A Little Less Clutter and A Lot More Action

My theme for 2015 is to eliminate clutter in my life, both physically and mentally.  Note that I said theme not resolution.  This is more than a simple resolution, it’s more of a mantra.  I’m getting rid of old clothes, papers, and miscellaneous junk.  I am also clarifying my goals and working to change old beliefs that aren’t working for me.  I know by eliminating clutter, I will be more focused and more effective. 

Uncluttering my life is a huge undertaking, and I now it will be an ongoing battle.  Let’s face it, keeping clutter under control is difficult when you have kids, and it’s even harder when you have an ADHD child and you have ADHD yourself.  However, I know my new “eliminate clutter” mantra will be well worth it.

As I’ve set out on my mission to eliminate clutter, I’ve found a few tricks that help me stay motivated and moving in the right direction.

Visualize the End Result

ADHDers need a clear picture of what they want the end result to look like.  It’s important to consider both the benefits of eliminating clutter and the disadvantages of leaving things the way they are.  For me those benefits include having less to clean and having an uncluttered, calm place to live and work.   If I don’t try to reduce the clutter, it will continue to affect my ability to focus, and I will continue to feel frustrated and stressed.

Every Little Bit Counts

Even if you don’t have an entire weekend to dedicate to cleaning out your closet, you can still make progress.  Keep a box handy where you can put items to give away as you come across them.  Also, keep a trash can handy for those things that need to be thrown out. 

Make an Ongoing Commitment

On a similar note, keeping your life clutter free is an ongoing process. The clutter didn’t develop overnight, and it won’t disappear that quickly either.  It requires an ongoing commitment.  To maintain a clutter free lifestyle, it requires changing old behaviors, habits, and thought patterns. 

For example, I have a lot of clothes, and I mean A LOT! It’s obscene.  A few months ago, the hanger rods in my closet collapsed from all the weight.  Therefore, I’ve committed to getting rid of at least one article of clothing each day.  That commitment has encouraged me to challenge the thinking patterns that led to me keeping clothes that I don’t need and don’t wear.  Do I really need 50 t-shirts? I can’t possibly wear them all.  

What I wish my mother knew about my ADHD while I was growing up

I didn't find out about my own ADHD until I was in early adulthood, and it wasn't until years later (after a tremendous amount of research, academic training, and ADHD coach training) that I truly understood my own ADHD.  Knowing what I know now, I can look back at how much my ADHD affected me in childhood.  I can also understand why I struggled in certain areas and why my poor mother would get so frustrated with me.  Here are a few things I wish my mother knew about my ADHD while I was growing up:

It wasn't intentional.  I did not intentionally leave my dishes in the sink or leave my chores half done.  I wasn't trying to make extra work for her.  I just got sidetracked by something more interesting.

It's not that I didn't want to clean my room, I couldn't.  Seriously, cleaning my room was impossible for me as a child.  I would walk in, maybe pick up a few things, and then get so overwhelmed that I shut down.  Either that or I would get distracted by a toy that I found and forget what I was doing.

I honestly didn’t remember.  Yes, my mother may have told me something 5 times, but I honestly didn’t remember her ever saying anything about it.  If my mind was wandering or focused on something else when she was talking to me, I didn’t even hear what she was saying.