Wednesday February 26th, 2020
Welcome to the leADDership brief
A weekly newsletter for creative and innovative people, like you, with ADHD who want timely, helpful, and interesting resources
for leading and living well with ADHD.
HOW TO ORGANIZE ANYTHING
I belong to several online ADHD discussion groups, some are for ADHD professionals and some are peer groups. All exist to support and resource those of us who have ADHD. In one of the peer groups I posed two questions: which ADHD symptom causes you the most angst and what is your ADHD superpower. It was a robust, insightful, humorous, honest, and inspiring conversation.
I shared that my superpower is the ability to organize any space and this opened up a floodgate of private messages and questions about how I organize and could I help them.
The series I published on organizing your desk and office space also created a lot of interest and inquiries from readers and followers on social media.
So I thought, this is probably something you, the subscribers of the leADDership brief could benefit from as well.
Following is simple, step-by-step guide to organizing your spaces. I take you through a small project, organizing a junk drawer. If you're in a time and space in your life where you want to or need to organize your home or work space, I encourage you to start with a small space that you can complete in a day and gain a quick win.
I've also included a PDF you can download so you can easily follow the steps at home or work.
TEN EASY STEPS TO
ORGANIZING YOUR SPACES
CHOOSING A SPACE: If this is the first time you’ve really tackled organizing a space I recommend choosing a small space like a drawer or a shelf for a quick and satisfying win. It will also require fewer resources in terms of time, money, supplies, and organizational storage containers.
RESOURCES: Depending on the space you’ve chosen to organize, at minimum you will need a timer, boxes or bags for sorting, masking tape, paper & pen, markers or sharpies, tape measure, scissors, and a waste basket. If you’re a bit of an organizational nut like me then you might also want a label maker. I LOVE my label maker!!
If you know you will need to purchase some storage bins do a quick google search for options and set a budget. I love the Dollar Store for budget friendly bins that fit nicely in most drawers or cupboards. If you are organizing a shelf I HIGHLY recommend using clear bins so that you can see what’s inside at a glance.
I set my budget for this project at $10 and spent $5.
When I organize a smaller space I use a large sheet of butcher paper rolled out on the floor, counter, or table for sorting. (I get big rolls from the painting section of Menards for around $20.)
More on using the butcher paper in step 5 below.
EMPTYING CONTENTS: If you start with a drawer, shelf, or small cupboard, then a smallish box will work for placing all your contents in so that you can quickly clear the space. Don’t stop to think about what’s in the drawer or on the shelf. Just empty it quickly.
If it’s helpful, set a timer for five minutes and challenge yourself to empty the space before the timer dings.
MEASURING YOUR SPACE: Do not skip this step! I know you are tempted to as it’s a detail that feels time consuming and boring. Trust me on this the five minutes it will take you to measure the space will save you a lot of time and frustration later on. Take your measurements and tape measure with you to the store if you need to purchase storage bins and containers. Again, Do you and your ADHD brain a huge favor and use clear storage solutions.
Don’t forget to measure the depth of drawers or the lip on a shelf. I’ve made the mistake of not doing this and purchasing storage solutions that are too tall or too deep for the space I am organizing.
SORTING YOUR CONTENTS: This is where the butcher paper comes in. As you can see in the photo above I’ve rolled it out onto my counter and written “Keep," “Toss,” “Recycle,” and “Relocate” on the paper, placing an appropriate box or basket at each spot. This makes it much easier to sort the contents of the smaller space you are organizing.
If you are organizing a larger space you can use the butcher paper in the same way using large pieces for each category and tossing the corresponding items on each paper.
Don’t overthink the sorting process. If you’re unsure if something should stay put it in the relocate pile and it can always be added back to the space you’re organizing. You’ll be surprised at how many items will leave the drawer, shelf, cupboard, closet, or room you are organizing for a new home.
GROUPING LIKE ITEMS: This is not an exact science so don’t let it trip you up.
Some items will naturally group together: pens and pencils, notepads and post-its, paperclips and rubber bands, electronic stuff, keys, etc.
Other’s won’t fit in any specific category but still need to be in the space. They will either need a space of their own or you can group sort of similar items together or same sized items together.
In my sort I have a ruler, scissors, flashlight, and sanitation stickers in one space because they are similar in size.
TEMPLATES OF YOUR SPACE: I use the back of the butcher paper I used for the sort to draw a template and then lay out the storage solutions I’m using. Not a necessary step but it saves you a lot of time and frustration. If you are organizing a larger space like a closet or room, I still recommend drawing a template and playing around with how you want to organize the space.
Don’t forget to measure the
UP-CYCLING: You will be surprised how many items from your sort you will be able to use to organize your space. In my sort I had three empty mint tins (I probably tossed them in there for using later) and a small box left over from some chocolates. All four came in handy for storing small items that easily get lost in the drawer like rubber bands, safety pins, and keys.
I don’t use rubber bands and pins very often and only need the irrigation key twice a year so putting them in tins I can’t see and need to open seems like an okay solution. I did write what was in each tin on the side with a permanent marker.
I prefer things to fit snug in the drawer so found an empty spaghetti box in my recycling bin and cut it down to fit along the side and tucked the tins inside. You can see in the picture below that I scavenged a few other boxes to fit inside the larger storage bin in order to have a snug sort.
ORGANIZING YOUR LIKE ITEMS: Put everything back in the drawer, on the shelf, or in the cupboard you’re organizing. This should go pretty quick and easy since you used the template and know what will and will not fit in the space.
It’s very satisfying to see the end result.
Don’t forget to take a picture and save it somewhere. I print them off and keep them in the drawer under the largest storage bin so if I ever have to reorganize or clean the space I know what It should look like. This is especially helpful for larger spaces like a closet or office. I keep a photo of my clean and organized closet tacked to the wall as both inspiration and motivation.
I’ve also recorded exactly how much time it took me to organize a space. This is extremely helpful when I feel overwhelmed and am sure it will take all day. Most small organizing tasks take less than an hour.
This particular project took me under an hour to do, including figuring out the storage solutions.
RELOCATING ITEMS: Don’t put this off or these items will find their way back to the space you just organized. It will only take you a few minutes to do this. Again, if it’s helpful, set a timer for 15-minutes (or whatever amount you think you will need) and see if you can beat the clock.
CELEBRATIONS! You did it and you deserve a reward for a job well done.
What are you going to do to celebrate your victory?
If this has been helpful and you’d like some one-on-one help with organizing any of your spaces contact me today for your complimentary, no strings attached, breakthrough coach call.
Click on the link below to schedule your 60-minute coach call today!
What Else Do You Need To Know?
Coach Pam