🗂️ ORDER
“For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.” – Benjamin Franklin
Order is the scaffolding that holds space for your wild brilliance. In the ADHD terrain—where thoughts race, objects disappear, and time slips away—order is not about rigidity. It’s about accessibility. It’s not about colour-coded perfection. It’s about making life easier to live.
For ADHDers, the idea of “getting organised” can feel overwhelming, even defeating. But order doesn’t mean decluttering your soul. It means creating systems that support you, not stress you. It means giving your keys a home, your brain a routine, your time a rhythm.
Living this value is not about aesthetics—it’s about function. It’s about understanding that chaos isn’t failure, but it can be softened. That your space, your schedule, and your systems can be shaped to fit you, not the other way around. It’s the difference between flailing and flowing.
Order also supports emotional regulation. A clear workspace can soothe overstimulated senses. A weekly plan can reduce decision fatigue. For ADHDers, order is less about controlling the world—and more about containing the overwhelm so your energy can go where it matters most.
🧭 The HOPE Trail Map
- Helps or Harms: Is this environment supporting my brain—or spinning it out?
- Own My Values: I want to be someone who creates order not for control, but for care—for myself and others.
- People and Pursuits: Who helps me build gentle structure? What routines or tools give me more ease and less noise?
- Enact and Evaluate: Today, I’ll restore one small area or routine—and see how it shifts my clarity or comfort.
⚠️ Trail Challenges
- Executive dysfunction can block the ability to start or maintain order.
- Perfectionism may cause “all or nothing” thinking—either spotless or chaos.
- Shame may accumulate in disorganised spaces, making avoidance stronger.
🪧 Trail Markers: Small Steps Toward Order
- Pick one “hotspot” and reset it—no more than 10 minutes.
- Create a micro-routine (e.g., “keys go here”) and practice it for a week.
- Use a visual planner or timer to give time more shape and softness.
🔥 Campfire Questions for Reflection
- What kind of order supports me without stifling me?
- Where does clutter (mental or physical) build up—and what’s one small way I can release it?
- How would it feel to think of order as kindness, not control?
Order isn’t about having everything in place. It’s about placing what matters within reach, so you can focus on what lights you up—not what’s missing or messy.
