Why Organizing Is Hard with ADHD — And How to Make It Easier

If you have ADHD, getting and staying organized can be an ongoing struggle whether you’re a student, a parent, or a busy adult.

Does this feel familiar?

• You spent too much time looking for missing items.

• You have too much of this or not enough of that.

• Late fees for bills, school forms or library books. .

• Money wasted by buying duplicates of things you already have.

• Cleaning is a nightmare.

• …and many more

Why is this happening?

Organizing involves lots of executive functions. Let’s go over a few and discuss their impact.

Planning and prioritizing

To get organized, the first step is to have a clear vision of what you want, then create the steps to get there. Then you need to prioritize by deciding what to do first. Planning and prioritizing may be difficult for someone with ADHD. If you add in perfectionism, the process may not get past the first step. Also, depending on the size of the plan, getting started on the actual organizing may feel overwhelming for schoolwork, home life, or work tasks.

Task initiation and goal-directed persistence

 It is hard to get started on a task and stick with it when the task feels huge, tedious, there are distractions or you lose focus and energy. Maintaining the systems that you created can be difficult for the same reasons for students keeping up with backpacks and assignments, and adults or parents managing homes and paperwork.

Decision making

Decisions, decisions…What to keep, what to toss, what system to use, where to keep items. 😱

Working memory

There may be difficulty remembering where things are, keeping the categories straight and holding the organization steps in mind especially when juggling school, work, family, and daily life.

Emotional Regulation

Decision-making can be overwhelming, especially when the items to be organized have sentimental value, such as children’s artwork, school memories, or family keepsakes.

NOW WHAT? - Hang on! Help is on the way 🎵

• Start small and stick with it.                                                                                                        Pick one small task to start and stick with- organize one drawer. Don’t switch to a different task. Nothing will get done.                                                        

• Reduce before you organize                                                                                                        Less stuff means less to keep track of for students’ supplies, kids’ toys, and household clutter alike.

• Create homes for things.                                                                                                         Drop zone by the door to help you get out the door more quickly, Label everything, keep items where you use them - backpacks near homework space, keys near the door, paperwork near your desk.

• Make it fun…or at least less painful                                                                                         Add music or a podcast in the background.

• Set a time to put items away.                                                                                        

• Keep it simple and consistent so that it is sustainable.

• GET HELP                                                                                                                                       

• If it is overwhelming, try body doubling with a friend (someone on video also doing tasks) if not look into coaching for adults, parents or students.

  
  

That’s a wrap…

With ADHD, organizing doesn’t have to consume your life. It is about creating sustainable systems that work for you that reduce your stress, save you time, and are easy enough to maintain at school, at home, and at work.

Take a deep breath, start small, make it as painless as possible.

Celebrate your progress.

If first you don’t succeed, try again (with compassion)

And as always be kind to yourself. ♥️