Getting Organized for Sanity and Success
Posted in Organizing ADHD-style, Uncategorized on 12/07/2009 02:06 pm by Kathy Baur
As an entrepreneur, we are faced daily with decisions that can move us close to our dreams or push us away. With the wealth of talent, creativity, and darn right genius that moved you to become an entrepreneur, sometimes the frontal lobe challenges that ADHD creates can seem like a cruel joke.You come up with a wealth of stunning ideas, but struggle with organizing them into products that you can launch. Your quicksilver wit is hot on the cocktail circuit, but can be damaging at networking events. You can pack a million things into a day, but somehow none of them get finished.
When you are an entrepreneur who has ADHD, there are 3 things that are really important; organization, organization, organization. There is a wealth of books out there on organizing skills, but with ADHD, they don’t always work so well. It’s hard to organize yourself when disorganization is a major foundation of having ADHD.
Of course it would be great to have someone to create systems to keep you organized and many people do just that. I am a big proponent of assistants, virtual or otherwise. But when you’re starting out, sometimes that just isn’t in the budget.
Until you can afford to source out (and with hard work, it will be sooner than later), I’ve listed some of the tips that my clients have found helpful to organize the ever popular task of filing!
- Simplify your filing system
Intricate filing systems can complicate the process and make it less likely that you’ll do the filing in the first place. Group items into meaningful categories and start with that. My rental property paperwork gets filed in 2 folders and I dead file everything but the current tenant.
- Color code your files in a simple system
I suggest bright colors as they are easier to locate amidst a cluttered desk. The really important stuff gets the brightest colors.
- Get a great inbox for filing and don’t move it!
There is nothing worse than frantically searching the office for that one piece of paper that won’t turn up until the day after you needed. Even if you can’t get to your filing immediately, having it all in one spot can save you countless hours.
- Schedule filing time into your calendar weekly
I don’t think filing rates high on anyone’s list of fun activities, but it’s a real sanity saver when you can get it done on a regular basis. The time you save not searching for things is more than made up for in the 15 – 30 minutes the task takes when you do it regularly. Plan some great music, get a friend to help you, but get it done!
Keep it simple. Do it regularly. Enjoy the peace!