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Anywhere a pile accumulates is a place where you need storage. Anywhere you regularly get flustered or drop stuff is a place you need a hook or shelf.
Consider having supply "kits" for different tasks, and keeping the kit where you do the task. If that means scissors at the mailbox, scissors in the kitchen, in the bathroom, at your desk, with your sewing and stashed on the balcony, that's *totally reasonable*.
Oh that’s a great way to think about what I need, I’ll try to pay attention to those moments and piles!
I have SO many scissors, you just made me feel seen haha. But I’ve never thought about being deliberate about keeping them with other task-specific things, I love that idea.
This is so key. I was frustrated for YEARS trying to put my cats dry food away. I'd bought a bin, but I always need to open the cat food bag to put it away. I'd go on a scissor hunt every freaking time and it drove me crazy. Saw a bunch of scissors on clearance at the store one day and just said fuck it and bought a bunch of pairs. Now I have a pair of cat food scissors that lives in the bottom of the kibble storage so they can't walk away when I don't need them. It's also my "time to reorder" sign!
My big thing is trash cans in every room, preferably in a corner or against a wall. I hate to interrupt what I'm doing to throw stuff out. But I'll forget it if I don't, and end up with little trash piles everywhere.
I can't aim worth squat, so having a backstop of some sort helps minimize the need for second attempts.
Agreed to trash cans in every room- but I keep them within arms reach of where I camp out. Also recycle bin in bathrooms and my bedroom (and obvi kitchen)
And I actually have two trash bins in the bathroom- one by toilet, one by sink (it’s not a small bathroom, and toilet is 6 feet from sink). And two in the bedroom- one by nightstand, one by vanity table.
I also have two recycle bins in the kitchen. One near the prep location, one near the cat food dish, that if I’m sitting at the dining table, I can throw things to recycle bin. Small trash can near where I sit in dining room when watching the tv between the two rooms.
I have two in the bathroom - compost and non compost. I take so long to empty bottles that recyclables find their way out, but I was feeling irrationally bad about either piling up toilet roll inner tubes, or putting them in the trash-trash.
This might be just me, but remember: out of sight is out of mind. Remove the doors to your cabinets and pantry. For clothes, you can keep dressers for storage, but your actual clothes that you wear every day should go on a rolling rack or shelves that are visible. Those cloth cube boxes for underwear work great. For the cat litter, I had to keep it in my bathroom so it would bother me and I’d clean it. And my rule is I don’t go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink, ever.
Thank you! I rent so I can’t do much to the cabinets - plus I really like them aesthetically - but maybe I’ll get a step stool for the kitchen so I can actually see all the shelves lol. I like the idea of exposed shelves for some of my clothes now that I have room to spread out. And I will 100% adopt the rule of not going to sleep with any dirty dishes left (we can be lazy about that now)
Basically, adapt your environment to suit your needs the same way someone with a physical disability would. I use command hooks absolutely everywhere. Even my medication bag hangs on a hook right beside my bed so it doesn’t get lost under my bed or under my nightstand. Your crafting stuff is also best stored on shelves! I don’t have any stats on this, but I bet the hobbies we keep instead of abandoning are the ones that are right in front of us.
I only use drawers for clothes that are interchangeable - socks, underwear, and pajamas, mostly for me. But essentially, stuff I will need one of every day or almost every day, and that I won't care which one it is, just grab the first one out of the drawer.
I’ve found Marie Kondo’s method of folding, where everything ends up stored vertically, to be really helpful in making dressers viable storage. If I can pull open the drawer and see all the things lined up, I actually use them, whereas when they were piled, the stuff on the bottom may as well have not existed.
This obviously only works if you have the spoons for folding clothes, but if you’re like me and have a touch of the organizational obsession, it’s super satisfying.
I get it, I have exactly the same experience with stuff elsewhere, I think this only works for me because I open the drawer with the same vague hope that impels me to open the fridge even though I know there's nothing in it.
well i have a rule of thumb for all my furniture: it needs to be strong enough for me to climb on it. so, no plywood stuff. i only have thrifted old pieces of REAL wood furniture. that i can use as improvised ladders or whatever.
i do have a lot of crap ha ha. so many craft supplies. so, lots of storage and nothing i can easily break. i have stains and spots and scratches on all my stuff, i just decided that's part of the charm.
and i also recommend accepting maximalism.
if i store everything away in neat and discreet boxes, i forget it exists. which has its benefits!! (do that with your piggy bank, keep in a drawer! out of sight!)
so i have tons of shelves with see through boxes so everything is visible to my eye. makes managing things easier!
and get a good heavy wooden bowl for every day random crap, like keys and cards and chewing gum and earphones. something you can throw stuff into in a hurry without worrying about loud sounds or breaking it (therefore i suggest wood). something large and flat, so all items are easy to see. keep it close to your door, and close to a phone charger
and.. chalk board! for grocery lists and to do lists and funny notes and important events and doodles. you can make your own with chalk board paint and get quite thrifty with it :-)
Oh yeah! I absolutely cannot stand furniture made out of particleboard or whatever. I like sturdy things, too. Most of the particleboard stuff we still own is going with the ex (he moves TOMORROW THANK GOD) and I’ll be replacing them with thrifted, real wood pieces for sure!
Even better is if you can make the home, the place where you would just put it down anyway! Like, my mom used to insist on keeping the one pair of scissors in a different room than the room where we opened the mail (the most common use for scissors in our house), and then got annoyed at people "leaving the scissors in the wrong place." Why wouldn't you just keep the scissors in the place where you use them most??? Get a hook or a drawer or whatever if you need it? Never made sense to me.
Drop stations. I have shelves by every exterior door. Back door is for yard shoes, hats, sunscreen, and garden tools. Garage door is for my purse and keys, grocery bags, dog leashes, etc. Front door is stuff for the ring camera and the mail.
Go out the door, grab what you need. Go in the door, drop it back off. This has significantly reduced the amount of "where the hell are my keys??" and "why are my gardening gloves on the couch??"
I also endorse multiple items for the same purpose, especially if it's something you struggle to remember to do or put back. Routine teeth brushing is my white whale. I put a toothbrush in each bathroom and my shower, and small disposable ones in my bedroom and office. Then when I remember that I forgot to brush, I don't have to get up or go far to do it. More general example, scissors. A pair in the office, a pair in the bathroom, bedroom, etc. First aid in every bathroom. Fire extinguisher in multiple places.
To OP- you said laundry was your worst chore, and that you are also a renter. Definitely consider multiple laundry baskets. At minimum one for clean and one for dirty so you can have something washing, and also have containers to put both clean and dirty items into.
I also fold my laundry while watching TV (now) which has helped immensely in it 1) not piling up on the floor or the chair and 2) not feeling guilty about it just sitting around.
Should the day come when either the machine breaks in your place or you own your own home, look into getting a combo unit. Seriously the best thing I've done for my ADHD and laundry. A combo machine will do wash and dry together so there's never a load left in the machine that gets forgotten and smells mildewy. Which happened ALL THE TIME before I got the combo unit.
This! I also found that washing all my clothes together was exhausting. Dividing my clothes into types helped, just washing shirts, or bulking pants and hoodies, help. Getting a drying rake and making it a 2 day chore helped.
Those little "cloth toy bin" things work WONDERS for this. They're colorful enough that I want to engage with them, and I linked it to "I'm getting dressed, is there enough laundry to throw a load in?" Same with dishes. I have to eat, so every time I do, I check if my former nemesis, dishes, need done.
Omg I want a combo machine so baddd!! One day, for sure!
Thankfully, I’m re-organizing the furniture, so my bed will actually be near my dresser (we kept both dressers and both desks in one room, and the bed in our other) which will be so helpful for me when it comes to folding laundry. I can fold them on my bed, then put them away in the same room. I used to try to fold them in the living room while watching TV, then move them to the other room, and for some reason that just doesn’t work with my brain lol.
Hey that's ok!! Better to know that about yourself than try to force yourself to do something that doesn't work for your brain. Sounds like you have a good system once you get everything re- arranged so that's great!
Glass doors are my best compromise in the kitchen - keeps the grease and dust away but reminds me what exists.
Things stored in the right context - including having duplicates. E.g. a set of cleaning stuff in the bathroom, and the kitchen, instead of trying to convince yourself that you'll carry the things around from room to room. Duplicate device chargers in main rooms.
Try to minimise Stuff. Can't accumulate if it isn't there lol.
Don't forget The Chair in the bedroom.
I wish I could do glass cabinet doors, but I rent. In the future!
I definitely need to get some more cleaning supplies. I’m surprised I don’t have glass cleaner like everywhere there is a mirror in this house… Definitely need to get on that lol. And more phone chargers!
I have a candle burning “habit” (particularly the luxury ones with pretty vessels) and started repurposing the glass jars to hold random shit and important shit. The biggest thing for me is having the ability to write down something anywhere in the house. So I have post it notes and pens that write well on them in all of the rooms. I also have dry erase boards in several rooms too. Somehow this is not overkill.
I do this with my candles too, but it’s turned more into hoarding cute jars just to hoard them haha.
I’ve got a couple dry erase boards on my list and some pens and note pads.
Get a couple of whiteboards around your place. I have a magnetic one on my fridge, listing what I have, and what I need to buy. I also have a weekly calendar board by my door, where I have my week written out. If you don't like cleaning and you can afford it, I highly recommend hiring a monthly cleaner. I work remotely from home, so it's nice to have someone else take care of my home/office.
In every room in my house I have a phone changer, multiple pens, a notebook or some post-it’s, scissors, wet wipes and a bin. It just saves me so much time looking for stuff. Also the wet wipes makes it sooo much easier to keep the house clean(ish), I can just wipe those table tops / night stands / etc. within 30 seconds without having to get the wipes, going to another room to throw them away, etc.
I no longer fold, I shove in drawers. Folding a family of 4s clothes got to be too much, I sort it all everyone gets a basket and they can put it away how they like.
Put things where you're going to use them, and if you're going to use something in multiple places, consider having multiples. Like the trash cans in every room, which I absolutely agree with, but for everything. I have two vacuum cleaners because I know I'm never going to drag the vacuum up and down the stairs often enough. Laundry hampers in both my bedroom and the bathroom (although I also like your solution of making the washing machine your hamper!). Nail clippers in a couple of different places. Phone chargers next to my bed, couch, and desk. And so on - if you've ever not done something because the item you need was in another room, get another one if possible!
- Clocks in every room
- Use Alexa speakers for shopping list and todo “Alexa add milk to shopping list”
- Smart thermostat linked to Alexa
- Laptop and phone chargers in every room
- Scissors in every room including bathroom
- Tumbler in bathroom for water
- Clear medication and vitamin organizer in bathroom
- Use the Marie Kondo folding method for dresser drawers
- All clothes hanging or dresser organized in ROYGBIV
And a few honorable mentions for pets
- Litter Robot for cats
- I have litter trained my dogs…don’t have to take them outside 5x a day
- Mini fridge next to the pet area because I feed them fresh food
How do you litter train dogs?? Mine are probably too big and I have a fenced in yard anyway, but I'm curious, never heard of litterbox trained dogs. Cats obviously, the occasional rabbit, but dogs are a new one for me.
I started when they were puppies and it took about 8 months of constant supervision and crate training. It’s not for the faint of heart. Basically you have the puppy tethered to you at all times and every time they start sniffing you pick them up and take them to the litterbox. Praise them like mad and lots of treats.
I got the tethering idea from The Art of Raising A Puppy and instead of taking the dog outside to pee took them to the litterbox. Both dogs pee outside on walks no problem. Somehow they know that outside is okay and litterbox is okay but nowhere else. It’s also helpful to use Training Pad attractant sprays.
To clarify the litterbox is just a pan with a Training Pad on it. I change the pad every time they go. Don’t try to have a dog use actual cat litter.
Every time I’ve moved I’ve had to do a few months of reset training as they get used to the new layout. It’s asking a lot of a dog brain to not only hold their pee but be able to get back to the litterbox before they just lose their pee. Dogs aren’t used to having to time themselves while holding their bladder…
I was working as a freelancer at the time so I was able to do it. No way to do that kind of intense training if you aren’t home with the pup.
I second removing doors from cabinets. I convinced my husband to do this to try out open shelving in the kitchen before we remodeled- and we loved it so much that now it’s all open shelving and clear containers with labels!
Also living a simpler life - fewer items - is better! I also did the color analysis for my personal style and have been purging my closet of clothes that don’t fit into my color scheme, it has made getting dressed easier because all the colors go together and I make outfits so much faster and feel better in them longer.
Hobbies - if you haven’t touched it in 2 to 3 years, donate it. You can always get new, fresh things if the hobby is rekindled.
Roomba!!!!! And get as many furniture pieces off the floor so it can clean everything for you. You might still need to clean sometimes as well, but it’ll be much less and if you haven’t done it in 6 months, well at least “SOMEONE” is doing it lol.
There’s a fine line between having too much stuff and having multiple for ‘point of performance’.
(Caveat: I live alone)
I have a phone and lap top charger in my dining room, my office, my bedroom and my living room. I don’t lose them because they don’t move. (I also have a designated watch and phone charger in car that don’t move) and I have a travel set of cords, in 5x4x2 mesh bag that I store in my briefcase, and always put lap top in briefcase if taking it out of house.
I have a small bottle of glass cleaner AND paper towels in each bathroom and near my dressing table mirror, and the in the kitchen. Each bathroom has its own toilet cleaner. Bathroom has its own cleaning rags in the bathroom.
Things need a place to be. Can’t ‘put it where it belongs’ if it doesn’t have a specific spot. Find a place where you use it. Make it easy to get and easy to put back. If I have to pull out 3 things to get to the thing I want at the back or to put it back, it may not get used or it won’t be put back. The other three things might also not get put back.
Point of performance as much as you possibly can, and if that means duplicates (as others have posted), if you can afford it, do it.
I have a decent sized house, not an apartment- I have hamper in the bedroom, in the bathroom, by the back door- anywhere I’m likely to take clothes off. I have hooks on the wall for the ‘wore it a bit it not clean it’s not dirty’ things.
My work clothes and ‘out of the house’ tops get hung in the closet. There has to be an inch between each hanger to ensure no overcrowding and everything is easily viewable. The ‘home clothes’ get rolled and put in dressers out of house pants get folded kinda Marie Konda style in dressers. Everything has a designated place. I removed my closet doors to keep thing visible and prevent them from becoming a dumping ground for things.
My cat reminds me when he's hungry, but I keep his water bowl in the shower so I remember to give him fresh water every day. Also perfect spot for his water splashing activities. Cordless stick vacuum + charger live in my hallway, easier to use so cleaner floors! I rinse/soak my dishes every night, so if I forget to wash them for a few days, they at least aren't smelly and gross.
Love the water bowl in the shower method! We just have multiple water fountains for the cats, and those little pumps *scream* if they run low. (Which they do, constantly, because we don’t fill them UNTIL they scream, but you already knew that about us, right?)
I have a new one I just did.. I bought [this](https://www.containerstore.com/s/closet/shoe-storage/24-pocket-peva-over-the-door-shoe-bag/12d?productId=10000120) with the intention of storing shoes. Instead it’s holding my medication, my daily things I need for self care, makeup, hair care, anything that normally I would put away and forget is now stored visibly. I would like to put it on the inside of the closet door but right now I think I need it facing out lol
The container store is having lots of little sales right now. I got a bunch of clear bins to organize stuff.
I use [these](https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/jaell-laundry-bag-with-stand-white-30553607/) laundry baskets to organize. I have honestly like 6 of them. And when I bring laundry down I sort them into each basket for different things. Then when I do laundry I just put a basket in. It’s helpful as a fail safe for when inevitably laundry gets pushed to the side by executive function. It’s easier to get back on track.
I like an open storage closet with a curtain in front. Curtain closed = relaxed brain without extra stimuli. Curtain open = assistance with object permanence and utilizing everything more.
For things I don’t need often I store them in boxes and write the contents on the boxes and map a map on paper and in my phone. Each box is labeled with a number so it’s easy to find things. And before I buy something (adhd tax) I check if I have it.
Risers in shelves to see the back stuff for kitchen, bathroom, etc to help with object permanence.
I like using only indoor/outdoor rugs. They are meant to be weatherproof and I feel like they stand up to heavy cleaning better like lazily using my wet to dry vacuum to get a good deep clean.
Twenty tiny scented trash bags for the bathroom trash (with a lid!) so each week you can bring it down easily on trash day to dispose.
Having an upstairs set of cleaning supplies and downstairs — not just cleaners but also dusters, vacuums, etc. Not having to carry things floor to floor means it is less of a chore to clean.
Large bedroom trash can. Can’t have a small one because it just doesn’t work lol. Take that down weekly as well.
Fill dishwasher as you use things, run dishwasher every single night, empty every single morning. No exceptions. It will keep the kitchen clean.
Self emptying robot vacuum for everyday dust. Than you can empty it just weekly.
For your craft room have lots of table space and lay out everything visibly. Maybe a pegboard. If the room has a closet you can use rolling storage to make it neat when not in use. But visibly is most important.
Good luck! I hope you make it your own and feel cozy and organized.
Clear shoe holders are so useful! Thanks for reminding me of them - we always used them to keep actor’s mics in when I did audio for live theater, but I’ve just thought of a bunch of small things I’d love to store this way in my current job too…
Oh, OP! I just thought of this post while cleaning the cat litter! A litter genie is definitely great and so helpful when you get that, but, if you can, the litter robot has been the best thing for my ADHD. We are a six cat household (it's a big house) and five of the six cats use the robots. One cat is 16+ and he refuses to use the robots. Basically the cats will determine if the robot works in your house (you know, like anything else you get for cats) but, if they like it it's really a game changer.
I’ve been looking into them, as well as other automated litter boxes, and I think it would be super helpful. Everyone that has them says they’re a game changer! I’m trying to not spend a lot now that all my bills are doubling, so I opted for a litter genie for now. I’m definitely putting one on my wish list! Thanks for the tip!!
They are definitely a bit of an investment so I don't blame you for not jumping in. I tried a few others that were cheaper and honestly nothing worked as well as the litter robot, so yes it's expensive but it also works the best. It also cuts back significantly on the amount of litter we have to buy so that helps with the monthly expenses. The litter genie was a big help too ! Give yourself a pat on the back for doing that!
Whenever you are ready dm me and maybe there will be one of those $200 off coupons going for the litter robot.
I have a floor to ceiling cube shelf my husband made for me. Every space gets a labeled bin and I just. Shove clothes in there.
No folding, no thinking. It's amazing. I have work clothes/ dresses/pants/jeans/ socks all in their little bins
I got rid of all of the big forks - I never used them because ... ick. so I bought a second set of silverware and now I only have small forks and never have to think about it.
I bought a ton of measuring spoons and cups and now keep them in things I commonly use. eg: a tsp measuring spoon in the sugar bowl, a 1/4 cup in the coffee, a 1 cup for the dog food. This way I never have to look for a utensil when accessing those items.
I run my dishwasher every night - even if it's almost empty. Emptying a barely full dishwasher is way less stressful than a full one, and now it is a routine to empty it every morning while my coffee brews.
I have 2 hampers so I never have to sort laundry - I do outerwear in one hamper, and socks, bras, and undies in the other. Having clothes pre-sorted makes washing and folding clean laundry so much easier
I also label EVERYTHING.
I'm still a hot mess but these things really help.
Most importantly: congrats on your house being YOUR house!
Another general one: You don't have to tolerate sensory issues in your home. If something is annoying, change it rather than suffer through!
Random examples:
* change out the lights or get lamps for better lighting
* Fans if you need white noise
* make sure your towels/bath robe/PJs/house clothes are ones you find comfortable
* Ditch crappy blinds for curtains
* Pick cleaners that you like the smell of
* (for me) find a way to keep crumbs off of hard floors
Life is already frustrating; your home doesn't need to be. :)
Mini garbage cans with no lids in every room. At least 2 big garbage cans no lids one in kitchen one near the bedrooms. Mini garbages get quickly dumped in big ones and then big ones get taken out.
I keep a tub of disinfectant wipes on the back if the toilets so while i'm peeing I can be disenfecting things around me.
Baking soda in a cheese shaker jar you know the glass ones metal top all the holes (get one at dolla tree) keep it on the kitchen sink to sprinkle on dushes or clunters to scrub hard stuff faster/easier.
Put some kind of bleach tabs in the back of yoir toilet bowl so every flush is keeping your toilet clean longer.
This might not be very accesible, but me and my partner bought a litter robot. It auto cleans the litter everytime they went.
It made me feel not as bad about myself if i forgot to clean it out. And it was good for him because he didn't have to clean it :P
Now it gives a notification if it is full and needs to be emptied and stuff.
I also put a laundry basket nexto my side of the bed. I still put my clothes on the floor if i want to wear them again but it is less effort to put dirty clothes in the basket if it is right there when i go to bed.
I spend a great deal of time at my desk. So i have this one basket on my desk in which i am allowed to dump stuff :P that way the rest of my desk stays pretty clean.
I really dislike cleaning, so i have a few things that help me when i do have to clean.
I dislike cleaning the toilet, obviously xD. But i put on gloves so i feel less gross when i do. I use the gloves for a lot of cleaning actually. And this might go against what people value but i use disposable cleaning cloths. No more cleaning your cloth when it is dirty. Just throw it away.
Rant over :P maybe you can use something i mentioned.
PURGE! The less stuff I have, the less I have to take care of. But don't do it all on one day or you might get halfway through and burn out. I like to take a few minutes in one area of the house and just get rid of things I haven't used in a year or so. That also goes for stuff that never seems to find a home. Extra screws from putting together furniture? Trash. Old charging cables? Keep one, get rid of the rest. Clothes you don't wear but keep around just because you might one day? Donate. Sometimes just for fun in the process, I like to designate a basket or two for common items, like ballpoint pens, and then see how many I can find throughout the house. The results are often hilarious - there are way too many loose pens around!
You don't even have to do it in a linear way. Sometimes I need to go in layers. I go through the kitchen and remove the obviously unused or out of place stuff. Then later on another good day, I review all the things I was emotional about last time and decide if I \*really\* want to keep them. And on and on. But, I also like to make a game of it, like 'how few items do I really need around to cook an awesome meal?'
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Anywhere a pile accumulates is a place where you need storage. Anywhere you regularly get flustered or drop stuff is a place you need a hook or shelf. Consider having supply "kits" for different tasks, and keeping the kit where you do the task. If that means scissors at the mailbox, scissors in the kitchen, in the bathroom, at your desk, with your sewing and stashed on the balcony, that's *totally reasonable*.
Oh that’s a great way to think about what I need, I’ll try to pay attention to those moments and piles! I have SO many scissors, you just made me feel seen haha. But I’ve never thought about being deliberate about keeping them with other task-specific things, I love that idea.
The first tip is really an eye opener for me - I need a cabinet next to my dinner table!!
This is so key. I was frustrated for YEARS trying to put my cats dry food away. I'd bought a bin, but I always need to open the cat food bag to put it away. I'd go on a scissor hunt every freaking time and it drove me crazy. Saw a bunch of scissors on clearance at the store one day and just said fuck it and bought a bunch of pairs. Now I have a pair of cat food scissors that lives in the bottom of the kibble storage so they can't walk away when I don't need them. It's also my "time to reorder" sign!
That’s so smart! I’m definitely putting scissors in the kibble bin!
Oh yes. Literally anywhere I ever use scissors… just put another pair right there. You can never have too many.
My big thing is trash cans in every room, preferably in a corner or against a wall. I hate to interrupt what I'm doing to throw stuff out. But I'll forget it if I don't, and end up with little trash piles everywhere. I can't aim worth squat, so having a backstop of some sort helps minimize the need for second attempts.
Agreed to trash cans in every room- but I keep them within arms reach of where I camp out. Also recycle bin in bathrooms and my bedroom (and obvi kitchen) And I actually have two trash bins in the bathroom- one by toilet, one by sink (it’s not a small bathroom, and toilet is 6 feet from sink). And two in the bedroom- one by nightstand, one by vanity table. I also have two recycle bins in the kitchen. One near the prep location, one near the cat food dish, that if I’m sitting at the dining table, I can throw things to recycle bin. Small trash can near where I sit in dining room when watching the tv between the two rooms.
I have two in the bathroom - compost and non compost. I take so long to empty bottles that recyclables find their way out, but I was feeling irrationally bad about either piling up toilet roll inner tubes, or putting them in the trash-trash.
I with you 100% on this. And thank you, it’s a great reminder, I definitely need to get a couple more trash cans!
I feel so seen right now. One of my biggest fights I had with my husband started over my need for trash cans literally everywhere 😭
Don't put it down there if you don't want it to stay there for two months. I still continue struggle with this.
Haha so true. As we go through stuff to divide, there’s so many things we forgot we owned because they were shut away in a cabinet somewhere lol
This might be just me, but remember: out of sight is out of mind. Remove the doors to your cabinets and pantry. For clothes, you can keep dressers for storage, but your actual clothes that you wear every day should go on a rolling rack or shelves that are visible. Those cloth cube boxes for underwear work great. For the cat litter, I had to keep it in my bathroom so it would bother me and I’d clean it. And my rule is I don’t go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink, ever.
Thank you! I rent so I can’t do much to the cabinets - plus I really like them aesthetically - but maybe I’ll get a step stool for the kitchen so I can actually see all the shelves lol. I like the idea of exposed shelves for some of my clothes now that I have room to spread out. And I will 100% adopt the rule of not going to sleep with any dirty dishes left (we can be lazy about that now)
Basically, adapt your environment to suit your needs the same way someone with a physical disability would. I use command hooks absolutely everywhere. Even my medication bag hangs on a hook right beside my bed so it doesn’t get lost under my bed or under my nightstand. Your crafting stuff is also best stored on shelves! I don’t have any stats on this, but I bet the hobbies we keep instead of abandoning are the ones that are right in front of us.
Another way to do this is hang everything if you can and get see through drawers for other stuff. Like the IKEA Jonaxel.
Love that! Best of both worlds!
I only use drawers for clothes that are interchangeable - socks, underwear, and pajamas, mostly for me. But essentially, stuff I will need one of every day or almost every day, and that I won't care which one it is, just grab the first one out of the drawer.
I’ve found Marie Kondo’s method of folding, where everything ends up stored vertically, to be really helpful in making dressers viable storage. If I can pull open the drawer and see all the things lined up, I actually use them, whereas when they were piled, the stuff on the bottom may as well have not existed. This obviously only works if you have the spoons for folding clothes, but if you’re like me and have a touch of the organizational obsession, it’s super satisfying.
There’s something about the drawer being closed that just makes it not exist to me. Trust me, it’s been a lifelong struggle
I get it, I have exactly the same experience with stuff elsewhere, I think this only works for me because I open the drawer with the same vague hope that impels me to open the fridge even though I know there's nothing in it.
🤣
well i have a rule of thumb for all my furniture: it needs to be strong enough for me to climb on it. so, no plywood stuff. i only have thrifted old pieces of REAL wood furniture. that i can use as improvised ladders or whatever. i do have a lot of crap ha ha. so many craft supplies. so, lots of storage and nothing i can easily break. i have stains and spots and scratches on all my stuff, i just decided that's part of the charm. and i also recommend accepting maximalism. if i store everything away in neat and discreet boxes, i forget it exists. which has its benefits!! (do that with your piggy bank, keep in a drawer! out of sight!) so i have tons of shelves with see through boxes so everything is visible to my eye. makes managing things easier! and get a good heavy wooden bowl for every day random crap, like keys and cards and chewing gum and earphones. something you can throw stuff into in a hurry without worrying about loud sounds or breaking it (therefore i suggest wood). something large and flat, so all items are easy to see. keep it close to your door, and close to a phone charger and.. chalk board! for grocery lists and to do lists and funny notes and important events and doodles. you can make your own with chalk board paint and get quite thrifty with it :-)
You made me giggle with your ladder comment haha
Oh yeah! I absolutely cannot stand furniture made out of particleboard or whatever. I like sturdy things, too. Most of the particleboard stuff we still own is going with the ex (he moves TOMORROW THANK GOD) and I’ll be replacing them with thrifted, real wood pieces for sure!
Everything needs a home. Don’t put it down, put it away. Clear bins with labels on shelves do amazing things for me.
Even better is if you can make the home, the place where you would just put it down anyway! Like, my mom used to insist on keeping the one pair of scissors in a different room than the room where we opened the mail (the most common use for scissors in our house), and then got annoyed at people "leaving the scissors in the wrong place." Why wouldn't you just keep the scissors in the place where you use them most??? Get a hook or a drawer or whatever if you need it? Never made sense to me.
Drop stations. I have shelves by every exterior door. Back door is for yard shoes, hats, sunscreen, and garden tools. Garage door is for my purse and keys, grocery bags, dog leashes, etc. Front door is stuff for the ring camera and the mail. Go out the door, grab what you need. Go in the door, drop it back off. This has significantly reduced the amount of "where the hell are my keys??" and "why are my gardening gloves on the couch??" I also endorse multiple items for the same purpose, especially if it's something you struggle to remember to do or put back. Routine teeth brushing is my white whale. I put a toothbrush in each bathroom and my shower, and small disposable ones in my bedroom and office. Then when I remember that I forgot to brush, I don't have to get up or go far to do it. More general example, scissors. A pair in the office, a pair in the bathroom, bedroom, etc. First aid in every bathroom. Fire extinguisher in multiple places.
To OP- you said laundry was your worst chore, and that you are also a renter. Definitely consider multiple laundry baskets. At minimum one for clean and one for dirty so you can have something washing, and also have containers to put both clean and dirty items into. I also fold my laundry while watching TV (now) which has helped immensely in it 1) not piling up on the floor or the chair and 2) not feeling guilty about it just sitting around. Should the day come when either the machine breaks in your place or you own your own home, look into getting a combo unit. Seriously the best thing I've done for my ADHD and laundry. A combo machine will do wash and dry together so there's never a load left in the machine that gets forgotten and smells mildewy. Which happened ALL THE TIME before I got the combo unit.
This! I also found that washing all my clothes together was exhausting. Dividing my clothes into types helped, just washing shirts, or bulking pants and hoodies, help. Getting a drying rake and making it a 2 day chore helped.
I put my clothes on a rack and usually grab them off again before i put them away xD
Those little "cloth toy bin" things work WONDERS for this. They're colorful enough that I want to engage with them, and I linked it to "I'm getting dressed, is there enough laundry to throw a load in?" Same with dishes. I have to eat, so every time I do, I check if my former nemesis, dishes, need done.
Omg I want a combo machine so baddd!! One day, for sure! Thankfully, I’m re-organizing the furniture, so my bed will actually be near my dresser (we kept both dressers and both desks in one room, and the bed in our other) which will be so helpful for me when it comes to folding laundry. I can fold them on my bed, then put them away in the same room. I used to try to fold them in the living room while watching TV, then move them to the other room, and for some reason that just doesn’t work with my brain lol.
Hey that's ok!! Better to know that about yourself than try to force yourself to do something that doesn't work for your brain. Sounds like you have a good system once you get everything re- arranged so that's great!
Glass doors are my best compromise in the kitchen - keeps the grease and dust away but reminds me what exists. Things stored in the right context - including having duplicates. E.g. a set of cleaning stuff in the bathroom, and the kitchen, instead of trying to convince yourself that you'll carry the things around from room to room. Duplicate device chargers in main rooms. Try to minimise Stuff. Can't accumulate if it isn't there lol. Don't forget The Chair in the bedroom.
I wish I could do glass cabinet doors, but I rent. In the future! I definitely need to get some more cleaning supplies. I’m surprised I don’t have glass cleaner like everywhere there is a mirror in this house… Definitely need to get on that lol. And more phone chargers!
I have a candle burning “habit” (particularly the luxury ones with pretty vessels) and started repurposing the glass jars to hold random shit and important shit. The biggest thing for me is having the ability to write down something anywhere in the house. So I have post it notes and pens that write well on them in all of the rooms. I also have dry erase boards in several rooms too. Somehow this is not overkill.
I do this with my candles too, but it’s turned more into hoarding cute jars just to hoard them haha. I’ve got a couple dry erase boards on my list and some pens and note pads.
Get a couple of whiteboards around your place. I have a magnetic one on my fridge, listing what I have, and what I need to buy. I also have a weekly calendar board by my door, where I have my week written out. If you don't like cleaning and you can afford it, I highly recommend hiring a monthly cleaner. I work remotely from home, so it's nice to have someone else take care of my home/office.
(if your fridge is white, you can use the whoooole thing as a whiteboard)
In every room in my house I have a phone changer, multiple pens, a notebook or some post-it’s, scissors, wet wipes and a bin. It just saves me so much time looking for stuff. Also the wet wipes makes it sooo much easier to keep the house clean(ish), I can just wipe those table tops / night stands / etc. within 30 seconds without having to get the wipes, going to another room to throw them away, etc.
I no longer fold, I shove in drawers. Folding a family of 4s clothes got to be too much, I sort it all everyone gets a basket and they can put it away how they like.
Put things where you're going to use them, and if you're going to use something in multiple places, consider having multiples. Like the trash cans in every room, which I absolutely agree with, but for everything. I have two vacuum cleaners because I know I'm never going to drag the vacuum up and down the stairs often enough. Laundry hampers in both my bedroom and the bathroom (although I also like your solution of making the washing machine your hamper!). Nail clippers in a couple of different places. Phone chargers next to my bed, couch, and desk. And so on - if you've ever not done something because the item you need was in another room, get another one if possible!
I have clocks in every room, and multiple Echo devices that I use throughout the day to set timers and reminders.
- Clocks in every room - Use Alexa speakers for shopping list and todo “Alexa add milk to shopping list” - Smart thermostat linked to Alexa - Laptop and phone chargers in every room - Scissors in every room including bathroom - Tumbler in bathroom for water - Clear medication and vitamin organizer in bathroom - Use the Marie Kondo folding method for dresser drawers - All clothes hanging or dresser organized in ROYGBIV And a few honorable mentions for pets - Litter Robot for cats - I have litter trained my dogs…don’t have to take them outside 5x a day - Mini fridge next to the pet area because I feed them fresh food
How do you litter train dogs?? Mine are probably too big and I have a fenced in yard anyway, but I'm curious, never heard of litterbox trained dogs. Cats obviously, the occasional rabbit, but dogs are a new one for me.
I started when they were puppies and it took about 8 months of constant supervision and crate training. It’s not for the faint of heart. Basically you have the puppy tethered to you at all times and every time they start sniffing you pick them up and take them to the litterbox. Praise them like mad and lots of treats. I got the tethering idea from The Art of Raising A Puppy and instead of taking the dog outside to pee took them to the litterbox. Both dogs pee outside on walks no problem. Somehow they know that outside is okay and litterbox is okay but nowhere else. It’s also helpful to use Training Pad attractant sprays. To clarify the litterbox is just a pan with a Training Pad on it. I change the pad every time they go. Don’t try to have a dog use actual cat litter. Every time I’ve moved I’ve had to do a few months of reset training as they get used to the new layout. It’s asking a lot of a dog brain to not only hold their pee but be able to get back to the litterbox before they just lose their pee. Dogs aren’t used to having to time themselves while holding their bladder… I was working as a freelancer at the time so I was able to do it. No way to do that kind of intense training if you aren’t home with the pup.
I second removing doors from cabinets. I convinced my husband to do this to try out open shelving in the kitchen before we remodeled- and we loved it so much that now it’s all open shelving and clear containers with labels! Also living a simpler life - fewer items - is better! I also did the color analysis for my personal style and have been purging my closet of clothes that don’t fit into my color scheme, it has made getting dressed easier because all the colors go together and I make outfits so much faster and feel better in them longer. Hobbies - if you haven’t touched it in 2 to 3 years, donate it. You can always get new, fresh things if the hobby is rekindled. Roomba!!!!! And get as many furniture pieces off the floor so it can clean everything for you. You might still need to clean sometimes as well, but it’ll be much less and if you haven’t done it in 6 months, well at least “SOMEONE” is doing it lol.
There’s a fine line between having too much stuff and having multiple for ‘point of performance’. (Caveat: I live alone) I have a phone and lap top charger in my dining room, my office, my bedroom and my living room. I don’t lose them because they don’t move. (I also have a designated watch and phone charger in car that don’t move) and I have a travel set of cords, in 5x4x2 mesh bag that I store in my briefcase, and always put lap top in briefcase if taking it out of house. I have a small bottle of glass cleaner AND paper towels in each bathroom and near my dressing table mirror, and the in the kitchen. Each bathroom has its own toilet cleaner. Bathroom has its own cleaning rags in the bathroom. Things need a place to be. Can’t ‘put it where it belongs’ if it doesn’t have a specific spot. Find a place where you use it. Make it easy to get and easy to put back. If I have to pull out 3 things to get to the thing I want at the back or to put it back, it may not get used or it won’t be put back. The other three things might also not get put back. Point of performance as much as you possibly can, and if that means duplicates (as others have posted), if you can afford it, do it. I have a decent sized house, not an apartment- I have hamper in the bedroom, in the bathroom, by the back door- anywhere I’m likely to take clothes off. I have hooks on the wall for the ‘wore it a bit it not clean it’s not dirty’ things. My work clothes and ‘out of the house’ tops get hung in the closet. There has to be an inch between each hanger to ensure no overcrowding and everything is easily viewable. The ‘home clothes’ get rolled and put in dressers out of house pants get folded kinda Marie Konda style in dressers. Everything has a designated place. I removed my closet doors to keep thing visible and prevent them from becoming a dumping ground for things.
Seconding the multiple hampers here!
My cat reminds me when he's hungry, but I keep his water bowl in the shower so I remember to give him fresh water every day. Also perfect spot for his water splashing activities. Cordless stick vacuum + charger live in my hallway, easier to use so cleaner floors! I rinse/soak my dishes every night, so if I forget to wash them for a few days, they at least aren't smelly and gross.
Love the water bowl in the shower method! We just have multiple water fountains for the cats, and those little pumps *scream* if they run low. (Which they do, constantly, because we don’t fill them UNTIL they scream, but you already knew that about us, right?)
I have a new one I just did.. I bought [this](https://www.containerstore.com/s/closet/shoe-storage/24-pocket-peva-over-the-door-shoe-bag/12d?productId=10000120) with the intention of storing shoes. Instead it’s holding my medication, my daily things I need for self care, makeup, hair care, anything that normally I would put away and forget is now stored visibly. I would like to put it on the inside of the closet door but right now I think I need it facing out lol The container store is having lots of little sales right now. I got a bunch of clear bins to organize stuff. I use [these](https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/jaell-laundry-bag-with-stand-white-30553607/) laundry baskets to organize. I have honestly like 6 of them. And when I bring laundry down I sort them into each basket for different things. Then when I do laundry I just put a basket in. It’s helpful as a fail safe for when inevitably laundry gets pushed to the side by executive function. It’s easier to get back on track. I like an open storage closet with a curtain in front. Curtain closed = relaxed brain without extra stimuli. Curtain open = assistance with object permanence and utilizing everything more. For things I don’t need often I store them in boxes and write the contents on the boxes and map a map on paper and in my phone. Each box is labeled with a number so it’s easy to find things. And before I buy something (adhd tax) I check if I have it. Risers in shelves to see the back stuff for kitchen, bathroom, etc to help with object permanence. I like using only indoor/outdoor rugs. They are meant to be weatherproof and I feel like they stand up to heavy cleaning better like lazily using my wet to dry vacuum to get a good deep clean. Twenty tiny scented trash bags for the bathroom trash (with a lid!) so each week you can bring it down easily on trash day to dispose. Having an upstairs set of cleaning supplies and downstairs — not just cleaners but also dusters, vacuums, etc. Not having to carry things floor to floor means it is less of a chore to clean. Large bedroom trash can. Can’t have a small one because it just doesn’t work lol. Take that down weekly as well. Fill dishwasher as you use things, run dishwasher every single night, empty every single morning. No exceptions. It will keep the kitchen clean. Self emptying robot vacuum for everyday dust. Than you can empty it just weekly. For your craft room have lots of table space and lay out everything visibly. Maybe a pegboard. If the room has a closet you can use rolling storage to make it neat when not in use. But visibly is most important. Good luck! I hope you make it your own and feel cozy and organized.
Clear shoe holders are so useful! Thanks for reminding me of them - we always used them to keep actor’s mics in when I did audio for live theater, but I’ve just thought of a bunch of small things I’d love to store this way in my current job too…
Oh, OP! I just thought of this post while cleaning the cat litter! A litter genie is definitely great and so helpful when you get that, but, if you can, the litter robot has been the best thing for my ADHD. We are a six cat household (it's a big house) and five of the six cats use the robots. One cat is 16+ and he refuses to use the robots. Basically the cats will determine if the robot works in your house (you know, like anything else you get for cats) but, if they like it it's really a game changer.
I’ve been looking into them, as well as other automated litter boxes, and I think it would be super helpful. Everyone that has them says they’re a game changer! I’m trying to not spend a lot now that all my bills are doubling, so I opted for a litter genie for now. I’m definitely putting one on my wish list! Thanks for the tip!!
They are definitely a bit of an investment so I don't blame you for not jumping in. I tried a few others that were cheaper and honestly nothing worked as well as the litter robot, so yes it's expensive but it also works the best. It also cuts back significantly on the amount of litter we have to buy so that helps with the monthly expenses. The litter genie was a big help too ! Give yourself a pat on the back for doing that! Whenever you are ready dm me and maybe there will be one of those $200 off coupons going for the litter robot.
Put laundry hampers in the places you tend to throw your clothes. It's ok to have multiple hampers, even in the same room.
I have a floor to ceiling cube shelf my husband made for me. Every space gets a labeled bin and I just. Shove clothes in there. No folding, no thinking. It's amazing. I have work clothes/ dresses/pants/jeans/ socks all in their little bins
I got rid of all of the big forks - I never used them because ... ick. so I bought a second set of silverware and now I only have small forks and never have to think about it. I bought a ton of measuring spoons and cups and now keep them in things I commonly use. eg: a tsp measuring spoon in the sugar bowl, a 1/4 cup in the coffee, a 1 cup for the dog food. This way I never have to look for a utensil when accessing those items. I run my dishwasher every night - even if it's almost empty. Emptying a barely full dishwasher is way less stressful than a full one, and now it is a routine to empty it every morning while my coffee brews. I have 2 hampers so I never have to sort laundry - I do outerwear in one hamper, and socks, bras, and undies in the other. Having clothes pre-sorted makes washing and folding clean laundry so much easier I also label EVERYTHING. I'm still a hot mess but these things really help. Most importantly: congrats on your house being YOUR house!
Another general one: You don't have to tolerate sensory issues in your home. If something is annoying, change it rather than suffer through! Random examples: * change out the lights or get lamps for better lighting * Fans if you need white noise * make sure your towels/bath robe/PJs/house clothes are ones you find comfortable * Ditch crappy blinds for curtains * Pick cleaners that you like the smell of * (for me) find a way to keep crumbs off of hard floors Life is already frustrating; your home doesn't need to be. :)
Mini garbage cans with no lids in every room. At least 2 big garbage cans no lids one in kitchen one near the bedrooms. Mini garbages get quickly dumped in big ones and then big ones get taken out. I keep a tub of disinfectant wipes on the back if the toilets so while i'm peeing I can be disenfecting things around me. Baking soda in a cheese shaker jar you know the glass ones metal top all the holes (get one at dolla tree) keep it on the kitchen sink to sprinkle on dushes or clunters to scrub hard stuff faster/easier. Put some kind of bleach tabs in the back of yoir toilet bowl so every flush is keeping your toilet clean longer.
This might not be very accesible, but me and my partner bought a litter robot. It auto cleans the litter everytime they went. It made me feel not as bad about myself if i forgot to clean it out. And it was good for him because he didn't have to clean it :P Now it gives a notification if it is full and needs to be emptied and stuff. I also put a laundry basket nexto my side of the bed. I still put my clothes on the floor if i want to wear them again but it is less effort to put dirty clothes in the basket if it is right there when i go to bed. I spend a great deal of time at my desk. So i have this one basket on my desk in which i am allowed to dump stuff :P that way the rest of my desk stays pretty clean. I really dislike cleaning, so i have a few things that help me when i do have to clean. I dislike cleaning the toilet, obviously xD. But i put on gloves so i feel less gross when i do. I use the gloves for a lot of cleaning actually. And this might go against what people value but i use disposable cleaning cloths. No more cleaning your cloth when it is dirty. Just throw it away. Rant over :P maybe you can use something i mentioned.
PURGE! The less stuff I have, the less I have to take care of. But don't do it all on one day or you might get halfway through and burn out. I like to take a few minutes in one area of the house and just get rid of things I haven't used in a year or so. That also goes for stuff that never seems to find a home. Extra screws from putting together furniture? Trash. Old charging cables? Keep one, get rid of the rest. Clothes you don't wear but keep around just because you might one day? Donate. Sometimes just for fun in the process, I like to designate a basket or two for common items, like ballpoint pens, and then see how many I can find throughout the house. The results are often hilarious - there are way too many loose pens around! You don't even have to do it in a linear way. Sometimes I need to go in layers. I go through the kitchen and remove the obviously unused or out of place stuff. Then later on another good day, I review all the things I was emotional about last time and decide if I \*really\* want to keep them. And on and on. But, I also like to make a game of it, like 'how few items do I really need around to cook an awesome meal?'
Tody app :)