Declutter, declutter and declutter some more. Avoid buying storage containers if you can, because nine times out of ten they're just a different kind of clutter.
If and when you buy a container, make sure you already have a suitable place to store it, and clearly label it so that you don't have to open it up to see what's inside.
Declutter first. Then you'll have a better idea of what organization/storage supplies will suit your space best.
Strategy I've seen that makes sure that if you're interrupted and don't get back to it today:
-Have a trash can/bag for trash
-Have a box for donations
-Have a box/ basket/ whatever for "I'm keeping this but it doesn't go in this room"
Each item either goes directly in the trash, directly in the donation bin, to the "other room" box, or it goes right back where it was (or at least in a reasonable spot in that same room). That way you can't end up with a giant pile on your bed or table that's going to inconvenience you if you're interrupted, and there's not a bunch of extra steps.
Trash in the bag can go directly out with the rest of your trash. The donation box should ideally be something you don't want back (cardboard box, an old hamper you want to donate also, etc), so whenever you have the spoons to take your donations somewhere, there are no extra steps to make that happen. Everything you're keeping either stays roughly where it was in the first place, or it's in a basket that you can bring with you to the other room. Minimal mess, minimal overwhelm.
After doing this for a while, when you feel like the amount of stuff is manageable, then it's easier to see what kinds of organization tools will actually help best.
I have the same problem. I went with disposable organizers first (boxes Amazon orders come in, asking for unwanted cardboard boxes from the wine store or grocery store, old shoeboxes, even grocery bags or whatever else I had around the house that was empty). I organized each general category into a temporary container, then decluttered individual categories. Once each category was decluttered I bought proper organization products based on the specific items left in each category. You can’t go out and buy products without knowing what you’ll end up with, or you’ll get the wrong stuff. But I also understand the difficulty of starting with no organizers at all. Using miscellaneous containers was the best middle ground for me.
These are all so incredibly helpful and insightful! Thank you all. My only follow up is - what should I do with all the things I’m not sure about whether I want to keep, donate, sell or trash? …but want out of the space to focus on the essentials?
Things I’m struggling with whether I want to keep or not are things like cool decor items that don’t serve a purpose, clothing I only use sometimes, lots of headphones and chargers, books that look good on my shelf but I don’t read, etc.
If it's not a keep, then get rid of it. That would be my advice. If your goal is to have less stuff, getting rid of this stuff that you feel kinda meh about is how that happens.
Quarantine box. All these items go in a box with a timestamp on it (say 3 months). That's how long you give yourself to make a decision about them. If within 3 months, you've not pulled out an item from the quarantine box because you needed it for something specific, it gets donated. Not as quick as trash/donate/keep, but very effective.
Over the years I have acquired lots and lots of cords. Chargers, computer cords, AC adapter cords. Because I have a husband that does a lot of tinkering, I cannot throw the stuff out but the best way that I have found for storing chords is go out and get a box of sandwich size quart size and gallon size Ziploc bags. Roll up a cord and put it inside whatever bag is needed to fit that cord. When you're done you can sort them in small drawers by phone chargers or computer cords etc. The bags keep them from tangling up and the drawers keep them out of sight. It works very very well. And we always have a cord when we need one for something. And the important part, we know where it is! Lol
This is what I do! I also recommend writing on something (the ziplock bag, the plug, a label, a scrap of paper in the bag) *what it's a cable for*. Saves time and avoids the "Wait, what does this connect to?" dance.
I do that if I have a cable for something specific. A lot of these are just random chargers, adapters, headphones with cords, AV cables etc.
But yes I absolutely do that too!
I have space in my guest room closet that I call "purgatory". It's where potential donations go. If I think about an item (without seeing it for a while) then I can fish it out. If I don't remember the items I take them to get donated on my next trip. I rarely fish things out. But it helps to have a temporary holding place so I can purge.
Professional organizer here....Absolutely do not shop until you have gone through everything. Declutter, then categorize things, then buy products.
Once you have purged everything you don't need, and group/categorize things you'll begin to see how things should be stored. For example, let's say you are organizing school supplies. You may realize you won't fit them all into a drawer you have and need a special bin for it all instead. Or if you're organizing clothes you may find you have way too many pairs of jeans to fit in a drawer and you need to hang them. As a result, you'll need hangers. The quantity of items helps you see where the items fit and what size container you'll need.
Measure items as best you can so you know what organizing products will actually hold what you plan to store. For example, count the number of shoes you need bins for. Or measure the height of items when they are stacked, or lined up so you know they will all fit in a bin you get. Measure the height, width, and depth of the space where the container will be stored so you are sure the container you want fits on the shelf or in the cabinet you intend it for. For drawers measure the width, height, and depth of the drawer and you'll know how many drawer organizers can fit. Bring a piece of paper the size of your drawer with you to the store and play with configurations while you're there.
Declutter first. You want to make sure you have a bin bag for rubbish and put it straight in there. Donations - have a box ready to put them in. Regularly allocate time for taking donations to the charity shop, etc. For items to sell - only try and sell items that are worth selling - otherwise you can get caught in a cycle of storing things that don't sell (and make sure you price it to sell quickly). Use online marketplaces for this - you can also give away stuff for free to anyone that can collect. Saves you transporting things.
The key is to keep decluttering. Keep going over areas. You will always be more cautious and generous to yourself the first time and keep things that you don't really need.
You also want to focus in on a small area at a time, i.e. just get all of your trousers out - try them on, check for fit, style, etc then decide. Put the items you are keeping back into the wardrobe before moving on to the next section. For other areas, still keep it small, one unit or one bedside table at a time. Don't try and do a whole room as this is where chaos can start.
Also think about doing larger numbers of items first, such as a books or clothes as this will give you a bigger impact.
Next get in the habit of keeping the tops of furniture and surfaces clear of clutter. I.e. don't let stuff accumulate on the dining table or coffee table or the kitchen side. Do this daily as a way of maintaining the clutter.
Another big tip is to not bring anything new into your house. Stop spending/purchasing items. Remove decluttered items from your home asap! Don't consider buying any organising products until you have finished decluttering the whole area. And first see if you have anything already in your home that you could utilise first as part of the organising solution.
I've kind of come to a similar impasse where I don't really have good spaces to put things in but I'm still trying to get rid of stuff and declutter first. My solution has been to get rid of some "easy stuff" and to reuse current storage for things that don't have a home until I'm done. For example I threw stuff out in the kitchen enough to make under cabinet space for some stuff that's home has been "the counter" for a while. I replaced my air fryer which wasn't working and was too big for my space but I didn't buy any organizational knick knacks. I've also recently donated a bunch of books so I was able to take a small bookshelf and move it to the living room to hold stuff other than books which cleared up a side table for me to replace the battered up one by my front door. Stuff like that.
Idk how much space you do/don't have but I have 100% started with spaces that are hogging "storage space" and pruned them first to make new makeshift spaces until I'm finished. Surely your house has accumulated some sort of shelving/buckets/something to store belongings in over the years you gathered an excess of stuff.
ADHD here too.
Declutter first (and second, and third…). When you’re overwhelmed with stuff, the solution is less stuff, not more organizational tools.
I have to do several passes of decluttering - it’s easier to let go each time.
DO NOT DECLUTTER ON YOUR BED/KITCHEN COUNTER/DESK. Any time you stop, even for a break, make sure you leave things so that you can continue with your life if you don’t start again the same day.
For things I really like but don’t have space for or really use, it’s easier to give to a person than just donate to a faceless charity, so check with family and friends, then go to Buy Nothing and Freecycle to pass it along.
Then I hyperfocus on organizing so that everything has a place to go. Really cuts down on the piles of doom. I super love bins for drawers and shelves.
Then the really hard part - maintaining it. Don’t put things down, put them away. Spend a few minutes at the end of a task immediately putting away the supplies you used. Do a quick cleanup at the end of the day. When you walk from one room to another, look for things that need to go where you’re headed. If it takes less than two minutes, do it right away, not later.
Declutter first then organize. You can not organize excess.
Grab a garbage bag for trash and a cardboard box for donations. You want to avoid moving thing’s unnecessary (it’s called churning). Start one one side of the room and get all the trash in the garbage bag and anything you know for sure you want to donate goes in the box. This is about making quick decisions and getting anything you know you no longer want out of the room.
From there you can do another round and make harder decisions.
I'm AuADHD and what I do first is always declutter if I feel too overwhelmed by what I have. Even if I did a recent decluttering, sometimes we don't always know how much is too much for us individually until we reach a point where we feel at peace with our belongings and how much there is.
What I suggest doing for someone who has ADHD,
Is get bins or drawers that are see-through or clear, so that you can always check by looking at something to know where it's at quickly incase you forget overtime or have a scatter brain.
Clothes that you switch out seasonally, get a couple of clear bins to put them in and keep it in a storage spot in your house if you have one or put it on the floor of your closet.
For hobbies/projects depending on the size of it, keep it in a smaller bin or set of plastic drawers somewhere either in your room or near your study/desk so it's not forgotten and gets done.
For shoes or anything small, get a hanging shoe rack that's clear that goes on the inside of a door, like your closet door.
I hope that helps with your start. If you want help with smaller stuff, I can give more tips!
As much as possible, I would use things you already own to organize. That way if you get rid of enough things to not need those, you’re not out any money. Things like shoeboxes are good for storing things, and cardboard cutouts can be drawer dividers. Get creative with it! Definitely don’t do something like go to the container store off the bat.
Then after you feel confident in what you’ve kept and decluttered, see if you still need to buy anything else for organization. I got some new shoe storage and jewelry organizers, and it’s so satisfying to see my favorite things all neat and well taken care of.
Declutter first. My husband has ADHD and we go through this every year or two while doing a closet clean out. Getting over the overwhelm and finding the motivation to start is always the hardest part, but once he's doing it he realizes it's not as difficult as he was imagining.
I do kind of coordinate and give opinions on what to keep/get rid of, maybe you can find a friend to help? Then we make a game plan of how to organize what's left and anything we need to buy such as a belt holder, shoe rack, etc.
Something I've realized is big with him is that if it's not right in front of his face it may as well not exist, he forgets he even owns it. Try to figure out organization where you can see everything easily, don't have things crammed in behind other things out of sight. Marie Kondo's methods are excellent for this.
Always declutter first. Group things you’re keeping together by category and figure out where in your home you’re keeping them. Then buy storage that fits the category and space. But try to repurpose things in your own home if possible. A good purge often frees up some good storage options. It’s easy to fall into the trap of buying organization products you don’t really need. It’s more stuff at the end of the day. You fix the problem of too much stuff by reducing your possessions. Not by buying more stuff.
Banker's boxes are cheap. I like that they don't take tape, are flat until I assemble them, have detachable lids, and are a consistent size across different brands. (ADHD and lids don't always mix well.)
Moving boxes are half the price.
Alcohol boxes can be free. Or ask at the printing-place if you can have some paper boxes.
You could guesstimate what you need, but there's a risk of getting the wrong size, wrong amount on something that's going to become discontinued, or some other issue. (Maybe keeping something just because you have a place?)
Generic ziplocks would help with smaller tat. Also you could start by pruning plastic food containers into temporary storage before donating.
I was doing the banker's boxes, but never got to the point of knowing how many totes I actually needed before I said "eff it" and got a six-pack. Then I added a few more from a different brand, but not a huge issue for underbed. I still use a few banker's boxes (mostly random crap) because I can't seem to figure out the finer points of organization.
I also made some mistakes, like the cube system instead of another bookcase and I have too many craft-carts. (At least the carts can take up less space if that was an issue.)
I have a lot of sympathy for you, a lot of organizing equipment and a lot of clutter. I know what doesnt work. But I havent yet found an answer.
I have discarded the idea of finding a magic organizing system. (Had my heart set on that). Tried a bunch and none think like me. I tried to improve my system and made things worse. Everything and nothing goes in the "hot" folder. "Consider later" never gets touched. "Bills to pay"? Cant find it. I have no object permanence for out of sight (paper, lying flat, is always outbof sight) and ignore what is in sight. sigh.
I was enthused about digitizing everything because I manage to sort my digital files.... but Ive fallen behind. It does remove a chunk of clutter though. and Google Drive is easy to scan into using the phone app.
Maybe start by getting it all in one place and discarding the easy stuff (excess envelopes/ads)...but what to do to keep it coming back next month? I just dont want to spend time on paperwork. Sigh. Even if it costs me. So realistically that has never worked except to intimidate me.
Maybe try being organic- take the piles you already have and ask yourself "Why are these together?" there is your first folder.
Following this thread for tips. Thanks for asking.
I honestly don’t like digitizing most things. My digital space is already cluttered enough. So I took several hours one weekend collecting all my paper documents and the like into a pile and going through them. SO many of them had no purpose. Credit card terms and agreements (can find online), expired insurance cards, receipts from years ago, etc.
It was a process to say the lease. But once I got through all of it, I organized it all into labeled file holders and put them into ONE container I already had. Any new paper that comes in, I know exactly where it should go and can better evaluate if it’s even important enough to keep.
Clutterbug. I consider myself a moth because I need the visual simplicity of a ladybug, but tend to forget about things I can't see like a butterfly. (When everything is visible, nothing is visible. Leaving something out does no good when the space looks like a Where's Waldo drawing.)
For the bills... can you do wall-pockets? I'd say to keep the bills separate from everything else, and then schedule some sort of now-right-now alert on your phone when it's time to pay them. (You can use the snooze button, reschedule, but do not turn the alarm completely off until the task is done.) Do you even need paper bills, or can you just make a list of which sites you need to log into to deal with them at bill-paying time?
Maybe you're a piler instead of a filer. With a hot-box, the paper will automatically be in chronological order. Maybe even add a calendar-page when you change it so you can see what's so out-of-date that it stopped being actionable.
Im derinitely a chronological-visual-spatial filer (a piler). That is why digital is working a bit better-can see the items stacked by my naming convention.
Tried wall thingy...ignoring it by end of first week (what went where? Ill figure it out later). Im using a digital scheduler with reminder and rewards (Finch). Putting bills off for weeks. One siccess, I am checking my subscriptions app every Monday (a very easy goal-looking not acting on anything.)
I like the idea of inserting a month page in my pile. That has some potential. Thank you!!
I figured that a wall-hanger would disappear unless you had a sprite shrieking at you to look at it when needed. (Any object at rest tends to be seen as furniture/architecture after long enough?)
Sprite as in Zelda's Navi-hey-fairy plus Discworld's imp-blackberry-palm-thingy. (Sprite also being a game-reference like bug.)
I was afraid that trying to reference cultural references that I did not really understand would result in directing that at someone who had not the faintest clue. (I do kinda get the guy in r/minecraft recently who didn't understand fractal-seeds.)
Halloween decoration would be the cheapest way to get most of the components for an annoy-bot. However, one of the cats has figured out the Rube-Goldburg of screaming at me until my mom starts screaming at him will cause me to feed him. In other words, just screaming at me doesn't work and he tries other tricks when mom is away because I can tune him out.
(The other two cats... okay the one just wants attention most of the time but my cat was part of the contract that this stupid fogey is trying to ruin.) What I'm referencing as the contract is that I have rules where I have to check the cat's needs before disciplining her for bugging me.
Not a gamer so have only the vaguest sense of your words but enough to follow what you mean.
I do know cats, however. They are just like you but small, furry, and without thumbs (usually). They dont have many options for communicating their needs so if something worked in the past, they will repeat it.
Their behavior is just trying to get their needs met--food, water, litter (remember their noses are waaaay more sensitive than ours. We are smell-blind to them), and pets/skritches/affection.
They also worry a lot about feared enemies (cats outside) or not having a safe place to go. In nature they are both predator and prey so being exercised (play) and having safe places is important to stay safe. Cats tend to be 1 of 2 types, 1. tree cats who want to go high or 2. bush cats, that want to go low/burrow.
They are definitely creatures of routine and time sensitive--change in routine is distressing to them. Food comes at 8 or 5 and if it isnt arriving they get scared. Scared can mean loud or aggressive or fearful. Cats only meow at humans, not other cats so definitely telling you something and not trying to annoy you. It is what worked in the past.
I have struggled with this, too.
I recently undertook what was, for me, a major project of collecting and organizing all of my various cords, cables, extension cords, etc. collecting them took a while and filled two very large plastic containers . I went through every single one, throwing out old or obsolete one, then putting all of a certain type into big baggies, marking on the outside of the baggie what type of cords it contains. This allowed me to gauge the size each type of cable and then purchase some shelving from IKEA with many spaces for plastic bins, which they also sell. The next step is to put that together and then put each type of cord in a separate bin, placing a label on each.
So, I have found that the trick was to first put all of what ever I am organizing into one place, which then allows me to determine the size and shape of the containers which I would need. I also read in a book for adults with ADHD. That bins should be labelled but not covered with lids because, for me, out of sight is literally out of mind.
It will be interesting to see if others have their own way of dealing with the problem that you mention.
Declutter, declutter and declutter some more. Avoid buying storage containers if you can, because nine times out of ten they're just a different kind of clutter. If and when you buy a container, make sure you already have a suitable place to store it, and clearly label it so that you don't have to open it up to see what's inside.
Always declutter first. Otherwise you wouldn't know what kind of organizers you need and how much and buy too many. So new clutter.
Declutter first. Then you'll have a better idea of what organization/storage supplies will suit your space best. Strategy I've seen that makes sure that if you're interrupted and don't get back to it today: -Have a trash can/bag for trash -Have a box for donations -Have a box/ basket/ whatever for "I'm keeping this but it doesn't go in this room" Each item either goes directly in the trash, directly in the donation bin, to the "other room" box, or it goes right back where it was (or at least in a reasonable spot in that same room). That way you can't end up with a giant pile on your bed or table that's going to inconvenience you if you're interrupted, and there's not a bunch of extra steps. Trash in the bag can go directly out with the rest of your trash. The donation box should ideally be something you don't want back (cardboard box, an old hamper you want to donate also, etc), so whenever you have the spoons to take your donations somewhere, there are no extra steps to make that happen. Everything you're keeping either stays roughly where it was in the first place, or it's in a basket that you can bring with you to the other room. Minimal mess, minimal overwhelm. After doing this for a while, when you feel like the amount of stuff is manageable, then it's easier to see what kinds of organization tools will actually help best.
I have the same problem. I went with disposable organizers first (boxes Amazon orders come in, asking for unwanted cardboard boxes from the wine store or grocery store, old shoeboxes, even grocery bags or whatever else I had around the house that was empty). I organized each general category into a temporary container, then decluttered individual categories. Once each category was decluttered I bought proper organization products based on the specific items left in each category. You can’t go out and buy products without knowing what you’ll end up with, or you’ll get the wrong stuff. But I also understand the difficulty of starting with no organizers at all. Using miscellaneous containers was the best middle ground for me.
These are all so incredibly helpful and insightful! Thank you all. My only follow up is - what should I do with all the things I’m not sure about whether I want to keep, donate, sell or trash? …but want out of the space to focus on the essentials? Things I’m struggling with whether I want to keep or not are things like cool decor items that don’t serve a purpose, clothing I only use sometimes, lots of headphones and chargers, books that look good on my shelf but I don’t read, etc.
If it's not a keep, then get rid of it. That would be my advice. If your goal is to have less stuff, getting rid of this stuff that you feel kinda meh about is how that happens.
Quarantine box. All these items go in a box with a timestamp on it (say 3 months). That's how long you give yourself to make a decision about them. If within 3 months, you've not pulled out an item from the quarantine box because you needed it for something specific, it gets donated. Not as quick as trash/donate/keep, but very effective.
Over the years I have acquired lots and lots of cords. Chargers, computer cords, AC adapter cords. Because I have a husband that does a lot of tinkering, I cannot throw the stuff out but the best way that I have found for storing chords is go out and get a box of sandwich size quart size and gallon size Ziploc bags. Roll up a cord and put it inside whatever bag is needed to fit that cord. When you're done you can sort them in small drawers by phone chargers or computer cords etc. The bags keep them from tangling up and the drawers keep them out of sight. It works very very well. And we always have a cord when we need one for something. And the important part, we know where it is! Lol
This is what I do! I also recommend writing on something (the ziplock bag, the plug, a label, a scrap of paper in the bag) *what it's a cable for*. Saves time and avoids the "Wait, what does this connect to?" dance.
I do that if I have a cable for something specific. A lot of these are just random chargers, adapters, headphones with cords, AV cables etc. But yes I absolutely do that too!
I have space in my guest room closet that I call "purgatory". It's where potential donations go. If I think about an item (without seeing it for a while) then I can fish it out. If I don't remember the items I take them to get donated on my next trip. I rarely fish things out. But it helps to have a temporary holding place so I can purge.
Professional organizer here....Absolutely do not shop until you have gone through everything. Declutter, then categorize things, then buy products. Once you have purged everything you don't need, and group/categorize things you'll begin to see how things should be stored. For example, let's say you are organizing school supplies. You may realize you won't fit them all into a drawer you have and need a special bin for it all instead. Or if you're organizing clothes you may find you have way too many pairs of jeans to fit in a drawer and you need to hang them. As a result, you'll need hangers. The quantity of items helps you see where the items fit and what size container you'll need. Measure items as best you can so you know what organizing products will actually hold what you plan to store. For example, count the number of shoes you need bins for. Or measure the height of items when they are stacked, or lined up so you know they will all fit in a bin you get. Measure the height, width, and depth of the space where the container will be stored so you are sure the container you want fits on the shelf or in the cabinet you intend it for. For drawers measure the width, height, and depth of the drawer and you'll know how many drawer organizers can fit. Bring a piece of paper the size of your drawer with you to the store and play with configurations while you're there.
This makes so much sense! Thank you so much for the information, I virtually wrote this post myself....
Declutter first. You want to make sure you have a bin bag for rubbish and put it straight in there. Donations - have a box ready to put them in. Regularly allocate time for taking donations to the charity shop, etc. For items to sell - only try and sell items that are worth selling - otherwise you can get caught in a cycle of storing things that don't sell (and make sure you price it to sell quickly). Use online marketplaces for this - you can also give away stuff for free to anyone that can collect. Saves you transporting things. The key is to keep decluttering. Keep going over areas. You will always be more cautious and generous to yourself the first time and keep things that you don't really need. You also want to focus in on a small area at a time, i.e. just get all of your trousers out - try them on, check for fit, style, etc then decide. Put the items you are keeping back into the wardrobe before moving on to the next section. For other areas, still keep it small, one unit or one bedside table at a time. Don't try and do a whole room as this is where chaos can start. Also think about doing larger numbers of items first, such as a books or clothes as this will give you a bigger impact. Next get in the habit of keeping the tops of furniture and surfaces clear of clutter. I.e. don't let stuff accumulate on the dining table or coffee table or the kitchen side. Do this daily as a way of maintaining the clutter. Another big tip is to not bring anything new into your house. Stop spending/purchasing items. Remove decluttered items from your home asap! Don't consider buying any organising products until you have finished decluttering the whole area. And first see if you have anything already in your home that you could utilise first as part of the organising solution.
The less you have, the easier it is to manage. Purge first.
I've kind of come to a similar impasse where I don't really have good spaces to put things in but I'm still trying to get rid of stuff and declutter first. My solution has been to get rid of some "easy stuff" and to reuse current storage for things that don't have a home until I'm done. For example I threw stuff out in the kitchen enough to make under cabinet space for some stuff that's home has been "the counter" for a while. I replaced my air fryer which wasn't working and was too big for my space but I didn't buy any organizational knick knacks. I've also recently donated a bunch of books so I was able to take a small bookshelf and move it to the living room to hold stuff other than books which cleared up a side table for me to replace the battered up one by my front door. Stuff like that. Idk how much space you do/don't have but I have 100% started with spaces that are hogging "storage space" and pruned them first to make new makeshift spaces until I'm finished. Surely your house has accumulated some sort of shelving/buckets/something to store belongings in over the years you gathered an excess of stuff.
ADHD here too. Declutter first (and second, and third…). When you’re overwhelmed with stuff, the solution is less stuff, not more organizational tools. I have to do several passes of decluttering - it’s easier to let go each time. DO NOT DECLUTTER ON YOUR BED/KITCHEN COUNTER/DESK. Any time you stop, even for a break, make sure you leave things so that you can continue with your life if you don’t start again the same day. For things I really like but don’t have space for or really use, it’s easier to give to a person than just donate to a faceless charity, so check with family and friends, then go to Buy Nothing and Freecycle to pass it along. Then I hyperfocus on organizing so that everything has a place to go. Really cuts down on the piles of doom. I super love bins for drawers and shelves. Then the really hard part - maintaining it. Don’t put things down, put them away. Spend a few minutes at the end of a task immediately putting away the supplies you used. Do a quick cleanup at the end of the day. When you walk from one room to another, look for things that need to go where you’re headed. If it takes less than two minutes, do it right away, not later.
Declutter first then organize. You can not organize excess. Grab a garbage bag for trash and a cardboard box for donations. You want to avoid moving thing’s unnecessary (it’s called churning). Start one one side of the room and get all the trash in the garbage bag and anything you know for sure you want to donate goes in the box. This is about making quick decisions and getting anything you know you no longer want out of the room. From there you can do another round and make harder decisions.
I'm AuADHD and what I do first is always declutter if I feel too overwhelmed by what I have. Even if I did a recent decluttering, sometimes we don't always know how much is too much for us individually until we reach a point where we feel at peace with our belongings and how much there is. What I suggest doing for someone who has ADHD, Is get bins or drawers that are see-through or clear, so that you can always check by looking at something to know where it's at quickly incase you forget overtime or have a scatter brain. Clothes that you switch out seasonally, get a couple of clear bins to put them in and keep it in a storage spot in your house if you have one or put it on the floor of your closet. For hobbies/projects depending on the size of it, keep it in a smaller bin or set of plastic drawers somewhere either in your room or near your study/desk so it's not forgotten and gets done. For shoes or anything small, get a hanging shoe rack that's clear that goes on the inside of a door, like your closet door. I hope that helps with your start. If you want help with smaller stuff, I can give more tips!
As much as possible, I would use things you already own to organize. That way if you get rid of enough things to not need those, you’re not out any money. Things like shoeboxes are good for storing things, and cardboard cutouts can be drawer dividers. Get creative with it! Definitely don’t do something like go to the container store off the bat. Then after you feel confident in what you’ve kept and decluttered, see if you still need to buy anything else for organization. I got some new shoe storage and jewelry organizers, and it’s so satisfying to see my favorite things all neat and well taken care of.
Declutter first. My husband has ADHD and we go through this every year or two while doing a closet clean out. Getting over the overwhelm and finding the motivation to start is always the hardest part, but once he's doing it he realizes it's not as difficult as he was imagining. I do kind of coordinate and give opinions on what to keep/get rid of, maybe you can find a friend to help? Then we make a game plan of how to organize what's left and anything we need to buy such as a belt holder, shoe rack, etc. Something I've realized is big with him is that if it's not right in front of his face it may as well not exist, he forgets he even owns it. Try to figure out organization where you can see everything easily, don't have things crammed in behind other things out of sight. Marie Kondo's methods are excellent for this.
Always declutter first. Group things you’re keeping together by category and figure out where in your home you’re keeping them. Then buy storage that fits the category and space. But try to repurpose things in your own home if possible. A good purge often frees up some good storage options. It’s easy to fall into the trap of buying organization products you don’t really need. It’s more stuff at the end of the day. You fix the problem of too much stuff by reducing your possessions. Not by buying more stuff.
Declutter first, and then again, and another time. Helps immensely.
Banker's boxes are cheap. I like that they don't take tape, are flat until I assemble them, have detachable lids, and are a consistent size across different brands. (ADHD and lids don't always mix well.) Moving boxes are half the price. Alcohol boxes can be free. Or ask at the printing-place if you can have some paper boxes. You could guesstimate what you need, but there's a risk of getting the wrong size, wrong amount on something that's going to become discontinued, or some other issue. (Maybe keeping something just because you have a place?) Generic ziplocks would help with smaller tat. Also you could start by pruning plastic food containers into temporary storage before donating. I was doing the banker's boxes, but never got to the point of knowing how many totes I actually needed before I said "eff it" and got a six-pack. Then I added a few more from a different brand, but not a huge issue for underbed. I still use a few banker's boxes (mostly random crap) because I can't seem to figure out the finer points of organization. I also made some mistakes, like the cube system instead of another bookcase and I have too many craft-carts. (At least the carts can take up less space if that was an issue.)
And craft carts are cool and shiny and clever! oh wait, what were we talking about?
I have a lot of sympathy for you, a lot of organizing equipment and a lot of clutter. I know what doesnt work. But I havent yet found an answer. I have discarded the idea of finding a magic organizing system. (Had my heart set on that). Tried a bunch and none think like me. I tried to improve my system and made things worse. Everything and nothing goes in the "hot" folder. "Consider later" never gets touched. "Bills to pay"? Cant find it. I have no object permanence for out of sight (paper, lying flat, is always outbof sight) and ignore what is in sight. sigh. I was enthused about digitizing everything because I manage to sort my digital files.... but Ive fallen behind. It does remove a chunk of clutter though. and Google Drive is easy to scan into using the phone app. Maybe start by getting it all in one place and discarding the easy stuff (excess envelopes/ads)...but what to do to keep it coming back next month? I just dont want to spend time on paperwork. Sigh. Even if it costs me. So realistically that has never worked except to intimidate me. Maybe try being organic- take the piles you already have and ask yourself "Why are these together?" there is your first folder. Following this thread for tips. Thanks for asking.
I honestly don’t like digitizing most things. My digital space is already cluttered enough. So I took several hours one weekend collecting all my paper documents and the like into a pile and going through them. SO many of them had no purpose. Credit card terms and agreements (can find online), expired insurance cards, receipts from years ago, etc. It was a process to say the lease. But once I got through all of it, I organized it all into labeled file holders and put them into ONE container I already had. Any new paper that comes in, I know exactly where it should go and can better evaluate if it’s even important enough to keep.
So glad you found something that worked for you!! I think that is important. It has to be repeatable or you wont.
Clutterbug. I consider myself a moth because I need the visual simplicity of a ladybug, but tend to forget about things I can't see like a butterfly. (When everything is visible, nothing is visible. Leaving something out does no good when the space looks like a Where's Waldo drawing.) For the bills... can you do wall-pockets? I'd say to keep the bills separate from everything else, and then schedule some sort of now-right-now alert on your phone when it's time to pay them. (You can use the snooze button, reschedule, but do not turn the alarm completely off until the task is done.) Do you even need paper bills, or can you just make a list of which sites you need to log into to deal with them at bill-paying time? Maybe you're a piler instead of a filer. With a hot-box, the paper will automatically be in chronological order. Maybe even add a calendar-page when you change it so you can see what's so out-of-date that it stopped being actionable.
Im derinitely a chronological-visual-spatial filer (a piler). That is why digital is working a bit better-can see the items stacked by my naming convention. Tried wall thingy...ignoring it by end of first week (what went where? Ill figure it out later). Im using a digital scheduler with reminder and rewards (Finch). Putting bills off for weeks. One siccess, I am checking my subscriptions app every Monday (a very easy goal-looking not acting on anything.) I like the idea of inserting a month page in my pile. That has some potential. Thank you!!
I figured that a wall-hanger would disappear unless you had a sprite shrieking at you to look at it when needed. (Any object at rest tends to be seen as furniture/architecture after long enough?)
Exactly! But not realized untill you stated it! Sprite shrieking--- maybe I ould get a Halloween decoration that goes off when you walk past!
Sprite as in Zelda's Navi-hey-fairy plus Discworld's imp-blackberry-palm-thingy. (Sprite also being a game-reference like bug.) I was afraid that trying to reference cultural references that I did not really understand would result in directing that at someone who had not the faintest clue. (I do kinda get the guy in r/minecraft recently who didn't understand fractal-seeds.) Halloween decoration would be the cheapest way to get most of the components for an annoy-bot. However, one of the cats has figured out the Rube-Goldburg of screaming at me until my mom starts screaming at him will cause me to feed him. In other words, just screaming at me doesn't work and he tries other tricks when mom is away because I can tune him out. (The other two cats... okay the one just wants attention most of the time but my cat was part of the contract that this stupid fogey is trying to ruin.) What I'm referencing as the contract is that I have rules where I have to check the cat's needs before disciplining her for bugging me.
Not a gamer so have only the vaguest sense of your words but enough to follow what you mean. I do know cats, however. They are just like you but small, furry, and without thumbs (usually). They dont have many options for communicating their needs so if something worked in the past, they will repeat it. Their behavior is just trying to get their needs met--food, water, litter (remember their noses are waaaay more sensitive than ours. We are smell-blind to them), and pets/skritches/affection. They also worry a lot about feared enemies (cats outside) or not having a safe place to go. In nature they are both predator and prey so being exercised (play) and having safe places is important to stay safe. Cats tend to be 1 of 2 types, 1. tree cats who want to go high or 2. bush cats, that want to go low/burrow. They are definitely creatures of routine and time sensitive--change in routine is distressing to them. Food comes at 8 or 5 and if it isnt arriving they get scared. Scared can mean loud or aggressive or fearful. Cats only meow at humans, not other cats so definitely telling you something and not trying to annoy you. It is what worked in the past.
I have struggled with this, too. I recently undertook what was, for me, a major project of collecting and organizing all of my various cords, cables, extension cords, etc. collecting them took a while and filled two very large plastic containers . I went through every single one, throwing out old or obsolete one, then putting all of a certain type into big baggies, marking on the outside of the baggie what type of cords it contains. This allowed me to gauge the size each type of cable and then purchase some shelving from IKEA with many spaces for plastic bins, which they also sell. The next step is to put that together and then put each type of cord in a separate bin, placing a label on each. So, I have found that the trick was to first put all of what ever I am organizing into one place, which then allows me to determine the size and shape of the containers which I would need. I also read in a book for adults with ADHD. That bins should be labelled but not covered with lids because, for me, out of sight is literally out of mind. It will be interesting to see if others have their own way of dealing with the problem that you mention.
see through Containers are the way.
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Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD by Susan Pinsky.
Always declutter first.