When it comes to learning the basics about organization skills, the numbers say it all. According to the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO):
- Americans spend more than $4.36 billion annually on home storage and organization products.
- On average, we lose up to nine items per day. That means we spend time looking for 198 743 items over our lifetime.
- 36 % of young adults say they feel judged about how organized they appear. 38 % feel they would advance in their career if they could become more organized.
Now consider that teens, young adults, and adults with unique learning needs often struggle with executive functioning skills like organization, planning, and time management more than traditional learners. The challenges quickly add up, which is why organizational skills are among the essential tools you can teach yourself, your teen, or your young adult today to set the stage for future success.
For a developmental snapshot of how these abilities typically grow from infancy through adulthood, explore our Executive Functioning Skills by Age Guide.
What is organization?
Organization involves how we gather stimuli in our environment to complete tasks quickly and more effectively. It’s how we arrange our environment and provide order and structure to the items and activities around us. Organization skills are often closely tied to our ability to plan and prioritize, two other necessary executive functioning skills.
Examples of organization skills
We might know from experiencing a bedroom, backpack, workspace, or digital folder what disorganized looks like, but what are some examples of skills and behaviors involved in organization?
- Orders items or pictures into sequential order.
- Tells an organized story with a beginning, middle, and end.
- Returns items back to where they belong with a visual cue or drawing.
- Cleans up at the end of an activity or the end of the day.
- Maintains toys, personal items, and workspace in a neat and orderly manner.
- Arrives at school or work with the required materials.
- Keeps homework and essential documents in good condition.
- Develops an outline or list to organize tasks and topics systematically.
Why are organizational skills so important?
Without a basic level of organization, it wouldn’t take long for the world as we know it to deteriorate. We rely on an organized way of life in our schools, our homes, and our workplaces. Research shows that individuals who have good organization skills and implement them effectively have better outcomes across many well-being areas. When things are disorganized, we report higher rates of distraction and stress. Students who lack organization skills have more academic challenges, experience lower grades, and negative interactions with teachers.
For many teens, young adults, and adults with unique learning needs, organizational skills have to be taught explicitly through targeted interventions. Even modest improvements in organizational skills can decrease symptoms of inattention and increase academic or workplace performance. Learners with developmental learning differences get faster at basic tasks and have fewer errors when using systems to stay organized.
Organization and challenging behaviors
If we know that organizational skills show many benefits across the lifespan, what happens when those skills are underdeveloped or lagging?
Do belongings become disordered and then you have to “fight” to get them cleaned up? Does someone use challenging behavior to get help searching for assignments, work materials, or personal items? Do they try to avoid organizing, cleaning, or planning tasks? Do situations sometimes escalate to meltdowns or aggression because the needed item can’t be found?
While organization means different things for different individuals, keeping belongings and tasks neat and tidy can ultimately reduce challenging behaviors. Organizational skills result in less frustration and a reduced need to use challenging behaviors to recruit help or escape a disordered task. Organizational skills create a sense of control, which can frequently be a positive reinforcer for teens and adults with unique learning needs. Tasks finish more quickly and efficiently, leading to more time to engage in preferred activities.
Getting motivated to get organized
It’s not always easy to understand why organizational skills have value. Parents, teachers, coaches, and individuals themselves need to help learners develop a strong “why” or motivation for getting organized. Work to clarify both the short-term benefits and the long-term gains that come out of getting organized. Some of these motivations might include:
- Earning extra rewards or privileges.
- Getting things done faster to have more free time.
- Completing tasks better and with better outcomes.
- A greater sense of control and predictability over the environment.
- Less oversight from others.
3 ways to evaluate organization skills
- Identify the most significant areas of concern. Unlike some executive functioning skills, which may not be as easy to observe, the outputs of poor organization skills in daily life are much more apparent. Check the condition of a bedroom and closet, a backpack, or a work area. Is it cluttered? Are things out of place or missing from their designated location? Identifying the biggest areas of concern can help you decide whether a tiny boost or a significant overhaul is needed.
- Conduct a skills assessment. There are many different tools, checklists, and workbooks (get 20 % off our executive functioning workbook with coupon code LSA20) available to evaluate and create goals around executive functioning skills like organization. Many of these assessments and evaluation tools can also help develop SMART goals to target down the road. Download our free executive function assessment below and complete it with your learner.
- Contact a professional executive function coach. Not every parent, teacher, or individual comes equipped to assess and evaluate organizational skills. Working with a trained professional who has experience in helping people develop and enhance organization means you’re taking the best steps to help yourself or someone you support succeed.
Further reading
- 6 Steps to Help Your Child Develop a Strong “Why” When Goal Setting – Life Skills Advocate Blog
- 10 Planning Skills Every Child Should Learn – Life Skills Advocate Blog
- ADHD Career Advice – Life Skills Advocate Blog
- Anderson, D. H., Munk, J. A. H., Young, K. R., Conley, L., & Caldarella, P. (2008). Teaching Organizational Skills to Promote Academic Achievement in Behaviorally Challenged Students. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 40(4), 6–13.
- Bikic, A., Reichow, B., McCauley, S. A., Ibrahim, K., & Sukhodolsky, D. G. (2017). Meta-analysis of organizational skills interventions for children and adolescents with ADHD. Clinical Psychology Review, 52, 108-123.
- Dorminy, K., Luscre, D., & Gast, D. (2009). Teaching Organizational Skills to Children with High Functioning Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 44(4), 538-550.
- Freeman, L. M., Locke, J., Rotheram-Fuller, E., & Mandell, D. (2017). Brief Report: Examining Executive and Social Functioning in Elementary-Aged Children with Autism.
- How Teaching Executive Functioning Skills Can Reduce Challenging Behaviors
- National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals – Get Organized & Be Productive
- Time Management Skills: Long Term Strategies and Supports for Diverse Learners – Life Skills Advocate Blog