Tweet

An Organized Environment

Written by: Jacqueline Sinfield

Article Overview: Having an organized environment really helps adults with ADHD feel calm, focused and able to function at their peak. However, having ADHD also means achieving and maintaining an organized environment is really hard. One of the biggest challenges is the accumulation of clutter. In my book, Untapped Brilliance, I have a chapter about achieving a clean, tidy and organized environment and I am always interested to learn more about this subject so I can in turn pass the information on to my clients. It was with fascination that I read organization guru Julie Morgenstern’s book SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life: A Four-Step Guide to Getting Unstuck.

An Organized Environment

Having an organized environment really helps adults with ADHD feel calm, focused and able to function at their peak. However, having ADHD also means achieving and maintaining an organized environment is really hard. One of the biggest challenges is the accumulation of clutter. In my book, Untapped Brilliance, I have a chapter about achieving a clean, tidy and organized environment and I am always interested to learn more about this subject so I can in turn pass the information on to my clients. It was with fascination that I read organization guru Julie Morgenstern's book SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life: A Four-Step Guide to Getting Unstuck. Julie makes the connection between hoarding your belongings and staying stuck in life. It is really hard to move forward in life when you have the physical and mental reminds of the past. She gives a powerful personal example of how her old belongings were preventing her from moving forward.

Her childhood passion for theatre led her to be a theatre director. Then when her circumstances changed and she was a single mum, she started her own business as a professional organizer. Her business was going well, however she noticed it had reached a plateau. Due to lack of storage, she had six boxes of theatre production books (her old life) housed under her dining room table. By getting rid of those boxes, she witnessed a remarkable growth in her business (her current life).

Because getting rid of things is so hard for people with ADHD, I really liked Julie's philosophy as it gives a deeper meaning to getting rid of your clutter. She suggests picking a theme for the next chapter of your life. This theme acts as a mental guide to help you get rid of your belongings that reflect your old life's chapters.

So are you ready to create a beautiful living environment for yourself? One that helps you move forward in the direction of your dreams? Here are the five steps:

1. Pick a theme for your next life chapter. Are you a singleton, empty nester, freshly graduated or about to embrace a new healthy lifestyle? Identify yours and then use a few positive words to describe your theme.
2. Write list of every area you want to declutter. You probably know where your clutter is lurking in your house. There might be a little in every room, or you might have one room that is "off limits." Writing it down gets it clear in your mind and acts as a great reminder of what you have done, once you start putting checkmarks beside areas that you have decluttered.
3. Grab your kitchen timer and work for fifteen minutes a day on the Decluttering process. If you are inspired to do more than fifteen minutes, go for it, but don't burn yourself out in one day. Then you won't be able to face Decluttering again for months.
4. If you are unsure if you should part with something, remember your theme. Does this item fit in with where you are going in life?
5. Reward yourself along the way. The benefits of decluttering are huge; however, they aren't always obvious in the beginning. Give yourself treats and rewards every time you do your Decluttering.

Related Articles
  One Simple Way to Make Marketing Easier
  “Twelve Major Benefits For Being Well Organized, According To Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach”
  It Starts with a Belief
  Productivity and Power, Freedom, and Peace of Mind
  Guides and What to Consider When Starting an Internet Home Based Business

Article Tags: accumulation, adhd, belongings, boxes, brilliance, childhood passion, clutter, deeper meaning, dining room table, fascination, five steps, guru, julie morgenstern, own business, personal example, plateau, production books, professional organizer, remarkable growth, theatre director



Related Forum Posts
Different Types of Funding - Finance for business can be obtained through a number of different sources. Let's review some of those channels to help you decide what's right for your business needs: Grants There are over 930 different EU and UK grants and loans available from over 100 issuing bodies. This is the cheapest form of finance and an important part of the funding package that companies and individuals need. We can help you find your way through this maze. Technology Micro Projects: 50% of eligible costs up to £20,000 Research project: For a technical and feasibility study of an innovative idea for new technology 60% of costs up to a grant of £75,000. Development project: For development up to pre production 35% of costs up to a grant of £200,000 Developing an innovative idea: valuable for small companies and individuals at the start of a technical project: 75% of costs of hiring a mentor and consultants. Export To start exporting or moving into new markets grants of 50% of costs up to £20,000 each. Training and Education Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, Achieving Best Practice in Your Business, Investors in People Modern Apprenticeships New Deal for various grants. Environment BOC Foundation for the Environment: 25% to 50% of Project cost, typically £20,000 to £100,000 Clean up Fund: Emission reducing equipment up to 75% of cost Community Chest Fund: Up to £25,000 for projects near active SITA sites High Impact Fund: £150,000+ for larger projects near SITA sites Assisted Areas Regional assistance grants of between 10 and 35% for capital expenditure in less favoured areas of the UK. Loans Loans are an excellent source of finance if you have suitable security to borrow against or a reliable earnings stream. This needs to be planned and presented well to obtain funds. Credit cards Provides up to 56 days free credit if you play the game! Overdraft Banks are surprisingly supportive when presented with a well thought through plan and competent management. Bank Loans Lenders tend to look for a good business plan and security. Typically the loan is approved by a centralised back office function rather than the person you meet. Terms and rates depend upon the risk. Repayments can be very flexible to meet your specific needs. Mortgages These can include flexible repayment terms to meet your business needs. This can even be incorporated into your overdraft finance so that you have one flexible account for both personal/ business mortgages and overdraft Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme Up to two years trading: Up to £100,000 Over two years trading: Up to £250,000 However these are difficult to obtain and are a loan of last resort. Export Guarantee Scheme This is government backed insurance against appropriate export documentation. Mezzanine This is a halfway house between loan and equity. It can be an innovative way of raising funds for the more established business. Mostly for expansion capital. Equity This is not as easy as the papers would have you know. Only 1% of business plans received by Venture Capital Funds are successful. However, a good business proposition consisting of a strong demand for the product or service, management track record and a sound financial plan will enhance the chance of success. Business Angels These are high net worth individuals who are successful businessmen looking for investment opportunities. They can provide both time expertise and money. Typical investment size is £25,000 to £250,000 but can go as high as £2m for the right opportunity. Exit within 3-5 years. Venture Capital These are investment funds seeking high rates of return. However typically investments are over a million pounds. Some funds are targeted at lower amounts depending upon the sector and region. These funds are looking for exponential capital growth over 3-5 years. Asset backed finance This can cover machinery, sales invoices even sales orders. It can be a very flexible source of finance to the growing business Leasing This will cover your capital expenditure and spread the cost over a three to five year period. It is particularly useful if you do not have taxable profits to maximise your capital allowances. Sale and leaseback of a property you own is another good source of funds. Factoring Factoring offers a sales ledger administration and debt collection service. Up to 95% of an approved sales invoice is paid within 48 hours, quicker if required. Credit protection is also available to protect against a bad debt. The Factor will own and place a first charge over the book debts and they might also take other charges, depending upon the strength of the financial information. Invoice discounting Invoice Discounting can be Confidential or Disclosed; it depends upon the strength of the financial information. The service is the same as Factoring, except that the sales ledger administration and the debt collection is the responsibility of the client and not the Factor. Pre payment of the approved sales invoice is still up to 95% and the factor will still have a first charge on the book debt and therefore own the debt. This service can also have credit protection cover. All sales invoices need to be for a business to business debt, and some proof of delivery is generally required. Trade Finance This is funding provided against stock purchases, signed contracts and orders whereby the funder will prepay a certain percentage of the value Pension fund It may be possible to use your pension funds for a loan back to the business What do u think about it?


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

How Many Buckets Do You Need for Retirement?

Paint A Word Picture - Excite Your Customer

When Living the Dream isn't enough!

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.