I'm always organizing and re-organizing 'stuff.' Especially paper. I think it's called, "Taming the Paper Trail." My desk is a vertical file of everything paper. From bank statements to Medicare reports, to vet bills, to any kind of bills for that matter, to receipts, and on and on. I do have cute little file folders to put all this in. I don't like sitting and filing. Yes, I know I could go paperless, but that requires remembering about forty-seven different passwords. Then there's the catalog issue. And each catalog must be perused through just to see what's inside before I trash it or file it. I have reduced the amount of catalogs I receive by using Catalog Choice and opting out. There is also Direct Marketing Association's (DMA) Mail Preference Service. It is suggested to set aside a few minutes each day to deal with the mail, preferable as soon as it's brought inside. That it helps to have a designated spot where I can sort the mail. I was visiting with a dear friend this week about needing to sit down and file all these pieces of paper/mail. Know what she said? She said she just throws it away. Her designated spot is by the trash can and she trashes it. All of it. How do you do that?
Speaking of catalogs, the ones I keep . . . they're kept in a cute little wicker basket . . . filed in ABC order. (See photo)
Then there's the projects that involve photographs. Oh don't get me started on how to organize photographs, hundreds of them, because I've tried any number of ways. Right now I'm in the middle of creating a Shutterfly photo album that I started two years ago for a couple who was married in 2002. Don't judge me. So, since my knee is broken I decided this would be an opportune time to try to finish it. My dining room table is covered with photos and memorabilia that need to be scanned. I've organized these photos so well that the rehearsal dinner photos have gone missing. How does that happen?
Then there's what the experts call Time Management Issues which is a common effect of ADHD. I frequently lose track of time, miss deadlines, procrastinate, underestimate how much time I need for tasks, and find myself doing things in the wrong order. This is because I do the things that are more fun FIRST and spend inordinate amounts of time doing them. I think this is known as “hyperfocusing” and nothing else gets done.
One suggestion, of which there are many is to use a timer. I try to allot myself limited amounts of time for each task and use a timer to alert me when my time is up. For longer tasks, I set the timer to go off at regular intervals keeping me productive and aware of how much time is going by. I might start a project in the morning, get so involved in it and look up at the clock and it's 3:00 p.m. How does that happen?
When I first started using the 'timer idea,' I kept going to the oven to pull out whatever was in there baking But, there was nothing there.
Speaking of timers, mine of going off . . . meaning I've spent enough time on this post and I need to move onto something else.
Now, where is my list of things to do today?
. . . ADHD . . . to be continued.
