Plot twist: Your professional organizer has ADHD. Yes, the irony is not lost on me. I spend my days creating calm, functional spaces for busy families, yet often find myself standing in the supermarket with absolutely no idea what I came in to buy. I can hyperfocus through an eight-hour kitchen transformation for a client, only to get home and realize I forgot to take the meat out of the freezer for dinner. Again.
Regardless of the way your brain works, your environment is either supporting your mental bandwidth or sabotaging it. The ‘doom piles’ of washed clothing dotted around your home, the overflowing junk drawer, the cluttered kitchen bench that greets you every morning… your brain sees every displaced item as an unfinished task. It’s sensory overload that sabotages your focus, adding to the feeling of not living up to the ‘Supermum’ standard — which is a myth, by the way.
If you feel like you’re failing at home, you’re not — you just need better systems. Systems so simple, they work even when your brain has 38 tabs open, and you’re bouncing between thoughts like a caffeinated toddler. Enter, the external brain hack. More than just organizing tips, they’re ADHD survival tools I’ve tried and tested in mine and many of my clients’ homes. They work by removing the barriers that make simple tasks feel impossible when your brain is already overwhelmed. They encourage family members to share the mental load.
Home Organization Hacks for ADHD (or Anyone!)
1. iPhone Alarms for Everything
Take mince out of the freezer? Alarm. Swimming lessons? Alarm. Take 20 mins for Pilates (NO EXCUSES)? You get it. Why rely on my overworked brain when technology can do the heavy lifting? Sit down and write a list of your daily non-negotiables, those things you keep kicking yourself for forgetting. Put them in your phone calendar with alarms. Use specific descriptions, not just “3:30pm” but “3:30pm – Pick up kids from school.” And yes, sometimes you will forget even after being reminded. Sometimes, I set two alarms for each reminder. Future you will thank yourself for having its back.
2. Labelled Washing Baskets (One Per Family Member)
Fold washing straight into each person’s basket. No more folding doom piles at 8.30pm! This system removes the roadblocks and makes all family members responsible for putting away their own clean clothes while making it a doable, realistic task – even for kids. One basket per family member. Fold clothes directly from the line/dryer into each person’s basket. They’re responsible for putting their own clothes away and bringing the basket back to the laundry.
3. The Shopping List Board
No more being the only person responsible for household inventory. Everyone in my family can add to the list when they notice we’re out of something. This is about sharing the mental load, so the responsibility for noticing what’s needed doesn’t fall entirely on you. Stick a whiteboard on your fridge or pantry wall (at a height your kids can reach). Anyone can write what’s needed when they notice it’s running low or out.
4. The Meal Ideas List
If you have ADHD, you’ll recognize ‘The Wall of Awful’ – when your brain decides a routine but unenjoyable task is actually the end of the world. For me, deciding on and making dinner hits like a brick wall around 4pm Every. Single. Day. Decision fatigue is real for all of us. This simple list eases the daily mental gymnastics of deciding what’s for dinner. Keep a running list of 20+ easy, go-to meals your family actually eats. Mine is pinned next to the shopping list board — a simple checklist in a plastic sleeve with a whiteboard marker — I can either plan out my weekly meals or grab a last-minute idea when my brain is too fried to think. Share the meal planning load and get family members to tick their requests for the week ahead.
5. Visual Weekly Charts for Kids
A zone in your home for high-rotation kids’ gear, making it simple for kids to get themselves ready for pool/beach trips or after-school sports. Will you still get “Mum, where’s my basketball singlet?” as you’re rushing out the door to training? Maybe, but one can hope. Set up a tub for each child’s sports uniform, swimming gear (bathers/goggles, towels), hats and bags. After the activity, things get washed, and it goes straight back into the tubs, ready for next time. Set this up in your laundry (easy to refill after washing), linen cupboard, or wherever kids can easily access it before running out the door.
6. The Utility Drawer
Replace the chaotic kitchen ‘junk drawer’ with a purposeful utility drawer instead. This becomes your organized home for items that usually clutter the kitchen bench or go missing when you are already running late – keys, sunnies, receipts, gift vouchers, pens, scissors, band-aids etc. Think of it as your grab-and-go station for busy mornings. You could even dedicate a section to school-morning essentials: school name labels, hairbrush and hair ties, nail clippers, sunscreen – everything to hand when you need it on busy mornings. Use drawer dividers to create designated spots for different categories. Label everything, so the whole family knows where things belong. Your kitchen bench stays clear, and you always know where to find what you need.
Now for some real talk: Will your home always look perfect? Absolutely not. But functional beats Instagram-worthy every single time. Your kids will still lose their library books sometimes. You’ll occasionally forget the meat (we’ve all been there). But these systems are a support to make daily life flow more smoothly instead of feeling like you’re constantly fighting against chaos.
Natalie is a professional organizer and founder of Get Sorted Co., helping Perth families create homes that work for their busy lives. You can find her at getsortedco.com.au or follow her organizing tips and adventures on Instagram @getsortedco_.
Feature image: Supplied.
Want to learn more organization tips? Read these next:
- ‘There are only 2 types of clutter. Learning this changed my approach to keeping my home tidy.’
- ‘I’m a home organization expert. Here are 3 decluttering hacks I use that actually work.’
- ‘I asked an expert to help me organize my pantry and the advice was game-changing.’
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