Organize Your Life, Part 3
17. Ditch those receipts.
Each evening, empty your pockets, wallet, purse, and briefcase of all ATM slips and receipts. Put them in with your stack of bills to be paid and financial statements to review.
Too much loose change? If coins pile up on your dresser, get a jar to put them in. At the end of the month, you'll have an extra $15 or so to spend - a reward for keeping your pockets free of clutter.
18. Simplify your wardrobe.
The more clothes you have, the harder it is to decide what to wear each morning. So continually winnow out extra clothing. If you get a new shirt, for instance, consider getting rid of an old one. In spring and summer, coordinate all your clothing around only two colors, plus white. In fall and winter, coordinate all your clothing around two other colors, plus black. You'll feel liberated by having fewer outfits to choose from - and you'll save money on clothes.
19. Pre-assemble your clothes into complete outfits.
Hang them on sturdy hangers in your closet. You'll get dressed faster each morning, with less confusion and second-guessing. This strategy works for men and women alike, and is especially helpful for organizing business attire. Women can slip a baggie with matching jewelry onto the hanger. For items to help organize children's clothes and toys, take a look at organize-everything.com/kiddailor.html.
AROUND THE HOUSE
20. Take it one project at a time.
Having to tackle several big projects at once is stressful for people with ADD. Set one priority, and get it done, tying up all loose ends before moving on to a new project. For instance, get new eyeglasses before cleaning your gutters. Or take your car in for maintenance before revising your résumé.
21. Use sticky notes to stay on track.
If you're often sidetracked by interruptions, make it easy to return to the task at hand once the interruption is over. How? Keep a supply of sticky notes with you, and jot down where to pick up again. For instance, if you must take a phone call while reading, post a note on the text that says, "resume reading here." When the call is over, you'll know exactly what to do.
22. Double up on tasks.
If you can make it a habit to do two small things in concert, you'll get more done. For example, you might reset your clocks and change the batteries in your smoke detectors upon the end of Daylight Saving Time each autumn. You could change your oil and balance your investments on the same day. Or reorganize your pocketbook each time you water the plants.
23. Organize your garage like a professional.
That means separating your stuff into "zones" of the sort you see at home-improvement stores: "tools," "painting supplies," "gardening supplies," "sports equipment," "automotive," and so on. If this job is too big to tackle on your own, don't be reluctant to ask for help.
THE PAPER TRAIL
24. Rethink your filing system.
ADDers often have trouble with filing because they create too many categories. Better to keep your categories broad, and use subfolders where necessary. For instance, you might label one folder "insurance," and fill it with subcategory folders for life insurance, car insurance, and health insurance.
Online retailer addconsults.com offers a variety of terrific organizing products, including one designed specifically for keeping track of owner's manuals, product warranties, insurance policies, and the like.
