140: Break this Organizing Rule for ADHD Brains – Don’t Waste Space!

Break the Rule: “Don’t Waste Space”

Every tenth episode, I take an organizing, decluttering, or productivity rule I think deserves a second look for ADHD brains. Today’s target is one that sounds completely logical on the surface: don’t waste space.

Why this rule sounds so reasonable

We don’t like wasting time, food, or money, so wasting space feels like it belongs on that same list. That’s exactly why organizers push maximizing vertical storage and specialized products designed to use every available inch. None of that is wrong on its own, until it quietly convinces you to keep things you should actually be letting go of, simply because there’s room for them.

The real question isn’t whether space is full, it’s whether it’s serving you

Instead of measuring success by whether every inch of a cabinet or closet is being used, ask yourself: am I organizing for the space, or am I organizing for my actual life and how I need this to function? It’s incredibly easy, after doing the hard work of decluttering and laying everything out, to catch yourself thinking “well, there’s room, I’ll just keep this too,” even for something you were genuinely ready to release two minutes earlier. Empty space isn’t evil. It doesn’t need to be filled just because it exists.

Give your eyes somewhere to rest

This applies to rooms and walls too. A designer I’ve been following talks about “wall sabbaths,” deliberately leaving blank space when hanging art so your eye has somewhere to rest instead of every inch competing for attention. She also talks about keeping a designated empty surface in every room, one spot that simply doesn’t get decorated or filled. That’s not waste, that’s breathing room for your brain.

A real example from a virtual client

I recently worked with a client in California doing a full home renovation, setting her master bathroom back up from scratch. She had one crowded shelf and two empty ones above it, and when I asked what she was saving those empty shelves for, she admitted she didn’t have anything else to put there. She’d been ruthless while living out of a rental during the renovation and genuinely didn’t have enough left to fill the cabinet. When I suggested spreading her existing items across the empty shelves instead of cramming them all onto one, she hesitated, saying it felt like wasting space. But an empty shelf, or empty space at the back of a shelf, isn’t hurting anyone. If it makes the space function better and easier to use each morning, there’s no sin in leaving it unfilled.

Ask yourself the real question when you declutter

If you’ve ever kept something mainly because there was room for it, that’s worth noticing. And if getting rid of things starts to feel uncomfortably barren afterward, sit with that discomfort for a bit rather than immediately refilling the space. That itchy, too-empty feeling usually fades, and what’s left is room that actually serves you instead of space just being occupied for its own sake.

Your practical, actionable step

Look at one shelf, cabinet, or wall in your home that feels overly full, and ask honestly whether everything there is being kept because it’s needed, or just because there was room. Remove what doesn’t need to be there, and let the resulting empty space sit for a few days before deciding whether it needs to be filled at all.

Until next time, continue to choose joy.