That whole story sound like my story. My whole house looks like a train wreck and I'm so tired of trying to fix it. Like you, I can't get organized and to make it worse, I'm such a packrat. The only way I survive is because I have this false notion that one day everything will be as clear as day and things will just fall into place. That probably will happen when I'm dead and gone and my husband brings in a dumpster to throw all my junk in. Then my house will be clean and organized. Of course this will have to be when my son has moved out on his own because he is just like me. Sorry I don't mean to sound morbid but that's the sad truth. I'm 50 years old and I can't begin to tell you how many times I've tried to be organized and have a smothly run household and like you, it last a couple days if I'm lucky. I always wanted to have the house that my son and all his friends would come to and hang out at. Instead, I have the house from hell and I'm mortified when he brings someone in unexpectedly. If I'm prepared for someone, everything looks decent as long as no one goes in my bedroom because everything is shoved in there. My husband complains constantly and I don't blame him. He cannot understand how I can possibly not manage to get it together if I really want to. Well I'm sorry for my response being so gloomy. I do hope it will help you to see that you are not alone. I would love to post something that helps you but I'm still searching as well. I sincerely do wish you the best of luck. God bless-

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Thank you for the kind words. It's funny because as I read up on ADD, I realize that many things that are advised for self-help, are things that I already do each day and that I know I have to do or die... such as my nightly routine of laying out my clothes for the next day, and my strict morning routine which is choreographed down almost to the minute. For an ADD person, I do everything "right" in the morning, but learned to do this before I read anything about the condition.

My job is very tedious and uncreative, and highly detail oriented (there are some things where I literally don't have a chance for a do-over so it has to be meticulously planned and done right the first time or else it will cause big trouble). Yet I bite the bullet every and get it done... out of fear mainly because I know how I just can drift off at a moment's notice...

...I just could never figure out why I never get used to it, emotionally. I hate hate hate it even though I'm "good" at it. It never feels easier or more relaxed. Fear of mistakes is my biggest motivator. I have always hated every job I've ever had (but haven't bounced from job to job) and a real breakthrough for me recently was when I realized I would, no matter what I did, HATE every job, including a new job. Because I hate having to constantly be on guard against my scattering tendencies. I wonder what it's like to say "I love my job" - because I just never will and it has nothing to do with the work itself, but the whole routine of working with others. (And I know so many people in my family who also hate work for that reason!)

The eight hour work day is far too long for me and usually by 2 p.m. I'm slacking like crazy (unless there's a fire to put out, which usually comes from someone else) and desperate to just LEAVE. At quitting time I'm out like a shot, which means I never socialize after hours with my co-workers.

So! now that I've changed the subject in ADD like fashion, back to the original topic, which is my latest brilliant plan: I'm going to buy myself a couple of clocks with faces, to keep me more cognizant of the passage of time. No I don't expect miracles, but I really think there's something to the idea that the disappearance of clock faces in our lives may be a contributing factor to having a poor sense of time. I'm 40 so I grew up in an age where you still used analog clocks. Maybe I'm missing them.

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