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.

What a busy week it’s been here. It’s the week running up to my book launch and whew, there was so much to do! However, it’s Friday evening now and I can relax knowing that everything has been organized. The wine and cheese is ordered and will be delivered on the day of the party, books are safely at the store, beautiful posters have been printed and delivered… and much more. I have a lovely sense of accomplishment and I’m happy it’s the weekend.

Adults with ADHD believe that they like to be spontaneous and creative. That is why habits are hard for them. However, I have found that when day-to-day tasks become habits, adults with ADHD thrive and there is more mental space and time to be creative.

I suggest to my clients that they create habits to take the brainwork out of simple tasks such as popping keys on a hook when they come home so they don’t lose them. Going to the gym on set days so there isn’t a lot of “to-ing and fro-ing” and mental bargaining about if and when they should go.

When there are a few tasks that are linked together toward the same goal, this becomes a routine.

For example, your morning routine might be:

• Wake up at 7.00am
• Bathroom, shower, shave/makeup
• Breakfast
• Vitamins
• Leave for work at 8.00am with wallet, lunch, laptop, agenda, cell phone and keys.

Routines can also become habits. When you do these actions often enough, you go on auto pilot and your life becomes so much easier. Just like when you were learning to drive, you were really mindful of changing gears and using the clutch. You couldn’t think of anything except the task in hand. Driving. Fast forward a year later, you are able to multi-task, singing cheerfully along to the radio, chatting to the passengers or in your own private thoughts. Before you know it, you are home with no memory of the journey. The same is true for habits.

Create habits to include all your important tasks, like getting to work in the morning, going to bed at a reasonable hour at night, food shopping and cooking healthy meals, going to the gym, taking care of your finances and filling your car with gas. Once the foundations of your life are taken care of with habits, you can try new things and be spontaneous without feeling guilty. You can take a try at a new café at lunchtime, see a local band, try a new dish on the menu, check out the local museum, hang out with friends on a week night, etc. These types of experiences keep life fresh, fun and keep you from feeling bored. They also make you feel younger and have more energy. The old saying is “a change is as good as a rest” which is soooo true.

Here are some action steps to implement habits and spontaneity in your life:

1. What day-to-day tasks would you like to create habits around?
2. Concentrate on one at a time to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
3. When you can do your new habit on autopilot, embrace a new one.
4. Be open to new things, new experiences big and small.
5. Enjoy the freedom to be spontaneous and creative in the happy knowledge that your basics are taken care of.

At lunchtime, I often leave my office to run errands, buy lunch or take a walk and enjoy the fresh air. My routine, once I leave the street my office is on, is to turn right to where most of the shops, banks and post office are located. On Monday however, I did something different, I (drum roll please) turned left! I don’t know what exactly inspired me to break from routine, but I am so glad I did. I discovered a beautiful, unique café, the sort that has original “granny chic” furniture and serves food ranging from smoked salmon to vegan chili. I drank tea, people watched and did some book launch planning.

If you are in Montreal, don’t forget to put May 20th in your agenda and come and join me for my book launch.

People with ADHD are usually so focused on getting through the day and staying on top of life, that they barely have time to think beyond their to-do list, let alone the planet. Time is often one of the biggest reasons people say they don’t do things they know to be green. However, it is possible to have ADHD, do things for the environment and even help your ADHD, all at the same time.

Here are five environmentally friendly ideas:

1. Take shorter showers. Taking shorter showers is a win-win situation. Not only does it help the environment by saving on the energy used to heat the water, it also helps you to get out the door faster in the morning, which can be an ongoing battle for people with ADHD.To make this fun, time yourself today to see how long your normal shower length is, and gradually reduce that time to four minutes.
2. Eat less animal protein. There are many reasons why eating meat taxes the environment’s resources and die hard environmentalists would suggest becoming vegan. You don’t need to become vegan, however be mindful of how much meat you eat. Most westerns eat much more protein than their body actually needs.You can help the environment by choosing organic and locally produced meat. This helps the environment and is better for you. I recommend that adults with ADHD have a source of healthy protein (lean meat, eggs, etc.) with every meal as it helps your ADHD brain function at its peak.
3. Grow your own veggies. One of the reasons growing your own vegetables is good for the environment is that it decreases the amount of emissions that would have been used to ship them hundreds of miles. And gardening is great with ADHD as research has shown that being outside in nature decreases the negative effects of ADHD. It also is a great way to distress and give you a sense of achievement.Last year a client gave me a big bag of tomatoes she had grown herself. I can honestly say I have never tasted anything so good. Growing your own veggies is also good because you know there are no pesticides on them. If you’re not sure how to start, do a quick search on the Internet and no matter what size your garden, you will be able to grow something.
4. Recycle. Recycling helps the environment as it reduces pollution, saves energy (less is used by using recycled products than new materials) and preserves natural resources. Adults with ADHD have many great intentions about recycling, however then the time is tight, company is coming over, the carefully saved containers end up getting thrown into the trash along with the other waste.Recycling becomes a habit. Take it day by day. You might feel like that one Coca Cola can won’t make a difference, but the little steps and actions quickly add up and make a big difference.
5. Buy products with the smallest amount of packaging. There are lots of examples of how to do this, however, this week I honed in on fresh produce.A quick quiz: Does it take longer to choose courgettes (zucchini) that are pre-wrapped in packs of three OR select three that are displayed individually?

   Answer: It’s four seconds faster to pick the pre-packed option – I timed myself! However, when there are 86,400 seconds in a day, its four seconds well spent.

   Other ways to save on packaging include looking for products that are sold in bigger quantities or that come in concentrated form.

These five ideas are a great way to get started being green. Good luck and let me know how you get along!

Two weeks ago I was invited to speak to a classroom of twelve-year-old girls about goal setting. I don’t often have the opportunity to hang out with twelve-year-olds so it was interesting to get a sneak peek into their world. Besides having a ton of positive energy, wanting to get good grades and loving the Jonas Brothers, they shared a common concern: protecting the environment.

This experience was the inspiration for Monday’s article. I also asked a young, super smart and extremely environmentally savvy client her top five things we can do to help save our planet. (These will be in the article.) The really cool thing is that some of the points can actually help your ADHD as well as the environment.