520- How to Organize a Messy Home: Strategies for Clutter and Stress in ADHD Families
Sep 24, 2024
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In this discussion, professional organizer Tracy McCubbin shares her expertise in decluttering homes for ADHD families. She provides practical strategies to combat clutter and enhance family harmony. Tracy emphasizes the emotional connection to belongings and offers tips on managing sentimental attachments. Listeners learn about effective organization systems, the importance of manageable goals, and the value of external support. By addressing common challenges and motivation hurdles, Tracy helps families reclaim their space and reduce stress.
Emotional attachments to belongings can impede decluttering, making it essential to recognize these feelings for rational decision-making.
ADHD often leads to executive dysfunction, which complicates organization due to difficulties in focus, decision-making, and motivation.
Establishing routines and designated places for items encourages family participation, leading to a more organized and harmonious living environment.
Deep dives
Emotional Attachments to Clutter
Decluttering can be particularly challenging due to the emotional attachments people form with their belongings. Individuals often imbue their items with personal meaning, leading to difficult decisions about what to keep or discard. This emotional connection can be rooted in nostalgia, grief over lost loved ones, or sentimental feelings about past phases of life. Understanding these emotional ties can help individuals recognize that they have the power to detach from these feelings and make more rational decluttering decisions.
The Impact of ADHD on Organization
ADHD can complicate the decluttering and organizing processes by contributing to executive dysfunction, which includes challenges with focus and decision-making. Clutter often results from delayed decision-making about where items belong, leading to overwhelm. Individuals with ADHD may struggle to concentrate on organizing tasks, making it easy to lose motivation and give up. Recognizing that clutter accumulates from an inability to make quick decisions about every item can be a breakthrough for those looking to improve their organization.
Simplifying Decluttering: Start Small
The decluttering process begins with recognizing that tackling large spaces can be a daunting task, so starting small is essential. It's recommended to focus on one area at a time, such as a drawer or a small shelf, rather than attempting to declutter an entire room at once. Setting specific appointments for decluttering sessions and using timers can help create manageable chunks of time. The emphasis is on maintaining realistic expectations, acknowledging that achieving a clutter-free space will take time and consistent effort.
Systems for Success: Maintaining Organization
Establishing systems and routines is crucial for maintaining organization in a home that is prone to clutter. This includes designating specific places for items and ensuring that everyone in the household follows these systems. The principle of 'put it away, not down' can significantly reduce clutter by encouraging individuals to take the extra moment to store items properly. Furthermore, creating repeatable routines and encouraging family participation in maintaining organization can lead to a smoother and more harmonious living environment.
Embracing Minimalism: The Key to Organization
Having less stuff is fundamental to achieving and sustaining an organized home. Reducing the number of items in a living space makes it easier to keep things orderly and find what is needed when it is needed. People are encouraged to consider whether they truly need an item, if it can be easily replaced, or if it is possible to borrow instead. This minimalist approach doesn't only make organization simpler but also creates a calmer and more functional living environment.
Professional organizer Tracy McCubbin discusses how to decrease disorganization and conflict over clutter when one—or all—family members have ADHD, including how to decide what to keep and what to toss and how to put things back where they belong.
How to Organize a Messy Home with ADHD: More Resources
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