Tips to Declutter Your Desk
Every ADHDer has their own style. How do you like to work? Do you thrive on multiple deadlines at once, juggling lots of meetings and even more projects? Or do you like to hyperfocus on a single project at a time, clearing broad swaths of your schedule to focus on that one thing (and tuning out what’s going on around you)?
Whatever style you prefer, you need a desk or table space to work. And the state of that desk and of your office (or cube) can play more of a part in how you feel and how effective you are than you realize. That’s because clutter and messes can rob you of your daily productivity and affect creativity too.
Perhaps you haven’t tackled the mess in front of you because you’re afraid it’ll take too much time—and time is something you don’t have to spare. But I’ll bet you that cleaning up the mess on your desk would improve your productivity, creativity and overall zen that you’d come out ahead in the long run. This graphic offers some good ways to work on your desk mess.
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5 Comments
I have used pretty much all these strategies over the years. Within hours, (sometimes minutes) I’ve cluttered it all up again. I start, get distracted. I cannot put anything in the same place EVER! Labeling items helps a little bit as long as it’s not something I can put something on top of it.
Medication helps, but is a royal pain to get filled since stimulants are controlled substances and require triplicate prescriptions.
Very frustrated. oh well, I’m new to your site so maybe I’ll stumble across something that works before too long.
Peter, how are you doing? I know you wrote in May, but I just ran across your comment on this page. If you want to dialogue, I’m here. I’m new to this, so I don’t have much to offer in the way of knowledge, but I’m a good listener.
I’ve always had a tendency to be All or Nothing with my organization and cleaning. I am very organized at work (and when I travel) and with my storage unit; my home is a mess because I hate housework, don’t always have a proper place for things, and then it gets to a tipping point and I get overwhelmed and give up entirely!
My desk at work was tidy and organized, yet, oddly, my desk at home gets out-of-control. Certain areas are (and stay) organized (office supplies, pantry, linen shelves, bookshelves)…it seems to be a matter of having a proper place to put things in.
At work, my method for avoiding the “piles” was to keep a folder for each project or group of papers, then fan them in a single strip down the side of my desk against the cubicle wall. I could see the labels, they were out where I wouldn’t forget about them (vs in the file cabinet), they weren’t in my way so the rest of my desk was clear.
Reference “how-to’s” and reminders went eye-level on the cubicle walls forward and to the side. No Post-Its (they fall off & too many start looking cluttered). Reference materials (documents, warranties, equipment manuals, etc.) went into color-coded hanging files in the file drawer of the smaller desk behind me and all my colleagues were told I was keeping all that stuff and they could access it any time.
At home now, there is correspondence in stacks (that slide or get knocked to the floor by cats), notes on the back of envelopes (picked that up from my dad), notepads (theoretically color-coded by subject, but often used randomly). I have a small hanging file on one desk with color-coded folders–that gets used sometimes. I have a near-empty two drawer file cabinet and loads of hanging folders and colored manila folders and tabs…it’s just too much trouble and then things get “out-of-sight, out-of-mind”…which they do anyways because they get covered up or thrown into a file box when I need to clear away a pile quick.
The one evaluation I had specifically for ADD concluded I am not (although most of my friends are). Apparently, I just have many projects, little energy, chronic depression, and…am lazy? Go figure. I’m either *more* organized than everyone else or have completely out-of-control clutter.
Sloth, trust me…get a 2nd opinion. I went undiagnosed for 40 years. Getting diagnosed with AdHD Inattentive has helped me to understand that I’m not “just lazy” or “not trying”. It has been a long learning process but I don’t feel so alone or terrible about myself. Check out these: Attitude Magazine website – tons of great info and Untapped Brilliance website. Jacqui is wonderful. Because of my diagnosis I’ve been able to understand my 2 son’s better since they were little (both AdHD with severe anxiety like me).
I’ve always had a tendency to be All or Nothing with my organization and cleaning. I am very organized at work (and when I travel) and with my storage unit; my home is a mess because I hate housework, don’t always have a proper place for things, and then it gets to a tipping point and I get overwhelmed and give up entirely!
My desk at work was tidy and organized, yet, oddly, my desk at home gets out-of-control. Certain areas are (and stay) organized (office supplies, pantry, linen shelves, bookshelves)…it seems to be a matter of having a proper place to put things in.
At work, my method for avoiding the “piles” was to keep a folder for each project or group of papers, then fan them in a single strip down the side of my desk against the cubicle wall. I could see the labels, they were out where I wouldn’t forget about them (vs in the file cabinet), they weren’t in my way so the rest of my desk was clear.
Reference “how-to’s” and reminders went eye-level on the cubicle walls forward and to the side. No Post-Its (they fall off & too many start looking cluttered). Reference materials (documents, warranties, equipment manuals, etc.) went into color-coded hanging files in the file drawer of the smaller desk behind me and all my colleagues were told I was keeping all that stuff and they could access it any time.
At home now, there is correspondence in stacks (that slide or get knocked to the floor by cats), notes on the back of envelopes (picked that up from my dad), notepads (theoretically color-coded by subject, but often used randomly). I have a small hanging file on one desk with color-coded folders–that gets used sometimes. I have a near-empty two drawer file cabinet and loads of hanging folders and colored manila folders and tabs…it’s just too much trouble and then things get “out-of-sight, out-of-mind”…which they do anyways because they get covered up or thrown into a file box when I need to clear away a pile quick.
The one evaluation I had specifically for ADD concluded I am not (although most of my friends are). Apparently, I just have many projects, little energy, chronic depression, and…am lazy? Go figure. I’m either *more* organized than everyone else or have completely out-of-control clutter.