Buying Bins Won’t Solve ADHD Clutter: Here’s What Will

Buying Bins Won’t Solve ADHD Clutter: Here’s What Will

If you have lots of stuffed animals, Megs always recommends this stuffed animal bean bag ---> Bean Bag Storage <--- Organizing an ADHD Brain Podcast is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. 

In this episode, Megs delves into the pitfalls of impulsively buying organizing containers without a clear plan, particularly for those with ADHD. She shares personal anecdotes and professional insights about the challenges and common mistakes associated with premature container purchases, emphasizing the importance of decluttering first. Megs outlines the need to ask critical questions before making purchases and highlights the significance of setting rules and creating systems that cater to individual needs. She encourages her audience to declutter, assess their actual needs, and make intentional shopping choices. The episode is rounded off with an invitation to join her community and take advantage of available resources.

00:57 The Container Conundrum

01:44 Personal Stories and Experiences

03:32 Common Pitfalls of Container Buying

12:03 Effective Decluttering Strategies

18:28 Shopping Tips and Rules

22:52 Conclusion and Community Invitation

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Transcript

0:42

Hey, beautiful people. It's Megs and welcome back to organizing an A DHD Brain as I get ready to launch season three this September, I wanted to revisit a few episodes that still hold so much truth, whether it's your first time hearing them or they're coming back to meet you in a new way. They're worth another. Listen, this next season is all about the messy middle, where your brain still wants to do it all or nothing at all, and you're learning how to take one small step. Anyway, I've been in it too, letting go rebuilding, figuring out exactly what works for my brain, and you don't have to do it like I did, but you can do it with awkward steps, with emotion, and with way more grace than you're probably giving yourself. So let this episode be a reminder. You don't have to be fully unburied to move forward. You're allowed to want more joy and you're absolutely capable of creating change right where you are. Let's jump in.

Yeti Stereo Microphone: 1:39

I am actually surprised that I haven't done an episode on this yet because I feel pretty strongly about container buying. And I also feel strongly about how fun it is to buy containers for organizing, which is such a conundrum. here's why I'm doing this episode, because I want you to understand how buying containers can sometimes be a trap, especially for those of us with ADHD. We know how to shop. We know how to get it done. It feels good to shop and it feels like we're getting something done or we're starting a project when we do purchase items. And they just get delivered to our door so that we can take the next steps in the right direction. But being in so many people's homes, including my own, I can tell you some of the things that I see time and time again. I'd like to rewind things just a little bit back to when I used to work at the cheesecake factory back on the north shore in Boston. I would often get to the mall a little bit early so that I could paruse some of the stores I'll never forget when the container store was first built. And the feeling I felt when I walked into that store. Thinking about how many solutions, all of those containers. Could provide. For all of my stuff, for all of the things that I didn't know what to do with here was the solution for everything. And then I looked at the price tag and I was like, whoa, one day I'll be able to purchase items from this store today. I'm going to choose to spend my money in other places. Now of course I was working at the cheesecake factory. I was also getting my degree down in Boston and traveling in and out full time. I did not have the extra money to spend on containers, but I felt like it was almost a Rite of passage when I could. Finally make that happen in my life. And I can't tell you how many times I've bought something, thinking that it's going to be the perfect solution. To all of the clutter that is taking up my life and making me feel so overwhelmed and what I'm doing on a regular basis. So if you're feeling that way too, and if you have stuff that's sitting in packages, still waiting to be unwrapped so that you can intricately put all of your things in this organized way. With the promise of everything being better on the other end of it. I just want you to know that you're not alone. I've been there. You've probably been there before, too, and done it before. When it comes to other people's homes that I've worked in now, I've worked in people's homes for a couple hours. I've worked in people's homes for a couple months, just depending on their budget and the amount of time that they, you know, I can certainly support them. I don't do as much in person organizing anymore because of coaching. But here's what I can tell you is most of the time, Those containers are bought. Prematurely. In a manner that is hopeful to get things under control within a short amount of time. And we love to see the big picture and think that we can tackle everything in a weekend. But what happens? As we don't give our containers jobs, we simply just put the stuff in it. And now our clutter is just a little bit more organized. Like it just. It's sitting in a container now instead of actually being organized. Oftentimes the containers that we buy. will become really pretty DOOM boxes. And do means didn't organize only moved. So they look really nice, but we've got them scattered all over the place or maybe they are in one spot, but they don't actually have a job. I'm sure some of you have an area like a mud area where you have all the shoes and you've got all this stuff. And maybe you bought those cubbies. Cause you're like, this is going to get everything out of the way and sure. It gets everything out of the way. But when you open it up, you have no idea what's inside of them because it's a mishmash of stuff. I want to give you a little insight into why buying containers first can backfire and how this episode can help you avoid the trap. And to maybe ask a few questions before you buy a container so that that you're making the right decision for yourself and not just trying to put a band-aid. On the issue that is the clutter in your home. It's so easy to make those impulse buying solutions. When we feel like we finally found the perfect solution. But without a plan. We often fail. let's analyze this marketing aspect. Think about all of the social media platforms that you follow when it comes to organizing. Most of them have to do with, oh my gosh, you have to try this organizing hack. It's so cool. Or check out what I bought to organize this. This is what I did, and this is what you can do to. Or. Look at this incredible deal I got here. You've got to go and get this. Now, there is nothing wrong with that because it can find that it's very inspiring to sometimes see all of this. But a lot of the times, we're just seeing this social media. Invitation to go and purchase something that whomever is posting. But what's hard for us with ADHD is that we see that as an immediate solution to everything that's gone wrong in our lives. And that's not the case. I remember I was organizing for someone. this was probably in the fall of 2023. And we had both seen this really cool hack for storing lids for your pots and pants. And I was like, oh my gosh, those look so amazing. I was like, cool. I'll get them. I'll try them out. And then we'll see if it's a good fit for you. So I bought some and I bought some like prettier ones cause I wanted them to be clear and I wanted them to look really nice. And I, first of all, measuring them to get the right size for the pot lid That was annoying, but whatever annoyance is fine, as long as you get it to work right. And then I got it to work. And as I would close and open the door, the pot lid would clang back and forth. And I was like, oh my gosh, this is so not what social media promised me. But it taught me a valuable lesson in that if I see something cool online, I'm going to need to do a little bit more research to truly understand if this is going to be a solution or not, because especially if you live in a smaller space. You do have to find. Weird and unique ways to store your things, your items, so that it can work for you. So I'm not saying don't go and buy things. I'm saying don't go and buy things first without asking yourself Some really clear questions. But then to that point, there's so many companies out there that literally just make storage containers. That's what they do. They make them for kitchens. They make them for pantries. They make them for drawers. They make them for garages. They make them for this, that, and the other thing. I go to the container store all the time. So there are so many companies out there telling you. That this is your solution. This is what you need to buy. And then everything will be okay. I want to paint you another picture Have you ever bought an app saying that, oh my gosh, this is your key to getting all your chores done, or this is your key to schedule management. And this is your key to finally getting it all right. And figuring out your ADHD brain. And this is the tool that's going to make it all work. And then you get it and you're so excited and you've used it for a couple of days and then you stop using it and you're like, oh, I'll get back to it at one point. And then you still don't get back to it. And now you've spent maybe a couple of months of subscription money on this app or on this tool that's going to help you. And in the end, it hasn't helped you at all. Part of that. Is because while these app designers have these incredible ideas and they figured out what works for their brain, Without you figuring out the system that works for you. And the solution to what you actually need in your space first. Nothing that you purchase is going to be a solution for you as much as you want it to be. And it took me a lot of purchases to finally figure this out. But nothing that you buy is going to be the perfect solution. Until. You truly figure out what you need. When I am in people's homes that I've worked in for, like I said, a couple hours, or even for months at a time. After we have gone through the process of decluttering. And getting things in a space that works For the people that live and operate in this home. We have a pile of organizing items. That could be used in another space. Yes. But a pile of organizing items that are just no longer needed in that space. It's just stuff. like we have a resource of organizing products that we can go to choose from. And I will tell you nine times out of 10. We don't need a darn thing because we've gotten rid of so much. You don't have to contain as much anymore. It's fascinating. And then you realize what could really elevate the space. Like on one hand, you go to a drawer or a. a cabinet, you open it up and you're like, oh my gosh. If I just had all of these containers. That could fit in here perfectly. I could put all of these different things and in all of these different spaces and it would all work for me. Except that once we've actually gotten rid of the things that don't serve a purpose in your life anymore. You realize that, oh wow. Instead of the 10 containers I thought I would need to purchase for this space. I really only need two. And actually I could use a drawer here instead, because that is what I need for these items. are you guys like picking up up when I'm putting down? go out and buy the containers if that's what makes you feel happy. Awesome. But we've got to have some rules around it because if you go up by and containers for one area, But then you get excited about another area. Now you're buying containers. For that area. Now you've got all of these unfinished projects all over your house that feel overwhelming now, because now you've got all this stuff you need to unpack. And what if it doesn't work now you're outside of the return window and there are so many other things to consider. As you are getting your home in a space to be organized. Okay, Megs. if I can't buy containers, then what do I do to get to the point where I can buy containers and I can't get excited about it. Haha. here's what you do. The first thing you're going to do is declutter. You're going to go through the stuff that you have and let go of the items That no longer serve a purpose in your home. Now, this is another episode, right? Because letting go can be so difficult for us and we can find a reason to keep literally everything. in our homes. So this is like a next step after that. But once you have found a way and peace within yourself to let go. And a method for getting stuff out of your home. You can continue to declutter throughout your home to figure out where things are actually going to live. And side note for a second. A lot of the times we have so much stuff in different places that we don't even know where it does live. So buying the containers is a moot point. Cause what if you buy it for this area, but they are actually supposed to live in this area. And now that container doesn't work for this other area. So now it's just sitting there waiting to be used. And hoping that has a purpose in the future for something else. likely we can always find a purpose for it. But we still want to avoid buying it because what if we buy too many because we do, we just do. So letting go is one of the first things, and that's why I encourage you find a time during the day that could work for you. When is the time that your brain allows you to be the most productive? Is it right after your kids leave for school? Is it right when you wake up in the morning? Is it right before you to go to bed at night, you get to decide what that looks like for you. And declutter a space so that you can start making progress in a way that makes sense for you. But decluttering always has to happen first. it's all about empowering people to let go of the stuff they have so that they can make room for the life. They really want to live. And the containers, if it makes sense for you to also get containers for that space. But once you've decluttered a space, then you get to truly assess what your needs are. Now you might be decluttering an art area and that you have paint sitting there and you're like, oh, originally I wanted a drawer for all the paint. But now that I only have five paints left because that's, what's not dried out anymore. They can sit on the shelf and I think that's fine. But I do still want to have some sort of something for paint brushes, and maybe I'm looking at the space and I take a tape measure and measure the. The depth. I measure the width and I measure the height. Of the space so that I can find something that truly works in there. And then you could simply go to I like M design or I designed, they've got a lot of really great things or take your measurements and go to the container store There's so many different stores out there that have so many different organizing tools for you. You can find something that works for you, but I encourage you to take the measurements. I know that's a barrier. That's like an extra step in getting to getting your space organized, but it's so worth it.'cause you get closer to having a space that truly works for you instead of just trying to make things fit in places that don't make sense. But, to that point, most of the time when I'm in someone's home, because we've collected all of these containers in one spot. We end up actually finding something that's going to work in that space. Without having to go and buy anything. And so it's, taking a look at what your current inventory for containers is. And assessing your needs at that point, or maybe you finally emptied out a basket that was a doom basket of items that finally got put away. And now this basket is the perfect space for you to drop your keys at the end of the day. Because it's easy. It goes right where you would have dropped your keys anyway, But now this basket can actually serve as another purpose. And It doesn't mean that you can't still shop for containers and get excited about everything. save the posts on social media and maybe never come back to them. But that's a story for another day. But continue to follow the people that create these beautiful aesthetic spaces. Just remember that if you haven't decluttered yet and your space is not truly ready to just put the items in a container and go. Then you're not necessarily ready to buy the containers yet. And that's okay. We're taking baby steps toward the end of our journey. And part of the baby steps is not buying all this stuff ahead of time. Instead. Maybe you've saved stuff in a cart. Maybe you make a wishlist somewhere. There's so many different online shopping areas where you can make a wishlist. And it just makes sense, honestly. Even if you did that. Once you are shopping for that space, you're going to find the perfect item. And it doesn't matter if you have it saved in a car or not. You're going to find the right item for you, because guess what? You're probably an incredible shopper. My clients are so incredible. They recommend the most ridiculously amazing things to me We know what to shop for where to shop for it because. Chances are, we've tried a lot of fricking things along the way. I used to have a Facebook group. When I first started the podcast, I no longer have the Facebook group, but last Amazon prime day. I think it was, last year. But I have an Amazon affiliate account. And so I was sharing some of my favorite products because that's what organizers do. But as I was doing it, I was like, you know what, I'm going to do this a little bit differently. I'm going to do this in a way. So that people shop for things in a way that They're not overspending. And there's some things that I do think that you could purchase right away without having to assess the space. Like I have this incredible bean bag chair that I used for my girls. And instead of bean bags in it, we put all their stuffed animals in it. And it's one of my favorite things. I don't think that you can go wrong with it. It's also linked on my website and my blog. if you guys are interested, I'll put it in the show notes below, but if you don't, it's not, if it's not in the budget, don't go and get it. for most other things, I set some parameters around purchasing these items first. And I want to share that with you today because you can write these down. You can use them for you. Before you go to purchase it. Ask yourself. Do you even know what room you're going to buy it for? Is your closet, is it your bedroom? Do I have a specific job for this container? And what I mean by that is. what is its purpose going to be? Are you going to put towels in it? Are you going to put shoes in it? Maybe all your winter gear, maybe just winter hats, maybe just winter gloves. Is it going to be for hair, bows and accessories? Is it going to be just for hairbrushes, maybe you're buying something under the sink, just for your curling iron. So for that type of stuff. What is the actual purpose that this is going to serve? Because sometimes we look at these items and you're like, Gosh, I could use 10 of those. I don't know where I'm going to use them, but I'm just going to get them because then I'll have them. And then as soon as they go to organize, I'll know where to grab them from. And then it'll be super easy. Except I think we all know how that can turn out sometimes. ask yourself, have I actually decluttered the space, then I'm going to use this in. Or am I hoping it just solves the clutter problem. Of what I'm already going through right now. If it's just solving a clutter problem, maybe it's not time to purchase it. Then I want you to ask yourself. Have I bought another container recently, that's waiting for me to unbox it and unwrap it and use it. And have I actually done that or am I doing this now? Because I'm excited about it. And I've lost interest in this other project that I'm also working on. It's funny because we hate roles. But we also thrive on rules. we're so good when we set rules and boundaries for ourselves, it's just, most of the time we've never been taught to set rules and boundaries for ourselves. So we don't necessarily know how to do it. So that's where asking some simple questions like this before you buy something is going to be very helpful. we go and find this container we think is going to be the solution to everything In our lives. And it just ends up causing more frustration and creating more clutter. Raise your hand. If you've bought containers and now they're just adding to the clutter. That is the clutter already in your home. If your hand is raised. Write down these rules. So truthfully, like it, it just comes back to simplicity declutter your items first. Assess the needs and what you truly actually need. And then shop intentionally. With the understanding of finding what's going to add to the system that you've created for yourself. Instead of just buying something that you're hoping to be the solution to everything that you've been hoping for in your life. Organizing is about creating systems that work. I truly want everything to be as pretty as possible, too. I love that. Look when I've organized a space and everything is in this perfect space. Amazing. it feels so good. And. It's so much more about finding the right spaces for you in your home. And not just about the beautification. I love the aesthetics. And we've got to be intentional about the aesthetics. Otherwise all of the containers are just going to add to the craziness that is going on in our brains. One of the reasons why I became a coach is because it's not just about doing the stuff and having someone force you do the stuff. In fact, that's not what it's about at all. It's about. Really understanding the belief system. And why we've been operating the way that we've been operating for so long. And taking a step back and evaluating some of the things that we've been doing unconsciously for so long. And starting to do it in a conscious way or in a way that. Helps you realize that you can make your dreams come true when you really put your heart and your mind to it. No matter where you're at in the journey, there's a place for you. I'd love to work with you. I'd love to meet you in my membership. And if you have any questions, book a call with me in the show notes below. I'd love to chat with you more. And if nothing else. If you're a homebody and you don't like to talk to people and coaching and a membership is not for you. Thanks for listening along. I'm happy to be in your ear. And I would love if you could leave a review for how this podcast is impacted, you. Or a loved onE. Happy organizing.

24:34

Thanks for hanging with me today. If this episode gave you something to think about or reminded you that you're not alone in this mess, I hope you carry that into the rest of your day. Right now, inside the community, we're focused on routines. Not the perfect ones, but the real life. Let's just start somewhere kind. We're looking at what's working, what still works, and what we might wanna shift for the year ahead while the community is closed right now to new members. If you're craving support that actually meets your brain where it is, get on the wait list at organizing an ADHD brain.com/community. Doors will open soon and I'd love to welcome you in. You can also grab the dopamine menu and check out some other free tools on the ways to connect page if you're just starting out. Zero pressure, just good stuff to help you move forward. And if you're curious about coaching, the wait list is open there too. I'm reworking a few things and maybe even dreaming up a group coaching offer. But we'll see. As always, you don't have to get it all right. You just have to start, and the perfect place to start is right where you are.