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Decluttering and Organizing- Why is it so hard??

Clutter and disorganization are common issues for people with Executive Dysfunction - with and without ADHD.

This leads to messy living and workspaces as well as challenges with emotional regulation and time management.

While the space may suggest a hoarding disorder, that may very well not be the case.


Keep reading to find out why decluttering and organizing with (or without) ADHD can be so hard!


Executive Dysfunction

  • Time-management challenges interfere with planning and scheduling tasks related to decluttering and organizing.

  • Working memory difficulties complicate the multi-step processes of decluttering and organizing.


  • Managing the overwhelm associated with decluttering and organizing is a challenge in general and especially for those with ADHD, whose brains are prone to emotional flooding and who’s weak Executive Functions sabotage attempts at organization.

  • Effortful tasks, like cleaning and organizing, are likely to be viewed as boring, which is an excruciating state for people with or without ADHD who generally crave novel and new experiences.

  • Difficulty managing clutter and disorganization can cause strong feelings of shame and avoidance. 

Task Initiation (Just start!) 

  • Poor task initiation and persistence, common in people with weak Executive Functions, are major barriers to decluttering and organizing.

  • Difficulty assigning categories to most possessions is often not the issue but rather, distractibility is often what gets in the way of categorizing.

  • People with ADHD often do view their clutter and disorganization as problematic and therefore can and should be open to accepting help. 


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