1. EachPod

#186 10 executive dysfunction tips and tricks to help people who hoard, whether we have ADHD or are neurodivergent or not - Hoarding Awareness Week 2025

Author
That Hoarder
Published
Fri 16 May 2025
Episode Link
https://infouidd.podbean.com/e/186-10-executive-dysfunction-tips-and-tricks-to-help-people-who-hoard-whether-we-have-adhd-or-are-neurodivergent-or-not-hoarding-awareness-week-2025/


For Hoarding Awareness Week 2025, I’m focusing on executive function - the brain’s control centre for planning, starting, and finishing tasks - and the small, practical hacks that can make a genuine difference for people who hoard, whether or not we have ADHD or are neurodivergent. I talk about real-life tips for breaking the overwhelm, managing perfectionism, building momentum, and overcoming shame, all with the aim of making progress sustainable and achievable in your day-to-day life. This episode is all about honest advice that actually works, whether you’re in the thick of it or just looking for a few smarter ways to approach this.



  • Hoarding Awareness Week 2025 and its theme: Hoarding & Executive Function

  • Recognition that executive function challenges impact both neurodivergent and neurotypical people

  • Executive Function and Hoarding

  • Previous podcast episodes relating to executive function, ADHD, and hoarding

  • Importance of using effective hacks and techniques, regardless of neurotype

  • Emphasis on finding what works personally for each listener

  • The Realities and Challenges of Tackling Hoarding

  • Overwhelm and daunting feelings about dehoarding

  • Breaking tasks into small, manageable parts

  • Focus on actionable, day-to-day strategies rather than long-term, rigid planning

  • Understanding Executive Function

  • Explanation of what executive function is (control centre for planning, focus, and impulse control)

  • Factors that can impair executive function (neurodivergence, mental health, stress, lack of sleep, etc.)

  • Universality of executive dysfunction - everyone struggles at times

  • Emotional Barriers: Perfectionism and Shame

  • The cycle of shame and self-blame in executive dysfunction and hoarding

  • Societal judgment around hoarding, and its paralysing effects

  • Strategies for stepping back, naming emotions, and cultivating self-compassion

  • Core Executive Dysfunction Tips and Hacks

  • Breaking Tasks Down

  • Setting realistic micro-goals

  • The concept of “towards” vs. “away” moves in progress

  • Tracking Progress

  • Counting bags/items leaving the house

  • Caution against tracking becoming burdensome for some

  • Using Timers

  • Setting short (e.g., 5-minute) timers to help with task initiation

  • Use of voice assistants to avoid distraction

  • Reverse-timer technique to use end of music/podcast as a cue for action

  • The Two-Minute Rule

  • Limitations and personal adaptations of rule

  • Identifying Motivations

  • Creating visual or written reminders of why you want to dehoard

  • Acceptance of some tools working only temporarily, and switching when necessary

  • Reward Systems

  • Small, non-material rewards for completing tasks

  • Linking listening to desired media (like the podcast) with decluttering activities

  • Non-Negotiable Rules

  • Creating routines to reduce decision fatigue (e.g., charity bags leave home immediately)

  • Body Doubling

  • Doing tasks alongside others (physically or virtually, like in the host’s Zoom sessions)

  • Emotional/moral support of parallel accountability

  • Alternative ways to body double if group support isn’t accessible

  • Time Blocking and Scheduling

  • Using calendars and reminders to schedule decluttering sessions

  • Flexibly adapting this strategy based on personal response

  • Habit Stacking

  • Linking a new task to an established routine (e.g., unloading dishwasher while kettle boils)

  • Using “add-ons” for frequently-visited spaces (e.g., clearing five things each time you enter the bathroom)


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