with the "mundane" activities that everyone else seems to find easy. I forget to eat quite regularly (I slipped and skipped breakfast today), my house probably never saw the use of a vacuum cleaner in the first two years I lived here, etc. I would say "I should vacuum", and forget about it three seconds later.

The only way I could actually get these things done regularly was to have a checklist containing the most basic stuff. Seriously, there's entries on there for "Shower", "Eat Lunch", "Take Out Trash", and many more. Having that list visible is the only way I've been able to reliably get these things done. And there's a positive feedback of seeing lots and lots of checkmarks.

In other areas I automate. I pay a guy $25/wk to mow my yard because I'll forget about it until the grass is taller than me. I turned on autopay for every bill that I could, set up automated transfers into my IRA for savings every month, and so on.

Cooking is still a struggle. For some reason taking 10-15 minutes to cook seems too inefficient, and then add in the cleanup time afterward and I often want to just say f**k it and go to Boston Market. So I make a lot of my food in batches. Throw a pork loin in a crockpot on Sunday and I've got dinner for the week (just have to quickly cook some side veggies). Make a giant 12-egg frittata and I've got breakfast for the week (heat up a piece and blend a quick smoothie).

Funny things is, in my non-personal life, I don't have this struggle. I can go into a meeting, come out with a list of 10 things I need to do, and remember them all without taking any notes. But not when it comes to my personal life.



TheConfuzzledAspie
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28 May 2014, 12:42 pm

grister wrote:
I've always struggled with being organized with the "mundane" activities that everyone else seems to find easy. I forget to eat quite regularly (I slipped and skipped breakfast today), my house probably never saw the use of a vacuum cleaner in the first two years I lived here, etc. I would say "I should vacuum", and forget about it three seconds later.

The only way I could actually get these things done regularly was to have a checklist containing the most basic stuff. Seriously, there's entries on there for "Shower", "Eat Lunch", "Take Out Trash", and many more. Having that list visible is the only way I've been able to reliably get these things done. And there's a positive feedback of seeing lots and lots of checkmarks.

In other areas I automate. I pay a guy $25/wk to mow my yard because I'll forget about it until the grass is taller than me. I turned on autopay for every bill that I could, set up automated transfers into my IRA for savings every month, and so on.

Cooking is still a struggle. For some reason taking 10-15 minutes to cook seems too inefficient, and then add in the cleanup time afterward and I often want to just say f**k it and go to Boston Market. So I make a lot of my food in batches. Throw a pork loin in a crockpot on Sunday and I've got dinner for the week (just have to quickly cook some side veggies). Make a giant 12-egg frittata and I've got breakfast for the week (heat up a piece and blend a quick smoothie).

Funny things is, in my non-personal life, I don't have this struggle. I can go into a meeting, come out with a list of 10 things I need to do, and remember them all without taking any notes. But not when it comes to my personal life.


My disorganization is both my personal life and my professional life. I'm a high-school student, and I don't know if I should appoint a support person to keep through high-school, (i just started)
Missed school-assignments and stuff like that happens almost all the time. I've been managing to keep a high grade because of my special interests in the school, and thank goodness for that.


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loner1984
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28 May 2014, 12:54 pm

I dont know. its kinda random. I can be independant and fine on one day, and the next everything looks like a mess.

I think if im a dependant or not, various only a day to day or week to week basis.

Today there isnt a mountain of dishes, so its a good day.



unknownfactor
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28 May 2014, 1:56 pm

I'm cluttered more or less when it comes to space but good about my own system of managing time.

I schedule out every hour of my day before breakfast and keep it in a composition book right hand side page. I mark out a category of the things I want to think about for that hour. On the left hand page, I have my todo lists separated out by those categories.

It's actually a pretty flexible system because every hour has just 5 minutes to them where I'm actually obligated to something in that category. Suppose I have "chores" at the 8 am hour and one of the items on my chores todo list is to sweep. I can just sweep for 5 or 10 minutes any time during that hour and then decide to blow it all off if I REALLY don't want to do more chores. I can spend the rest of that time playing videogames or working on a problem on my computer if I wanted. Maybe there's something in another todo list that's bugging me more in which case I can put down the broom and do that.

So that's my system. The implementation is pretty low-tech on purpose. If blocks REALLY need to be rearranged, (which I try to avoid if I can help it) then it's just a matter of scribbling with a pen and it's modified. I build my order with chaos in mind.