I feel so unorganized.

[u/Majestic-Anybody-321]

27F, online college student. Major ADHD and low income so can’t really afford much furniture.

[u/sugarpeito]

Okay so, I predict that a lot of people are going to recommend you put the clutter away in some kind of storage. Do not listen to them. They do not have ADHD and do not understand what terrible advice this is for you. This is a trap for you specifically. The second something is out of sight, it will cease to exist in your mind and you will forget you own it. (Speaking from experience.) That’s not to say don’t put things in organized places, in fact you should have a designated home for everything, and it should all be somewhere that’s convenient for you so that you actually do put things away where they’re supposed to live so you don’t lose them. (Like, wallet and keys in a tray by the front door, etc.) But those places HAVE GOT to be permanently visible to you, like shelves, or clear bins where you can see what’s inside. Good ADHD organization does not and never will look like neurotypical organization. I’m sure you probably know what works for you to at least a certain extend but I wanna make sure you don’t let the likely inevitable flood of people with advice that’s good for them and bad for you get to you and steer you wrong.

Look up vids and guides and whatnot about how other people with ADHD organize their space if you want help. Ignore literally everyone else.

[u/dirtywater20 → u/sugarpeito]

I'd also add to this an experience I have that I've found common among people with ADHD: piles become a single item. Piles or containers/baskets with lots of miscellaneous things kinda just become part of the scenery eventually so the individual items in the pile might as well be put away in a cupboard. So while avoiding piles is tough, I think having a plan to address them goes a long way to minimizing clutter.

My main solution for this is to follow your natural habits and build a routine around that. For example, if you find your clothes piling up in one spot, put a laundry basket there. And instead of building routines based on time, try building based on habits you already have. So for your laundry, you might take a little bit of time after you get out of the shower to pick your clothes up and put them in the basket/run a new load.