Okay, be honest, do you have a “doom pile”?

In case you don’t know, a “doom pile” refers to the stubborn collections of items you may have scattered or hidden around your home, or even across your digital spaces. It’s an extremely common experience, particularly for folks with ADHD.

Instead of assigning things to a specific place, items end up stacking up… along with other random objects — with the ever-unkept promise of organizing them “later.”

Maybe your doom pile isn’t actually a pile, but a doom bookmark folder, a doom drawer, a doom closet…

So, why is it that ‘doom piles’ pop up so often in our lives? 

One way to think about it: doom piles can be reframed as “unfinished decision piles.” 

Especially if you experience ADHD, doom piles can be the result of decision fatigue, when you ask yourself questions like:

• “Where does this belong?"

• "Am I ready to throw this out?"

• "What if I need it in the future???”

It can also be due to general overwhelm — often the longer something sits in our space unaddressed, the more overwhelming and dysregulating to our nervous system it can feel, so we avoid, avoid, avoid. 

This week, we’ll shake off any shame together and finally tackle those stubborn piles.

And we’ll get curious about our organizational systems and find ways to build better ones.

Meet the Doom Pile

Are you a…

📄 Loose-leaf paper enthusiast
🍝  Charger cable spaghetti chef
🚗 Passenger-seat pilekeeper 
📚 Book tower stacker
👕 Proud owner of a floordrobe

Or something else?

If your doom piles are hidden behind a closet door or in a kitchen drawer, you might be at risk of the “out of sight, out of mind” mentality. This is a totally normal coping mechanism to all of the above and more. 

Before we get into our techniques to sort through them, I encourage you to get to know the doom piles you currently have:

📦 Identify one doom pile in your home, car or digital life

🧦 Could be a floordrobe, a stack of papers, your inbox, or a drawer you never open

💻 Think of it as an “unfinished decision pile”. No judgment — just be curious! 

🤔 Notice why it’s sitting there. What decisions does it hold?

The 10-minute, shame-releasing excavation

We're going to start by making SMALL movements towards sorting our doom piles.

The first step — we need to acknowledge that this might trigger overwhelm. 

Especially if you experience ADHD, patterns of avoidance (which doom piles are so well known for) can compound over time.

But, have you ever finally tackled a stubborn task on your to-do list, one you’ve been putting off for a long time, and realized it only took a few minutes to complete? We want to remember this feeling when thinking about our doom piles.

One idea that may seem familiar if you’ve regularly attended our focused space work sessions: the work sprint. 

• Try starting with just 10 minutes. Put a timer on, and act with no end goal in mind.

• Choose the smallest doom pile you have in your home.

• Start sorting the items you are most confident about and know exactly what you’d like to do with.

• Next, move onto the larger/bulkier items in your pile, so you can instantly think clearly and get some space.

• Stop after 10 minutes if you’d like, or keep going if you’re on a roll.

Sometimes doom piles show up because we’re experiencing guilt about getting rid of something once and for all.

It can be helpful to get curious about where the guilt stems from — is this a sentimental item? Did someone I know spend time or money on it? Did I get it at a special event (a wedding, conference, a freebie at school)? 

Sometimes reliving the memory of how we acquired one of these items can be enough to finally release it — or allow us more time.

You can even try taking a picture of it before getting rid of it to see if that helps you release it.

The Basics of Getting Started

⏱️ Start small: set a 10-minute timer and tackle the smallest doom pile with no end goal — just begin!

🧩 Start with items you’re most confident about, then clear larger items to create instant space.

🧠 Notice emotions that come up — guilt or sentiment can keep things stuck. Get curious about why an item is hard to let go of.

How to sort your doom pile

While doom piles can bring about feelings of shame, it’s good to remind yourself that they’re often a practical way our brains manage unfinished decisions and stay functional.

It’s only when they start interfering with our day-to-day lives that it might be worth exploring a new option.

Often, when we finally clear a pile, it comes right back. This usually means something in our organizational system has too much friction. 

Common reasons doom piles return could be that storage systems are too complicated, items don’t have an obvious home, or we’re experiencing decision fatigue.

That’s how we end up with piles of loose leaf papers, charging cables, a congested email inbox, or random toiletries dispersed around the house.

Try sorting in just one place. Pick one doom pile, drawer, or chair of clothes and dump everything out. Make it fun by energetically tossing everything on the ground, if need be.

Start sorting by common categories: sentimental items, mail, “needs action” (a lightbulb to replace, for example), or “doesn’t-belong-in-this-room” items. 

Grouping items makes the pile easier for your brain to process. Just by categorizing, you've already found a way to address a big chunk of your doom pile. 

A few more strategies to try

🗂️ Use basic sorting boxes to reduce decision fatigue: keep, trash, recycle, donate, doesn’t belong in this room.

🎧 Set a timer before sorting to signal to your brain that there is an end in sight — add body doubling (like focused space sessions!) if need be! 

🧺 Only touch items you instantly know what to do with (trash, rehome, donate) and skip anything that makes you pause (for now). You may gain momentum later

📍 Create a “not-this-room” pile: anything that belongs elsewhere goes in one spot so there’s no running around mid-sort

🔟  Try the “10 things game” — open 10 pieces of mail, pick up 10 things, etc. You can stop after 10, or keep going if you find your momentum

Introducing new systems

Once you've gotten a chance to tackle a doom pile, and seen what shows up repeatedly, you can use that insight to create systems that actually prevent piles from coming back.

Doom piles are full of information. They show us what kinds of items tend to accumulate the most, what items don't have a clear “home”, and they also expose where our current systems require too much effort or friction. 

Doom piles require us to use our mental energy to decide where something should go, and our physical energy to take it there. If either of those feels like too much, our brain will default to the easiest option: put it down “for now.” 

One system change we can try is being intentional about where piles live and giving them physical boundaries.

Keeping your doom space small — like a tiny shelf, or a narrow table top, can remind us to address it sooner, rather than later — and without using extra brainpower.

As you sort through your piles, you may start to notice certain items or categories that keep showing up, or specific spots where things always seem to get misplaced, like pens ending up in the couch cushions, or coffee mugs piling up on the bedside table. 

When you see these patterns, try creating a dedicated home for that item or category. It could be a small bin, a basket, a cup for your pens, or a tray for snacks and mugs.

Giving it a specific place and returning items there daily makes future sorting easier and helps keep clutter from sneaking back.

This can be easier said than done of course, but even if you only do it sometimes and not always, it can still make a big impact.

3 small tips for new systems

🪑 Use small, defined spaces: a tiny shelf or narrow hallway table can hold your pile — when it fills up, it’s your cue to reset (no extra brainpower needed)

🧺  Notice a recurring category? If several items keep showing up that don’t have a home, create a dedicated bin or basket just for them. Giving that category its own space makes future sorting easier and keeps clutter from sneaking back

🖊️🍵 Pay attention to patterns: If pens always end up on the couch or coffee table, or tea/snack items pile up in your office, give them a specific spot (like a cup for pens or a tray for snacks) and return them there daily

Building a reward system

So far we’ve talked about why doom piles happen, the emotional response they can elicit, and how to start tackling them without overwhelming our nervous system.

We’ll end on a fun note — designing a reward system!

It’s no secret that for most folks with ADHD (and without), dopamine plays a key role in motivation, making it easier to start and sustain tasks that feel rewarding or interesting. 

That’s why implementing a reward system can be so powerful.

Think about what would make it slightly more interesting, and less daunting — before, during and after you start sorting. This may help you unlock the dopamine needed to build momentum and actually feel ready to accomplish the pile. 

You can set yourself up for success before you even touch a pile. Pick a small pre-sorting activity that makes the task feel easier, like listening to a favorite song, watching a short show, or doing a quick energizing movement.

After completing a sorting session, reward yourself with something sensory. Enjoy a sweet treat, snuggle up with your furry friend, get some fresh air, or light a candle for some pleasant scents. 

Even small changes, like slipping into comfy clothes or taking off your shoes, can signal to your brain that the task is complete and reinforce the habit.

Final tips for creating a reward system

🎶 Set the vibe for sorting by playing your favorite playlist, putting on a comfort show in the background, and/or setting a timer

🍫 After clearing a few items from the pile, enjoy a snack, a cup of tea, or a short cozy break to reinforce progress

⏱️ Keep your sorting sessions short and set a timer so breaks don’t turn into distractions

🔁 After a break, start with a tiny action, such as rehoming 3 items or sorting for 2 minutes, to keep moving forward without pressure

✧˖°. ⋆｡˚:✧｡

We hope some of the tips in this guide will help you tackle one of your doom piles this week!

P.S. If you aren't a member of Focused Space, but could use help accomplishing your goals (like organizing your space!), busting through procrastination, or getting motivated… you are welcome to join us at one of our live guided work sessions, or morning planning sessions!

Take care,

— Farah and the focused space team