Sarah147 Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Hello y'all, I tend to have trouble with clutter and poor organization, I think partly from my ADHD .... I was wondering if y'all have ideas of how to keep the clutter off my counters and keep organized. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMcB Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Find a place for everything. Stick to it. And toss/recycle/give away/donate all the stuff that has no purpose. Assign each room a day of the week to clean/organize. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luigi Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 There are only two principles to organization: 1. Birds of a feather flock together - in other words, books go with books, clothes goes with clothes, papers go with papers. 2. Keep it accessible - the same as DMcB's advice to "find a place for everything." Designing the system is the easy part - sticking to it on a daily basis is the challenge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcts Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I'm reading a book right now about organization for people with ADD. A couple of the key things that she talks about are keeping your organization system as simple as possible and not being afraid to get rid of stuff. I can't remember the name of the book, but I can get if for you if you'd like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basilisa Marie Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Right now I'm trying to deep clean and reorganize my apartment. I've found it helpful to never leave an area without picking something up. Like, when I came home I put my coat away, but also grabbed a pair of shoes and put them in the closet. Then I went into my bedroom, and when I left I brought a water cup back with me into the kitchen area. Then I've got specific days to clean things - Friday is cleaning the bathroom, and scrubbing the kitchen area's floor. Saturday is Laundry. Thursday is vacuuming. Thursday is also pick up everything on the floor day, so I can vacuum. Bins and folders are good ways to store papers, and hooks are great for clothes or jewelry. If it's a big job it might help to do a little bit at a time, like over the course of a week. But if it's something like a messy desk full of papers, I find that getting some cheap folders is helpful for organizing. And then don't let yourself go to bed until you've put everything in it's proper folder, or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmotherofpirl Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 [quote name='JoyfulLife' timestamp='1326768356' post='2370293'] Hello y'all, I tend to have trouble with clutter and poor organization, I think partly from my ADHD .... I was wondering if y'all have ideas of how to keep the clutter off my counters and keep organized. Thank you. [/quote] Assign a specific spot on your counter for each item, if necessary tape a little labeled index card in the spot. Then always return the item to that spot. Do your drawers the same way, every item gets its own home. Before you go to bed put everything on the counter where it belongs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaime Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 My advice is to rejoice in your clutter. When people are critical of my desk, I respond with this "God created the world out of chaos. Why should I presume to do any better?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnlySunshine Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Can't help ya there. You should take a look at the state of my room right now. I need to clean it up this week. I've still got junk piled up from Christmas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papist Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Things you don't need, use or have too many of, get rid of them. Create a space near your entrance that is designated for your keys, purse, mail, etc. Process your mail immediately, trash junk mail immediately. Have a little bin to put mail to keep, such as bills. [img]http://cn1.kaboodle.com/hi/img/b/0/0/37/e/AAAACyDF2-QAAAAAADfgKw.jpg?v=1236101808000[/img] Identify a drawer for 'stuff'. Organize that draw for space optimization. For example, user dividers, mini boxes and zip-lock bags. This will help you to stop accumulating to much of the same thing. [img]http://albums.eqal.com/6/51064/51064_alb_xlarge_425x270_74768_1300494784.jpg[/img][img]http://savethephillipsfamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/drawer2.jpg[/img] If it comes to it, get a decorative box with lid. Anything on the counter, simply put in the box in an organize manner. For example, a bread storage bin like this,[img]http://www.bestclassicfurniture.com/photo%20of%20modern%20furniture/storage_2168_0.jpg[/img] Or a simple box like this from IKEA, [img]http://www.ikea.com/us/en/images/products/kvarnvik-box-with-lid__0124875_PE281978_S4.JPG[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcts Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 One specific tip that my book (which is called "Organizing Solutions for People with Attention Deficit Disorder", by the way) gives is to not add extra steps to your organization. If you can possibly get by without a lid on a box, don't use it. The extra step of opening the box (while very insignificant, in the grand scheme of things) can be all that a person with ADD needs to be distracted. She even said that if possible, you should have just one kind of sock so that instead of pairing them up, you just dump all of the socks in the sock drawer and call it done, otherwise laundry might not get put away. Open shelving is ideal for us instead of cabinets or drawers because then you can just put the (for instance) toothpaste on the shelf as you leave the bathroom in a hurry as you become distracted with another thought, as opposed to adding the extra step of opening the drawer to put it away, which often will lead to the toothpaste being left on the counter instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 (edited) [quote name='jaime' timestamp='1326781173' post='2370405'] My advice is to rejoice in your clutter. When people are critical of my desk, I respond with this "God created the world out of chaos. Why should I presume to do any better?" [/quote] That would be me. I do have ADD (pretty strongly too) and open shelving is absolutely fantastic! So are large flat desk spaces. When I was at school I contained my chaos by making my desk on a large dinner table we found on the curb. It was actually large enough to contain just about everything I could throw on it, spread to a conveniently thin layering over the whole top. On another note- get rid of stuff you won't use. I am really bad about this, especially since I like electronics which are, ironically, the only thing you can't just throw away under Minnesota law. But I sometimes do it anyway. Also, avoid people who want to give you stuff. AVOID THEM. Edited January 17, 2012 by arfink Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 One last tip- if you have ADD and you want to keep something long term (AKA, lose it forever) you can always put it in a box with a lid, then put that box on the top shelf of a cluttered closet or under the far corner of your bed. It's a sure-fire way to NEVER SEE IT AGAIN, because you'll never take it out until you have to nove the furniture or move house. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dUSt Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 The easiest thing for me is to have a "junk bin". Sometimes I call it my "to-do" bin. You may want to call it the "need organizing" bin. Instead of leaving things laying around on a table or a desk, just throw it in the bin. Every once in awhile you've feel motivated to clean it out and find a place for everything. If you notice something has been in the bin for over a month, and you still haven't found a place for it, you can usually throw it away. Sure, you'll still have stuff not put away, but at least it'll all be in one spot, not cluttering up the rest of your life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dominicansoul Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I just throw everything in the closet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papist Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 [quote name='dominicansoul' timestamp='1326820429' post='2370519'] I just throw everything in the closet. [/quote] Is that the same as the garage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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