Latest / More Organised Less Clutter / 247. ADHD-Friendly Declutter Hotspots
Transcript
- Narelle King: Welcome to More Organised, Less Clutter, a podcast to empower individuals and neurodivergent families with practical, realistic tools to create a more organised, sensory-friendly, clutter-free and intentional home that works with your lifestyle and brain, not against it. I'm Narelle King, a professional organiser and neurodivergent mom who understands the unique challenges of family life. I help people just like you simplify your space. build sustainable organisational systems and create more breathing room physically and mentally. Every fortnight, you'll hear solo episodes and guest conversations filled with practical strategies on decluttering, home organisation, routines for neurodivergent families, mindful living and how to build a home that feels safe, calm and functional. You'll walk away with actionable takeaways you can implement even if you only have 10 minutes to spare. If you're neurodivergent or part of a neurodivergent family like myself, you probably know this feeling when the house feels overwhelming, but you don't know where to start. So you do nothing and feel worse. If this is you, you're not broken, you're not lazy, and you're definitely not alone. Your brain just needs clearer edges and quicker wins. In this episode, I'm going to walk you through five ADHD friendly hotspots that you can tidy in less than five to 10 minutes. Let's jump into this more organised less clutter episode. Thanks for joining me for today's solar episode where I'll be sharing five ADHD friendly hotspots you can tidy in five to 10 minutes. Now they could be any hotspots, but I know that these ones in particular affect any of my neurodivergent clients and they're really simple wins that we can do and make it really simple to get through straight away. So. Number one is a makeup bag. Number two is a bedside table. Number three is desk space. Well, I'll go into more detail about that one. Number four is kitchen sink. And number five is bathroom sink. So you do not have to do all of these. Just pick one while you're listening or even after the episode and give yourself that tiny win and have a rubbish bin handy when you're starting. So let's start with your makeup bag. because it's usually a controlled contained space and our brain loves clear boundaries. So I find that makeup bags will be full of things that you don't actually use and you've just grabbed and put in there just in case. The other benefit of starting with your makeup bag is it can be done sitting on the couch or even in bed. So it's really easy. task to have. But remember, as I said before, if you can grab yourself your makeup bag but also have something where you can place the rubbish, that is also going to help. Now if you're walking or driving, you can always play this again later, but for the moment then while you're listening, just picture yourself doing this. So the simple three-step reset is you're going to tip everything out, maybe onto a towel. I usually use the towel with clients because sometimes it can be quite messy. from makeup in particular, or you could use a tray or a bench and you're going to see what you actually have in this makeup bag. Then you're going to sort it into three quick piles. So you're going to do the use all the times, the things that you use regularly sometimes, or maybe not sure, and then no, they're like broken, expired, you never liked it, and you're going to put that in that third pile. Now don't overthink it, just whatever your first instinct is. if you're not sure, that's why you've got that middle sometimes pile. And step three, you're only going to put back what you use all the time back into the makeup bag and that is it. So you might wanna give it a clean out. I love using baby wipes when I'm with clients, they don't have a scent or anything on them, they're water. and they're just quick and easy for me to use. So that's something you might have if you don't have a cloth on. So we're putting everything back in the bag that you use and you're going to put the sometimes not sure items in maybe a separate Ziploc bag or maybe you have another like makeup bag, small makeup bag and you're going to throw out the recycle and the things that are no items straight away. Maybe they've even expired. If you don't have the capacity right now and energy spoons as I like to call it, you can put those sometimes item which is in your little bag and you could label it and say makeup to decide later and also put a date on it because then you can see when you did this and your future self can deal with it when you have more capacity, more energy. And you now have lighter Karma makeup bag. and you just practice decluttering in a way that actually respects your energy and your time. Next thing is your bedside table. So this space matters because it's the last thing you see at night and the first thing you see in the morning. So it really helps to shape how your brain is going to feel, how you're going to feel about your day. So if you're near your bedside table, you can just take a look right now. No shame, no judgment, you're just looking and noticing. So then we go on to our three step reset. So you're going to clear everything off the top surface and maybe put it on the bed or put it on the floor. Again, if it's quite dusty, you might want to put down a towel or some sort of cloth just to keep the bed or the floor from getting really dusty as well. So we're not sorting, we're just making space for what is going to go back onto the bedside table. then you're going to choose the must live here items. The things that actually help you either go to sleep or wake up in the morning calmer. For most of us, like for me, I'm gonna go through my things. have a lamp, I have a phone charger, I have a coaster for my water, some water beside my bed on a cup, a bowl, which this bowl has little sections so can put my hair ties, my jewelry that I've taken off. and also a lip balm. You might even have a magazine holder there that has things like books that you read before you go to bed, or maybe it's like your diary or a journal, dot journal that you write in at nighttime. Maybe it's also some medication that you have or earplugs or a mask that you use at night. Whatever it is that you have, you need to make sure that they're the things that we're putting in must live back on the bedside table. And then number three is giving those things a home on your bedside table. So as I just said before, I would put a coaster there so I know where to put my drink. also, it's just because of the wood that ours is, will, if it's a hot drink, it'll mark it. A bowl or maybe a container of some kind to put all the other little items that you may collect there. And as I said, maybe it's a magazine. that's vertical and it just means that it's easy for you to get things out of rather than lying down and it becomes a pile of clutter. So you're putting back everything that is wanting to be used and it's really intentional and you're allocating those homes. Now you can go over into my social media or even on YouTube and I've actually recorded myself setting this up and so you can watch that and follow along and do the same for your bedside table. So if you've still got energy, move those random items that were on the side table that you don't need there, that don't belong and put them away. Now, if you don't have the energy, then find a box or a basket, washing basket, and then just label it random bedside stuff to do later. And you've at least started. Your goal here isn't Pinterest perfect. It can be able to look It's just that you are able to look over at your bedside table and feel so much less stress. Your goal here isn't a Pinterest perfect looking bedside table. It is so that you can look over, see the things that you need, because maybe you also need to have that visual reminder in queue, but that your bedside table is not making you feel stressed. Okay, number three is your desk space. Now. I want to be clear. We are not sorting every paper and every cable and every stationary item. That's probably too big if it's like most clients' desk spaces that I see. We're just going to clear a small area, like a landing space for you and so that your brain can focus. Now, imagine your desk is just a rectangle and you're going to claim that small section of it. Maybe it's directly in front where you maybe have a keyboard or maybe it's the size of your laptop, whatever it's going to be, you're not doing the whole desk, unless it's a really tiny desk, but most desks are quite big. So the three steps you're going to do to clear a landing pad is number one is choose the exact area you're going to be clearing. So I'm only dealing with this small space right here ⁓ so that you're actually hearing it. from your own mouth and your brain's going, yes, we're only doing this small area, is gonna help you to stay, hopefully, a little bit less overwhelmed. Number two is then move everything off that little section. Just shift it to the side and it might be on the floor, it might be on some of the other things on the desk, but you're just clearing that little section for yourself. And number three, you are only going to put back what you need for today. For example, it might be a laptop or a device, a mouse, keyboard, maybe it's like a notebook or a pen, but everything else can wait. You have that box or a container that you could put that into and just even label it again, desk overflow, write the date on it. And if your brain is screaming, but what about the rest, which mine would be, just remind yourself, I'm creating a tiny island for a calm in the chaos. That's enough for today. So this is especially powerful for neurodivergent brains that can easily visually feel overwhelmed. So that small calm space is maybe better than nothing. Number four is your kitchen sink. Again, this is one that feels really, really overwhelming and there's lots of guilt and there's shoulds that'll be attached to it, but just take a breath because you're not going to made. looking to make it completely spotless. There's actually three levels for your sink reset and you can choose which one you've got the capacity for to do. So just pick one of those levels. So I'll walk through the three levels. Number one is a two minute win. So for a level one, you're going to stack the dirty dishes neatly to one side. You're going to rinse everything that's maybe really dirty and you're going to. just the sink itself so you can see the bottom and you can use the actual sink. This is something that I would do in a house if I'm requiring, I'm working, saying the kitchen and I just need the kitchen sink cleared. That is something that I would do straight away. Then level two is say you've got about two minutes, sorry, level two is say you've got five minutes and you've got a little bit more energy. You're gonna fill the sink with hot soapy water. and you're gonna add as many dishes as you feel comfortable fitting into that sink. You're gonna wash those and only those and then let them air dry and don't worry about drying and putting them away yet. Now, level three. So if you're on a roll, you've got more time or you actually have a bit more capacity, you're going to wipe the edges of the sink and the small bit of bench maybe immediately around it or to one side of it. and also put the clear dishes away if your brain has the capacity. At each of these levels, you can tell yourself, I did something, the kitchen is better than it was. And for neurodivergent families, the sink is like a huge visual cue. Even a small reset can make it feel lighter and also just reduce that stress. Now, number five, finally, the bathroom sink. We're in and out of our bathrooms like multiple times in a day. So giving it a quick organized declutter can really help change that energy in the morning and even before you go to bed for yourself or the whole family. So the three step reset for your bathroom is number one, remove everything from the sink. The edges of the sink, the little shelf, whatever's right there, just clear it away, whether it's on the floor or it's in a little washing basket or a container. Number two is decide what the essentials are. So what do you use every single day? So it might be your toothbrush and toothpaste, maybe it's face washes, maybe it's hand soaps, maybe it's like a makeup remover, cloths, and maybe it's a moisturiser or a hair product. Whatever it is, if you use it every day, put them to one side. Then number three, you're gonna limit what's gonna live on the sink and on the bench and only the essentials go back. Whereas everything else is going to either go in a drawer, a small basket, or if you're unsure, maybe it's like a little box that says bathroom essentials. If the visual clutter is really hard for your brain, use containers. So if you give your brain a clear message, this belongs here and this does not. So I like the two tier roundabouts that you could use on your actual bathroom sink. Maybe it's just like a clear container that's a long skinny container that you can sit the things that you want in it. I mean, this is why we have toothbrush holders because they're there to show us where to put them and it's a clear indication and our brain knows exactly where that needs to go. Maybe it's also like for your hair ties or brush and It might be just like a little basket or a container that you have there. So let me just recap on these five hotspots. So you've got your makeup bag, which is easy to do just maybe in your bed or on a couch. And it has the three steps. Then there is your bedroom side table. Again, just the three steps. And then it's your desk space. We're doing one small landing pad for us to be able to focus. kitchen sink you have those three levels level one two and three depending on your capacity and then our last one is our bathroom sink which we have three steps as well so I am not asking you to tackle all of these I'm just suggesting to tackle just one of those things so these are five hot spots and they're small areas to start with do not try to tackle all of them just to choose one because one small area is that kind action for your future self and that is enough. So maybe you're going to tip out your makeup bag tonight or clear that tiny space on your desk tonight ready for your work tomorrow or maybe it's just rinsing the dishes next to the sink. Whatever you choose I want you to celebrate it. Neurodivergent brains like my own thrive on quick wins and positive feedback not shame and If this episode helped you, save it and replay it when you're doing one of those hotspots or make a little list of those five hotspots and stick it somewhere so you'll see it as a reminder. And if you know someone who you think this episode would help, I'd love for you to share it. Thanks for listening to more Organised Less Clutter. If you find yourself wasting precious time searching for misplaced items and wishing for a more organised life, then you need my 5-Minute De-Clutter eBook, the ultimate guide to quick and easy organising solutions for a clutter-free and happy home. Forget about spending months commaring your house, these fun solutions are designed to give you immediate results in under 5 minutes. Head over to Simply Happy in the resource section and download your free copy and start seeing results in minutes. I'd like to acknowledge the Wathaurong people of the Kulin Nation on which this podcast is recorded as the traditional custodians of the land. I pay my respects to their elders, past, present and emerging.