Organization – Importance

Being able to organize (and maintain organization) is vital to success in school, work, finances, community life, and relationships, as well as to our physical, mental, and emotional health. ^​1,2​

Education

Academic achievement requires much more than academic aptitude.^​3​ As assignments and tests are how students are graded on their learning, successful students must be able to: be prepared in class with the proper materials (pencils, books, notebooks, etc)^​1​; to “keep[] track of homework–what is due, when it is due, when and where to turn it in, etc”^​4​; to keep track of testing dates; and to keep class materials orderly and readily available when they are needed^​5​

In fact, it has been showed that even after controlling for differences in intelligence, students’ materials management (organization) habits significantly predicted their grades and GPA.^​3,6​

Work

“The modern workplace demands a great deal more self-organization than it did in, say, the mid-20th century. For example, the days of secretaries handling paperwork, scheduling, and reminding are mostly long gone […] Today’s employees are normally expected to manage their own schedules, projects, paperwork, and rapidly shifting priorities, with electronic communications keeping many virtually “at work” nearly 24/7…”^​7​

Just as with school, having poor organization ability can negatively affect work performance, and thus occupational status, too.^​8​ Cluttered work spaces can lead to misplaced paperwork, scheduling confusion, and missed deadlines, which can make it hard to hold onto a job.^​1,2​

Disorganization at home can also lead to unprofessional appearances (i.e., if someone couldn’t find clean work-appropriate clothes that morning) and chronic lateness (i.e., spending extra time looking for clean clothes), which may cause further strain with management and coworkers.

Social Life & Relationships

The consequences of poor organization can take a toll on personal relationships of all sorts. The educational problems discussed above cause discord with teachers and parents, and issues with chores, messy bedrooms, and lost items can cause further conflict at home.^​3,8,9​

Even friendships can be affected when, for example, children have “problems such as misplacing or forgetting materials for games and sports.”^​9​ Furthermore, “Years of criticism and rejection from parents, teachers and peers may lead to low self-esteem, which also contributes to the development of relationship deficits.”^​2​

Disorganization has been clinically observed to negatively impact family life.^​10​ Parents and spouses may get particularly frustrated if they don’t understand executive dysfunction. They may not understand “why they just can’t get it together,”^​4​ and may misattribute the reasons for the problematic behavior as “a lack of caring and selfishness”^​2​ rather than very real cognitive deficit.

If the problems with organization are not addressed, adults may struggle with a significant amount of marital strife.

“Executive deficits may also result in organizational and memory problems, evident in piles of unfinished laundry, lost keys, missed events and unpaid bills, and boredom during routine chores such as washing dishes or paying bills […], contributing to conflicts with spouses.”^​2​

When one partner struggles with organization more than the other, the more organizationally functional partner often takes over, and subsequently they “often report feeling resentful and overwhelmed due to the unequal distribution of responsibilities in their families,”^​10​ whereas the impaired individual may feel resentful if their partner is acting like a parent. These resentments can harm the sense of intimacy^​2​ that is vital to healthy romantic relationships.

The understanding of executive dysfunction by everyone in the family is necessary to reducing levels of resentment and figuring out and implementing coping mechanisms and helpful interventions. (See Interventions)

Well-being

“Adults with ADHD often exhibit great difficulty getting and staying organized. Their spaces overflow with random piles of books, papers, clothes, and incomplete hobby projects. Hoarding can become a chronic problem. They cannot find the bills and other papers they need to manage their finances effectively or complete their income taxes. They cannot find the tools necessary for chores, such as the hammer and nails to hang a picture. The mail piles up by the door to the extent that they become overwhelmed and simply ignore it. Their past attempts at organization typically have been short-lived or resulted in frustration and procrastination. Such chaotic environments add to household tension, partner alienation, and lack of follow-through on tasks.”^​7​

Struggles with organization at home an cause significant financial and legal problems, as well as harm all dimensions of one’s health (physical, mental, emotional).

Answering mail (both physical and e-mail) and paying bills are extremely common and significant problems for people with organizational deficits. Missed bills can lead to fines, the shutting off of utilities, the cancellation of insurances, poor credit scores and more. Missed bills and unopened letters can also lead to legal troubles. Difficulty finding things can lead to missed medications and appointments.

Ironically, even people with impaired organizational abilities “need an orderly and clutter-free environment in order to function properly,”^​2​ and unless they have someone helping to keep their home relatively tidy (which, if a spouse or parent is doing it, may come with it’s own emotional consequences itself), they may find their home a place of anxiety. Since, as we’ve already discussed, there can be a significant mental and emotional health toll that these organizational problems can cause, and having a home that exacerbates the problems instead of providing a respite from them only causes everything to get worse. Finding ways to improve one’s home organization is vital to a healthy life. (See Interventions)

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