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Consider donating possessions that can’t be stored where they are used.
Empty the space (garage, cabinet, etc.) of all items, sorting them
into the various “keep” piles, “other area” piles, charity pile, and trash pile.
Be sure to weed out and purge the unused, unwanted, unliked, soiled, and spoiled, along with duplicates, novelty items,...
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Name the space and designate areas within the space.
6 Reduce.
Procure appropriate storage tools
Return appropriate items and only appropriate items
maintain realistic expectations.
What can be expected is that when your home is messy, that mess will be only one layer deep, and you’ll know how to fix it.
Locate china and cookware, not food, in areas that are convenient to the sink and dishwasher.
ban all paperwork from the kitchen.
commit to strict adherence to the grocery list.
Make room for the stuff you do use by getting rid of the things you don’t.
Donate kitchen items that are not versatile or don’t store well.
good organization is NOT about being prepared with the perfect tool for every job, it is about being resourceful with the few tools at hand.
On garbage day, throw out the contents of all the Tupperware containers in the fridge.
Dump the stuff and drop the guilt.
Designate a large cabinet near the sink for pots.
Maintain your clutter-free cabinets by suppressing the common tendency to hoard enough food to get you through a nuclear
winter;
If a cabinet no longer has empty shelf space for groceries, then it is time to eat down your stock or make some donations to the food pantry and garbage can.
Food Cabinet Rules
Don’t worry about running out of something—running out is a triumph of organization!
Food Cabinet Cleanup
Forgive any lapses—if we all use them only 25 percent of the time, that will still make a huge difference.
De-Clutter Your Dish Cabinet
limit the number of dishes in your home.
Avoid moving food and dishes out of the kitchen. If you must have entertainment while you cook or eat, put a TV or radio in the kitchen. It is easier to find a corner for a small TV than to be constantly picking up dirty dishes and crumbs all over the house.
Solving the Dishwashing Dilemma
Trash Tips
Garbage Day Tips
Duplicate where necessary to store things where you use them.
Reducing the inventory that traditionally belongs in the bedroom down to a spare and manageable number and creating organizational systems for this inventory that the ADHD client can manage are the first steps to providing a true bedroom refuge.
move any small wastebaskets to a convenient spot next to the bed for use as a tissue receptacle, and place a large kitchen-sized basket next to the bureau for handled shopping bags and shoe boxes.
The hamper goes as near as possible to the spot where you prefer to disrobe.
If you can just as easily toss a dirty sock into your hamper as onto your bedroom floor, you’re on your way to a de-cluttered room.
Making Bed-Making Easy
efficiency should always take precedence over beauty.
Determine Your Nightstand Needs
Reduce your clothing inventory to an amount that will comfortably fit—all seasons together—in your bureau drawers.
Keep your goals realistic: Once you have segregated all clothing items to their correct drawers and the drawers are not overflowing, your job is done. Don’t aim for beauty by folding your underclothes or rolling up your socks into pairs; that’s just a waste of your time and focus.
Women usually need at least two bureaus.
In an ADHD home, the onerous “seasonal switch” chore should be eliminated if at all possible.
Clothes-Purging Tips
Over-the-door clip-on hooks (no need to install!) provide a quick and easy alternative to the chair for frequently worn items.
if beauty doesn’t interfere with efficiency, then attractiveness can seduce us into better maintenance.)
Accept that your most frequently worn shoes should be kept on the
closet floor.
replace them with bookcase-style shoe racks.
