get organized with ADHD

What’s one of my favorite things to do? Help clients discover creative ways to get organized with ADHD.

Sometimes, thinking way out of the box is the best way to combat ADHD disorganization.

Finding unique organizing solutions is one of my top strengths. I’m excited to share some of my favorites with you today. (Yes, the names are changed. Confidentiality is King here in ADHD Success Land.)

Ed’s Sink of Dirty Dishes

A was single man who hired me to help him get organized. ADHD snaggled his life. Disorganization and procrastination was Ed’s problem.

Ed rarely had house-guests. He sure had a lot of dishes though! He had so many sets of dishes he could always rely on pulling out a clean dish rather than washing the dirty ones.

Dirty dishes piled high. His sink was always full. He procrastinated like a pro on washing all those dishes.

We worked on this for weeks with no progress. Ed had no incentive to wash the dishes. Our final solution was creative, that’s for sure. Ed bagged up all the “extra” dirty dishes and chucked the whole bit into the trash.

I know. That wasn’t an eco-friendly solution and it still doesn’t sit right with me. But, here’s the deal. ADHD coaching isn’t about what the coach needs. It’s about what the client needs. I often have to put my needs aside and do what’s best for the client.

The good thing? This worked like a charm to help Ed get organized with his ADHD. There was no way he was going to wash all those dishes. They just hung over his head like a crown of guilt.

Of course, I don’t recommend everyone just trash all their dirty dishes. Perhaps (if this is a problem of yours) you could box up the extras and stash them in the attic or basement for until you need them. Better yet, give them away to someone who can use them.

Shelly’s Shopping Situation

Here’s another creative ADHD organizing solution I used Shelly, who had a bit of a shopping problem. Impulsive shopping is common in many of my clients with Adult ADHD.

Luckily, we were able to control Shelly’s impulsive shopping. But, then she had a new problem. All those extra clothes were cluttering her closet, creating frustration and confusion.

I couldn’t get her to get rid of the clothes. They were quality items that she genuinely liked and wanted to keep.

Here’s what we did: Shelly was lucky enough to have a little-used closet in her guest room. Instead of using it for odds and ends, we simplified her clothing and her life by turning the closet into a “store”.

Shelly decided to keep only a few of each type of clothing (ie three pairs of jeans) in her bedroom closet, and put the rest in “The Store”. Then, when she needs something new (like a pair of jeans) she simply needs to head to The Store in her guest-room, rather than spend money at the mall.

The Store worked. The other day Shelly broke an important item of her wardrobe. Guess what she had in The Store? A brand new bra!

She didn’t need to spend extra money or face the distraction of going to the mall. Best of all, Shelly no longer deals with the confusion of having too much in her closet. It turned out to be the perfect, creative ADHD organizing solution.

Are you ready to reduce frustrating disorganization and simplify your life? My book, Organized for Life, is full of simple solutions to help you get organized with ADHD.  You don’t have to do what everyone else does. Getting organized can be fun and creative!

Join the thousands of others who are learning how to live successfully with ADHD!

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