3 Easy Steps for ADHD Organization | ADHD Skills Part 3 

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My biggest mistake is setting something down and thinking I'll remember that place easy, no problem, and then 2 minutes later I will have completely forgotten it. Gets me all the time.

The best advice I ever heard on organization is, when deciding on where an item's home will be, ask yourself "where would be the first place I would look for this?" That's where you should keep it.

These videos crack me up. People that don’t have ADHD don’t get it but every time she talks about something I do, it cracks me up. It’s like a total stranger understands me more than people I have known my whole life.

"If you find something like a photo book resist the urge to look through it" this is me EVERYTIME. I always look and then I'm exhausted after!

I seriously believe minimalism is key with ADHD.

**Do not ever answer the phone while dealing with money, keys or anything important!** This is my top tip to myself and I only learned by bitter experience. I never answer the phone while locking or unlocking a door or using a cashpoint or anything like that. Somehow the phone call wipes my memory of what I did with the keys, money, debit cards etc. And things you thought you'd done (like locking the door) somehow remain undone. And you have no idea. So even if you feel like you're being rude, let the phone call wait. It saves so much hassle. I'm 48 years old BTW and I only learned to do this in the last few years. Before this I got into some real pickles!

Guarantee after a week someone's going to suddenly remember this video and won't be able to find it

The part about not being able to find things and frustrating others really hit me deep. I lost count of how many times I have been yelled at in my life for not being able to see/find things.

I once heard that one problem for people with ADHD or executive disfunction is having too much stuff. If there's so much stuff that there simply isn't room to organize and have a spot for everything, you'll need to downsize some things. That's what I'm working on today. 🙂

I keep EVERYTHING in its place. I hate a messy place, because it overwhelms me. So everything in my house has a place, and once I'm done whatever thing, it goes right back to its place. People call me a highly organized person, but I like to think it's because I'm lazy...it takes waaay longer to look for something than to just find it right away 😊)

I DEFINITELY laughed out loud when you said to refrain from looking at the interesting things you find....that’s so me. As you said, this all seems very basic, but as you were going through everything I was thinking “that all seems like a LOT of work”. Lol

I have another revolutionary suggestion, that helped me a lot and hopefully could help a lot of you: If you have a ton of documents, go ahead and scan them using a scanning app on your phone, and then save them onto a Google drive file. You wanna name the document files something short, simple, and obviously relevant. Take your time with this. It took me 6 months to abolish the mountains of papers I had. Now, I can find almost any document instantaneously AND I have a full emtpy closet and a lot more space. Extra tip: also scan and back-up important documents such as your passport. Its always good to have a copy of that in a secure place, and to be able to retrieve its information with your phone. Smartphones can be so useful in things like these.

This video is super well done. I know this because I feel very called out by it 😂

Nearly in tears. I never would have been able to pay for this coaching. Amazing stuff.

I use a flashlight to look for things...It helps me focas on individual items as I search. You put into words what we ADD folks deal with everyday. Thankyou for that!

She is one of the best video instructors for adhd...

Just the concept of someone being able to just do this without thinking about it 10000 times blows my mind..... 😂🤯

I'm finding that having what I call 'clutter baskets' at strategic points through my house is really helping me with this aspect of my adhd. Putting things away where they came from is sometimes too much so dumping it in a basket in clear view means that I'm A. Less likely to misplace things and when I can focus on cleaning up I can just take the basket and put things back later.

"And if you find something like a photo album, resist the temptation to sit down and look at it while you are organizing." I have been called out. LOL. Great video and I live by the "Place, retrieve, return" mantra when I create spaces for my teams at work. Thanks.

When you show that garage picture my mind would want to start exploring everything, seeing what's inside the drawers and boxes. I would get lost in distraction.

This is self help at its best. Explaining small things that a person CAN do is so much more valuable than rolling out gigantic, seemingly intractable disorders which we often decide are our "hard wiring," therefore become our identity. Mental disorders are mostly a matter of the behavior habits we have developed. Habits can be changed. And I often ask myself: What simpler things CAN I do, in the midst of all these overwhelming problems about which it may seem I can do nothing.

I don't know how many times I've looked for something only to miss it and have someone else take one look around and find the thing. My partner and I joke about things being "Cleverly concealed in plain view."

Label stuff with a sharpie on blue or green masking tape. It removes easily so boxes etc can be relabeled if necessary. I’m in my mid 60s and this strategy has at least given me a fighting chance. For a more permanent label use a labelling machine. It’s a wonderful feeling. Also papers that relate to current projects go into three ring binders, if a page is needed for a phone call, the paper doesn’t get removed from the binder, you simply open up to the right page. That means the paper doesn’t somehow go off for a wander into the stratosphere never to be seen again. My life has been super complicated, dealing with various elderly parents etc; this binder system is what has kept me somewhat sane.

That is so me. I lost my computer mouse on my desk the other day and my husband found it right beside where my keyboard was and I couldn't find it. As a child my dad threatened to spank me if he told me to look for something and I didn't find it. Because of the very reason that you said in this video.

Wow. I am feeling very proud of myself right now. Without knowing yet that I had ADD, I studied memory systems in college (but I was 36.). I then developed my own 6 month/12 month rule. If I hadn't looked at or used something within that time frame I parted with it...just like you said. Many other strategies you mention I also developed based on learning how memory works. 😊

I have been decluttering for several years now. I wouldn’t sort through things more than 15 minutes at a time. It’s just too overwhelming. After a few years, I look for one thing every day to declutter. It really does help. Thanks for explaining why I’ll be looking straight at something and not seeing it

After watching my now 8yo son struggle with severe ADHD, I started to recognize that I have also struggled with many of the same symptoms my whole life (just without the hyperactivity part). Now I’m realizing it’s been impossible for me to help him because I don’t have my own symptoms under control. As a teacher, this is especially frustrating for me both because I want to teach my son and because when I’m in the classroom my own ADD symptoms cause many issues with consistency and time management. These videos have been very helpful. I’m feeling motivated to tackle several tasks I need to complete to prep for the next school year. If this works, I’ll have some tips for my son, too.

I've just started my journey to learn and manage ADHD as an Adult. I cannot begin to describe how elated I am to find this channel. Thank you for this amazing resource!

I love your series! My partner and I have ADHD, I was diagnosed in my teens, she has struggled her entire life but was never diagnosed because

I have never in my life felt so understood. Especially with being blind to obvious things, and trying to focus on everything at once because of impatience. It is so nice to hear that this is a valid thing. I have never been officially diagnosed with ADHD, and that has been a huge frustration of mine. I am gonna try again to get a diagnosis next year.

Oh my gosh, Dr. Marks! Where have you been all my life?? I love you, lol

Dr.Tracey, as someone who has struggled with this disorder throughout their childhood and into adulthood I am so thankful for this series and all your videos on the topic. You really are doing amazing work for people like myself who struggle with simple tasks in professional and personal life. Keep up the great work! If you think it is worth while, could you make a video about some tips for people with ADHD and social anxiety? I am considered a great communicator with my peers and colleagues (at work), but I struggle to commit to any sort of plans or events with people I haven't known for years. I feel like it is hindering my networking abilities, and future opportunities that may be presented. Much appreciation being sent your way.

It's so weird, I _know_ these things but still just hearing someone saying it to me again makes it more relevant today. Thank you!

ADHD Tip: How to Stop Losing Your Stuff : Have a Home for Everything. One technique is to store items where you typically use them. Establish Daily Rituals. Figure Out What You Lose Most.

Honestly this really pointed out some issues I struggle with and it’s very refreshing to hear and see tips that are catered towards people with struggles like mine. It’s frustrating to try and find tips and advice only to end up getting the nerotypical responses. But this definitely sounds like the exact kind of state that I’ve been looking for. Thank you so much.

Before, your string of thoughts and actions would have been 'I need to do this' -> Not actually doing it -> 'I really need to do this' -> Feeling stronger resistance -> 'I need to do this no matter what' -> Feeling self-remorse But through relaxation, your action patterns will change as the following: 'I should do this' -> Not actually doing it -> Relaxation -> Feeling lower resistance In such a way, you break away from the pattern of increasing your level of resistance, and create an opportunity to at least begin the work you need to do.

As with a lot of strategies for ADHD the key is motivation. I believe it helps to see this as strongly tied in to an idea we have of ourselves and would like to project to others. My place was kind of cool but also a bit of a mess until I started to regularly have guests and a particular someone that I wanted to have a good impression of me. Disclosure - this transformation was during a mixed mania episode but it resulted in me being able to get rid of a lot of stuff and then really liking how my flat looks. I get good feedback from this and it completes a circle of motivation. Now if only I could actually make myself reply to their messages and not turn up late for absolutely every meet up. Having meetups at my flat sorted out my being late as I was already there (mostly). I achieved a place for everything and can mostly stick to it although tidying and cleaning can often end up being done as procrastination for something else more important.

I've been experimenting with what I like to think of as task boxes. They're basically just a box with all the necessary things for a commonly done task. I can immediately put all that stuff into the box, and if I don't immediately put the box where it belongs, it's large enough and fast enough to deal with that it's not much of an issue. It's still an experiment, but it doesn't take me much motivation to put the things into the box that's sitting right next to me. But it does take a little bit to put the box away when I'm done. But, even if I don't put it away immediately, it's still contained and I could put away dozens of them in a short period of time if I had to.

I have self diagnosed autism. Now I'm thinking it's ADHD .I have a terrible time with organization and tidyness. I'll go several days fine,then it all falls apart. Thanks so much for this video. I have a corner of my room that is my dumping ground. I'm going to spend the time to organize and weed out stuff I no longer need. A place for everything and everything in it's place!😊

For all my important papers and stuff I have a big drawer where I make sure I throw everything in it. Even though it's all unorganized at least I know it's in there within the confines of the drawer.

"When an object doesn't have a place, think of the place you would look first. That is the thing its home ❤"

Something that helped me a lot with the specific example of phone, wallet, and keys, is having a wireless phone charger. My phone is placed there daily, and if I ever need it, I don't have to unplug it, I can just grab it, and return it. My keys hang on a little, brass, butterfly hook and my wallet is set on the table underneath the keys. I have a friend that has a mat in front of the door that says "Phone, Wallet, Keys" to remind her of each on the way out. I love that idea too!

The way she clearly communicates is sooo beautiful 🤩

working at a library puts this into great perspective. the catalogue keeps track of where an item is, so if it isnt where its supposed to be, it might as well be gone

Its like you’ve been inside of my brain before. I hate being asked to look for stuff. Its like I have a scanning pattern in my head that I always follow, but I always scan over whats right in front of me. You are wonderful :D

I literally prayed to God like today for a video that helped people like me with time management and organization and here you are 🤯

The whole "I'm just going to leave it here so Susie will look at it," 100% my BIGGEST pitfall..EVERY SINGLE TIME. Fantastic video. Thank you.

This is why I got one of those monitor trays for my desk. Besides the spaces for pens, thumb drives and other items, It forms a little "cave" for my keyboard where it can stay when it's not being used. Keeps the desk tidy and gives me space to work.

Could you please talk about Rejection sensitive dysphoria? It would be very much appreciated c:

I was sprays a daydreamer in school, “tuning out” because I was bored. Was also the one who did assignments and studied for tests at the last minute. Since I’m “older” no one ever thought to test me for this ( apparently it wasn’t a “ thing” in the 70s). (I was diagnosed at age 53). These ways to cope with ADHD without mee Ed da are very helpful and info for me … thanks for doing them Dr. Marks!!

I've been doing place, retrieve, and return for years, before I was aware of adhd, or that I even had it! Glad to know it's a viable strategy.

😂😂😂 I love how you speak on and explain these issues, perfect ❤❤❤

I like the before and after pictures idea, sometime I'll be cleaning/tidying for a while and when I'm done it doesn't feel like I've done much even if I have.

THANK YOU !! My husband must listen to this , hearing it from a doctor might register in his head .

I feel validated knowing why I do the things I do. And also, I feel horrible with my expectations of others in my family that also wrestle with these issues. Thank you for your smart insights. And I like your crisp clear voice and enunciation. It makes me happy to hear you talk.

Thank you for your videos. I've been spending the last year actively trying to learn more anout ADHD, because I didn't know I had it until I was diagnosed and started treatment as an adult. Your videos are helpful. I avoided them for a while because the titles would make me feel really embarrassed. I'm a grown woman, and a lot of the things I struggle with are things I feel like I should've figured out by now, or things that only I seem to have a hard time doing. I'm glad I've started watching your videos in spite of the negative mental talk though. I'm starting to recognize how my feelings of shame are/were holding me back from finding realistic solutions. So, again, thank you for your content.

How did I not know this brilliant woman and her channel existed until today?!

I have my share of clutter like all of us, but there are a few items that i need on a daily basis that need to be in the same place all the time.

Thank you for this! I am always putting things down "just for a second" and then it gets lost! And I am guilty of "saving things for later." Great advice for my ADHD brains on this video. Thank you, thank you Thank you!

I'm a Registered Nurse of 36 years. You are A SUPERB educator! You get right to the meat on topics with clear easy to understand descriptions and examples. The education, and recommendations within this video are spot on!

Thinking of giving things homes, it helps me to think of my silverware drawer. I never just toss my silverware into the junk drawer or wash them and leave them in a pile on the stove. Why? Because there is a designated "silverware drawer." There's even a little slotted tray with specific places for knives and spoons and forks. The silverware has a home. So I just have to give every object in my house a home, the same way I've done for the silverware. I am still working on it, and things do sometimes get left out of place, but I have a few useful strategies. #1 - trays. I have a tray where I put all my scented body products; perfume, lotions, etc. I have another tray where I take my jewelry off at night. I have a small bowl where I put my hair ties. I don't set my perfume down on my dresser because that isn't where it goes. #2 - hooks. Sometimes the best place for something to live is exactly where I use it. I have hooks on the back of every door in my house. Usually on both sides. I have a hook for my coat and one for my bathrobe. Those are pretty standard... But also, I have hooks to hang up clothes that I have worn but don't need to be washed yet, like blazers or cardigans. I have a hook in every room of my house where I hang my phone. I put hooks up for my husband's hats and even one for the small notebook where we do our monthly budget. #3 - portable baskets. For items that I don't use in the same place that I store them, I have bins and baskets. A good example of this is my manicure supplies. I have a bin in my bedroom with cotton balls, nail polish remover, nail art brushes, charms, stickers, stamps, and foils. Any time I paint my nails, I pull out the whole bin and take it to the dining room to do my nails. Then I put it all back in the bin when I'm finished and take it back to the bedroom. And just as important as remembering to put thingX back in its place, is remembering NOT to put thingY in that place. If I wouldn't put pens and pencils into my silverware drawer, why would I put my earrings on the tray where my perfume goes? The main problem I have is remembering to assign homes to new things and getting out of the habit of leaving certain things lying around. I still struggle with my shoes because I got into the habit of taking them off in the dining room and leaving them on the floor instead of putting them on the rack in my bedroom.

Great tips. I also have a Tile which comes in handy when I can’t find my keys due to the fact that they aren’t on the hook they’re supposed to be on. It makes a loud ringing sound so I can find it. Usually I set them down somewhere and forgot about it, just like you said Dr. Tracy!

That's v good advice! I only learned to keep things in the right space through bitter experience, e.g. stuff I need for shopping stays in the shopping bag (a proper canvas bag) at all times, things like cash cards are either in that shopping bag or my jacket pocket, only 2 possible places. I keep little batteries for recharging a mobile phone inside the shopping bag so I'm never let down by flat batteries. None of this comes naturally to me. I'm still one of the most disorganised people I know!

I’m sooo messy, between having ADD, being a single mom & working my house gets soooooo messy during the week… than I spend the whole weekend cleaning & I never really do anything because of it, which sucks a lot. Another issue I have is keeping my every day things close to me, I have little nooks of all the things I need & use spread out everywhere & it becomes a cluster fuck. Things having their place all over the house & having to retrieve it & put it back after each use sounds like so much work & energy. 😭 Something else I struggle with is memory, when I decide to organize & clean & put things away in a good spot I forget where I put that thing I use & get pissed when I can’t find it or I’ll put something away that I use sometimes & completely forget about it. Finding it weeks later in the spot I put it in. 🤦🏻 it’s so frustrating attempting to be organized & it literally back fires because I “thrive” in chaos. Whenever I want to make things better I’m always cleaning up old messes, so I’m CONSTANTLY in this fucking loop of 1.wanting to organize everything 2.not being able to because I need to clean my disgusting house first 3.being exhausted & mentally drained from cleaning so I don’t want to organize 4.never really getting anything done & saying “fuck it who cares” 5.feeling guilty about all my failures & then repeating this vicious fucking cycle 😭 ugh, I just feel so helpless & hopeless when it comes to be organized & productive.

I do the placing things, and everything, even if it's resting on a large surface, it has a specific place on that surface. This has helped me a lot with not seeing things I'm looking at

I really love how practical your advice is.

Thank you so much for posting this playlist - good advice, clearly explained. Brilliant!

Organization is the only "ADHD monster" I managed to tame, but I'm very proud of it :D I started as a teen and was lucky to grow up during a Marie Kondo/minimalism/organization craze and learned a lot. I didn't even know I had ADHD back then, I just knew I was messy and lived with messy parents in a small house. I got so organized that I could call my mom and say "Go to my room, second drawer on my desk, on the left side, box with yellow lid, there's a notepad there, what does it say on the last written page?", ahahaha! The "organizing space" skill has been seized. Now I need to learn how to organize time (planning/schedule) :) A bit harder, as I can't see 👀 time. I will try to make it more visual (clocks, timers, etc) and go from there :D

Thank you so much for this video. I started to do this on my own cuz I realized that I needed organization but this solidified that I’m doing the right thing and it actually works. I still have my days where I don’t want to function but I pay for the next day when I need something or want to cook or draw.

It has always been a running joke about how mommy (me) loses everything... how I get lost in tasks like cleaning closets... how I keep things bc we *may* need them later... how I put off starting breakfast bc I don't feel like doing the dishes that I left from last night's dinner bc I didn't feel like putting away the dishes in the rack bc I have thrown stuff into cabinets for so long (bc it was "faster") that things no longer have a designated spot.... It all feels like a viscous cycle.... these 4 short videos have changed my life.. for no other reason than helped me see that I am not just pure lazy. I never knew there could be an ACTUAL reason for why I have always been this way. Now, to try and start fixing things.

This is all on point. Especially the part where adhd people do better with tæless stuff. PS peg boards are amazing for adhd. For keys and umbrellas at an entrance. For raft supplies in a craft room. They work better than any other system for things we use every day.

Thank you, Dr. Marks. Your videos are so wonderful.

“Point of Performance”. I use this when deciding how to organize my things. Things go where I am using them. Scissors? I have several (they are cheap, no excuses). One in the kitchen drawer. Two in my home office desk. A few little ones in my bathroom.

I sent your ADHD videos to my family members with ADHD and they said it was really helpful to have everything broken down like this. Thanks for these!

You are a gift from above. 100%. Thank you! I am so grateful to have found your channel. I have watched about 4 or so of your videos and already feel like you get me lol. Thank you for easing my mind and for the OUTSTANDING tips and confirmations. I look forward to watching and learning more from you.

Just sending loves for your work which is so helpful and encouraging. Thank you!!! Grateful for your commitment and defication.

Thank you again :D. Another section to add to my list. The breaking into chunks works, but I'm still having trouble not looking through things 😅

Great feedback. This is great for my clients working on improving concentration and memory building.💛

Oh my. So true! Thank you, Dr. Marks.

Awesome thanks Tracey!! I love your perspective and advice.

thank you a lot. ide like to add that i really like the ones with no music because i can full screen it and its a lot more through in the way that i can and do remember it.

This was so helpful. Short and to the point. Thank you.

You are very gifted and patient your gift is a God given and its a skill that most ppl lack especialy those that are intelligent and accurate.

I absolutely need this skill ... Thank you 😊.

I forget where I put things all the time. I've gotten better though. There's only 4 things I have to remember: my glasses, my keys, my phone and my wallet. When I first get in the house I make sure I put them all on the stand before I do anything else. Sounds simple to most people, but if I don't I can easily lose them forever. And I'll go crazy trying to find them.

I always set things down absentmindedly while transitioning tasks, I have no idea where cause I'm not thinking about it when I do it. One of the most helpful things I'm currently learning is to recognize when I'm about to engage in something else, look at what I'm holding, & go put them in their place before returning to start the new thing. Wayyyy easier said than done, but it's all about being present & mindfulness exercise helps, even noticing that you failed to notice is a first step to being more aware & intentional with your actions. Good luck to anyone in this comments section !!

Absolutely correct. It's like giving myself helpers.

I am very thankful for your videos. Thank you Dr. Tracey Marks.

Thank you for this video, and accompanying Playlist. I'm a 42 yo electrician who started suffering from severe anxiety about a year ago. I've been struggling with organizational abilities and will be referencing the guides in your videos. Thank you.

Wow this is excellent and makes it seem so simple and manageable! Thank you for producing this content!

Thank you so much for these skills training videos! I would love to see more. 🥰

Thank You !!! Finally someone who actually understands the issues. It’s so hard to describe to others. I had truly fallen down the rabbit hole the past few years. To an extent that I didn’t feel like I could climb out of it. I’m really trying to figure things out. You not only give good advice, even just the understanding and acknowledgment that I/we are not just lazy or insane is uplifting. Thanks again. 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏

I own 9 lint rollers because of this..... Tracy is out there saving us. 🙌 😅 I only got my diagnosis at 40 bc my partner could tell my NP "yeah we don't have doors on the kitchen cabinets and he can't remember what month it is half the time, let alone day.... or his work passwords. Please help." 🙏 😅

Organizing is so hard because of the time it takes and the overwhelm it brings not knowing where to start. But breaking it down into bite size tasks does help. But also, when finished it really helps. I know exactly where something is and also the visual clutter is gone. Plus just having the things that I actually use help. Purging over the last few years has been a game changer. I’m not into minimalism but do find essentialism to be the perfect balance.

Hello Dr. Tracey. Thank you for sharing and caring.

Thanks so much for sharing your series on non-medication ways of working through executive function skills in ADHD. Loved how you are able to share advice that we can put into practice immediately. I definitely struggle with planning and organizing my tasks for the day, week and month ahead. Had a recent Aha moment that my typical to-do-list actually covers a month's worth of efforts. Would love to see more of your videos in this regard, towards developing these skills. Executive function skills is so poorly understood, yours is one of the few ones that really connected with your audience so strongly.

What ur saying is so obvious but it really helps me understand to hear it out loud from someone else 😅 ADHD has always held me back in this way

Thank you! Wow, that resonated with me. The length and way you explained things was so helpful!!

I showed this video to my boyfriend this afternoon after watching it last night as so many things rang true! He nodded sheepishly along the whole way through and has already started to find places for things is and trying to remember to put them back. He even pulled me up on leaving something out of its place just now! Hope this sticks as it will save so much wasted time trying to locate stuff - for him and me 😅 thank you!