Managing Household Chaos: Tips for Moms with ADHD
Let’s be real: managing a household with ADHD is like trying to organize a rave in a wind tunnel. You’ve got kids yelling, dinner burning, and a calendar full of events you forgot to add reminders for. If this sounds like your daily life, welcome to the club. But don’t worry—chaos can be managed.
The ADHD Brain vs. Daily Routines: Moms with ADHD often struggle with executive dysfunction. Translation: starting tasks, prioritizing them, and actually finishing them can feel nearly impossible, especially when there are a million interruptions. According to ADDitude Magazine, routines are a lifeline, but only if they’re flexible, simple, and dopamine-friendly.
Strategy #1: Keep It Simple, Sis (K.I.S.S.) Don’t try to be a Pinterest-perfect planner mama. Use a dry-erase board or a visual daily flow chart for you and the kids. Break things down into mini routines—like a “morning flow” or “evening wind-down”—instead of a strict schedule. ADHD brains thrive with short sprints, not marathons.
Strategy #2: Use ADHD-Friendly Tools. Here’s what can help:
Time Timer: A visual timer that shows how much time is left.
Todoist or Trello: Task apps that let you brain-dump and organize your chaos into boards.
Alexa or Google Assistant: Set up recurring voice reminders and alarms (trust me, lifesaver).
Color-coded calendars: One color per family member = instant sanity.
Strategy #3: Create ADHD-Approved Zones. Think stations—not full-on room overhauls. A snack zone. A homework zone. A drop zone for keys, bags, and all the random stuff. Label everything. Bonus points if it's cute and makes you feel like a boss.
Strategy #4: Boundaries ARE Self-Care. You are not everyone's everything, every second. Set quiet hours, delegate chores (even if they do it “wrong”), and stop saying yes to every school volunteer role. ADHD burnout is real, and you deserve time to breathe.
Therapist Tip: ADHD expert Dr. Sharon Saline says, "Structure combined with empathy is key." That means building a system that works with your brain, not against it, while giving yourself grace.
Interview Spotlight: Netta from Chatterbrain Mommy Podcast “I learned that setting a timer for 15 minutes and blasting 90’s or good ole gospel music while cleaning helps me finish what I start. It’s weird, but it works. ADHD-friendly hacks are all about joy and movement.” — Netta
Need more hacks, humor, and realness? Grab my eBook Focus, Energize, and Thrive—your not-so-typical guide to managing motherhood, ADHD, and all the chaos that comes with it.
And check out my Amazon ADHD Mom Survival List: from digital planners to colorful dry-erase calendars.
Weekly Dry Erase Planner for Busy Moms
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