Living in Organized Chaos

Ever since I was little, my mom has always said that I live in organized chaos. And let me tell ya, I still do to this day!! So what is organized chaos you ask? Because it seems a little contradictory, doesn’t it? It might sound odd, but that’s how my brain works!! My ADHD brain is definitely organized chaos in the best way. So it make sense that I organize parts of my life that way as well.

Organized chaos can look different in every person. For me, that might look like piles of papers on my desk, or items everywhere at home. It would be what most people consider “cluttered” but it’s something that works for me. I live in a world where I need things to have a home, but they also need to be seen. If I put all of my mail in a bin that’s in my closet, most likely I’ll forget about it. Is it ‘organized’? Yea, but I’ll also never accomplish my goal of going through it. Therefore I organize my mail by my door in piles. Is it sometimes in the way? Potentially. But I’m more likely to actually go through it if I can see it. And even more importantly, I know exactly where it is!! That is another part of my organized chaos. Yes, there may be papers and books all around, but I know exactly where these items are. And when we think about, isn’t that what organization really is? 

Assuming I haven’t lost you at this point, bear with me for a second. How do people define organization? According to the dictionary, to organize something can be defined as “to form into a coherent unity or functioning whole.” It says nothing about looking ‘pretty’. And this is often the thing I stress most to clients who are struggling with their organization. A system is working as long as you know where things are, you’re not losing them, and it’s not a hassle to go through it. That means that as long as my stacks of paper make sense to me, it doesn’t matter that somebody else thinks it looks disorganized!! Everyone’s system looks different. As long as it works, go with it!!

Forever living in organized chaos,

Kathryn