11 Creative, ADHD-friendly Home Organization Hacks that Really Work
Getting (and particularly staying) organized is particularly difficult for ADHD brains, who tend to struggle with executive functioning (the basis of all organizational tasks). This is why it’s essential to use ADHD-friendly and ADHD-crafted strategies that actually work with the way your brain naturally works instead of against it.
Your car looks like a tornado ran through it, your closet is like a smelly layer cake- clean and dirty clothes layered throughout, and you haven’t filed taxes in 2 years.
But the worst part of it all is how each of those messes makes you feel– full of shame and like there’s something fundamentally wrong with you.
It’s not who you are, and you’re not the only one. Let me say that again:
It’s not a character flaw. It’s not about being lazy. And you’re not the only one.
Organization is extra hard for ADHD brains.
Why? Let’s check it out:
The Science Behind ADHD and Organizational Struggles
Executive Function Depletion
One of the most fundamental differences between ADHD brains and those boring old neurotypical ones is that they have less energy to fuel their executive functioning (the conductor of our brains). This means that they get depleted easily and, often, tasks that require executive functioning feel too difficult to do.
What do we need to organize?!?
You guessed it! Executive functions!
In fact, the tasks involved in getting (and, more crucially, staying) organized are just a litany of executive functions-- remembering, ordering, prioritizing, switching, attending, and more!
So when life has used up our executive functioning supply for the day, we’re often left without enough in the tank to get those organizational tasks done when we get home.
Working Memory Shortfalls
One of those executive functions that exhaust an ADHD brain, that deserves a bit of extra discussion is Working Memory.
You can think of working memory as the table of our brain. It's the place where we lay things out to think about them. Maybe it's stuff that we are trying to remember long term, or maybe it's just our Netflix password, but regardless, we have to lay it out on our brains table to think about it, store it, or recall it.
Everyone's table is a different size. And- yup! ADHD brains tend to have small tables.
What does that have to do with Organizing?
Well, organizing often means holding things in mind- remembering why you walked into the bathroom holding the wrench, remembering to drop the keys in the key bowl and not the fridge when you grab a drink, or remembering to enter your son's basketball tournament into the family calendar
Funky Time Horizons
Even when we remember, and we have the resources to do the thing, sometimes we still don't. So what's the deal with that?!?
Sometimes, the reason why we don't do the thing we know we should is because of an amplified trick of the ADHD brain. All brains tend to overvalue the present moment- preferring getting something good now over getting something good later. But ADHD brains amplify this preference. They not only prefer something good now, they prefer it over something even better later. Not only that, but putting off a future reward actually activates pain centers in an ADHD brain.
So let's think for a minute- what's involved in folding laundry and putting it away? Usually, we are choosing between doing that and doing something much more compelling (i.e., Rewarding)- because, let's face it- almost everything is more compelling than folding laundry. So, in order to do it, we have to choose something unappealing over something appealing! That's going to make any ADHD brain pretty unhappy.
Harnessing the Power of ADHD: Unique Home Organization Ideas
So what do we do when the world’s not suited for our brains? When do we have to do things that aren't what our brains do naturally or easily?
We hack it!
We set up systems, supports, and external tools to protect us against our natural vulnerabilities and utilize our natural strengths whenever possible. And who better than ADHD brains to come up with the most unique and ingenious ways to do just that? Here's a list to get you started, but I encourage you to think through your own, too- what organizational challenge gets in your way? What brilliant little hack or workaround can your amazing brain come up with?
Large scale projects
Double Up! The Power of Body Doubling for the Deep Clean
Let's face it: there are going to be times when you need to do a deep dive- you need a new system, the DOOM baskets are all overflowing (more on those in a moment), or you just need to start fresh. If you wait until you feel compelled to tackle the big task, that big task is going to be pretty darn big!
Body doubling can help you get over that hurdle and get the big tasks done. Don’t have anyone you can call up to work alongside you? Have no fear! There are several online body doubling services you can tap into for a very low fee, like Think Divergent and Focusmate.
The Ultimate ADHD-friendly 3-step Process to Cleaning Up
Tidying up the way most people do it- taking one item from where it’s been left, figuring out where it needs to go, and putting it back where it belongs- is just about the least ADHD-friendly strategy there is – with endless opportunity for rabbit holes, distraction and loss of motivation.
Approaching tidying in a way that actually works for your brain means doing it differently. Check out the ADHD-friendly 3-Step Process for getting organized here.
Ongoing Tidying
Master the Art of the Tiny Tidy
You don't need to master it- just try it out. The tiny tidy is a minuscule moment of tidying. Sure, sometimes that will roll into a full-blown reorganization, but that's not the tiny tidy's intent. Using 1-5 minute bursts of tidying can help knock down that "I don't wanna" initiation hurdle by making it so small that it becomes "I might as well."
I always try to tie a tiny tidy to something else that already has me on my feet (I don’t care how tiny the tidy- I’m not likely to get up off the couch for even 10 seconds of cleaning!) But 5 minutes after I come downstairs in the morning or before I make dinner? That’s a whole lot more likely!
Tidy Dates
Scheduling a daily tidy-up rendezvous with a close friend or partner either in person or via a call, can be a game-changer for breaking through the mess. Tidy dates not only add a social element to your tidying routine but also bracket your time, compelling you to stay on task. So go ahead, do a 5-minute tidy call with your BFF, or grab a glass of wine and tackle those dishes with your partner. It’s always more fun with two!
Themed days
It’s hard to remember to do all the things we need to do to keep our houses clean and tidy, but waiting until they’re already a smelly mess feels terrible.
Giving your days themes- Like Laundry Mondays and Toilet Tuesdays- creates mental cues that can prompt your brain to ensure the important things get done in bite-sized ways. But of course, don’t just expect your day to remember on its own that Wednesdays are for washing- set alarms or break out an adult chore chart to get your brain (and scrub brush) rolling!
Room-Specific Sparkle Sacks
Imagine this: you're in the middle of your nightly Netflix binge when you notice the kids spilled chocolate milk on the couch yesterday.... (major Ugh!) What if instead of having to make the epic trek to the laundry room for cleaning supplies, you had everything you needed right next to you? Loaded with just a few cleaning essentials, like an all-purpose cleaner, a few super absorbent reusable towels, and a magic eraser, this handy tote can turn that mile-hile initiation hurdle of getting up off the couch into the mini speed bump of leaning over and giving that spill a quick spritz.
The trick here is to have one in every room so you don’t have to go hunting and cute enough that you don’t feel like you need to hide them away. Here’s how I built my sparkle sacks:
I use a cute little basket like these. And I fill each one with:
○ A Magic eraser (because they live up to their name)
○ Cute reusable, super-absorbant dishcloths to soak up any mess
○ My favorite all-purpose, hyper-concentrated, all-natural, and great-smelling cleaner.
Make horizontal surfaces vertical
There is nothing like a horizontal surface to collect ALL. THE. THINGS. And for said surface to then become the blackhole of everything you ever needed but definitely can’t find. I’ve known many an ADHD brain who, therefore, ban horizontal surfaces entirely. It's not a terrible idea, but it's also not always practical.
Instead- try offering vertical storage solutions onto horizontal surfaces that constantly collect things like kitchen counters or entryway tables. Here are my favorites:
Metal Wall Decor Organizer Basket
Nightstand Organizer
Bamboo Charging Station
Mail Organizing Station
Chore Charts
Chore charts aren’t only for sticker-loving, star-collecting kids. They are a magic answer for any household sick of having to keep track, remind, and constantly chase after everyone to keep on top of the chores. ADHD brains are fishbowl brains- they don’t think of things until they are prompted to do so. And we all know that the only thing that’s going to prompt us to do the laundry on its own is when we run out of clean underwear! Chore charts are great at stepping up and offering that prompt ahead of time so our smelly socks and annoyed spouses don’t have to!
I love these reusable lists for chore routines like tidy dates.
Or this clear, colorful fridge magnet version.
There are also lots of great chore apps that gamify your cleaning that you can use with a partner or family, like:
Organization
Visible storage and labels
Because ADHD brains have their own unique relationship with 'object permanence', when things get put into drawers, they seem to disappear from our brains. Clear storage containers and labels are huge for this- making it not only clear (see what I did there *wink, wink) where things are but also obvious where things should go when they need to be returned.
My favorite label maker of all time.
DOOM basket
Growing up, my mom had a DOOM basket system before they were a thing, and it eased all sorts of tension in the house. We had a giant chest that she threw all of our things in, and then once a week, we were responsible for going through and returning everything to its home. It’s a brilliant system that integrates the ADHD-friendly 3-step system into daily life and is a huge time, EF, and headache saver.
DOOM baskets stand for “Didn’t Organize, Only Moved,” and they are, ideally, large, attractive, and covered containers for any and everything that gets out of order in your day. Then, once a week, you create a prompt and schedule to go through, categorize, and return everything that’s piled up.
I love this large covered basket for our living room DOOM.
And this sturdy but gorgeous one is perfect for all the kid's stuff and toy DOOM in our den and doubles as a coffee table
The right location is where you tend to put it.
This is an important one- the goal is to craft your life to work for your brain, not the other way around. So often, we’ve been told over and over that there is a “right” way to do things and a “right” place for things, and so we try, over and over, to force ourselves to make the “right way” work.
But guess what? There is no right way.
There is nothing that says that keys have to go on the hook by the front door. If where you usually put your keys is beside the coffee maker because that’s the first thing you bee-line to when you come in the door, then that’s where your keys are “supposed” to go! Create a spot, add a label, and call it a day!
What’s your favorite organization hack? Share your brilliance below- we can always use more!
How to Create Smart Systems for ADHD Brains (that are totally do-able!)