bedroom organization for adhd adults

A while back I wrote a post where I was pretty honest about what my house looks like on a regular day. You know – when nobody is coming over to visit.

Since that post I have gotten so many emails from women telling me how happy they were to see my honesty.

Every single woman who emailed me asked me for advice on organizing their own house.

This seems strange to me because obviously I am not a professional organizer. But, I want to accommodate because for better or worse, I am a people pleaser.

I have decided that the best kind of accountability is public accountability. So I am going to go through my house room-by-room and document my attempts to declutter and organize.

There is no normal, there is only progress.

bedroom organization for ADHD adults

First, deal with the clothing.

I call this the “pile o’ denim.” Usually it is on the floor at the end of my bed.

Sorting and Cleaning out

In my mind bedroom organization involves two things: clothing, and everything else.

In Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, she recommends piling every piece of clothing on the floor. I completely agree with this.

When piling your clothing I recommend only including tops/bottoms/dresses and actual clothing. The underwear/socks/loungewear/swim/gym clothing can be done separately.

There is no need to hold each piece and determine if it “brings you joy.” Not to knock Kon Mari, but this takes way too much time.

Create two piles: keeping and letting go. You can sort out what is being donated and what is being trashed later.

If you have not worn the item in over a year, or you simply no longer like it, throw it away or donate it.

Organizing the clothing

When you have separated out the clothing items you want to keep, it is much easier to decide how to organize it.

Anything that is out of season, fold and put into storage bins. I like the big Rubbermaid type, but you can find a ton of inexpensive options. They even make bins that slide under your bed.

I purchased some inexpensive closet shelf dividers and finally put them to good use in the top of my closet. The nice thing about dividers is they force you to actually fold.

bedroom organization for ADHD adults

Closets are easy to divide in half. I like bottoms and dresses on one side, and tops on the other.

You can section out your closet any way you want, as long as you can stick to it when you start to hang your clothing.

Take your time as you fill your closet. Make sure the system you are creating is easy to keep up with.

Organizing by color is great, but keep in mind you might not want to spend that much time, and you might not want to maintain it going forward.

Next, pull out your underwear, socks, pajamas and other small items.

Folded Items/Dresser Items

Again, the easiest way to start organizing is to dump it all on the floor. Empty out the dresser completely.

It is important to pitch all the socks and undergarments that have holes, so go ahead and do that. Sort through everything and determine what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of.

I’ll leave it up to you whether or not you donate your undergarments. (Do they take that stuff?)

I will be honest here, I do not use drawer organizers for my dainties. I throw my underwear in one side of the drawer and my bras in the other.

There is a drawer for pajamas, and another for socks. Yes, I bundle my socks together.

No, I do not do the Kon Mari folding. Here is a tutorial if you are interested in trying it. I simply do not have the patience.

Accessories and Shoes

I am not a big scarf person – have no idea how to make it look sophisticated or like I know what I am doing. But I do have a few pairs of shoes.

Keep it simple, accessories and belts can hang on one of those looped holders. Shoes are best kept on a simple rack. Boots are ok on the floor as far as I am concerned.

Purchasing a new shoe rack put a burner under my butt to organize the shoes a bit. As it turns out I do not need any more summer sandals.

bedroom organization

Bedroom Clutter

For those of us with ADHD, surfaces often become cluttered with stuff.

Some of this stuff is easily organized. Books can actually become part of your décor, as can artwork and family photos.

Cosmetics and bottles can be tricky. I’ll be honest and show you that the long dresser in my bedroom is cluttered.

If at all possible, condense the surface clutter onto a tray or some other storage device. Try to be intentional about what you have sitting out and what you hide in a drawer.

Categorize things to get you started. You could have books, cosmetics, stuff that doesn’t belong there….etc.

Don’t be afraid to move your children’s toys out of your space back to their own room.

The bedroom office space

If your bedroom doubles as an office space, then create a division between the sleeping area and the working area.

Create a home base for your craft supplies, your office supplies, and your electronics. If possible, get a small desk and use some small bins or drawers to keep these items in their place.

I would also think small bins would work to store supplies.

You don’t want your office to start creeping into your sleep area. That is a recipe for poor sleep.

Finally, understand that your bedroom is not a catch-all for everything that you don’t know what to do with.

Your bedroom needs to be peaceful and allow for relaxation.

Spend some time organizing and decluttering this room. But don’t spend so much time that you become obsessed with perfection.

bedroom organization for adhd adults