How to use this toolkit
☑
Checklists — click any item to check it off. Click again to uncheck. Use the ↺ Reset button to clear a list for the next session.
⏱
Timers — click a timer card to start the countdown. Click again to stop. The timer ends automatically and confirms when done.
＋
Accordions — click any framework title to expand its full detail. Only one is open at a time.
↓
Save & log session — when you're done working, hit this button. It logs your progress for the day and downloads a .json file. Load that file next session to restore everything.
Chapter 6
Decision Frameworks
Seven tools for stopping the "but I might need it" loop. Apply in order: replacement threshold → use window → purpose statement → catalog-and-release or sentimental → 30-day hold → monetization.
Order of operations: Start with the threshold check. If an item clears that, apply the use window. Most items resolve at one of the first three steps. Only items that survive all three need the deeper frameworks.
Set a dollar amount in advance. If replacing this item would cost less than that amount, discard it without further deliberation.
  • Choose your threshold before a session, not during one.
  • Mark exceptions in advance (items with no replacement, sentimental originals).
  • The threshold eliminates the deliberation cycle for low-value items entirely.
  • Common starting points: $20–$50 for household items, $10 for digital subscriptions.
Category-specific time windows. If you haven't used it in this period, it goes.
  • Clothing: 12 months (full seasonal cycle)
  • Kitchen tools: 6 months
  • Apps and software: 3 months
  • Books you're "going to read": 18 months
  • Hobby supplies for a current hobby: 6 months
  • Cables and tech accessories: 12 months

Time blindness adjustment: if you can't remember whether you used it, you didn't. ADHD time perception compresses the past — "recently" often means 8 months ago.

Complete this sentence: "I keep this because I use it for _______."
  • The purpose must be specific: "cooking Thai food" passes. "it might be useful" fails.
  • Future tense doesn't count: "I will use it for..." is a fail.
  • If you can't complete the sentence, it goes.
  • Vague answers ("just in case", "it's useful", "you never know") = out.
For items with memory or sentimental value that you won't actually use.
  • Take one photo of the item.
  • Write one sentence about why it mattered.
  • Save both to a dedicated "catalog" folder.
  • Discard the physical item.

The photo and note preserve the memory. The object is not the memory. This works because ADHD object permanence issues attach to physical objects — the catalog makes the memory retrievable without the object needing to take up space.

Four questions in sequence. Stop when you have an answer.
  • Q1: Is this attached to a specific memory? (If no → catalog-and-release or discard)
  • Q2: Is this the only object that holds that memory? (If no → keep the best one, discard the rest)
  • Q3: Could a smaller token serve the same function? (If yes → photograph + discard full item, keep token)
  • Q4: What is the ongoing cost of keeping it — space, maintenance, emotional weight? (If high → reconsider)
For items you can't decide on. One box, one location, one deadline.
  • Place items in a single designated box — not a pile, not a shelf.
  • Label the box with a date 30 days from now.
  • Add a calendar appointment for that date.
  • If you haven't retrieved anything from it in 30 days, donate it without reviewing the contents.

Critical: do not open the box to review. If you needed it, you'd have retrieved it. The point is to let time make the decision.

For items with resale value. Hard deadlines prevent selling from becoming storing.
  • List within 7 days of deciding to sell — or donate immediately.
  • If unsold after 30 days, reduce price by 30%.
  • Hard cutoff at 60 days: donate regardless of price.
  • The item earns its temporary storage by having an active listing.
  • No listing = no storage. These are not the same decision.
Framework Selection Guide
Situation Use This Framework When to Escalate
Low-value item, cheap to replace Replacement Threshold Only if emotionally charged
Item hasn't been used in a while Use Window If still uncertain, Purpose Statement
Can't articulate why you're keeping it Purpose Statement If sentimental, run Sentimental Protocol
Has a specific memory attached Catalog-and-Release If irreplaceable, Sentimental Protocol
Genuinely uncertain, can't decide 30-Day Hold Box expires → donate without reviewing
Has real resale value Monetization No listing within 7 days → donate
Chapter 7
Maintenance Stack
Three time scales. A missed cycle at any level is absorbed by the others. The goal is not perfect execution — it's cheap re-entry when execution lapses.
Session Timers

Click a timer to start it. Click again to stop.

5
minutes
Daily scan / evening reset / open loop capture
0:00
30
minutes
Weekly sweep (physical + digital + mental load)
0:00
90
minutes
Monthly review or recovery block
0:00
Daily Orientation
5–10 MIN / EVERY DAY
  • Morning: 5-min scan of capture system, identify what today requires Prevents reactive start. Non-negotiable on bad days.
  • Evening: one surface reset (counter, desk, or entry tray) 3–5 min. Pick whichever accumulated most today.
  • Capture any open loops that surfaced during the day 2 min. Don't go to sleep with them in working memory.
Weekly Sweep
30 MIN / SAME DAY EACH WEEK
  • Physical: 15 min on highest-friction space from past week Surface pass only. Anything needing more goes on next week's calendar.
  • Digital: 10 min — inbox, file inbox, open tabs Process email. Clear downloads. Close everything.
  • Mental load: 5 min — scan capture system for stale items Convert vague items to specific next actions or delete them.
Monthly Review
60–90 MIN / SCHEDULED IN ADVANCE
  • Space audit: walk each room, note drift toward pre-system state Observation only. Items needing >15 min become calendar items.
  • Digital audit: fix misfiled items, process 30-day holds, unsubscribe Check maybe box expirations. Process holds that are due.
  • Commitment audit: review full obligation inventory for exits Anything to renegotiate, delegate, or exit?
  • System review: where did the system break down this month? Diagnostic only. Adjust one thing. Don't reinvent.
Missed a week? The next week picks up from current state. No penalty sessions. One missed sweep is absorbed. Two means the monthly review does slightly more. Three consecutive misses = run a recovery block (see the Relapse Protocol tab).
Chapter 3
Room-by-Room Protocols
Every session runs 20–45 minutes with a timer. Stage three containers before starting: donate, relocate, trash. Name the target room before the timer starts.
Pre-session setup (non-negotiable): Name the target unit. Stage donate bag, relocate bin, and trash bag before the timer starts. Set the default rule: "If I don't know where this goes, it donates." Don't start without these three things in place.
01 Kitchen 45 min
  1. Counters first — clear completely, wipe, return only what has a designated home
  2. Cabinets: pull everything out of one cabinet only. Apply use window (6 months for tools). Duplicates out.
  3. Fridge and freezer: expired out, items without a plan out
  4. Junk drawer: one session, one drawer. Default rule applies — nothing goes back without a purpose.
  5. Stage donate bag by the door before session ends. Don't leave it in the kitchen.
02 Entry / Mudroom 20 min
  1. Clear the landing zone completely — every item off the surface
  2. Return only items that belong at the entry: keys, bags in current use, outerwear in current season
  3. Everything else: relocate to correct room or donate
  4. Assess the physical setup: is the landing zone large enough? Does the hook situation match actual habits?
03 Bedroom 30 min
  1. Surfaces first: nightstand and dresser top — clear, keep only current-use items
  2. Floor pass: every item on the floor gets a decision. Laundry to hamper, everything else to donate or relocate.
  3. Under the bed: address as a separate session if needed. Label and limit storage units.
  4. Closet: clothing use window is 12 months. If the hanger is turned backwards and still backwards 12 months later, it goes.
04 Home Office / Desk 30 min
  1. Clear the desk surface completely — everything off
  2. Papers: sort into action (needs a next step), reference (needs to be filed), and trash. Nothing "maybe."
  3. Cables: label or identify every cable. If you can't identify it in 30 seconds, photograph it and discard.
  4. Return only items used daily to the desk surface. Everything else has a drawer or goes.
  5. Open items on the desk = open loops. Every item without a home is a decision you're deferring.
05 Bathroom 20 min
  1. Pull everything out of one cabinet or drawer — not all of them in one session
  2. Expired products out. Products not used in 6 months out.
  3. Duplicates: keep the one you actually reach for, donate the others
  4. Counter: only daily-use items. Everything else in a cabinet.
06 Storage / Closets 45 min max per zone
  1. Define the zone before you start: one shelf, one section, one box. Not "the whole closet."
  2. Everything out of the zone. Visible, on the floor or a surface.
  3. Apply threshold → use window → purpose statement to each item before it goes back.
  4. Items that pass get a labeled home. Items without a label get a decision.
  5. Thirty-day hold box lives in storage — this is its home. Mark expiration dates in advance.
Chapter 4
Digital Sweep Protocol
The same ADHD mechanisms that create physical clutter operate in digital environments. Object permanence, decision fatigue, and paralysis look identical — just on a screen.
Email: Four-Folder System
  • Action — requires a next step from you Review in every processing session
  • Waiting — sent, awaiting reply Anything here >7 days gets a follow-up
  • Reference — needed later, no action Must be searchable. Don't over-subfolder.
  • Archive — everything else Inbox zero = everything moved to one of the four folders
Legacy backlog rule: everything 90+ days old gets bulk-archived without review. The backlog is not a reading list.
Files: Naming Convention

Format: YYYY-MM_descriptor

Example: 2024-03_tax-docs

Four folders only:

  • Active — current projects
  • Reference — needed but not active
  • Archive — completed, keep
  • Inbox — staging, processed weekly

Flat structure. Subfolders multiply faster than the clutter they're supposed to organize.

Weekly Digital Sweep — 15 min
WEEKLY 15–20 min / Same day as physical sweep 4 steps
  • Process email inbox to zero — move everything to one of four folders Processing is not the same as reading. Route first, read later.
  • Clear the file Inbox folder — file or delete everything in it Nothing lives in Inbox longer than one week.
  • Close all tabs — save anything you're actually going to read to read-later A tab is a deferred decision. Close-everything is a protocol, not a suggestion.
  • Check Action folder — anything sitting past 7 days gets a next step or gets archived Action without a deadline becomes permanent backlog.
Phone Protocol
  • Notifications: off for all non-essential apps Keep only: calls, texts, calendar, alarms
  • App layout: tools you use daily on home screen only Everything else in one folder or off the home screen
  • Camera roll: monthly pass — delete duplicates and blurry shots 15 min monthly prevents the 4-hour backlog project
  • Delete apps not opened in 3 months They're still on the app store. Object permanence applies here too.
Downloads Folder Rule

Treat Downloads like a physical inbox.

Anything in Downloads older than 7 days that hasn't been filed belongs in one of three places:

  • File it — name it, move to Reference or Active
  • Delete it — if you downloaded it and didn't need it
  • Ignore it — does not exist as an option

Downloads is not storage. It's a funnel.

Chapter 5
Mental Load Protocols
An open loop is any unresolved commitment, decision, or task that occupies working memory even when you're not actively thinking about it. The capture system externalizes them. The weekly review processes them.
The rule: One trusted capture location. Everything goes in it — tasks, ideas, worries, deferred decisions, obligations, half-formed plans. Completeness matters more than perfect organization. An incomplete capture system creates a second working memory problem.
Capture Protocol

When something lands in your awareness that needs to be done, decided, or remembered:

  1. Capture it immediately — don't try to hold it
  2. One sentence is enough: what it is, not what to do with it
  3. Don't process it now — capturing is not processing
  4. Feel the release — the item is no longer in working memory

The release is real. A captured item stops competing for working memory. This is the operational mechanism — not motivation, not discipline.

Daily Scan — 5 min
  • Open capture system. Scan for today's priorities. Don't process — just identify 2–3 items that require action today
  • Identify one item with a hard deadline today If none, identify the highest-friction item
  • Check calendar for anything requiring prep time 5 minutes of prep prevents 30 minutes of scramble
Weekly Review — 20 min
WEEKLY Capture → Process → Clear 20 min
  • Review every item in the capture system — no exceptions This takes 2–3 min if done weekly. Longer if skipped.
  • Convert vague items to specific next actions "Deal with insurance" → "Call insurance re: claim #4421 before Friday"
  • Add time-sensitive items to calendar with a specific slot If it doesn't have a slot, it has no plan. No plan = still an open loop.
  • Delete anything that is no longer relevant Old open loops don't close themselves. Active deletion is required.
Deferred Decision Audit

For items that have been sitting in the capture system for more than two weeks without becoming a next action, run the decision audit. Apply each question in order:

Question If Yes →
Am I waiting on specific missing information? Note what's missing. Set a date to follow up or decide without it.
Are both options genuinely bad? Choose the one with lower ongoing cost. Bad choices get worse the longer they're deferred.
Is this decision carrying emotional weight? Separate the emotional component. Decide the logistics. Address the emotion separately.
Does this actually belong to someone else? Transfer it. Remove it from your system entirely.

Two-minute rule: if executing a decision takes less than two minutes, do it now. Don't capture it, don't defer it — do it.

Chapter 7
Relapse Protocol
Relapse is not system failure. It is a scheduled event the system was designed to survive. The only question is whether re-entry is cheap enough that shame's interference doesn't prevent it.
Lapse vs. failure: A lapse is missed maintenance cycles. A failure is a poorly designed system. These require different responses. A lapse needs a recovery block. A failure needs a redesign. Treating a lapse as failure leads to abandoning a system that was actually working.
Recovery Block — 5 Steps

Use this when three or more weekly sweeps have been missed, or when a domain has returned substantially to its pre-system state. Check each step as you complete it.

Designing for Relapse
Contain accumulation structurally
Physical limits do the work. Bins that fill and stop accepting items. Surfaces with designated scope. Donation bags at fixed locations. When clutter is contained, re-entry is scoped. When it spreads, re-entry requires surveying the full extent first — the condition that triggers overwhelm.
Keep the recovery protocol short
One session, one domain, current state as the baseline. Not a full system audit. Not a revisitation of seven chapters. Not a fresh start. The protocol being short is the mechanism. Shame raises activation energy — a short protocol keeps total activation energy below what shame can block.
Remove the moral accounting
The gap happened. The gap is over. No penance session proportional to the length of the lapse. No ledger to settle. No requirement to process the emotional meaning of the gap before addressing the practical consequences. The next action is the recovery block. Start it.
On shame: Shame converts a logistical task — run the sweep, process the inbox, start the recovery block — into an emotional reckoning with evidence of inadequacy. The antidote is not positive self-talk. It's system design that makes re-entry cheap enough that shame's interference doesn't determine the outcome. That's what this protocol is for.
Session History
Progress Log
Every session you log is recorded here with a date and completion breakdown for each checklist. Load your save file to restore history across devices. Print a full report to keep a physical record.
0
Sessions logged
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Last session
0
Recovery blocks used