30: Break this Organizing Rule for ADHD Brains – Series Part 3 – Get Rid of Duplicates

Break the Rule: “Get Rid of Duplicates”

Continuing the series of breaking a standard organizing rule every ten episodes, today’s target is a classic: get rid of duplicates. It’s generally good advice, but for an ADHD brain especially, it deserves a second look before following it blindly.

Why the rule exists in the first place

The typical organizing process is to clear a space, sort like with like, and then purge what’s no longer needed. That’s usually when duplicates surface, twenty-four rolls of tape, a dozen pairs of scissors, more reading glasses than anyone could need. It happens because when something can’t be found in the moment it’s needed, buying a replacement is faster than searching the whole house. Once everything’s finally gathered together, the standard advice is simple: keep one, donate the rest.

When it’s worth breaking

If the rest of the house isn’t fully organized yet, some of those duplicates might actually be solving a real problem: point-of-use storage. Rather than automatically donating every extra pair of scissors, it’s worth asking where else scissors are constantly needed. A pair in a junk drawer, another in a closet for tags, another near the gift-wrapping spot, all three prevent the same repeated frustration of walking to one designated spot every single time. There doesn’t have to be exactly one home for an item if multiple homes genuinely reduce friction.

The consumable exception

For non-consumable items, like five crockpots taking up a whole cabinet, the traditional rule holds up well. Keep what’s realistically useful, donate the rest. But consumables are a different story. Finding a stash of paper towels, light bulbs, or canned goods scattered throughout the house is useful information, it means there’s no need to buy more next time that impulse hits at the store. Consolidating consumables into one visible space and using them down naturally can actually break the cycle of over-buying, as long as they won’t expire before they get used. The one caveat: if the quantity genuinely outlasts a realistic lifetime of use, as with an enormous stockpile of office supplies during a downsizing move, donating the excess to somewhere that can actually use it, a school, a shelter, is a better outcome than holding onto something that will never get consumed.

Splitting duplicates by location on purpose

Shoes are a good example of when two homes for the same category of item makes sense. Everyday shoes kept by an entryway prevent tracking mess through the house, while occasional dressier pairs stored in a closet stay clean and dust-free instead of getting buried under daily sneakers and boots near the door.

Your practical, actionable step

Before automatically donating every duplicate you find, pause and ask two questions: is this something I actually use in more than one location, and is it consumable rather than a one-time purchase? Let the answers guide whether it truly needs to go, or whether it just needs a second, more useful home.

Until next time, continue to choose joy.