If you're like many adults with ADD, then you’ve got clutter problems! You’ve read books, watched TV shows, and tried numerous times to get rid of the clutter. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. When it does work, the clutter seems to magically reappear within days. It’s frustrating and stressful.
The truth is that getting rid of clutter has been harder than it needs to be. You’re not alone. Many adults with ADD find themselves stressed out and frustrated by an inability to manage their physical spaces.
Don’t blame yourself and don’t beat yourself up. If it was really easy to manage your clutter, you would have done it a long time ago!
It’s important to realize that a great deal of the clutter-clearing strategies out there just aren’t ADD-friendly.
For starters, those of us with ADD get bored easily. And let’s face it--cleaning and organizing is usually not that interesting! You may feel highly motivated to get your clutter under control one day, and completely uninterested the next day. This is common for adults with ADD.
Next, we tend to organize ourselves differently than other people. Most of us find it difficult to be as neat and organized as our friends, family, and neighbors. The organizational systems that we need in order to function properly will almost always be different than those of our peers without ADD.
And those of us with ADD have a great deal of difficulty maintaining organizational systems once the clutter is gone. Many traditional organizing techniques don’t take this into account, and therefore don’t work for adults with ADD in the long term.
Most importantly, we tend to get overwhelmed by large projects. If you jump into your organizing project knowing that you want to clean up your clutter, but not knowing how, when, or where to start, then there’s a very good chance that you will become overwhelmed. This overwhelm can lead to procrastination, low motivation, a lack of follow-through, and burnout.
The good news is that getting rid of your clutter really doesn't have to be so hard! I've been teaching adults with ADD--just like you and me--how to get rid of their clutter and organize their stuff for years.
Clutter Busting Techniques That DO Work for Adults with ADD
I know that a lot of people out there claim to have the magic formula for organizing adults with ADD. I don't claim to have any magic, but one thing is for sure: I have a damn good method for clutter busting and organizing that has helped countless adults with ADD.
You know what sets my ADD coaching methods apart? It's simple: they're about YOU. And it doesn't matter if we're talking about clutter busting, time management, or improving your working memory. My strategies and techniques are NOT one-size-fits-all.
That's because I know that what works for one person doesn't always work for the next person. So when I coach and teach adults with ADD, I provide structure and guidelines for the goal, and I empower YOU to personalize them in such a way that will make them work for you. And, of course, I have tons of little tips and tricks to help you figure out exactly how to do that!
Specifically when it comes to clutter busting, I have a proven formula that I've been teaching it in the ADD Clutter Busters Workgroup, a virtual coaching program, for quite some time now. And you don't even have to join the ADD Clutter Busters Workgroup to get your hands on it!
Here's My 3-week Program for ADD Clutter Busting:
Week 1: Overcome Procrastination and Jumpstart the Process
I can show you how to painlessly jumpstart the decluttering process. This means effectively sorting your stuff so that you clearly know what needs to be put away, what needs to find a home, and what needs to be trashed.
And let's be honest here: so much of that accumulated clutter is just CRAP! And that crap needs to be trashed. You know it, and I know it.
Week 2: Plan to Succeed and Create a Roadmap for Your Goal
If you've read my book, then you know I'm a big fan of planning. This is the step that many of us tend to skip when working on our own.
A good plan is like a roadmap. It takes away the need for you to make decisions along the way, and allows you to focus on where you want to end up. This means taking the time in advance and creating unique organizational systems that will work specifically for you, based on your past experiences and knowledge of yourself.
Week 3: Develop Structure and Keep Your Clutter from Coming Back
We all know how disappointing it is to work your butt off busting through that clutter, only to watch it quickly return. You feel like a lazy failure who can't get it right. But you're not a lazy failure! You just forgot an important step.
If you have what it takes to bust through that clutter, then you absolutely have what it takes to keep it away. All you need is some structure! I'll show you exactly how to build that structure, in a way that won't feel boring or oppressive.
This method takes into account that adults with ADD get bored easily, organize ourselves differently, and need an extra step to ensure follow-though. And it's totally doable. Painless, even! Okay, it will probably be painful for a few people. :) But which is more painful, working towards that important goal of getting rid of your clutter, or not doing anything and suffering with that clutter day after day?
So, now that you have my formula, go try it out and see what you think!
And if you feel like you could use some coaching help and community support as you bust through your clutter, then do join us for the next ADD Clutter Busters Workgroup, which begins in just about 2 weeks, on May 5!
In the ADD Clutter Busters Workgroup, I'll walk you step-by-step through this ADD-friendly decluttering and organizing process.
This highly structured workgroup is a virtual coaching program that is designed to support you every step of the way in learning not just how to get rid of clutter, but how to keep it away for good!
You can participate in the ADD Clutter Busters Workgroup from anywhere in the world. We have a 1-hour teleclass each week for 3 weeks. You can call into the live teleclass, or just pick up the recording afterwards. I also provide you with all the notes for each session, so you can just relax when you're in class. And each teleclass is supplemented with downloadable worksheets, so you'll always know what to be working on and when.
Another great element of this program is that you'll be working right alongside other adults with ADD as they complete their own clutter busting goals. Even I take on a clutter busting project with the group! This year, I'll be busting through my office filing cabinet, which is due for a good dose of crap clearing right about now!
The only thing I ask is that if you join this program, you take it seriously. One of my biggest pet peeves is working with BMWs - people who Bitch, Moan and Whine! Don't get me wrong, I know we all need a good vent now and then. But I'd like to keep the program free of people who don't want to work and just want to complain. (You'd be surprised by how many people are willing to pay for a forum to complain!) BMWs bring the whole group down, and I prefer to help people by lifting them UP.
So if you're feeling good and you're ready to learn how to bust through your clutter, get yourself organized, and maintain your success, AND you want some extra help and guidance as you do it, then do join us!
$197
*Register before April 28 and save $20!!
More info at http://addmanagement.com/coaching/clutterbusters.html
FYI, space is beginning to fill up in this program, and it will not be offered again until 2011. We begin on Wednesday May 5th, so don't delay if you'd like to join us!
In the meantime, remember that clutter busting is as simple as 1-2-3.
1) Overcome Procrastination and Jumpstart the Process.
2) Plan to Succeed and Create a Roadmap for Your Goal.
3) Develop Structure and Keep Your Clutter from Coming Back.
Clutter busting and organizing really CAN be that easy...even for us ADDers! :)
P.S. Remember, even though you have ADD, you DO have what it takes to get rid of your clutter.
And if you want a little extra help, then join us for the ADD Clutter Busters Workgroup.
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