Take A Picture
January 4, 2009 by Brenda
Filed under Organization
I am determined that this year I will be even more organized than in the past, because there’s always room for improvement.
You know, one of the most common symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder is the inability to pay attention consistently. When we hear that, we usually picture a child in a classroom trying to (or not) pay attention to the teacher.
And while being disorganized can also be a part of ADHD symptoms, I think that inattention plays a part in being disorganized too.
One of the things I noticed during the holidays (because we had guests) is how I take certain things around my home for granted. They become so much a part of the landscape that I don’t really see them anymore. My attention is not focused on the details of what I see around me.
That is, until you see the pictures from the holidays. Oh, look, there’s a picture of mom opening a present. And look, right behind her? That’s the 40 lb bag of salt dad bought a week ago and left by the garage door.
Sometimes you need a wake up call like that to see what other people see.
You can do it for yourself. Almost everybody has some sort of digital camera these days, even on their cell phone. Spend some time going around your house taking pictures. If you can print them out, even better. (Getting them developed at the drug store means other people get to see what your house looks like, so use caution there.)
Somehow looking at a picture of your space lets you see things you don’t really notice while you’re in it. The cool thing about that, though, is that now you have a clear place to start.
No more wondering what to tackle first. Just pull a picture from the stack and get to work. You might even want to take “after” pictures to compare your results. What a great motivational tool that could be!
So go ahead - I dare you. Start taking some pictures of your house!