Thanks to my amazing colleague, D. Allison Lee and her Organize to Revitalize blog. Here are some practical ways to make a difference for your ADD family.
http://dallisonlee.com/blog/2011/10/13/add-families-and-organizing/
I love sharing success stories! It takes courage, tenacity and a team to make a big change from a home filled to the brim to a home ready to sell. I am fortunate to share Audrey’s story!
Audrey and I started working together in 2007. We met in her home to get started organizing. It was a meeting that stayed on my mind, a professional and proper woman who had a home filled to the brim. Audrey was recently diagnosed with ADD, had become a member of our local ADD chapter and knew of her challenges all too well. She was just at a beginning stage of recognizing what was ahead of her. Audrey was still in denial about the challenges she faced.
About two years went by, and Audrey contact me again to help her. At this time, she had recently purchased a new home and wanted to sell her hoarded home. It was troubling to her, but in a compelling way. It was difficult to part with items in her old home, even though the new home was fully furnished. She shared that at her new home, she had wished to build a shed that was hold all her belongings. It would have walls and walls of shelving, just to keep her stuff. However, with the economy and her husband’s poor health, their new home would not include this shed. It was beginning to dawn on her that her belongings would not fit in her new home. She was beginning to part with her stuff, but it was still very difficult.
A year later, in 2010, Audrey was in touch again. This time Audrey knew it was time to make a serious change. She must sell the old home and dispose of the contents. Together we applied to a number of television shows to get her help. She was willing to tell her story in exchange for the assistance provided. We were declined by all the shows. It was in being declined that Audrey realized she must build her own team. She invited church members over to help her declutter and move items. She hired a mover who also took off items and donated or sold them. Audrey paid college students to help her. She was making great progress.
This week Audrey invited me to see her success! I am thrilled for this transformation for her. What did she share that made this success happen?
I am attaching a gallery of shots from Audrey’s home. Each before picture is taken from the hallway. In the first picture, you can’t get in the room, it is just a view of plastic bags. Each room has enormous items to tackle.
Audrey is courageously sharing this success and her story. Thank you Audrey for partnering with me to make a difference!
Please join me at the October meeting of the Kingwood/Humble/Atascocita ADDA-SR Group for this presentation
ADD and Productivity
Good Shepherd Episcopal Church
October 20 at 7pm
Room 211
At this session you will learn
For more information contact Susan McHugh at MrsQ123@aol.com
Get a boost in your effectiveness and efficiency with these tips! Thanks to Meridith Levinson of www.cio.com for capturing this and creating an awesome article and slideshow.
All of your life you thought, hmmmm, I may be a little different than others in the way I organize, get things done, and generally fit in. You may have had trouble completing projects, getting motivated and getting started, and organizing your thoughts and your stuff. You decide it is time to learn more about yourself, and learn you have ADHD. Looking with objectivity of this diagnosis is difficult. If you have been recently diagnosed with ADHD, there’s a lot of information that can make a difference.
Think of this diagnosis as one that includes challenges to Executive Function, a part of your brain that involves planning and processing. It is more than just attention and hyperactivity. Executive function can affect your daily life including being on time, transitions, getting started, organization, prioritizing, motivation, and working memory. You will want to create a team that educates, informs and addresses ADHD challenges.
Associations are a way to connect and learn.
Reading may be a top priority for you. Blogs and books offer a look into the life of families and individuals with ADD.
Asking for help and creating your team are vital to your success. In the medical area, doctors, therapists, and psychiastrists will be vital. ADD Coaches are available to help you learn more about yourself and create the successes you need. Certified Professional Organizers will partner with you to create successful organizing solutions. Learn what your strengths are and work from that vantage. Most important, surround yourself with nurturers who will help you set boundaries and help you be accountable. Success is around the corner!
Learn more ideas about ADHD on my pinterest board.
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Getting on top of the incoming flood of paper takes getting a great plan and personalized routines into action! Without a doubt, dealing with paper is one of the most overwhelming tasks. Attack it with gusto!
This Smead Stadium Sorter is just the tool it takes to combat paper. It is 12 tiered pockets so that you can see all your categories simultaneously. Labels are included, such as by month, or household subject, or you can make your own with your personal categories, including your kids, your partner, receipts, dinner menus, coupons and other common categories of paper. It is a small enough size to fit on the counter, right by your phone. It is large enough to hold up to 900 sheets of paper!
Let’s go step by step with this sorter.
What is your best tip for staying on top of paper?
Why not make organizing more fun? Why not build a team of people with different strengths to get the job gone? Gather your team together to make a difference. It’s teamwork that works! Simple ways to gather your team include:
Who can you gather together to get more done and have more fun?
Back to school means getting back into schedules, activities and getting to school on time. It is hard to do, especially after summer. One of the most important parts of back to school is getting back or getting going on good routines. Routines are the consistent, every day ways of getting things done that make life easier. Try out these routines this fall, starting them the third week of August, so that by the first day of school you are already in the groove.
Take a good look at the big picture and what you want this year to be for your family. At your family meeting, have everyone talk about this and share. Also think through over scheduling. Be realistic about what your kids participate in and your commitment. Being involved is a positive, but being over involved can cause stress and frustration.
Its time to send your baby off to college, and there is a lot of preparation to do! Not only will they be working on academics, they will be working on real life! Your kid may be ready to fly the coop, and you are not sure they are as prepared as you might like. Having an organized approach will make for an A+ transition! Organizing for college is a collaboration with your child.
How is your organizing coming for your best college year yet?
Ready to make a big break in decluttering? Not sure where to start? Sometimes it is best to start with the easy eliminations to make a quick visual and emotional difference. Choose a few that are really easy for you! Here are 10 easy eliminations for your home or office.
1. Boxes
I find that families keep toy boxes, shirt boxes, shoe boxes and boxes galore! Now that boxes are free at the post office for shipping, keep only a small number of different size boxes for mailing. If you think you may return a product, keep the box only until you have confirmed your decision. Only keep 2 of those shoes boxes for upcoming school projects please!
2. Tee shirts
Each race we run, vacation bible school we attend, and school alumni celebration adds to our tee shirt collection. It is time to pare down to a number that can fit in a drawer or hang in a section of your closet. What number depends on you. A memory quilt is a good next step if you are not ready to part with these.
3. Ball caps
We all have our favorite! Pull a few together, hang them in an easy access space, and part with the remainder.
4. Single use kitchen items
Some of the least useful are often the most space hogging items! If you have more than one miscellaneous kitchen drawer, go through and pare down to one drawer. In the newly empty drawer you can fit hand towels or pot holders. When was the last time you used that breadmaker, fondue pot, or air popcorn popper?
5. Toys that your kids have outgrown.
Our kids are blessed with an abundance of toys. Keep a few that you consider to be keepsakes. Ask you kids to be a part of the decision making process. Donate to local philanthropies to make a difference.
6. Cookbooks
Who doesn’t want to have a wonderful home cooked dinner on the table? But having more cookbooks than needed does not make you a better mom or an Iron Chef. Pare down to what you really love and use. Think about using allrecipes.com or the internet to find recipes too.
7. Extra towels
You get new towels, but the old ones are put in the back of the closet or in the garage. Keep a few for those big spills, a few for padding, and move the rest on!
8. Cell phones
Cellphones for Soldiers takes your old cell phone and turns it into a phone card for our service people. It is free to send it off too! As soon as you get your new phone, send the old one packing.
9. Junk mail
Stand over the recycle bin, just inside the garage before you enter the house, and drop in the junk mail. Right away you feel better! We are overwhelmed when the mail comes, so just have this baby step as the first step to getting in gear with paper.
10. Receipts
More than ever, the clerk asks if you want your receipt. Answer no if it is at Starbucks, at the gas station if you don’t keep a mileage record, at locations with small purchases, and where you think a return is not necessary. Having fewer receipts keeps them from piling up!
What are the easiest eliminations for you?
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We specialize in working with ADD/ADHD clients. Whether in your home or your office, we motivate, empower and affirm our clients in their quest for organizing and productivity! 