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Social media has made this idea of organizing to be more aesthetic than functional. Which is why ADHD brains have a hard time with this concept. ADHD brains and organizing look different.
It could be the perfectionist in you. (I know it is for me.)
I want the space to look exactly how I have envisioned in my mind. But the outcome doesn’t always end up like I want.
Which can lead to the feeling of disorganization.
This belief can be incredibly disappointing.
In your head, you know that you can organize. But when it comes to putting that idea into action, you get stuck, overwhelmed, or just can’t get it exactly how you envisioned.
But I have something very important to tell you.
YOU ARE ORGANIZED. JUST NOT “MAGAZINE ORGANIZED”.
Let’s Manage Our Expectations
“Magazine organized” is the images you see in Better Homes and Gardens. You see them on Instagram and Pinterest. They even made an entire show about it.
The expectation is that your home should look like what you are seeing.
The reality is that isn’t possible. You live in your house. Things won’t get put back in the proper place. And, sometimes, you need those pile on the counter.
That idea of organized is strictly for a photo…or tv show. It is not real life.
And with an ADHD brain, your piles and systems may not look traditional either.
ADHD Brains and Organizing Look Different
I have worked with countless ADHD-ers. And watched way too many TikToks on the topic of ADHD.
And the one thing I see over and over is this idea of “disorganized” because there is a chair with piles of clothing on it. Or stacks of papers on counters.
But here’s the thing, if those piles have purpose, it isn’t “disorganized”.
Organizing is about being able to find your stuff in your home. If you have a pile of clothing that isn’t dirty but isn’t clean sitting on your chair, then you have a system. Which means it isn’t disorganized.
If you have stacks on paper, grouped together by category or action items, that isn’t messy.
Sometimes ADHD organizing can be perceived as disorganized, when really our brains work best when things are out in eyesight.
This is different than what is shared on social media or tv.
But that doesn’t mean it isn’t organized!
Rethinking What Organizing Looks Like
If you can find what you need most of the time, then you are organized. Period.
Don’t let social media make you believe that organizing has to look a certain way. Or you have to buy products to be organized.
Most of the products that are out there weren’t designed with ADHD in mind. Because we need to visually see things, clear containers can end up being visually distracting.
Containers you can’t see into don’t always help us because things can get forgotten inside, and can become a dumping ground for stuff we don’t know what to do with.
Decanting (or taking items out of their original boxes to store in another) is an extra step to maintain, which doesn’t always work with our brains.
So we need to rethink what organizing looks like for ADHD.
Instead of focusing on some unobtainable expectation, let’s change our definition of organized.
Let’s make sure everything in our home is “findable”. If we can find it in 3 steps or less, we are organized.
What Does “Findable” Look Like?
Let’s say we are trying to find our favorite sweater. We look in our closet. Not there. That would be step one.
We look in the dirty clothes bin. Not there. That would be step two.
We look on our chair of in-between clothing. And it is there. That is step three.
We found our sweater in three steps. Therefore we are organized.
We have clothing in three places and we checked all three.
This system helps those of us who can feel disorganized by reframing our expectations of what is means to be organized.
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