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20 tips and tricks for staying organised at home
If you have ADHD and are trying to organise your home, getting organised may be a struggle. It is challenging but not impossible. These tips will help you change your mindset about what an organised home should look like and encourage you to get started.
Home neat home: an ADHD organisation plan is by Lisa Woodruff, ADDitude magazine, 10 February 2022.
Home neat home: an ADHD organisation plan is by Lisa Woodruff, ADDitude magazine, 10 February 2022.
Your worth has nothing to do with how organised your house is. Refocus the energy you spend worrying about the condition of your home so you can be free to do what you want.
Mental preparation
1. Ditch perfectionism when organising your home.
As a perfectionist, it is harder for you to get organised, so start this with the understanding that perfection is not the goal - progress is.
2. Pick the right time of day.
No commandment says you have to work in the morning, so if you want to work at night, go for it! Be willing to try different times of the day.
3. Create organisational structure.
Schedule your organising task for the same time every day. Before long, your muscle memory will take over, and your organising will be on autopilot. You probably already do this with your morning coffee or as part of your nighttime routine.
4. Remove the guilt from you to-do list.
By all means keep a master list of tasks you want to achieve, but don’t stare at it every day hoping that you'll get them all done (then feel bad when you don’t). When you plan your week, choose three (and only three!) tasks from your list each day, and focus only on completing those tasks. Yes, you will only do three tasks, not a million, but you weren’t going to do a million anyway.
5. Small progress is still progress.
Three tasks completed is better than zero. An organised shelf is not an organised pantry, but it’s better than a disorganised shelf. Progress is still progress, even when it's small.
6. Organisation is a skill, not a talent.
It’s not something you are born with. It’s a habit that you cultivate over time. It’s never too late to start. And when you do start, get an organising buddy with similar goals. Encourage each other to make progress in organising your homes. The best scenario would be for you both to organise the same spaces in your homes concurrently, so you can share ideas.
Getting support and motivation to keep yourself organised
7. Assemble a home-organisation team.
A professional organiser is a great resource, but organisers are not accessible to everyone. Play a game with your kids to see who can declutter the most. Confess, to your partner, the stress you feel and about your desire to live a more organised life. Everyone in your family may not be on board, and that’s OK. Find those who are and enlist their help.
8. Get audio clues.
Whether it’s a podcast or an audiobook, hearing your strategies triggers a different response in your brain than reading about them. You can find motivation and direction in the voice of someone who’s been there.
9. Hire it out.
If you can afford to hire help, do it. You don’t have to do everything yourself. You’ll save more than money... you'll save time and lower your anxiety. You can have someone organise and clean for you, or only clean afterwards.
10. Find one organising mentor and stick with them.
Each organiser does things differently, so not every program will work for you. But don’t bounce around trying to gather the best tips from all of them. Find a person you like and a program you can afford (some are free), and stick to it until the end. Even if it isn’t the perfect program for you, you will make progress and will be free to move on to the next project.
If you join an organising program, print it out and post it somewhere you will see it. If it lives only inside your phone or computer, it’s easy to forget about it. You won’t forget the ten sheets of paper on your bulletin board.
11. Find others you can share your struggles with.
It might be your best friend across town or a free Facebook group of strangers. It's affirming to know you’re both going through the same experiences, and that it’s not just you
Getting started
12. Schedule a time to put items away.
Not putting things away is a barrier to your organisation. At the end of each day, set ten minutes on a timer to put things away. No one likes to do this, but if you can make it a habit, it becomes easier and less mentally taxing.
13. Make positive associations.
Drink your favourite tea or soda while you’re organising. Allow yourself to listen to that page-turner audiobook while you’re working on your home. If you associate things you like with something difficult, motivation comes easier.
13. Set small organisation goals.
Don’t try to organise a thousand books in one sitting. You don’t have to dump every article of clothing onto the floor. Break a big job into small pieces and do one at a time. You’ll feel accomplished and fight off discouragement.
14. Take “before” and "after" photos.
When you're in the middle of something it's always hard to see how much progress you've made. Even if you’re embarrassed, take "before" photos! You don’t have to show them to anyone, but when you compare your "after" photos to your “before” photos, you’ll be glad you have a visual reminder of how far you’ve come. Then treat yourself to your favourite drink or a night of relaxation. You deserve it.
15. Focus on practical solutions.
Pinterest is a great tool, but it can also be intimidating. Don't feel bad if your snacks aren’t arranged in height order. The goal is to have only things you use and love in your home and to know where they all are. That’s it! Practicality is all.
16. Find one task to start and complete.
It will give you a feeling of success and motivate you to take the next step. You are building your task-initiation muscle.
17. Time each task on your to-do list.
Do you hate emptying the dishwasher because it takes so long to do? So you turn on the television or find something else to do. Why don't you time it? You might find that it only takes five minutes. Knowing that a chore takes five minutes allows you to squeeze it in between a couple of activities.
18. Give everything a home.
Organising your home is not where you need to show off your creative side, or try something different each week. Define what "away" means, and don't be afraid to keep your keys in the same spot for 20 years. Knowing where you keep them means you don't have to think about where you put them, so you'll find things faster.
19. Work out the most convenient spot for storing your items first.
Figure out the most convenient storage location for each item and then buy beautiful baskets or shelving to house them. Doing it in this order means your new purchases will be perfectly suit your item(s) and its location. Because of this, it's less likely to become 'just another item' in your home that adds to your clutter.
20. Match your containers to your stuff.
Don’t take up a whole cabinet for spices if you never cook, and don’t jam 30 sweaters into a tiny drawer. Once you’ve decided which items you're keeping, you can find the suitable containers so they're less likely to become more clutter in your home.
Mental preparation
1. Ditch perfectionism when organising your home.
As a perfectionist, it is harder for you to get organised, so start this with the understanding that perfection is not the goal - progress is.
2. Pick the right time of day.
No commandment says you have to work in the morning, so if you want to work at night, go for it! Be willing to try different times of the day.
3. Create organisational structure.
Schedule your organising task for the same time every day. Before long, your muscle memory will take over, and your organising will be on autopilot. You probably already do this with your morning coffee or as part of your nighttime routine.
4. Remove the guilt from you to-do list.
By all means keep a master list of tasks you want to achieve, but don’t stare at it every day hoping that you'll get them all done (then feel bad when you don’t). When you plan your week, choose three (and only three!) tasks from your list each day, and focus only on completing those tasks. Yes, you will only do three tasks, not a million, but you weren’t going to do a million anyway.
5. Small progress is still progress.
Three tasks completed is better than zero. An organised shelf is not an organised pantry, but it’s better than a disorganised shelf. Progress is still progress, even when it's small.
6. Organisation is a skill, not a talent.
It’s not something you are born with. It’s a habit that you cultivate over time. It’s never too late to start. And when you do start, get an organising buddy with similar goals. Encourage each other to make progress in organising your homes. The best scenario would be for you both to organise the same spaces in your homes concurrently, so you can share ideas.
Getting support and motivation to keep yourself organised
7. Assemble a home-organisation team.
A professional organiser is a great resource, but organisers are not accessible to everyone. Play a game with your kids to see who can declutter the most. Confess, to your partner, the stress you feel and about your desire to live a more organised life. Everyone in your family may not be on board, and that’s OK. Find those who are and enlist their help.
8. Get audio clues.
Whether it’s a podcast or an audiobook, hearing your strategies triggers a different response in your brain than reading about them. You can find motivation and direction in the voice of someone who’s been there.
9. Hire it out.
If you can afford to hire help, do it. You don’t have to do everything yourself. You’ll save more than money... you'll save time and lower your anxiety. You can have someone organise and clean for you, or only clean afterwards.
10. Find one organising mentor and stick with them.
Each organiser does things differently, so not every program will work for you. But don’t bounce around trying to gather the best tips from all of them. Find a person you like and a program you can afford (some are free), and stick to it until the end. Even if it isn’t the perfect program for you, you will make progress and will be free to move on to the next project.
If you join an organising program, print it out and post it somewhere you will see it. If it lives only inside your phone or computer, it’s easy to forget about it. You won’t forget the ten sheets of paper on your bulletin board.
11. Find others you can share your struggles with.
It might be your best friend across town or a free Facebook group of strangers. It's affirming to know you’re both going through the same experiences, and that it’s not just you
Getting started
12. Schedule a time to put items away.
Not putting things away is a barrier to your organisation. At the end of each day, set ten minutes on a timer to put things away. No one likes to do this, but if you can make it a habit, it becomes easier and less mentally taxing.
13. Make positive associations.
Drink your favourite tea or soda while you’re organising. Allow yourself to listen to that page-turner audiobook while you’re working on your home. If you associate things you like with something difficult, motivation comes easier.
13. Set small organisation goals.
Don’t try to organise a thousand books in one sitting. You don’t have to dump every article of clothing onto the floor. Break a big job into small pieces and do one at a time. You’ll feel accomplished and fight off discouragement.
14. Take “before” and "after" photos.
When you're in the middle of something it's always hard to see how much progress you've made. Even if you’re embarrassed, take "before" photos! You don’t have to show them to anyone, but when you compare your "after" photos to your “before” photos, you’ll be glad you have a visual reminder of how far you’ve come. Then treat yourself to your favourite drink or a night of relaxation. You deserve it.
15. Focus on practical solutions.
Pinterest is a great tool, but it can also be intimidating. Don't feel bad if your snacks aren’t arranged in height order. The goal is to have only things you use and love in your home and to know where they all are. That’s it! Practicality is all.
16. Find one task to start and complete.
It will give you a feeling of success and motivate you to take the next step. You are building your task-initiation muscle.
17. Time each task on your to-do list.
Do you hate emptying the dishwasher because it takes so long to do? So you turn on the television or find something else to do. Why don't you time it? You might find that it only takes five minutes. Knowing that a chore takes five minutes allows you to squeeze it in between a couple of activities.
18. Give everything a home.
Organising your home is not where you need to show off your creative side, or try something different each week. Define what "away" means, and don't be afraid to keep your keys in the same spot for 20 years. Knowing where you keep them means you don't have to think about where you put them, so you'll find things faster.
19. Work out the most convenient spot for storing your items first.
Figure out the most convenient storage location for each item and then buy beautiful baskets or shelving to house them. Doing it in this order means your new purchases will be perfectly suit your item(s) and its location. Because of this, it's less likely to become 'just another item' in your home that adds to your clutter.
20. Match your containers to your stuff.
Don’t take up a whole cabinet for spices if you never cook, and don’t jam 30 sweaters into a tiny drawer. Once you’ve decided which items you're keeping, you can find the suitable containers so they're less likely to become more clutter in your home.
