One of the great disappointments in life is that we can’t be good at everything. Then again, how boring would that be? It is in our quirks and oddities that our uniqueness shines.  

It does, however, take a while to learn to love those quirks. I learned this hard lesson very early after realizing my coloring skills couldn’t hold a candle to my desk mate’s. For better or worse, I spent the next decade taking stock of my weaknesses, writing them down in a journal, vowing to abolish said flaws by sheer willpower. I’m sure you could guess how that worked out. (Hello, therapy!)

Since then, I’ve learned to let go of some of these “weaknesses” and accept my flaws, with one glaring exception: I’m incredibly disorganized. I embody disorganized chaos in every sense of the word; from my physical space and objects to my work and social schedule. I say yes to things without referencing prior obligations, and I’ve (more often than I care to admit) gasped when realizing I have a meeting in 5 minutes and have to get across town. I am constantly battling the clutter in my room and, for whatever reason, have a total aversion to putting clothes away after I try them on. I would feel less shame about this if it didn’t affect almost everyone I encounter. The late emails, the lost keys in a Target parking lot, missing paperwork, or luggage left at security. I apologize to strangers, friends, family, and sink into my own steamy soup of shame.

I’m working on getting over it. But it’s taking time.

What I’ve come to accept is sometimes the most basic life skills are the most difficult, especially for adults living with ADHD. It’s a constant struggle to keep information, passwords, keys, cell phones, sunglasses, and wallets within your grasp. We learn to thrive in the chaos. It also makes us dynamic and fun and exciting to be around. This chaos has it’s challenges, but it also brings forth gifts like creativity and imagination. As I’ve gotten older I’ve let the chaos in my brain lead me to exciting jobs in the creative field and hobbies that involve making things. While I’m getting better at recognizing the upside of my scattered brain, that doesn’t change the fact that the world we live in, especially when you run a business and have children, requires some sense of organization.

Technology has been one of the best things to happen to scatterbrained people, if they can harness it’s power appropriately. For example, with every opportunity to fall down the Instagram rabbit hole, there are 2 apps that assist a busy brain. I’ve learned to live by my calendar, take advantage of online banking and bill pay, enlist the help of Amazon’s Alexa so I don’t over cook the chicken or forget to buy batteries, and freed myself from the clutches of my phone with a smartwatch.

As 2016 came to an end, our friends at MyDomaine and Fossil asked us to participate in a 31 Day Challenge that was about embracing technology and the improvements it can make in your life. Given how much of my life these devices have given back to me, I said YES! We gave the Fossil Q Smartwatch a test drive when I got back in the office vowing to get organized and reinspired for 2017. We were challenged to think about the role of Organization and Creativity play in my daily life, and it was fun to step back and think about skills that so often contradict one another. “Organization” is about systems and logic and process while “Creativity” is about play, experimentation, and wonder. What we’ve found was that an organized life allows for creativity to blossom, and creativity needs organization to continue to evolve.

W&D’s Life Hacks: Organization Tips For Disorganized Creatives

A clean desk brings a clear mind, but sometimes a little clutter can work in your favor. Here are some ways we tamed a studio full of stuff to look put together and work for a variety of functions.

1. Use home decor odds and ends to organize desk clutter. When we set up our desks, I decided to shop our prop closet to find cute vessels for my keys, business cards, lipstick… basically anything I would throw on my desk on a daily basis. It’s a quick way to take your desk from blah to pretty without much work.

2. Color Code Your Clutter. We have A LOT of props in our studio, which can look cluttered and disorganized at times. We decided it was best to arrange each shelf by color, giving it an eclectic but unified look. It has also helped speed up the pulling processes when getting ready for a shoot!

3. Put Some Wheels On It. One of the benefits of this space is its flexibility. We embraced the idea of having storage on wheels, so we could use them for wheeling props, supplies, etc. to different parts of the studio. Sometimes we’ll use this an Ikea bookshelf for organizing props for a shot list, or for organizing product samples for a presentation. The flexibility has made it super easy to do a lot of different things in the space.
4. Activate Calendar Notifications on your Fossil Q Smartwatch. The best part about using a smartwatch is that I don’t have to constantly be looking at my phone. It’s easy to lose track of time when you’re busy shooting or in a meeting, so the discrete notifications on the Fossil Q Smartwatch make it easy to stay on top of my schedule, especially when I am 100% reliant on my Google calendar.

5. Think outside the box (or kitchenette). Our office kitchenette needed to work double time for us. The island doubles as a work table, and we used an empty corner to place small appliances that otherwise cluttered our countertop. Now, the microwave and N’espresso machine are out of the way and easy to reach.

W&D’s Life Hacks: How To Make Room For Creativity

Whether you’re taking up a new hobby or trying to improve your craft, creativity is a fickle thing. We can’t always turn it on when we want to, and if we don’t make time for it, these hobbies quickly give way to more practical tasks. Here’s how I’m trying to make more room for play in 2017 with three of my favorite creative hobbies: floral arranging, writing, and interior design.

1. Don’t be afraid to fail. My favorite creative endeavors have only begun after I gave myself permission to be terrible at it! I’ve always wanted to make beautiful flower arrangements, but it’s harder than it looks! As soon as I said, “OK, this isn’t your calling,” I was able to find ways to make pretty arrangements at home by lowering my expectations and simplifying my approach.
   
2. Don’t be afraid to start somewhere. One of my goals this year is to write more. In 2016, it was “become a better writer.” That goal was so lofty, I would put off writing everyday because I felt it was impossible to achieve. With a small tweak in perspective, it’s easy to quantify my progress.
3. Make time to practice your craft. It’s difficult to make time for the things you like to do, let alone all the things you have to get done in a day. When I don’t feel like writing, I set a timer on my Fossil Q Smartwatch to 10 minutes. I have to at least try to put words to paper for that amount of time. If I’m not on a roll by then, I get to quit. It’s a great way to feel good about the effort you put in and takes the pressure off of what you made. It’s a great way to bring creativity into your daily schedule.
   
4. Creativity is a way of thinking, not a craft! My love for designing interior spaces started out as a hobby. I loved it so much I decided to take what I learned as a graphic designer and apply it to interior design. Instead of looking to interior trends, I think about rooms in terms of repetition, focal points, balance, and juxtaposition.
   
   5. Mix and match. Creativity can be exercised in so many different ways, and it doesn’t always have to be art, design or music! One way I’m trying to bring more creativity into my day to day life is mixing up my wardrobe. Since having a baby, I’ve streamlined the number of pieces but have been getting more adventurous in switching up my go-to wardrobe. What I like about the Fossil Q Smartwatch is that it’s more subtle and fashion-forward than an Apple Watch for a much lower price. I can also go for the sporty look with the silicone strap. I also like to add a scarf to my wrist as another way of spicing things up. The digital watch face can also be changed to align with my mood or wardrobe. Total customization is possible and I don’t have to buy any extra accessories.

A big thanks to MyDomaine and Fossil for inviting me to participate in the 31 Day Challenge!

Ed. note: This post was sponsored by Fossil. The compensation received in exchange for placement on Wit & Delight is used to purchase props, hire a photographer, write/edit the blog post and support the larger team behind Wit & Delight.

While compensation was received in exchange for coverage, all thoughts and opinions are always my own. Sponsored posts like these allow for development of additional dynamic content to be produced, unsponsored. Thank you for supporting our partners!

Kate Arends

Kate is the founder of Wit & Delight. She is currently learning how to play tennis and is forever testing the boundaries of her creative muscle. Follow her on Instagram at @witanddelight_.