If there is a box of items and I have no idea what's in the box, I pull out anything that catches my eye and look it over, but my default is: the box with its contents is getting thrown out/donated. Useful items, if I miss them, I can buy again.

Anonymous wrote:PP here. Also, if there are donations, I take them out that day even if it’s a small bag. I also will not obsess about finding the perfect recipient for an item. Instead of selling or handing it down, I’ll donate or throw it out.

Another PP - I bag and place any/all donations in my car immediately. Typically, I’ll donate same day.

So satisfying.

Anonymous wrote:Watch one episode of hoarders.

Then get started. Seriously.

This always works for me.

A Slob Comes Clean ( Dana K White)

PP here. Also, if there are donations, I take them out that day even if it’s a small bag. I also will not obsess about finding the perfect recipient for an item. Instead of selling or handing it down, I’ll donate or throw it out.

I’m not the best at organizing, but I go through a room clockwise or counterclockwise and address only that area until it’s satisfactory. That way, one can stop at any point without creating a huge mess and pick up where one left off the next day. Helps with kids’ rooms.

Start with the oldest stuff/piles. That is usually the least relevant to your current life.

Do it now. I am trying to clean out a cluttered office after decades (at work) and it is literally delaying my retirement! So frustrated that I let it get to this state.

I like the suggestion of taking before and after photos. Because it feels like it is never ending but if you could SEE your progress, that would be motivating.

Great ideas and I’m dealing with this now; grief/loss of my last parent in the midst of literally sorting through hastily-packed boxes of papers, my own childhood schoolwork (I’m 56), a few knickknacks and a plastic tub of photographs!

I’m doing a little at a time. Last night, I flipped through a huge 3 ring binder of recipes - pulled out maybe 12 recipe cards in my grandmother’s handwriting and tossed the rest.

Also - shred! So satisfying! I routinely go to my local UPS store w/ a 15 percent off coupon instead of trying to use my in-home cheap shredder. So satisfying and a quick way to rid yourself of clutter and old papers!

Anonymous wrote:For PP with ADHD - I really like this book and it's changed the way I think about organizing (to your point about not having your storage be beautiful, but functional). Hooks, bins without lids, and clear storage are my friends.

https://www.amazon.com/Organizing-Solutions-People-Revised-Updated/dp/1592335128

Thanks, added it to my Amazon cart.

For PP with ADHD - I really like this book and it's changed the way I think about organizing (to your point about not having your storage be beautiful, but functional). Hooks, bins without lids, and clear storage are my friends.

https://www.amazon.com/Organizing-Solutions-People-Revised-Updated/dp/1592335128

Anonymous wrote:I hate the take everything out and then organize it approach, because I get so overwhelmed taking everything out and starting to organize that I don’t finish the job, and instead am left with a pile of stuff taken out of where it was before.

Instead

I set a goal for myself of decluttering one item a day. So I find one thing that I can remove one item every day. Often it is just that one item. But also several times a week I will organize a whole shelf or area because I was inspired by decluttering that one item. But because the goal is just one item, both ways feel like success and it keeps me motivated to continue.

PP with ADHD
I love this idea, but after 5 days I know I’d forget to keep doing this. But the take everything out and put it back is also horrible for me. So as I take things out, they either go into definitely trash, most likely trash (DH determines if it can/should be donated) or keep pile. So at the end, all I have to do is put back the stuff I’m going to keep. And if I get interrupted, I can put back the stuff I’m keeping, and I’m not left with a floor full of stuff I haven’t decided on. (Which would haphazardly shoved back in)

In keeping with the don’t keep stuff for the person you used to be or want to be. Don’t organize based on the organized person you want to be. I’d loved to have a house filled with neat decorative baskets and everything stored inside. But that’s not me. If I can’t see it, it disappears. So everything goes into clear containers. Doesn’t look as neat, but I can find stuff.

Cleaning out my deceased sister’s 3 bedroom house currently. From the looks of things, she had ZERO organizational skills. Stuff needs to have a home! Every drawer is basically a junk drawer (various stuff with no rhyme or reason) X 100. Of course, she couldn’t put things “away” because there wasn’t a designated spot. She obviously had no idea how to tackle this job, but also refused help from me. Another aspect was all the money she wasted buying multiples of items because she could locate what she already owned.

I read a tip to have one area you are focused on, drawer, corner, etc. if you end up distracted of flitting from place to place, you know where you are supposed to be focusing on, the drawer, or wherever. It keeps you centered, calm, and focused. When you finish it, you move on.

I hate the take everything out and then organize it approach, because I get so overwhelmed taking everything out and starting to organize that I don’t finish the job, and instead am left with a pile of stuff taken out of where it was before.

Instead

I set a goal for myself of decluttering one item a day. So I find one thing that I can remove one item every day. Often it is just that one item. But also several times a week I will organize a whole shelf or area because I was inspired by decluttering that one item. But because the goal is just one item, both ways feel like success and it keeps me motivated to continue.