Best ADHD-friendly tips for organising small spaces & keeping them organised? My apartment pantry & cupboards are constantly chaotic - I need a functional system!

Question

Kelsey · Answer

Painters tape and pen: Don't hunt for it easy to mark up leftovers, bins, what's in the drawer

Erika · Answer

Landing zones and accepting piles: Basically keeping things where you need them not stored away perfectly in a way that will never work in reality. I have accepted organized piles of books I'm reading, projects I'm doing (but like in a box), computers on a side table. Also what goes together stays together = everything I need for leaving the house by the front door

Chiara · Answer

keeping house while drowning: this is the book my ADHD-having wife recommends to everyone on this topic! the author also has a podcast called Struggle Care if a book doesn’t feel reasonable rn

Evan McAvenia · Answer

hanging your jeans on s hooks: this has, and I’m not exaggerating, changed my life.

it is so much easier to see what I have, so more pants get more play, and putting them away feels like less of a chore. i will never be folding jeans again. i would honestly fold and steam my dresses if i was short on space. jeans are my most worn clothing and deserve primo hanging space.

fold them pocket side in, and hook the belt loops. if you get shower curtain hooks, they never have to leave the rod. simple as that.

(i will not be taking comments on the amount of pants i own)

Michael · Answer

Studying Marie Kondo's organizing methods: Marie Kondo is my favorite space organizing nerd. I've yet to find somebody who has gone deeper into this topic. I'm in my 10th year of using her methods.

TLDR:

1. Connect. Decide which items spark joy and dispose the rest, gracefully.
2. Move. Find a home for each sparkly item. Make putting them back easy. Sort by category, size, color, or whatever makes most sense to you.

This is just as much an artistic practice in aliveness as it is an exercise in organization. Decide not by thinking, but by touching and "feeling".

For me, this is easier in the kitchen and bathroom, but harder for personal memorabilia — where things can pile up until I finally let go.

If you've ignored this until now, do take a closer look. This stuff worked for me once I "got" it.

Jessica · Answer

Embossed Label Maker & Reminders App: The embossed label maker feels retro and kitschy while still helping me keep up with my organization systems. Bins with the label help my brain compartmentalize and follow the “rules” of my organization.

If you have an iPhone, you can pair this with the Reminders app and make list of everything and assign it to categories. So when you get a new bottle of mustard or something, it goes in the “Condiments” category and the bottle goes in the “Condiments” bin. When you run out, click the circle and it goes away in the app, so you know you don’t have it anymore. When you’re grocery shopping, you can see the contents of your pantry from the store, which is so helpful.

Jenn · Answer

Vertical Spice: These guys are saving my sanity and my spice collection. They also have pull out racks for cans that I’m eyeing.

ildi marie · Answer

A notebook in every seated location: Not a perfect system but I've added a pad of paper at every seated location in my home (couch, each kitchen chair I use, bed etc) so I can jot down whatever is in my head and not lose it. In the grand scheme of things it has helped me stay on task because I see a list everywhere I sit and remember I have to do something and not just sit on my phone.

Writing endless to-do lists on different pieces of paper ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Meaghan · Answer

Basic, but Huge.: Not groundbreaking or cute but changed things for me significantly. I simply taped a post-it in the inside of my pantry on each drawer/section listing specifically what goes there. I’ve stuck with this system for a YEAR which in ADHD time says a lot. You can jeuje it up with a label maker?