Powerful Women Rising - A Business Podcast for Female Entrepreneurs

Decluttering Your Life and Business w/Megs Crawford

• Melissa Snow - Powerful Women Rising, LLC • Episode 92

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Is clutter in your space—or your brain—holding you back?

In this episode of Powerful Women Rising, I sit down with my friend Megs Crawford, Organizer Coach for Women with ADHD and host of the Organizing an ADHD Brain Podcast, to discuss the magic of decluttering in your business. 

Although her expertise is in helping women with ADHD, the strategies Megs shares are life-changing for anyone feeling overwhelmed by chaos in their personal space or in their brains.  After all, decluttering isn’t just about cleaning up—it’s about creating clarity, improving focus, and prioritizing what truly matters.

What We’ll Cover:

  • How clutter impacts your mental clarity and productivity
  • Strategies for decluttering your business, set priorities and stay focused
  • The role of small, consistent habits in creating lasting change
  • Tips for creating a workspace that inspires calm and efficiency

Whether it’s your workspace, schedule, or mental load that needs a reset, this episode is packed with actionable tips to simplify your life and make room for the things that bring you joy and success.

If you’re ready to declutter your way to a clearer mind and a thriving business, don’t miss this inspiring and empowering conversation!

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Connect with Me, Your Host Melissa Snow!

Melissa Snow is a Business Relationship Strategist dedicated to empowering women in entrepreneurship. She founded the Powerful Women Rising Community, which provides female business owners with essential support and resources for business growth. Melissa's other mission is to revolutionize networking, promoting authenticity and genuine connections over sleazy sales tactics. She lives in Colorado Springs with her two dogs, three cats, and any number of foster kittens. She loves iced coffee, true crime, Taylor Swift, and buying books she’ll never read.

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Speaker 1:

Hello, megan, welcome to the podcast. Thanks for having me, yeah, so excited to talk to you today about organizing. It's funny that this is a topic that we're talking about, because I just this morning was looking around my house and I was like I am going to lose my mind. Like there's just piles of stuff everywhere and unorganized that like I just need you to. I should have just had you come over and we could have record the podcast while we organized.

Speaker 2:

I would love that. I feel like that's a good future state podcast episode.

Speaker 1:

Yes, let's do it, but then I feel like we'd have to do it on video and I'm not sure I want people to see all that.

Speaker 2:

Oh fair, but there's no judgment ever, because there's so many people out there that have piles of stuff and I'm just there to help you through it, which is really awesome. So, totally, totally yeah.

Speaker 1:

So, on that note, tell us a little bit. I just like let me dive in and tell you about my problems. Tell us about you and how you got into organizing and what you do.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely so. My name is Megs and I started my business back in September of 2023. It's mindful moves organizing with Megs and I also have a podcast called organizing an ADHD brain. I am passionate about supporting women with ADHD in their organizing and decluttering needs, so I talk a lot about the power of letting go, why we hold on to things doom piles, which is what you were just talking about. We call them, didn't organize, only moved doom piles. So those are things that I have so much experience in.

Speaker 2:

I grew up my whole life living in a home where my parents had so much stuff and we had moved into my grandfather's house that we had inherited and he had all of his stuff in there and none of it ever left, and so clutter for me just became a norm, and I remember going to friends' houses and seeing rooms that didn't have a lot of stuff in it, and it was mind boggling to me how someone could live in a space without a lot of stuff. And so gradually throughout my life I've just had this curiosity of how people have less, and about two and a half three years ago now, I was diagnosed with ADHD. I was working in the corporate world. I had gotten my project management certificate. I was working on my master's degree in project management. I'm in leadership. I love what I do, and at one point I realized I didn't love what I was doing anymore. There was so much that just wasn't fulfilling me and I had to make some pretty big decisions and I decided to leave, and that's been a journey in itself, but that's when I did decide to start my own business. Originally, I wanted to become an organizer where I bought all the pretty baskets and like, came into your home and said, oh, you need a basket here and a label here, and to a degree, that's still somewhat of what I do.

Speaker 2:

But I have found finding women with ADHD who have so much that I can show them that I used to have so much as well.

Speaker 2:

And there's power in letting go and living the life that you want versus living the life that you feel like. You need to be prepared for anything that happens, and that's a lot of what happens. Right, we hold onto these things because we're like we might need this one day, and so I love just talking about understanding what does elevate your life now and what's okay to let go and it's okay to not have it in the future. It's not. Let me rephrase this it's okay to not be the savior in a story in the event that something comes up that you need. And so that's where I come in, because, ultimately, I don't want to live the life that my parents have, with all of the stuff, and I want to help women understand that it's okay to have less, and you can actually live an even fuller life when you have less, because it's not the stuff that elevates our life, it's the experiences and it's the memories that we're making along the way.

Speaker 1:

I love that and I love what you said about like it's okay to not be the hero who has the thing, like my dad is. He's not a hoarder, he's super organized, but he does like the stuff and like he there. My sister showed me this cartoon once. That was like these people trying to fix a thing and they were like you know, what would really work right here is if we had a piece of wood that was like two inches by like four inches and it was just like kind of curved at the top and attached to a thing and the dad shows up and is like likeda-da, like he's been hanging onto that thing in his garage for like nine years just waiting for this moment. That's my dad.

Speaker 2:

Yep.

Speaker 1:

Which is great for me, because he always has the thing.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely yeah, he's the hero in your story right, but someday, when he's not here and all of his two inch pieces of wood are here, I'm gonna be like Megs, help me.

Speaker 1:

Today we're talking specifically about organization in your business and not necessarily I'm not talking, like, about organizing the folders on your desktop or on your actual desktop Maybe it's a little bit of both those things and we're also not talking about organization in terms of, like leadership, organization or, like you know, the supervisor and the managers and the staff.

Speaker 1:

We're talking about, like more like being organized in your space and being organized in your head ADHD. But I also think, if somebody is listening to this podcast and they don't have ADHD, or they've never been diagnosed with it, at least that there is still a lot of benefit to them listening to this episode, because organization is a challenge, I think, no matter how your brain works and sometimes we take it to the other end of the spectrum, right, like I've noticed that with people with ADHD is there's a lot of people that are like I can't keep up with it, I can't pick my stuff up, my house has been a mess since 1984. And then there's other people, which actually generally is the spectrum I fall into, which is like, if there's one thing on the counter, it's too much clutter and it's got to go.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

And I think a lot of just humans in general are like that too.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

So let's talk about this first. What does it mean to have an organized business?

Speaker 2:

That's a great question, and so I don't think there's a perfect answer for that and I don't think that there's a one size fits all. In fact, there's not a one size fits all because we all have different businesses we have. We all have a different way of running them and we all have different brains, whether we have ADHD or not. So, when it comes to having an organized business, it's sitting down and actually understanding what that means to you, and so, as far as like your space, having an organized space, it's being able to go somewhere and finding the thing that you're looking for because it has a home. It's having less in the space that you're working in, because there's less to distract you from the things that you need to get done. Because, as business owners, we're really good at the things that we love to do but, at the same time, we're not great at getting the things done that are not fun to do.

Speaker 2:

And especially if you don't have the money to be able to, you know, to spend to have someone else do it for you. You're having to sit down to do those things. And I know, whenever I sit down and I see distractions of things that I feel like I have to do in that moment, because we have two speeds we're either get things done right now or later, and so if I'm sitting down and there's something that I don't wanna do and I see something that I could do right now, that is exactly the thing that I'm gonna be doing in the moment. So it's so important that we have a space that is non-distracting from the things that we're trying to get done as business owners, so that we can effectively run our business in a way that makes sense. Now, for some people, that's not necessarily something they could do in a day or in three days or even a week, because it's taken us so long to accumulate the stuff in our home. We want to be able to accomplish having this peaceful space to live in or to work in in a day, because that's what our mind sees, but in reality, because we're time blind and we don't necessarily have the capacity to estimate how much time it's going to take to get rid of everything. It takes us, it's hard for us to even get started. And so what's?

Speaker 2:

Coming back to the original question, cause I could go on or off on a rabbit hole here, squirrel what does it mean to have an organized business? And so it's different, you know, than the stuff on your desktop, then the stuff in your home. And when you actually think about your business is do you have some main priorities that you're focused on, that you're trying to achieve? Do you have smaller goals that you're working toward on a regular basis? Because, again, when it comes to ADHD, it's hard for us to set priorities, which means that everything is important and when everything is important and nothing is important, because our brain is being divided in a hundred different ways, whereas if we're focusing on four different things, we're only dividing our brain into four different quadrants to focus on these four main things that are most important. And it's funny because, as a professional organizer, I do focus on the physical space of things.

Speaker 2:

Professional organizer, I do focus on the physical space of things and, as I'm in I'm in my second year of business Now I'm now really honed in on the abstract space, like my brain space and the things that I'm putting my effort and focus into now, because I see such a direct correlation between the space and then the clutter that's going on in my brain and the stuff I'm trying to achieve. And so you know it, just because I am organized, so to speak, right, just because you get organized, doesn't mean that ADHD goes away. It doesn't mean that you then live a life that's perfect. It just means that things are just a little bit easier because we are removing some of the barriers that are in the way of getting things done, and sometimes it's those barriers that prevent us from getting the biggest things done.

Speaker 2:

I hired an assistant, probably about a month and a half ago, and I didn't really. I knew I needed help, but I didn't know the extent to which she would be able to help me, and sometimes it was eliminating just one barrier and I was able to take care of the rest, because that one thing wasn't in my way any longer.

Speaker 2:

And it's fascinating just to start to understand what makes sense. So sitting down and really understanding what would simplify my life to the point where I feel like I'm organized. And it does come back to the simplification of things. I don't need everything right now because I can't handle everything right now. Not only is the inventory in my brain too much for me to manage, the inventory in my space is too much for me to manage if I try to keep everything here.

Speaker 1:

Yes, absolutely. It's funny we're having this conversation today because yesterday I just recorded an episode about shiny object syndrome and it's so. I think it's such a thing for entrepreneurs in general of like we will sit down Well, I don't know if it's like this for everyone who doesn't have ADHD but like I will sit down in the morning with a very solid plan of like this is what I'm going to do today. And then I go on Facebook because I need to look up somebody's email address and I know she sent it to me in a DM. And then I see an ad on Facebook that's for this course about how to make reels, and I'm like, oh, I've been wanting to know how to make reels, right.

Speaker 1:

So we just like jump from one thing to another, to another, and I know entrepreneurs who don't have ADHD do this because we just think we need to do all the things. We see like people writing a book and people speaking on a stage and people who started a podcast, and we're like I'm going to do that. And we often don't stop to ask ourselves, like you said, number one is this aligned with my goals and my values and what I'm trying to do here, but also, do I have the financial and the time and the energy capacity to actually make this work Totally. We just like to go for it.

Speaker 2:

We do and I don't think that there's anything wrong with going for it, as long as we're starting to understand the lessons that come from going for it. And I actually saw a post the other day about how this person was being interviewed. I think they were a millionaire or billionaire entrepreneur and they said what sets you apart? And they said, well, when the other person was thinking so much about what to do next, I had already done the thing, had three mistakes I needed to fix and was moving on from it to the next adventure. And that meant so much to me because I think sometimes we're afraid to take the leap because we want to be perfect, but if we're not perfect we think we're a failure, but really we're not perfect. We think we're a failure but really we're not a failure because ultimately at that point likely not many people have seen us as at the perceived failure. So really we're just learning and we're putting ourselves out there in the capacity so that the next time we approach this same situation or a similar situation, we can do it with a different set of eyes, with the knowing that we now know. We can do it with a different set of eyes with the knowing that we now know. Yeah, and I think that's so key, it's like it's okay to do it, like, even as far as social media goes, I have been told a million times stop putting all of your effort in all of the social media platforms, just pick one and that. Let that be the one that you put the effort in. As many times as people have said that to me and it sounds like the greatest idea.

Speaker 2:

The implementation of actually taking myself off of those social the extra ones is very difficult, and so I've been doing it a little bit at a time. I actually I announced in my Facebook group the other day that it was no longer going to be active for my podcast, so that felt really good. And then, slowly but surely, I am taking myself away from Facebook in general, just because it doesn't feel like the space for me any longer. And it's through reflection that I've been able to understand that, and I think it also allows me to understand the shiny objects that are now getting in my way in the future, because I see these things and I'm just like, oh, I need to take a class, I need to go back, I should finish my master's degree, I should go and get this certification and this certification, but is that, like you said? Is it aligned with my goals? And then it comes back to like, what am I really trying to work on right now? And so, yeah, it's so interesting with ADHD, right Like our executive function is not very effective because we've got these beautiful plans and ideas and we know what the future could look like, because it's all up here.

Speaker 2:

But then sitting down and putting it into action and raking it up into these small, minusc, bite-sized items makes it very difficult, because we want the end result right away, which is funny because this also comes back to our homes. We have so much and we want to make the big difference right away, but in reality it's through these minuscule 1% changes that are going to help us build into something so much more in our home than trying to make the big changes in a weekend, which ultimately just burn us out and make us never want to go back to organizing again.

Speaker 1:

Yes, absolutely, or we just keep going from extreme to extreme, like we wait until it's a complete mess and then it's completely organized and everything's in its place and then it gets to be a complete mess again and we just go back and forth. Yeah, pro tip for you and all your great ideas. My VA made a channel on Slack for us called brain dump and she was like every time you have a great idea, put it in here because, I think every 30 seconds I'm like, hey, me again got a great idea.

Speaker 1:

Why don't we do this? So she made me this brain dump channel. She's like, every time you have a good idea, put it in there, and so I do, and then it gets out of my head, right. So I won't forget this great idea I had. Half of the time I look back at it and I'm like, yeah, that's actually not that great of an idea. But if I do look at it, you know, a few days or weeks later, and I'm like this actually is a great idea. I think we should do it. Then she breaks it down into like okay, here's the steps that we need to take to do it. These are the ones I'm going to do, these are the ones you're going to do. And then all of a sudden, like all of these great ideas that I have that never actually get done are like becoming reality.

Speaker 2:

Oh, I love that so much. I know it's amazing. That's a brilliant idea. Yes.

Speaker 1:

So what are some you've? We've talked about this a little bit, but what are some signs that we might see that would indicate to us that our business is not as organized as it could be, or optimally organized?

Speaker 2:

I would say a constant dropping of the ball. You know, I think you know follow-up is so incredibly important for business owners. Do you have a method with which you consistently follow up with your clients, even having some sort of process with which you follow to give your clients a consistent experience on a regular basis, because that's something that should be expected of you as a business owner? I also think like this is just me off the cusp, thinking about my own experience, but I do believe that it comes back to your definition of being organized, because if you work in a business where you don't think it's a requirement to follow up with clients, then that's what you get to decide, right, and then you're going to find the client who really doesn't care if you follow up with them or not. So it's really just about are there things that you're not getting done on a regular basis that you wish you were? Because you keep following the breadcrumbs to something else? Because, like you constantly are checking email 100% of the day instead of actually doing the thing that you set out in motion to do or you're doing. I know that you're a networking queen, but like you're doing so many networking meetings that you're not actually meeting any clients, because you're so focused on meeting people, which ultimately pays off in the end. But are you still then building your business? So like having a really healthy balance of what's going to build your business, what's going to maintain your business now and then, what's ultimately going to help you grow, and you get to define what that looks like. If you're growing via networking, then you can have a specific day that you meet with people and, coming back to just that sense of overwhelm, do you feel like you're constantly doing so much on a regular basis? You feel burnt out by the end of the day, but you don't actually feel like you did anything at all, because the burnout is really what organizing should conquer and allowing ourselves to slow down. That's one of the biggest things that I've been working on this year is, even while I'm doing the dishes, reminding myself that it's okay that I don't rush through doing the dishes, because as long as I'm continuing to grow each day by taking baby steps, then that is what's going to get me to the end result, and I should have this written down somewhere in my affirmations, because it's hard to do. It's hard to remind myself of these things when I'm like sitting down and going through the motions, but I think of the. There's a picture, there's this meme out there. I posted it the other day. It's a ladder with baby steps where you can easily climb up to the next step. And then there's this other person trying to climb this ladder. That's got these huge rungs on it where you can't even reach the next rung, but you're expected to because that's the ladder that has been set forth in front of you.

Speaker 2:

So when everything is important, I often take a look at what is my biggest goal and what is one step that I could take towards getting there today. What is just one thing? Because I could, on one hand, sit in a paralysis on my couch saying, oh my God, there's so many things that I need to do. I can't possibly like get up and do any of them, because there's so many things for me to do, I don't know where to start. Or I could challenge that and say what's one thing I could do? And the one thing I could do is literally even just simply get up off the couch and be like okay, now that I've done that, what's one more thing I can do? And breaking it down, because my executive function isn't necessarily going to do it for me unless I start to challenge it in that way.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I love the idea of just doing it a little bit at a time. I remember, when we're talking, I'm thinking about when I was a little kid and I remember my room was a mess like mess, mess. And I can remember my mom being like go clean your room, Don't come out until you're done. And I remember going to my room and just sitting there and crying because like I didn't even know where to start, Like what do I even do in here? And at some point I think she must've come in to help me. She felt bad for me and showed me how to start, like okay, well, first let's just pick up all the dishes. First let's just pick up all the trash. Now let's pick up all the dirty clothes. Now let's pick up all the clean clothes and put them back where they go, Like one little thing at a time, because when you walk into the room and it's like I've got to do something with all of this, that's a lot for anybody.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that's exactly how I work with my kids. Now is breaking it up, but unless someone's telling you, it can be very difficult to do. Sorry, go ahead.

Speaker 1:

Oh, I was just gonna say what you keep bringing it back to is like finding what works for you, finding your definition of organization, finding whatever helps you feel more organized and how you set up your schedule or things like that, Because I remember like I mean, I know there's a joke in the ADHD community about how we all own like 25 planners that like the first week is filled out and that is completely my life.

Speaker 1:

But I can't tell you how many times I have tried time blocking because it seems like such a good idea, right, Like to be able to sit down and map out my whole week and see like where everything is getting done, because from nine to 10, I'm doing this. From 10 to one I'm doing this Like, but actually sticking to it has never happened for me, and every time I've tried it's ended up with like what is wrong with me? Like why can't I do this? I know so many people who time block and it makes them so productive, and what is wrong with me that I can't do it, and realizing that there's actually nothing wrong with you.

Speaker 1:

That's just not what works for your brain, whether you have ADHD or you don't, and finding the things that do work for you because they're not going to be all the same, and it's okay that what helps you stay organized is not what helps me stay organized. Yes, absolutely.

Speaker 2:

And what's interesting about that, too, is you've likely and I'm going to project here, but you've likely taken this incredible calendar, filled it out and time blocked it and had this perfect plan of what you were going to do. Every day was planned perfectly. But what often happens when we come up with a plan is that things fail and then we drop the ball and then we have to pick up what's left of the pieces, but because that one week didn't go perfectly, we look back on it and we're like well, can't do that. Accept that Whenever you've tried to do something new well, I know, whenever I've tried to do something new, I'm never good at it right away, but I want to be, and so when I'm not good at something right away, it's very difficult for me to come back to do it, because there's a barrier there, and so part of it is just telling myself if this is something I actually want to happen, I've got to do it in smaller increments, and I've got to be able to tell myself or reflect back on what didn't work last time that could work this time. And it's not about consistency, it's about continuity, like continuing to come back to the different things that we set up for ourselves. But the reason why I said you've likely, like, had this grandiose plan, you planned it all out. It's like when we empty an entire closet to organize it and then we spend hours putting it back meticulously in the way that we want it to stay organized, and then does it ever stay organized the way that we've put it back? Never. No, because we want to do these things, in these big, grandiose plans, we overcomplicate everything because we've got great ideas, except that when we simplify things, that's when we start to make big differences. So, for example, if you wanted to start time walking, I did this with my friend the other day.

Speaker 2:

I sat down and was like we need to come up with a system for sending out our emails every single week, because we weren't sending out our emails for our podcasts and for things like that. So on what day do you want to send out your email? So I was challenging her right, and then she was challenging me, and then we set up a calendar reminder for ourselves. On that day, actually pinged us when it was time to send the email and that was a checklist mark on our digital calendar for us to check mark off. But we didn't do anything else. We didn't add anything else to the calendar. That was the one thing that we held each other accountable for.

Speaker 2:

And now, whenever I see her email go out or whenever she sees mine go out, we then say, oh, it's time for us to send. So, like there's a couple of different things going on there. It's not only a body doubling exercise because I'm depending on her, she's depending on me in a way, right Without, we're not going to yell at each other if we don't send out an email, but we also set up a plan for ourselves to get it done. But that's the one thing I'm now holding myself accountable to getting done as I'm going through the next week. So, instead of making 18 changes in a week, I'm just making one change and I'm seeing if that works for me and if it doesn't, why. But if it does, how can I build upon that? Is there like a habit or a routine that I can add on top of that? So, like, right after I send my email, I also check my mileage for the week and make sure that it's classified as personal or business, and that's when I do that. So it's not something that's weighing over me at the end of the month and I have to do all at once.

Speaker 2:

So making the changes in a smaller way and, again, figuring out what works for you, but knowing that if you've tried to do everything all at once, it's okay that it didn't work for you, because it doesn't work for most people. Most people can't sustain that. Yeah, just like you can't decide to, you know, run a marathon, I couldn't decide to run a marathon tomorrow. I mean, I could decide to do it, but if the marathon was actually tomorrow, I would not be successful at that and I would die. I would literally die likely. But if I decided that I'm going to run a marathon tomorrow, in six months, do I, could I make small incremental changes to be able to run a marathon in six months? Freaking a million percent, I could. And, and that would be the small changes I make every day to build into what I, what I become in six months.

Speaker 1:

Well, I like that too, because it gives us the quick wins that we really like. I have a friend who also has ADHD and she is hilarious and if she what you said about like being instantly good at something, her whole thing is everything's boring. So like if we, if she starts something that she doesn't know how to do and she doesn't like instantly figure it out, or she tries something and a hundred people don't instantly buy it or whatever she's like, that's boring, I don't want to do that anymore. Yeah, so if we can give ourselves those little things it's like oh look, you did that, you did that thing, like that wasn't boring at all because you did it Right, and then just keep adding to those, it seems like that would work much better.

Speaker 2:

Yes, A adding to those. It seems like that would work much better. Yes, a million percent. Well, I mean, it's not all me. I read the book um atomic habits by James clear and that has helped me so much. And it was a lot of me being preachy when I was a leader in the corporate world because sometimes people would try one thing and they would try it with one person. They were like that went horribly, I wouldn't, I will never try that again. And I'm like what a bummer, because like that could work if you learn how to say it in a way that made sense for that specific person. And so, yeah, it's just about approaching it with that mindset, cause I hate when I'm not good at something and I also know when I continue to try things that I'm not good at, I get so much better. I mean, even with the podcast. I wanted to be so good at my podcast right away and I wasn't like and, like I could say, I spoke very well.

Speaker 1:

No one actually is, but we think we're going to be the one person on earth. It's like day one of my podcast Every. It's number one on the charts.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, Like you're welcome everyone for showing up, but you know there's also the audio part of it and the visual and like what platforms do you put out to it? Or like the marketing aspect that comes into the podcast and are you going to monetize it, or is it simply going to showcase who you are? There's so many different aspects of that. I thought I needed to have it all figured out and guess what? However, many months later, I'm still figuring it out.

Speaker 2:

And that's okay because I'm building upon what I know each and every week, each and every month. It's brilliant, yeah.

Speaker 1:

So you've given us lots of good tips that have just kind of been interwoven in this interview that I think will be good for people to start doing. I mean, there're little things that we can start doing right away that are going to help us be more organized in our lives and in our businesses. Is there anything that we haven't touched on that? I mean I'm sure there's a lot we haven't touched on that. If somebody is listening and they're like gosh, I don't even really know where to start. Is there like one little thing that's like do this today?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I'm going to take a step back because I'm like this could be different for everyone. So a generic blanket. This is where you start. Understand what the change is that you want to make and let's use decluttering your office. For example, do you want your office to be less cluttered so that you can see what you have and things have a home?

Speaker 2:

Then start today by setting a timer for 15 minutes and see what you can get done in 15 minutes. It doesn't sound like a lot of time but it's actually huge. You can get so much done in 15 minutes by simply just setting a timer and what that does for you too, because we're timeline at least those with ADHD it helps us get into the project. But to also know that when that timer goes off, we're allowed to leave that project. In fact I recommend that you do, because if you get into hyper-focus mode, you can get into that burnout mode really easily when, like it's three hours later and you're like what have I done with my life? So 15 minutes allows you to get little increments done in a reasonable amount of time so that you can keep coming back to it day after day and then ultimately, if you're doing that for five days in a row. That's an hour and 15 minutes now that you've put into creating a space that's going to elevate your work. So after a month and what is that? Five hours later, you've now created a space that feels so much better for you to work in. And a month seems like a long time, but in the reality, when we're still taking care of kids and having to make food for ourselves and having to like live a healthy lifestyle, 15 minutes is a very small amount of time for you to be able to dedicate to that little space, for you to make those little differences in your world.

Speaker 2:

And I still do it to this day. I've there's still stuff I'm getting out of my home. I'm always decluttering, just because that's now a part of my life, but it's a healthy habit that I've created for myself. I don't do it every day, but sometimes I do it in the morning, sometimes I'll do it in the evening, and one thing that I like to do is before I go to bed at night, if there's dishes in the sink and I don't want to clean them. I first talked to myself about how morning Megan would be really ticked off at nighttime Megan, if she didn't do anything here. So nighttime Megan makes a decision to set a timer for 15 minutes to see what I can get done, just in the cleaning sense, I do 15 minutes and when that 15 minutes is over, honestly most of the time I still have like a minute or two is going to get me to be able to finish everything, and I do it and I feel so much better.

Speaker 1:

Whereas morning.

Speaker 2:

Megan is very happy. Oh my gosh, she is so proud of nighttime. Megan yeah, so it's. And you know, the thing is is just reminding myself like it's going to have to get done, whether I do it now or later. It's going to then accumulate the next night too. So if I continue to put it off, it's just a delayed decision for me to have to come back to later and ultimately, a lot of the stuff in our house is just a delayed decision for me to have to come back to later and ultimately, a lot of the stuff in our house is just a delayed decision. We haven't figured out what to do with it yet. So making the full decisions and putting a timeframe around it can make it so much easier to get the things done, even when we don't want to, because it it gives us all of the. It does not give us the dopamine we are seeking in the moment.

Speaker 1:

I love that. I heard once somebody I can't remember even where I heard it. But for people who like struggle to work out or go to the gym or something like that, it's like don't even tell yourself that you have to go work out. Like just say, I have to put on my workout clothes and my shoes, like that's it. Or like put on your workout clothes and my shoes, like that's it. Or like put on your workout clothes in your shoes and do five minutes on the elliptical machine. All you have to do is five minutes. Because then your brain's like, okay, fine, five minutes. After five minutes you're like, okay, I'll just keep going, like I'm already on here anyway, right, but just breaking it down into those little steps of like and giving yourself permission. If I get on the elliptical for five minutes and five minutes later I'm like I still don't want to freaking, do this, then I'm done Exactly the world survives, yeah, but it comes back to that all or nothing.

Speaker 2:

We think we need to go to the gym and we need to be sweating, we need to be like lifting weights, we need to be doing everything. You need to be there for two hours, yeah right, and incorporating all kinds of different, but really, if we did five minutes of exercise every day, that's five minutes more that we're dedicating to our bodies than we would have otherwise. And I say that's a win, you know, and just kind of bringing it back. And we need to, especially with ADHD, take care of our bodies in that way, because that's such a fresh start to the morning. It gives us such a pump of focus and energy that we need to conquer the day in a way that, just in a way that makes us feel better, versus just trying to do everything all at once and get it all done in a day, which is so unrealistic.

Speaker 1:

Yes, absolutely. This is so good. I feel like we could keep going for another hour, but we won't, probably. But maybe I'll have you back for a part two. I would love that. These are really, really great tips, I think, for anybody who is struggling with organization or anyone who is a human with a brain and a home and stuff. Yeah, if people want to connect with you more, if they want to get more of you, what's the best way for them to do that?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, check out my website. It's mindfulmegscom. You can reach me on all of my socials there, too. There's also a connection to my podcast there. So organizing an ADHD brain. I'm on Apples and Spotify anywhere you listen to podcasts and then I like to spend a lot of my social media time on TikTok and Instagram, so check it out there, and I would love to hear from anyone who's interested in a more organized journey ahead of them.

Speaker 1:

I love your videos. I love your organizing tips. I also love that sometimes your little kitty cat makes an appearance in your videos?

Speaker 2:

He does. Yeah, he's like my little mascot.

Speaker 1:

Petty, he's so cute. Is he very organized?

Speaker 2:

No, no, yeah, he's not. I would say his sleep is quite off lately, not very organized at all, which has set us off into like a frenzy in this household. But his cuddles are are on point. I will say that when he's ready to cuddle they're on point.

Speaker 1:

One thing at a time, teddy, baby steps.

Speaker 2:

Actually I will say he's organized in the sense that I have, like, this little pet treat container in my pantry and it has just a little label on it that says pet treats and he climbs in there to sleep. So sometimes when we can't find him, I will go into the pantry and find him sleeping in a little labeled box and it's freaking adorable.

Speaker 1:

Because he is a pet treat.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, he's so sweet, that's so cute.

Speaker 1:

I love it. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast. This has been awesome. Thanks for having me.

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Melissa Snow

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