Clutter is Making your ADHD Worse (Like, Way Worse)
Here’s exactly why clutter is terrible for neurodivergent brains and how to get rid of it (from a professional organizer with raging ADHD).
“I’m so bad at organizing.”
“I just can’t seem to get organized.”
“I have ADHD. Organizing doesn’t come naturally to me.”
If you’ve ever uttered or even thought any of those statements (or some variation of them), you’re not alone. But also (and I’m so sorry for being the bearer of bad news), you’re not helping yourself because being disorganized is feeding your ADHD symptoms and causing you to feel and be even more disorganized.
The good news (See? I come bearing that too!) is that it’s not as hard to get organized as you’re probably making it out to be in that ADHD-filled brain of yours. How do I know? Because I was diagnosed with ADHD at 36 years old, and, looking back, I can see how my lifelong attempt to be organized was not for nothing.
I constantly tried to ‘clear the clutter’ from childhood through high school, college, and navigating young adulthood. Through some self-reflection, I realized it was my way of making sense of the chaos, both in my environment and my head. I became so obsessed with getting organized that I started my own professional organizing business at the age of 32, four years before my ADHD diagnosis. Now, I’m 39, and I hardly need to try anymore. Sure, my place gets messy thanks to busyness, laziness, distraction, fatigue, and, well, you know the drill.
But it’s not busting at the seams, I don’t waste time looking for things, and everything has its place.
I’m more content with what I have, don’t constantly need new things to get a dopamine fix, and am less overwhelmed than ever.
And I never feel like I’m drowning in stuff. At least not physically; I’m still working on a lot of intangible disorganization. But that’s a discussion for another day.
Today, I want to help you reframe your mindset that because you have ADHD, you’re doomed to be disorganized. I also want you to understand that letting clutter dominate your home makes it harder to live with your ADHD. Lastly, I want to give you simple, realistic tools to implement ASAP to get more organized.
And because you and I both know our attention spans are short, I’ll keep this as much to the point as my tangent-loving ADHD brain will let me. We’ll start with the most important thing to know: WHY is clutter especially harmful for those with ADHD?
I can think of many reasons, but have narrowed it down to the two most important.
One is that clutter creates visual distractions. Our minds are already distracted by a million other things that are (mostly) out of our control. Clutter is something we can control, so it’s in our best interest to minimize it.
Two, too much clutter creates decision fatigue. Deciding between 30 pairs of jeans zaps way more of our brain power than if we have six to choose from. Less stuff = fewer decisions to make on a daily basis.
Also, as I’ve already alluded, consuming shiny, new stuff is how many of us get a much-needed dopamine hit. Once the shine fades (and we know it fades FAST for us), all we’re left with is clutter piles.
From personal experience, by lessening my load of stuff, the mental distractions and fatigue (and the need to impulse shop) have improved significantly, if not disappeared altogether. I know, I’ve been at this for a long time so of course, it’s easy for me to say now. We all have to start somewhere, though, right?
Well, here is a perfect starting point for you, and you have my help and support! I plan to publish many posts that dive into the struggles (and solutions) of getting organized with ADHD. For now, I’d love for you to take away this, especially if you think the two can’t possibly co-exist…
One, just because you’re blessed with executive dysfunction doesn’t mean you’re “bad at organizing.” Getting organized is a skill that anyone can learn and improve on. Just like I’m actively working on my listening skills so I can stop interrupting others and managing my time better so I can stop being late, you can work on getting your stuff in order so you can live in a more organized space.
Two, getting organized is not nearly as complicated as people make it out to be. Now, I’m not saying it’s easy, and if you’re dealing with issues other than ADHD, such as hoarding, it’s definitely going to take work (ideally, with a professional who specializes in what you’re dealing with if that’s available to you).
As promised, I’ll leave you with some strategies you can implement today to start getting more organized, with or without ADHD. I realize that maybe you love someone with it (or are trying not to kill someone with it) and are reading this to help them (or your sanity). But these organizing tricks are especially effective if you, like me, struggle every day with ADHD.
Set up drop zones. This is a non-negotiable if you lose things like it’s your job. Especially if you misplace your keys one more time and are in jeopardy of losing your actual job. Wherever it makes the most sense in your home, use a cute bowl to collect your wallet and sunglasses, plug in a charging dock (I use this one!) that accommodates your phone, headphones, and watch, and install a key hook for, well, duh, keys. Force yourself to get into the habit of leaving your stuff there as soon as you walk in the door or when not in use until it becomes second nature.
Use the correct containers. Containers are great because they limit the amount of things you can keep. But it’s important to use ones that work for you, not against you. For those with ADHD, try clear containers (to avoid issues with object permanence) and ones without lids. Personally, I’m always trying (keyword) to multitask, so if I need two hands to open something, there’s a higher chance I won’t put it away right away. Open bins, stacking drawers that slide, and lazy susans are all easy to use for me!
Declutter more often. ADHDers should declutter more than neurotypicals. Yeah, I said it. This will help prevent losing or buying duplicates of things (because you’re losing them) and minimize the mess overall. Decluttering more often prevents overwhelming clutter piles, meaning you can make a pretty big dent in a shorter timeframe (which is a win for our attention spans…or lack thereof). Build up your decluttering muscles by starting with small and relatively easy stuff. The best example I can give is expired pantry items or medicine since you don’t have to think so hard about whether or not they spark joy.
I promised to keep this short, so I’ll leave it here. But if you found this helpful, there’s much more advice I can and will share. Feel free to subscribe to my Substack and follow me on social media so you don’t miss an ADHD organizing hack!
*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.