Maintaining an Organizational System

Main points, no filter:

✅  ADHD brains crave novelty, so boring tasks like cleaning don’t stand a chance—low dopamine and GABA make staying on task really hard.

✅  Keeping things organized is all about habits—put stuff where it belongs and stop letting “doom piles” rule your life.

✅  Build systems that actually work for you—sort mail next to the trash, create folders in your inbox, and set up online billing.

✅  Break down big tasks into small steps; if you wait till the last minute, chaos is guaranteed.

✅ CBT for ADHD gives you real tools and accountability—no fluff, just practical ways to organize your life and get sh*t done.

Why is Maintaining an Organizational System So Hard for People with ADHD?

For people with ADHD, sticking to an organizational system can feel impossible. Here’s why:

• Dopamine Seeking: The ADHD brain has lower dopamine levels, making routine tasks feel painfully boring. This leads to a constant search for excitement (not laundry).
• GABA Deficiency: Low GABA levels can heighten impulsivity, making it hard to stay on task when something "shiny" grabs your attention.

A neurotypical brain will be able to, probably without noticing, envision the end result of a clean counter and no buildup of dirty dishes and automatically just get right up to do the dishes.

Session 9 : Lesson  #1

"Everything in its place." If we build the habit of putting things back, maintaining organization gets easier.

First step, what’s your why?

If you maintain an organization system (as boring as that can be) you will have more time to do everything you want to do. Imagine what you'd accomplish if you didn’t have to dig through "doom piles" or hunt for that one document in a mountain of clutter.  Take a moment and envision what you would do with extra time. I can’t make a 27 hour day, but we can figure out how you can get your time back.

3 Benefits of Daily Tidying:

1. Easily Find What You Need: No more last-minute searches.

2. Create a Calm Space: A tidy area promotes a clear mind.

3. Quick, daily, tidying gives you a dopamine hit: instant gratification after a few minutes of work.

How do we not let things pile up?

Session 9: Lesson #2: What you don’t do today, won’t go away – it will be that much harder tomorrow.

The first thing you do to start a new habit is decide when you will do the habit.

To build a new habit, start by choosing a specific time to tidy daily. Need help sticking to it? Try a visual cue to remind you. Afterward, reward yourself—change is hard!

Take a look at how you currently do things, what are you willing to do differently?

Example: If you come home every day and get the mail, throw it on the counter, change your clothes, and get dinner started. The mail shall remain there and become an ever-growing pile of clutter.

Ask yourself, what am I will to do different to stop this mail from piling up?

What happens if you walk in the door and sort your mail right then? All you are doing is sorting into three piles, placing those piles in their homes and then change your clothes and start dinner. As you are cooking dinner give yourself a gold star for doing something different and acknowledge that there isn’t a pile of mail on your counter. It’s so nice to NOT work around the clutter plus, the space feels just a bit freer. Soak it in.

Is mail your nemesis? Here are three steps to sorting physical and digital mail:

For paper mail

1. Stand next to the trash can. Throw away the flyers and other junk mail.

2. Sort the remaining items into file or action piles.

3. File the items that need to be filed and put your action items into your inbox.

If filing seems too much right now, that’s okay, put it in your inbox and file it when you have scheduled to go through your inbox.

Routinely get monthly statements in the mail? Place a hanging file box someplace accessible to easily drop those monthly statements into.

The key is to identify points of friction in your habits and eliminate them when possible.

To adapt this to email:

1. Create separate folders for key topics (Ex: “Google Alerts” “Order Confirmations”)

2. As mail comes in – delete or move it to its appropriate folder.

3. Keep items that need action in your Inbox. This will serve as a sort of check list to get things done.

4. Periodically delete the emails from your folders once you no longer need them. Pro Tip: If you have email on your phone, this is an excellent use of time when waiting in line at the pharmacy or at the doctor’s office.

Let's take planning to the next level. For example, say you get an appointment reminder card or email:

1. Enter the appointment into your planner.

2. List related tasks (like getting bloodwork or updating insurance info) as individual to-dos.

3. Put each of these small tasks in your planner as well.

This system also works with an RSVP to a wedding.

Make a list of tasks to do in relation to the wedding, like scheduling a manicure or renting a tux and add them to your planner along with the date of the wedding.

If you work backwards and break down the tasks you will help eliminate those “oh shit” moments when you realize you are not prepared.

In my last blog I mentioned a pro tip to prepare for tax season.

Another tip for handling incoming paperwork is online billing.  If you feel good about online and/or automatic bill pay. You can take an hour to set it up with your bank then paying bills routinely can happen automatically or with just a few clicks.

Advantages:

1. You don’t have write the check, because who has checks anymore?

2. You don’t have to have a stamp to mail the bill.

3. You don’t have to remember to walk the envelope with the check and the stamp on it to the mailbox.

Remember, identify the points of friction and eliminate them when possible. Work smarter, not harder.

Interested in learning more about CBT for ADHD?

Each session of  CBT for ADHD follows a similar structure.

1. Review of take home exercise

2. Presentation of new material

3. In session exercise

4. Presentation of take-home exercise

Here is what the schedule looks like for session nine:

1. Review take home exercise from the previous session

2. Understand why we tend to let things pile up

3. Discuss a particular doom pile concern from you and work to come up with a system to resolve it

4. Take home exercise: Time yourself to see how long it takes to go through one day worth of mail and continue to work on your organized space. The results might be surprising!

Why CBT for ADHD? We offer customizable solutions.

Articles and social media are a great resource for generalized solutions. You and your doom piles are unique. The solution needs to be unique too.

Another great feature of CBT for ADHD is the accountability and follow up as you develop and fine tune your routines.  Each week we check in with and support each other through struggles and successes. You will feel that you are not alone in your struggles and be with a group of people who understand just how hard it is to decide to leave the house and then actually leave the house.

Ready to get started?

Join our group, individual, or hybrid format today and start tackling your overwhelm with real strategies. You’ll leave each session with specific, practical tips to implement right away. No fluff. No BS. Just actionable steps that work.

Regardless of the format you choose, each session has a specific topic. You get take home notes and an exercise to work on in between sessions to fine tune the skill. If you get stuck, you have the option of an add on hyperfocus session or we can trouble shoot at the beginning of the next group.

Ready to learn more? Read my earlier blog to get more information about CBT for ADHD or schedule a consult and I’ll give you the Clif’s notes.

Schedule a consult today to learn more about how CBT for ADHD can help you implement organizational systems that are realistic and work for you!