De-Clutter Your Life

If you have ADHD, you've probably been told that you're a "slob" or a "hot mess" or "cluttered".  Don't try to deny it...it's probably true!  Our problem is that we become so used to our constant state of disarray, that we become blind to the clutter.  We ignore it.  We don't do it consciously most of the time, but we ignore it.  It's simply a part of our existence, it's normal, it feels comfortable. 

A lot of the time, we're afraid of dealing with the clutter.  The thought of doing real, large-scale cleaning and organizing induces real anxiety in people who simply don't possess the brain tools to organize in an effective manner.  We don't know where to start, we feel overwhelmed, we're convinced that we're just going to fail anyway, so we accept the mess and try to move on.  It doesn't have to be that way.

We hate to admit that clutter is a problem, but it can be truly destructive to our lifestyle, especially if we've committed to making significant behavioral changes to deal with our symptoms.

• We can't find things we need.  We often forget where we put things anyway, but if there is a large amount of clutter in the equation, we've just made finding that piece of paper even harder than it was.
• It creates stress for us.  As comfortable as it might seem to ignore the mess, it really adds to a sense of disorder and chaos in our own brain.  The house looks like a bomb went off, we tell ourselves this is acceptable, but deep down, we feel embarrassed or anxious, but don't necessarily know how to fix it
• It creates stress for others.  Your wife, unless she has ADHD, does NOT want to walk into a house where shoes are all over the floor and clothes are hanging on anything that will stand still.  It drives your housemates crazy to deal with the dirt and inconvenience of stepping over or cleaning up YOUR mess.
• Unfocused "de-cluttering" gives you a false sense of security.  If you don't know how to deal with your clutter, or are afraid to deal with it, you'll likely just "move the piles".  You'll feel great because you organized your stuff into piles, but you miss the fact that all your junk is still in the middle of the floor.
• It's expensive.  When you break things and lose them to the clutter black hole, you have to go buy replacements.  Take care of your belongings, and you won't have this problem.

So how do you deal with it?  It's tough, let me tell you.  I was actually a full-blown hoarder before I addressed my problem.  Don't let it get to that point, ESPECIALLY if you live alone.  I still struggle with clutter.  Sometimes I just don't see the mess or the pile, and sometimes my good friend Procrastination takes over my mindset and I save the pile for later.  Once you clear out the clutter and find ways to avoid it that work FOR YOU, you'll wonder how you ever tolerated the mess!  These are just suggestions...you might have to play around until you find a method that works for you.

The first step is to clear out the clutter.  If you live alone, it will be more difficult, but it's possible.

• If you live alone, stand up on a table or chair and take pictures of your living spaces.  This will put the extent of the problem in perspective.  If you have housemates, get them to tell you where your problem areas are.
• Have a plan of attack.  We think more in terms of the big picture, which makes us think we have to tackle everything at once.  Avoid this.  Get a notebook and make a checklist (refer to earlier posts for checklist tips).  Pick a room and work on that room only.  Don't move on until you've finished that room.
• Consolidate the supplies you'll need in one area of the house.  Remember the first step is just clearing the clutter.  We'll deal with the organizational part later.  Lots of trash bags, vacuum, mop, Clorox wipes, etc.
• Schedule your cleaning time on your calendar.  Use a timer to set up 30-minute blocks of work and 5-minute "space out" periods.
• Most of us won't be able to clean the whole house in one go, but sometimes that approach works best for us.  Just get it all over with and don't give yourself time to procrastinate.  Just make sure you're not neglecting something else in the process.
• Throw as much as possible away (or recycle it or donate it).  If you haven't worn it in a year, give it to Goodwill.  If you have to think about an item for more than 10 seconds, trash it.  If it helps, make a "questionable" pile and come back to it at the end.  Be strict with yourself.  IT'S JUST STUFF!!!
• Either clean as you go, or de-clutter first and then clean the whole house as you go.  There's probably a LOT of dirt under those piles.
• Hire someone to do it.  If you really don't have time or you really don't think you can deal with the stress, hire a professional service, a friend or a family member to do it.  Go through and find the things you REALLY want to keep, and let them chuck the rest.  This isn't ideal, but I have to throw it out there because that's what happened to me, albeit by accident (my landlord and I had a miscommunication over my move-out date, and he ended up chucking 90% of my belongings...turned out to be beneficial to my hoarding/ADHD!) 

Next step is to organize your belongings.  I've written other posts on the subject, but some things to remember:

• Use expanding files for all your important paperwork and keep it in a safe place
• Use Rubbermaid bins or baskets for all your activities and pursuits.  All your photography stuff goes in one basket.  All your scrapbooking stuff in another.  Keep them in a closet, spare room or the garage, labeled and neatly stacked
• Put a basket or tub in a conspicuous place for mail
• Put out a basket, shelf or hook for your keys, wallet, ID, etc.
• Use a separate drawer, shelf or space for each group of items you're organizing.  All socks go in one drawer (folded), all hair products go on one shelf, all remote controls go on one end table.  Label and color-code if you have to.  This is especially important for helping kids de-clutter.  Make a specified space for EVERYTHING.  
• Use small tubs or baskets for all your little, easily lost items.  If you have a junk drawer, use a utensil organizer or small baskets to separate small tools, pens, thumbtacks, batteries, etc.  This will help you keep your makeup, jewelry, nail polish, and chargers organized too.

Now how do you avoid clutter in the first place?  This is the tough part.  Use some of the suggestions I've listed here to help you with the logistics, but understand that a lot of it is just cultivating new habits.  Transitioning to a less stressful lifestyle takes a little work, but once the habits are in place, you'll find it much easier to stay clean and de-cluttered.

• Put a trash can in every room and use them often
• Get in the habit of putting your keys, wallet & ID badge in the same place every time you walk in the door.  Pay attention to where you're putting things.  Ask yourself if there's a better place to put them.
• When you take your clothes off, they go in the hamper or the laundry room
• If you take a book or a DVD off the shelf, put it back as soon as you're done
• Deal with your mail.  Either go through it as it comes in and shred/toss/respond immediately, or schedule time every week to deal with it.
• Make time in your schedule every couple of days to do a "sweep".  Go to each room and ensure that nothing is in the "wrong" place.  Leave your "Arts & Crafts"-labeled bin on the dining room table and forget about it?  Now's the time to rectify that
• Use your organizational method of choice to schedule daily chores and do your best to keep to your routine
• Don't buy things just to buy them. We tend to be impulsive when it comes to shopping and leave Target with $90 worth of crap we don't need.  Make a list before you go to the store and don't deviate.  You can live without the coffee mug with the cute kitties on it, I promise.
• Keep up with the stuff you DO have.  Go through your drawers and closet at least once a year and chuck anything you haven't worn or used since the last time you went through your drawers.  Don't even give yourself time to THINK about it.  If you can't find a pressing reason to keep it immediately, you probably didn't realize you HAD the item, and you probably won't miss it.  Like I said before:  it's just STUFF.
• Don't hold onto magazines and newspapers unless it's REALLY important.  I once had over 200 bodybuilding magazines in my living room because I HAD to keep them.  There were two or three I referred to for training articles, and the rest were just taking up space.  Get rid of them.
• Don't be too hard on yourself.  You're never going to be perfect.  Just do your best.

Happy de-cluttering!  Trust me, you'll be glad you did it!