Tuesday Tips: Organizing in Sight

Yesterday we talked about how “cleaning up” can be panic-inducing when executive functioning skills aren’t yet strong. Out of sight, out of mind isn’t just a catchy phrase—it’s a very real hurdle for many brains.

Today we’re delving into a different approach: organizing in sight.

Because here’s the truth: a space can feel “clean” to you and comfortable for your child—without their belongings disappearing into the abyss of closed bins, shut drawers, or tucked-away closets.

It just takes some rethinking, a little creativity, and systems that work with (not against) how their brain processes the world.

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Why Organizing in Sight Matters

For kids who struggle with executive functioning, putting something away often means losing access to it.

That toy, that book, that shirt—once it’s in a closed drawer or opaque box, it may as well have vanished. Their working memory isn’t holding it, their visual recall may not bring it back, and if aphantasia is in the mix, they literally can’t “see” it in their mind.

So what happens? They keep things out. Everywhere. On desks, on floors, on shelves, on beds. And while to us it looks like chaos, to them it feels safer: I can see it, so I know it’s there.

The good news? We can respect that need while still creating order.