Disorganization is often something that goes hand in hand with ADHD. It's something I have struggled with my entire life. I want to be organized... But getting there leaves me feeling overwhelmed and defeated!! My house is often filled with miscellaneous "DOOM PILES." Doom piles are clusters of random stuff that I had started to put away but often just stacked up because of overwhelm or time constraints.
I started to research why it so hard for me to get organized and found a correlation between executive dysfunction and organization. Executive dysfunction is a common symptom of ADHD that can affect a person's ability to plan, prioritize and organize tasks. It manifests as difficulties in initiating or completing tasks, keeping track of time, or maintaining an organized living or work environment.
My family has recently been working on staying more organized so that we can cut down the CHAOS that occurs on a daily basis. These are some of the products that have been extremely helpful to keep things better organized.
How To Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis
This book was the MOST helpful adult book I have read for organizing and ADHD. It was a life-changing read for me! The author gives the most simple tips to help get organized and clean up. Another thing I loved about this book is that she helped me see that we should give ourselves grace. We are only human and need to stop beating ourselves up when things are difficult. This was a constant struggle for me because I often am very hard on myself about being disorganized and not keeping as clean of house as I would like. Highly recommend this book!
"Later, Said Gator" by Carli Valentine (that's me!)
This is a children's picture book that I wrote on the topic of cleaning up for children. I hope it can be used to encourage your children to pick up along the way. This is a very important life skill that they should learn so that they have an easier time doing this as they grow up.
Milo is a very smart, creative gator! But when it’s time for cleaning, he always says he’ll do it later! Can he come up with a plan to get the job done? Will he clean his big mess so he can go back to having fun?
“Later,” Said Gator is the first book in the I Like Me & All I Can Be Collection. This collection will help kids tackle everyday hurdles head-on with confidence!
This book will be helpful for all kids but especially those with ADHD or those who struggle with executive function. Full of fun and humor! Helps kids see that “cleaning up along the way” will actually be beneficial for everyone!
Timer
Set a timer to help gets and even yourself feel less overwhelmed. This is one in particular that we have liked.
Labels
Designate a place for items in your house. If drawers and baskets are labeled it will be alot easier to put things where they belong.
Stair baskets
Make it easy for yourself. Work in one room at a time. Get a few baskets together and set a timer for a certain amount of time that you want to spend so you don’t get overwhelmed. Label each basket with another room. Ex. Laundry, mom/dad, Garage, Kids Rooms
Put all the items that aren’t in their homes in the correct basket. Then one at a time take each basket to designated rooms and put things in their homes.
Stackable baskets
These are perfect for kids closets! All the toys can be viewed too so that they still get played with!
Drawer organizers
Super helpful to help organize bathroom items or junk drawers!! We have used these in all areas of our house.
Bathroom Countertop Organization
I love this organizer! It is visually appealing to me and a logical way to store all your toiletries that get used daily so that they are easy to use and put away!
Over the door storage
One huge hurdle with having ADHD is that often food gets wasted and things don't get used before expiration dates. To eliminate this, I bought an over-the-door storage rack that we keep in our pantry and load up various food items so that they are more visible. This is an extremely helpful product to us!
Happy Organizing! I hope this post is helpful and that these tips can help calm some of the chaos your family may be experiencing due to disorganization!
*Another tip that I love is:
if you are cleaning the entire house would be to turn all the lights on in your house and as each room is decluttered, turn off the light in that room.
ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS remember to give yourself GRACE! When we started our family organization mission, I hired someone to help me get started with all the organization. In my opinion this is money well spent! If you have this option financially it is something I would definitely consider!
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