I understand truly what the paper challenge is. Have you been officially diagnosed with ADD/HD? Some of us struggle with closets, others with paper piles and some with all of it. I was quite organized when younger and my life was more successful, but now in early 50's and so many challenges/setbacks, my motivation is very low. Also I have Depression co-morbidity(co-existing symptom) with my ADD. I have some suggestions/ideas , but it is very late, so I will make every effort to send more info in next couple of days. Hang in.....you are not alone in this...many of us with these challenges, but we have to work to surmount it.! As my title/ name says: Carpe Diem( I'sm sure you know...if not Latin for " Seize the Day "! Support is helpful. I belong to a Support group for ADDers. more forthcoming.... Hugs to you

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Thank you, dear person. I also am in my early 50's and have been diagnosed with ADHD, Anxiety/Depression & Bi-Polar. Most of the time I have no motivation, but when I do I get so overwhelmed, like I go in circles. Recently I started by taking just a small pile and worked through it, but I still can't throw enough of it away. Please do send me more... and I really appreciate your support! :o)

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Excellent question. Please reply quickly. There are alot of us with this question.

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I'm from a family of packrats, and my son and husband hoarde like crazy. I've managed to get better over the years by making myself believe the following things:

If I hoarde things, I won't be able to find what I need when I need it because I'll be overwhelmed with stuff. (This struck home as I was cleaning out my garage last summer and found 5 pairs of pruning shears hidden in the piles)

I won't be disappointing anyone I care about if I get rid of what they gave me. If they liked it that much, they would have kept it themselves...

The internet and library are fantastic sources for written materials. I can get rid of the vast majority of clippings, saved magazines, recipes, reference books etc because I recognize that my first impulse is to go to the internet for that information whan I need it.

Ask yourself honestly if you have used (or touched/admired/?) each thing within the past year as you work to go through the accumulation. I find that it is much easier to clear away accumulations when I am in a bad mood, as I am much less likely to keep things for guilt/sentimental value. Sort while sitting right next to a trash can and a box for donations. If you don't have a good place to put the 'thing', you probably don't need it, since we usually have designated storage for the things we use most often or really personally care about.

Don't feel like you need to do it all at once either. If you find yourself spending more time reading the articles than throwing them away, then quit for the day and come back to it later. Give yourself permission to do a single box/pile/space per day/weekend/month, and feel good about any progress you make. Once you free yourself from the feelings of guilt and responsibility, it becomes easier to just dispose of that stuff as it comes in to your house rather than letting it pile up.

My husband can hoarde to his heart's content in the basement, and my son has his room. They know that if they want to keep their 'treasures' it is their responsibility to put their things in their space, since anything left int he common areas of the house for more than a week either gets tossed or held for ransom. I find that having a visually uncluttered space to live in makes me much calmer and more productive, and it is so much easier to maintain!

Best of luck to you!

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Thank you Billy - good advice well put! I shall take it to heart and let you know how this goes... :o)

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Am I buried in papers? Yes. What would happen if I cleared up all my papers and old mail and new mail? I'd have no excuse to never entertain or let someone in my apartment. Besides, to clear up clutter means making decisions and my decisions have to be "perfect" or not at all. So day after day, guess what is on my to-do list. Would you believe I was a corporate secretary for almost 12 years!

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I challenge all of you. For every 15 minutes I work on my papers I will donate one can of food to the local food pantry. I can work on a goal for someone else easier than for me. I will let you know how many cans I donate. Of course, decisions are difficult..........maybe I will donate paper goods....or boxed food....or.....

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