It’s been a very long time since I have sat down and blogged. Do people even do blogs anymore? Anyway, I’m still organizing my life and find great happiness in it. I would love to become a professional organizer. I have my first client and have been helping her for a little over a year now. It’s been quite the job but we are getting stuff done. I would love to help others declutter their lives. I just wish my own family could figure out that everything has a place. I was recently diagnosed with ADHD which makes so much sense now and why I thrive on organization. If I have a place for it it will stay there and I can breathe. So now I’m going to focus more on how to help neurodivergent people organize their lives.
Rule #1: Never ever impulse buy. Now this is difficult because people with ADHD need a dopamine fix and that will sometimes be buying stuff we don’t need. If it’s on Amazon just stick it in your cart and walk away. Think about it for a few days and then if you still want it, buy it. But I guarantee 99% of the time you will realize you don’t in fact need it.
Rule #2: Lists are a must. I carry around a notebook and write down everything. Part of organizing your home is organizing yourself. I’m not going to remember when a bill is due or what we need at the grocery store. I will forget something and then I will have to pay for it. I don’t need 100 boxes of Mac and cheese but I did need that dog food. Lists help me remember things. My working memory doesn’t work well and I might remember I need dog food but then get distracted by a display and now my poor dogs are hungry.
Rule #3
If I can’t see it, it doesn’t exist. This is a huge problem for people with ADHD so my advice is always opt for clear. All containers and baskets have to be clear. Woven baskets are cute but completely impractical because they aren’t clear. No one in my house is going to look in the basket and now I have 10 tubes of toothpaste because it was in a woven basket and didn’t exist.
Rule #4
Never have empty hands. If I’m going upstairs or downstairs I make sure I have something that needs to be put away in my arms. That way I feel productive and now my house is a little less dirty.
Rule #5
Toy basket. Every main room has a toy basket. At the end of the day I go through the rooms and pick up the toys, and when the basket is full I have my children put away what is theirs. Having to put away one thing at a time can become tedious and let’s face it once we leave a room we probably aren’t coming back because we will get distracted by something else that has to be done right then and there.
Rule #6
When cleaning set a timer and don’t leave the room. I will challenge myself by setting a timer and reward myself with a cup of coffee or something like that when I’m done. It really only takes a few minutes to empty or fill a dishwasher but getting started can be the hard part. If you know you only have five minutes set a timer and get it done.
I’m hoping using my experience and my knowledge that I will be able to help others who struggle with organizing.
