As previously mentioned, one of the challenges faced by the
CD population is that they do not respond to conventional organizing methods.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. That just means you get to think outside
the box when creating your spaces. The goal is to create a space that will make
you feel in control. But before you get
started, you have to know yourself pretty well.
Are you a visual person? Do you believe in the old adage, out of sight, out of mind? How do you
respond to sounds around you? Are background noises soothing, distracting or
downright irritating? Is it impossible for you to work at something for more
that 20 minutes? Or do you get so engrossed in what you’re doing that you lose
track of time completely?
If you need visual reminders use
labels or try introducing colour. You could use assorted colours of Post-it® notes.
Things that need to be done immediately will be written on the hot pink Post-it®
notes. Things that you need to do, but aren’t urgent, could be written on the
buttery yellow notes. Then place the
note where you will see it. That might
be in one central location that you are sure to see every day, like on a memo
board in the kitchen. Or, maybe you’ll put the note wherever it is that you
need the reminder. For example, if you
have to bring drinks and napkins to the office pot-luck, put the Post-it® on
the front door, so you won’t leave the house without seeing the reminder.
But whatever you do, please try to remember that when
too many visual clues are left out to jog your memory, eventually a pile of
clutter forms. When that happens, that
thing you wanted to be top-of- mind is buried and your visual clue isn’t
helping you at all.
If you welcome background noises, indulge
yourself. Just because you decide to get organized, doesn’t mean that you have
to be miserable while doing so. And some
people just don’t like absolute silence. If you like music, put on the radio or
your favourite CD. Tell yourself that you’ll work on sorting out your junk
drawer for the length of time it takes to hear three songs. Maybe you’d rather listen to a CD of nature
sounds. Heck, some people like the white noise of their dishwasher!! Whatever
it is that makes you feel Zen, use it to set the mood before you get down to
the nitty gritty.
If you struggle to stay on task, or time
just seems to slip away, set an alarm for yourself. If you’ve ever meant to give 45 minutes to a
task and looked up to see it’s dawn, you’ll appreciate being awoken from your
trance-like state. It gets a bit
trickier when you’re inclined to walk away from a challenge after five
minutes. If that’s your story, you might
want to try using a visual timer to help you track the timer. The Time
Timer available at Scholar’s Choice might do the trick.
I hope that these tips will
answer questions for some of you. As you contemplate your personal
circumstances and what it will take to get you organized, remember: there
is no right or wrong way to organize. It’s okay to ask for help. Not everyone
get’s it.
