Declutter challenge September 2007

Everywhere I go - my office, my house, my car, my computer desktop - there is evidence of a brain moving so fast that the physical world can't keep up. A jacket tossed hurriedly over a chair; mail ready to be sorted on the kitchen island; file folders in disarray on the desk, floor, conference table.

The quintessential example is a photocopy of an article I share with my clients called "50 Things to Love About ADD." There are a few copies on the floor - remnants of a neatly stacked pile that scattered when the dogs walked all over them for a few weeks; there's one on my desk peeking out from under a file folder labeled "VOCATIV" which is a learning styles assessment developed by a fellow ADD coach and the rest are living comfortably in their original nicely-labeled folder which is ... where IS that folder?

Every time I walk past those blue and white copies, they silently plead with me: I'm still here! Put me away, OK? I want to live with my fellow, matching papers in a neat little file in a neat little drawer. Please, please, please put me away!

Every time I ignore the plea (inevitable, because I have something more important to do right now), a tiny bit of unwanted guilt drills into my brain.

In recent years. I have learned to approach life with an incredibly positive attitude. Negative energy has no permanent foothold, but it's a fairly new state of mind for me. So when I am in the midst of my self-inflicted chaos, I have to continually fight my way back to a mental state of Upbeat and Enthusiastic.

This week, I wonder if I am in denial about the effects of my ADD or whether I am subconsciously using my ADD as an excuse (oh, it's hard to write those words) for the mess I have created and can't seem to correct.

Am I real Linda who is racing from one major project to another and literally too busy to declutter or am I ADDiva Linda who causes the clutter? Either way, the effect is identical: I can't find anything efficiently. I try very hard to look past the surface disorganization (the fluff) to the core of my work (the meat).

So WHY DON'T YOU JUST CLEAN IT UP? screams the linear wanna-be part of Linda. The answer is: darned if I know.

I talk to women all the time who are hopelessly mired in their household chores, their office load, their gardens. We work through a solution that involves accountability, small steps, gradual improvement.

Yet what happens when I don't have time for small steps? I want it done NOW. And there are 57 projects that are all ALL pleading for my attention and my time.

So what will I do about all this? I don't want to use ADD as an excuse. And yet, it is a big part of why the world has caved in on me once again; ADD is the reason I have so much trouble making forward progress. It's kinda like being tied to a post and then asked to get out there and climb that mountain, plow that field, move on down the highway (OK, enough cliques already!).

First things first. That means the ADD gets put back into my awareness, not as an excuse but as another 'thing' to embrace, understand and include as I set goals for myself.

The truth is that is takes me longer to do things than I realize. I am a speed demon in my brain, but when I start implementing some of the fabulous ideas that come up, I have some false starts sometimes. I blast out the door and then need to fall back a bit to recoup from my frenzied activity.

Slow and steady will never be me. I will work in short bursts. I will not allow myself to get discouraged by the enormity of sorting through the piles and the clothes and...all of it,

So, I'll start with the desk. I'll spend one hour (timer set, I promise) clearing the papers, the notebooks, the software and the Post-Its. I'll even take pictures - again.

Why don't you do it too? Send me a picture of your "before" messy desktop, then set the timer for an hour and do NOTHING ELSE except clear your desk. Then send an "after" picture. I'll post them here in the ADDiva blog. Along with mine.

Ooooh... this is scary. But I'm willing, if you are! Ready (to face the desk); Set (the timer); GO (to the bottom of that pile)!

Shoe droppings

It's a good shoe day on Heather Ridge Court

Translation: there are only four pairs of shoes sitting around the house, tossed exactly where I stepped out of them when I walked through the room, a "shoe dropping" event.

Which room? Could be any room. Prime shoe dropping locations are the kitchen, where I come in from the garage (there's a special shoe catcher there, but it's already full so I use the floor); and right in front of "my" part of the sectional sofa where I park myself after a reeaaaaallly long day to zone out with a little TV.


But there are other locations, too. Shoe droppings can happen under my desks - I have three workstations - or on the stairs where I stash shoes with the honest intention of returning them to my closet. Truthfully, my closet is a prime shoe dropping arena -- I get them into the closet, but they stay on the floor, quickly covered up by piles of clothes I am sorting for the laundry.

The net result is the same: I can never find the pair of shoes I am looking for. And I am constantly scouting the house trying to get "those shoes" -- which then makes me late leaving...ah, the old "I'll never be on time" syndrome.

I've tried all kinds of systems to capture those naughty shoes and get them back into their boxes. And to a certain extent, they work. For instance, I leave most of my "good " shoes - those that I wear only occasionally - in their original boxes. I can keep them straight most of the time by memorizing the colors of the boxes, their location on the shelf, etc.

I tend to buy a lot of Enzo shoes, though, and the boxes look the same. I hate spending time READING the labels every time I want a pair of shoes, so I started scribbling a crayon of the color of the shoes on the outside of the box. I worked with an organizer who had me take pictures of all my shoes. The goal was to print the pictures and paste them on the boxes for easy identification. I still haven't gotten around to Step Two - printing the photos.

My often-worn shoes, like tennies and my all time favorite, Merrell clogs, I throw in wire baskets above the neatly stacked boxes. And, as I mentioned, I have a plastic basket for gardening shoes just inside the back door--it's full of slip on ragged tennis shoes that can be sacrified for paint and mud and other messy activities.

With such great organizing ideas, you'd think finding my shoes would be a snap. There's only one glitch in the mix: ME.

When I am in a hurry- and when am I NOT in a hurry? - I slip off my shoes wherever I am. And because of my ADD memory (or lack thereof), I instantly forget the shoes. After all, I am on a mission of another sort..and it doesn't involve shoes. Until I need to leave the house again.

I don't think there's a cure for the Shoe Dropping Disease (SDD). Occasionally I am diligent about putting my shoes away. Then I fall back into my normal habits again. I have learned to live with it. And I doubt that I'm the only ADD Woman with SDD. Ah, another alphabet soup disorder to add to my collection. You gotta love it!

ADD, the mail, identity theft

Whew - talk about three absolutely incongruent topics!

Let's be candid: even the terms "ADD" and "Mail" are difficult to get out in the same breath (note I did not say "male"). Sorting is not one of our strong points. And that's what dealing with mail is all about. Heck, they even have a job description at the USPS that has the word "sorter" in it! I'm sure it is not filled by someone with ADD -- unless they have a strong dose of OCD thrown in (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder for those who have forgotten their alphabet soup definitions).

So when you throw in protecting your identity - locked mailboxes, dropping outgoing mail at the post office instead of your home mailbox, shredding anything with your name and address - well that's tantamount to treason. And a recipe for yet another ... failure.

Let's fix part of that right now, OK? Shredding 101.

I have a coaching client who lets the mail pile up - literally. Even when he manages to sort it out, there's a pile of junk mail that needs opening and shredding, but who wants to stop and shred a huge pile of mail that never should have made an appearance in your mailbox to begin with? It's like a conspiracy that sneaks in to steal our precious time...ah, I hear a tirade coming on. Better stick with shredding.

Here's a simple solution. First - buy a decent shredder, one that will chew up layers of paper without choking (even better if it eats plastic credit cards and CDs).

Second, stick it in a place that is either: right next to the recycling bin that receives the no-need-to-shred envelopes, papers, etc. OR in an easily accessible location in your office.

Third, leave the shredder plugged in and turned on ALL THE TIME. You will not waste much electricity and it will not wear out the shredder - most of the wear and tear on the electrical components comes from turning it on and off.

Then, when you sort the mail simply feed the shredder as you go. If the shredder is in another room, make a stack (aka pile) of shreddables, take it with you before you go on to another task, and you're D-O-N-E (my favorite four letter word) and protected. Ta-da!

Now...where's that shredder going to live? OK, where do you FIND that shredder? Or...do you have to BUY a shredder? Put it on the To-Do list! Now that's another topic for the ADDiva!

Travelin' ADD-style

For an ADD woman like me, travel is an both a thrilling prospect and a disheartening lesson in my own disorganization.

I just hate calling myself disorganized. It's so...so, unladylike. Of course, I was always a little less than ladylike, I suppose. Back to travel.

I have learned a few things about travel that help, however. They might be useful for you, too.

I have decided that the only way to travel is in comfort. So I take care of myself in extremely kind ways. To wit:

1) I always carry a small travel pillow with me. It's squishy and soft and recently laundered (in complete contrast to airline pillows). I am always running behind, staying up late to pack, etc. So I am usually tired. A pillow makes it easier to sleep on the plane.

2) I always reserve a window seat. Not as convenient for bathroom trips, but that little extra space where the plane curves outward is a Big Deal when you are trying to sleep. Plus I like to snuggle the pillow against the window - don't have to worry about falling onto someone's shoulder.

3) I have honed my packing to a science: three pieces that fit airline regulations and fit my needs:
a) my main suitcase with my clothes, shoes and makeup/toiletries - all of which can be replaced (checked through to my destination);

b) my rolling carry-on with my laptop, computer accessories, camera and manila folder containing my travel documents (and water bottles)

c) my featherweight carry-on bag that has my pillow, my purse, my book (s), iPod and headphones.

4) I downsized my big 29" suitcase (which was always too heavy to lift anyway) to a 24" that is ultra lightweight. Mine is a TravelPro Walkabout -- a decision reached after a LOT of investigation and lots of poor choices. (Hint - do NOT buy tapestry covered luggage -- it is heavy before you even put clothes in it).

5) I bought a travel purse that collapses flat and that is incredibly lightweight. My regular purse is leather -- too heavy to drag along on a trip. I also have a travel wallet that is lighter than my day-to-day version.

More travel tips in Part Two ....