Bust Your Stuckness: Organize Your Home & Expand Your Functioning
Harness the top six executive functions for managing your ADHD in the home.
“Stuckness” may seem like a made-up word, but apparently we’ve been using it since 1895 when it showed up in a medical journal to describe “lostness” which is even less of a word.
If you're neurodiverse and drawn to this article, you likely know the feeling well.
Trying to keep your home organized can often bring up feelings of shame and disappointment in yourself as clutter accumulates and overwhelm descends.
However, by understanding how your executive functioning impacts you, you can learn to leverage your strengths and address your challenges, transforming your home into an organized and harmonious space.
What Are Executive Functions?
Executive functions are cognitive processes that help individuals manage thoughts, actions, and emotions to achieve goals and maintain a flow of healthy habits. They are essential for planning, focusing attention, remembering instructions, and successfully juggling multiple tasks. The executive functions crucial for home organization include:
Planning
Task Initiation
Working Memory
Self-Monitoring
Flexible Thinking
Organization
By harnessing these functions, you can address the specific challenges posed by ADHD and other forms of neurodiversity. Let’s explore each of these functions in detail and how they can help you organize your home.
Planning: Seeing the Big Picture and Breaking It Down
The executive function of planning is a crucial cognitive process that involves setting goals, developing strategies, and outlining the steps needed to achieve those goals. When applied to organizing your home, this function helps you arrange and manage your living space.
Problem: Without a clear plan, actions can be random and produce minimal results, leading to frustration and overwhelm.
Solution: Effective planning involves creating a roadmap for your organizing projects. Use list-making to break down your roadmap and clarify your steps without getting overwhelmed by the overall picture.
(Going through the process of writing things down helps prepare your brain for taking action. Use this time to be present with the process. You’re already organizing!)
Master List Your Vision - Let Yourself Get It All Out On Paper
Write everything down with wild abandon. If it's in your head, it goes on this list, no matter how chaotic or unrealistic it seems. Don't worry about how you'll accomplish it just yet.
Revise Your List to Group Related Tasks - Strategize Your Approach
Now look at your list. Which of these tasks should or could be done together? Rearrange and rewrite your list into groups of tasks. Prioritize these groups by urgent and inspiring tasks and write them down that new order. Don’t worry about how you’ll get started just yet.
Break it Down - Focus On One Step At A Time
Choose the group of tasks at the top of your revised Master List. Out of that chosen group of tasks choose 1-3 single tasks to put on a new list. Write down that shortlist by hand on a post-it or piece of paper. Don’t worry about doing these tasks just yet.
Set Yourself Up for Success - Gather Your Resources
Set aside dedicated time to work on your project and minimize distractions to stay on track. Gather any tools you’ll need, such as bins for organizing, bags for donations, and garbage bags. Don’t hesitate to ask for help from people in your life— they can be great sources of energy and focus!
Create Your Timeline - Visualize Your Path to Fruition
Decide when you want this vision to come to fruition, set a target date, and mark it on your calendar. Sit with it a while and make sure you’re helping yourself out by being realistic. Then create reminders for the major milestones by working back from your target date to figure out what needs to be done when in order to reach your goal. Keep revising until it feels good.
That’s planning! Uh-oh… now it’s time to get started.
Task Initiation: Getting Started
When it comes to getting started, it’s great to have a plan! (See what I did there?) Hopefully, you've taken the time to break down your master list into smaller chunks and chosen a few small tasks from the top of that list. This way, you've tricked your brain into prioritizing your starting point without even realizing it.
Problem: But even if you know where to start, you might be facing the greatest obstacle to beginning a project: perfectionism and fear of failure. High standards can lead to what we call "freeze mode" or dreaded procrastination.
Solution: Shift your perspective and face reality—nothing is perfect, and this project won’t be either. Focus on function over Instagrammable illusions. Life isn't about perfect baskets and labels; it’s about GETTING STARTED. Here’s how:
Trigger Motivation - Set Up a Reward System
If your brain predicts a reward, it releases dopamine in anticipation of achieving goals or completing tasks. You can set up immediate rewards between tasks to make up for the dopamine dysregulation sometimes present with ADHD.
What gets you going? The thought of giving yourself the gift of time to do something you love? A pampering moment? Time in nature? A small purchase?
Set Timers - Trick Your Brain Into a Small Commitment
Use timers to commit to starting a task for a short, set period. This can help you focus on one small thing at a time. That’s an easier commitment and helps keep you from getting overwhelmed.
Accountability - Be a People Pleaser
Don’t underestimate the power of relationships when it comes to projects and task initiation. Share your goals with someone who can help keep you accountable or ask for help from a friend, family member, or professional organizer. This is one of the most powerful stuckness busters there is. (To coin a phrase.) ;-)
Working Memory: Following the Thread
ADHD can make it difficult to hold multiple pieces of information in mind, leading to challenges in following through with tasks. But thankfully, you have already gone through the process (above) of breaking things down into small task “chunks”. Now all you have to do is refer back.
Problem: Working memory isn’t just about remembering tasks and how they relate to one another. It’s a matter of focus, motivation, and understanding how things fit together.
Solution: To counteract overwhelm and anxiety, refer back to your plan! Use your mini-list to keep track of tasks.
Free Up Your Energy - Use Those Lists
Never rely on keeping information in your head. Making a list lets your subconscious relax, freeing up energy to take action. So get in the habit of list-making and keep refining your process to find what works best for you. Use your plan and lists to create reminders (post-its, phone notifications) so you don't have to remember everything on your own.
Return to your Master Plan - Repeat Steps as Needed
If you experience anxiety or a lack of focus take a moment to pause. Revisit the steps on your list and go through the process of choosing one to tackle. You can repeat this reminder process as often as needed without shame. Stay with it.
Check-in - And Keep Checking In
If you're struggling, ask yourself if you're missing any resources or information needed to complete the task. Be honest but don't get sidetracked. Have you set yourself up for success? Do you have the physical resources, time and space resources, and people resources you need? Do you clearly understand what you're trying to achieve? Remind yourself of your vision.
Self-Monitoring: Tracking Our Progress Truthfully
The executive function of self-monitoring involves the ability to track and evaluate one's own performance and behavior in real-time. It helps individuals stay on task, meet goals, and adhere to social norms and expectations.
Problem: It can be hard to maintain a realistic perspective on how far we’ve come in an organizing project, especially when dealing with perfectionism and self-judgment.
Solution: Self-monitoring involves regularly checking your progress and adjusting your approach as needed. (We'll discuss flexible thinking next, which is closely related to this.) For now, consider taking before and after pictures of your organizing process to visually track your progress and stay motivated.
Track Small Wins - Use Those Lists
Check off each task as it’s finished on the Master List. This helps show you how far you’ve come, and works in tandem with before and after photos to provide motivation and a sense of accomplishment.
Practice Self-Compassion - This is the Definition of Self Care
To set up systems that support our happiness, we must embrace reality. Acknowledging who we are and what we can achieve without shame is real self-care. Remember to celebrate the small victories and give yourself some love when faced with the hard stuff. (Yes, for some people, organizing is the hard stuff.) That’s okay! We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Neurodiverse people tend to have extraordinary and beautiful strengths in other areas of life. (Yay, YOU!)
Clarify Those Goals - What Kind of Environment Will Make You Happy & Healthy?
Remind yourself what you want to achieve by organizing your home. Who do you want to be? What kind of environment would feel good to live in?
Flexible Thinking: Growth Mindset & Flow
The executive function of flexible thinking, also known as cognitive flexibility, refers to the ability to adapt one's thinking and behavior in response to changing circumstances, new information, or unexpected obstacles.
Problem: Individuals with ADHD often get stuck on one concept or method, even when it’s not working, because it’s hard to shift gears and try something new. (As in: “I watched that show on Netflix where all of the closets were containerized and labeled in a single day and that’s my expectation, full stop.”)
Solution: Stay curious about how your home organizing experience will unfold. By compassionately staying present with yourself and utilizing your new self-monitoring tools, you can maintain focus and momentum instead of feeling frustrated and stuck.
There’s No Way Out But Through - You’re Already Organizing by Reading This
Clients often believe organizing begins with the label maker and a substantial investment at stores like Target. However, organizing is subtle—it happens continuously, even as you read this. The moment you confront that first box of dreaded "miscellaneous" items (cue the shudder), you're fully engaged and doing what's necessary to succeed. Remember, you can't rush the process. Embracing this reality will help you maintain focus and stay on task.
Experiment with Different Methods - You’re One of a Kind & Your Home is Too
If one method of organizing isn’t working for you, try another. Use your self-monitoring tools during non-organization hours to track what your actual habits are so you can leverage your real life to create systems that are right for you.
Be Open to Change - Because Change is the Only Constant in Our Lives
As your life changes, your organizational needs will too. Be willing to adapt your systems for different times of year, new jobs, kids getting older, schedule changes, and everything else.
And lastly, the crown jewel we’re all after…
Organization: Creating Visual Order
The executive function of organization involves the ability to create and maintain systematic and orderly structures in various aspects of life, from managing tasks and time to arranging physical spaces and information.
Problem: Stuckness, clutter, and lack of space can cause seemingly insurmountable overwhelm, causing the nervous system to pump out cortisol and the subconscious to feel out of control.
Solution: There's a unique satisfaction in knowing everything has its place, and this simple concept is the key to tidying up. Imagine your space as a puzzle where every piece fits perfectly together. Use this opportunity to showcase your aesthetic and the style you want for your home. Make it feel good.
Clear Bins & Labeling - Help Your Brain Know What the Heck is Going On
Being able to see what's inside a box removes the mystery and aids in memory. Labels serve a similar purpose. Consider your long-term system and what tools you'll need to maintain a smooth workflow.
Declutter Regularly - Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Routines
When you incorporate decluttering into your regular routine to maintain order, you establish structure and make organizing feel more manageable. Developing straightforward processes turns decluttering into a habit and frees you up to enjoy other things. Don't hesitate to leverage your support network and ask for assistance in the initial set-up of these processes. Professional organizers specialize in designing systems tailored to your needs.
Create Zones - Designate Areas for Activities & Like Items
By consolidating where we put like-items, we keep a clear inventory of what we have and we always know where to find things. Pulling out what doesn’t belong in an area creates visual space and clarity when assessing what we do and don’t need.
And finally, here are some…
Quick & Practical Tips for Home Organization
Declutter First: Remove unnecessary items before organizing what remains.
Categorize: Group similar items together to streamline storage and retrieval.
Use Storage Solutions: Invest in shelves, bins, and organizers that fit your lifestyle.
Label: Clearly label storage containers to easily identify contents.
Create Zones: Designate specific areas for different activities or types of items.
Remember Your Resources for Organizing Success
Use “People Energy” for focus & momentum!
Implement systems that work for you and stick to them.
Less stuff is less work! The less you have, the easier it is to keep everything organized.
So! Let’s summarize.
Feeling stuck is a common experience for those of us with neurodiversity, especially when faced with the daunting task of organizing the home. However, by understanding and leveraging your executive functions—such as flexible thinking, working memory, self-monitoring, task initiation, planning, and organization—you can transform this challenge into a manageable and even enjoyable process.
The journey to an organized home is not just about tidying up; it's about developing a mindset that embraces flexibility, breaks down tasks into achievable steps, monitors progress, and creates sustainable routines. By adopting these strategies, you can overcome feelings of overwhelm and cultivate a space that not only looks organized but also feels calming and supportive.
Remember, it's important to be patient and compassionate with yourself. Organization is a continuous process, not a one-time event. Celebrate small victories along the way and don't be afraid to adjust your methods as needed. With the right approach and tools, you can overcome stuckness and create a home environment that enhances your well-being and productivity.
Start today, one step at a time, and watch as your efforts gradually transform your living space into a haven of order and peace.
Love You!
S.