Whether you are transitioning back to school or getting back into a non-summer work routine, there are several organizational techniques you can create to ensure a smooth morning departure and a productive homework or work routine.
Launch Pad
A family launch pad is a great way to ensure the start of a successful school/work day.
“Getting out of the house” in the morning on a positive note can set the tone for
the day, whether you are getting the kids to school, yourself to work, or both.
A launch pad is nothing more than an area that contains all those items that you need to leave the house with every day.
A rule of thumb: keep it simple and keep it open. A launch pad can be as simple as a bucket or more complex like a small table or bookcase with containers for each member of the family (see my launch pad in the picture).
Regardless of what you use, it is easiest to put things away when the containers are open (without a lid).
Whichever launch pad you create for your own family, remember, just like the launch pads of NASA, its purpose is to house everything you need for your daily mission. Get creative and enlist the help of your children when creating the family launch pad.
Bonus tip: locate your launch pad near a power supply so that you can charge your electronics in one place and grab them on the way out the door.
Homework Station
An important component of a productive homework experience is having all of the necessary homework supplies in 
one location. Doing so will increase homework efficiency by reducing the amount of time it takes a child to redirect his/her attention back to the task at hand.
It takes individuals with ADHD longer to get back on task after being distracted or interrupted. This does not mean that your child should sit for long periods of time working on homework. Start to notice how long your child can sustain his/her attention (10, 15 or 20 min) and set a timer for this length of time.
At the end of the time period, have your child get up and move around. Continue this pattern until the homework is done. A homework station will eliminate the small, but timely, distractions of finding supplies.
Work or Household tasks
Put all the objects you will need to accomplish a specific task in one place, so you do not have to waste time looking for the necessary objects.
- House cleaning: put all your cleaning supplies in a bucket.
- Bill paying: keep all your bills, receipts, checkbook and calculator together in a basket.
End of Summer
Saying goodbye to summer can be difficult. For some it marks the end of long warm days, cook-outs, visits with family and friends and a more carefree spirit.
But as September approaches, and we prepare for cooler weather and back to school routines, work, school and organization is possible with a little planning.
She continues to advance her knowledge and training by attending a variety of professional development opportunities. Her passion for learning about ADHD and helping individuals and families develop an understanding of the uniquely wired ADHD brain comes from a very personal place. Coaching is a natural progression from her B.A. in Severe Special Needs Education, a M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education and parenting a child with ADHD.
Through coaching, Kristine is able to provide resources to help individuals and families discover effective strategies, minimize the challenges of ADHD, build healthy and supportive habits, and live the life they want to live. A.B.L.E Coaching for ADHD, LLC provides A. Better. Life. Experience.
- Test post 2 - August 5, 2016