In honor of Neurodiversity Celebration Week (17–22 March), I’m pleased to share this post about organization, filled with helpful tips for helping people feel supported and become more organized in the workplace, written by Nathaniel “Nat” Hawley, MSc — Founder of Divergent Thinking .
I saw the new “Organizing Minds” section on Jacki’s site, I felt a genuine sense of relief.
Not because organizing is easy (for many of us, it really isn’t). But because the phrase itself holds so much compassion. It quietly acknowledges something people often carry alone: the invisible mental work it takes just to get through a normal day.
For some brains, the world comes with a built-in filing system. For others, the day can feel like a thousand open tabs, each one demanding attention, each one refusing to close.
And when that’s your baseline, being told to “just get organized” can feel like being told to “just become someone else.”
This post is for anyone who has ever felt shame around organization. For anyone who has looked capable on the outside while feeling flooded on the inside. And for parents, educators, and colleagues who want to help, but aren’t sure what support actually looks like.
Because organization isn’t a moral trait. It’s a relationship between a brain and its environment.
The myth of “simple” tasks
One of the most painful parts of executive functioning challenges is how misleading they can look.
From the outside, it may seem like:
- procrastination
- disinterest
- carelessness
- a lack of discipline
- “not trying hard enough”
But from the inside, the experience is often very different:
- I care, but I can’t start.
- I don’t know where to begin.
- I’m afraid I’ll do it wrong.
- There are too many steps and my brain is stuck.
- I’m exhausted before I’ve even begun.
Many neurodivergent people can hold complex ideas, solve intricate problems, and think creatively under pressure—then get completely derailed by an email, a form, a vague task, or a “quick admin thing” that everyone else seems to do without effort.
That mismatch can create a very specific kind of pain:
“Why can I do that, but not this?”
And if that question repeats often enough, it turns into self-blame.
Cognitive load: the part nobody sees
A phrase that often helps people make sense of this is cognitive load.
Cognitive load is the mental effort required to process information, make decisions, plan actions, remember tasks, and follow through.
If a brain is already carrying extra load—sensory overwhelm, anxiety, sleep deprivation, trauma, chronic stress, masking, health issues, grief—then “simple tasks” stop being simple.
They become heavy.
And here’s what I notice most: neurodivergent people are often incredibly good at pushing through. They keep functioning. They keep showing up. They keep compensating. They find workarounds. They over-prepare. They double-check. They overthink. They do the job and the invisible job of managing the friction around it.
Until they can’t.
This is one reason burnout can creep in quietly. From the outside it can look like the person is doing fine. From the inside it can feel like constantly running uphill with weights strapped to your ankles.
Organization isn’t a personality. It’s a system.
Here’s the hopeful part: if the environment is part of the problem, the environment can also be part of the solution.
When someone struggles with organization, the answer isn’t always more willpower. Often, it’s better scaffolding.
Support that reduces friction instead of adding shame.
So what does that look like in real life?
Below are five small supports that make a big difference. Not because they “fix” a person—but because they make life lighter.
1) Reduce the number of decisions
Decision fatigue is real.
If someone has to constantly decide:
- where to start
- what matters most
- what “done” looks like
- how long it should take
- whether they’re doing it “right”
…they can burn through energy before they even begin.
Support looks like:
- agreeing priorities explicitly
- naming the next step
- defining “good enough”
- using templates instead of starting from scratch
This isn’t controlling. It’s clarifying.
2) Make the next step visible (and small)
For many neurodivergent brains, the hardest part isn’t doing the task—it’s starting it.
A powerful strategy is to shrink the entry point.
Instead of:
“Finish the whole thing.”
Try:
“Open the document and write three bullet points.”
or
“Set a timer for five minutes and do the first tiny step.”
Momentum matters more than perfection.
3) Externalise memory
Many neurodivergent people rely on working memory more than is fair.
They hold tasks in their head. They rehearse them mentally. They fear forgetting them. They keep scanning for what they’re missing.
That’s exhausting.
Support looks like:
- putting things in one consistent place
- writing down verbal decisions
- using visual lists or boards
- having a single “capture” system for tasks (one notebook, one app—not five)
Externalising memory isn’t laziness. It’s a nervous system accommodation.
4) Protect energy, not just time
We talk about time management constantly. But energy management is often the real issue.
Some tasks are “small” but deeply draining:
emails, scheduling, forms, phone calls, admin, transitions, switching between tasks.
Support can look like:
- batching admin tasks
- building in breaks
- reducing interruptions where possible
- letting people do demanding tasks at the time of day their brain is most available
This matters especially for people who mask—because masking is work.
5) Normalise working preferences (so people don’t have to hide)
One of the biggest barriers to support is fear of judgement.
A simple question can open doors:
“What helps you get started and stay steady?”
Someone might say:
- “I need instructions written down.”
- “I need priorities ranked.”
- “I need time to think before I answer.”
- “It helps when the deadline is clear and realistic.”
- “If you check in once midway, I won’t spiral.”
These aren’t unreasonable demands. They’re useful information.
And when people feel safe sharing them, organization becomes less about shame and more about design.
A closing thought
If you are someone who struggles with organization, I want to say this plainly:
You are not broken.
You are not lazy.
You are not failing at adulthood.
Your brain may simply be doing extra work to operate in a world that wasn’t designed for it.
And the moment support shifts from “try harder” to “let’s make this lighter,” something changes. Not just productivity—dignity. Confidence. Hope. The sense that you’re allowed to exist as you are, and still be supported.
That’s what I love about the phrase “Organizing Minds.” It reminds us that organization isn’t about forcing people into one way of functioning. It’s about building environments where different minds can function well.
Happy Neurodiversity Celebration Week,
Nat
Divergent Thinking UK is a neurodiversity consultancy and corporate training provider. Divergent Thinking helps organisations embrace different ways of thinking and working. Their approach blends lived experience and neuroscience to create workplaces where every mind belongs, and every voice adds value.
