Cleaning / tidying up motivation tips?

[caviar]

I have ADHD and get executive dysfunction all the time. (I'm also too lazy to read everyone else's responses, so sorry if I'm repeating any advice!)

I use an app called Finch! It's an app where you have a little bird that you can raise by you doing whatever tasks you want to put in the app. Some of them can be for cleaning, adult tasks, whatever, but some can be things as simple as "think of something that makes you happy." If anyone else uses Finch and wants to add me, send me a DM

One of the tasks I put in Finch is "put one thing back in place." Even putting just one thing back in place, like jeans back in the drawer or hanging up a jacket, makes me feel like I've contributed to decluttering even a tiny bit. My therapist recommended something similar: when you enter/exit a room, take one thing with you or put one thing away. I don't always follow that, but the thing with Finch helped. And sometimes it gets me on a roll. I picked up those socks and put them in the laundry bin, there's a shirt on the floor so I might as well put that away too, and maybe throw out this plastic bag...

[Totodile]

I haven't been diagnosed but I get random spurts of cleaning. Some people say you can that spurt before a depression wave and I think call it manic cleaning?

Ironically I get the urge to heavily clean at 2am when it's quiet. Otherwise I normally clean with music or a tv/movie I've seen before so I don't have to sit down and watch it. I would do small areas at a time, don't overwhelm yourself then you'll get burned out cleaning

[howdy]

I know there's a certain level of tidiness that we need to be healthy and happy, and I know having company come over you really want things to be nice. But something that has ultimately helped me keep things cleaner, and more importantly helped me stress about cleaning and how dirty my house is less, is letting go of feeling like I have to do everything. Recognizing that life is messy and there's just always going to be some level of mess, cleaning when you can in short bursts, but not beating yourself up for not finishing cleaning or for things not being perfect or for not cleaning often enough. My ADHD gets really bad around a particular activity the more anxiety there is around it, so usually recognizing that I'm not going to be perfect, and whatever I can do each day is plenty makes a big difference. Ultimately I'm able to keep things cleaner when I am less stressed about cleaning all the time, because I'm less averse to cleaning when it's a "do it if you feel like it" activity. When that pressure is off, I end up feeling like doing it more often because I do ultimately like having a clean house. It's a mindframe shift more than anything else, which is hard under pressure like the holidays but can mane a big difference. The amount of mental anguish trying to do everything all the time and have things be perfect inflicts is much higher for me than the distress of dishes piling up or a dirty floor. That's just me though! And I don't know exactly what level of mess you're talking about so maybe the stress of the mess itself being there is too much to just let it be. Good luck and you'll get through it! And if your house is messy when your guests come, it's not a reflection of your value as a person or how much you care about them.

[woowers]

I know there's a certain level of tidiness that we need to be healthy and happy, and I know having company come over you really want things to be nice. But something that has ultimately helped me keep things cleaner, and more importantly helped me stress about cleaning and how dirty my house is less, is letting go of feeling like I have to do everything. Recognizing that life is messy and there's just always going to be some level of mess, cleaning when you can in short bursts, but not beating yourself up for not finishing cleaning or for things not being perfect or for not cleaning often enough. My ADHD gets really bad around a particular activity the more anxiety there is around it, so usually recognizing that I'm not going to be perfect, and whatever I can do each day is plenty makes a big difference. Ultimately I'm able to keep things cleaner when I am less stressed about cleaning all the time, because I'm less averse to cleaning when it's a "do it if you feel like it" activity. When that pressure is off, I end up feeling like doing it more often because I do ultimately like having a clean house. It's a mindframe shift more than anything else, which is hard under pressure like the holidays but can mane a big difference. The amount of mental anguish trying to do everything all the time and have things be perfect inflicts is much higher for me than the distress of dishes piling up or a dirty floor. That's just me though! And I don't know exactly what level of mess you're talking about so maybe the stress of the mess itself being there is too much to just let it be. Good luck and you'll get through it! And if your house is messy when your guests come, it's not a reflection of your value as a person or how much you care about them.

So it’s mostly my mum. She’s a neat freak. And absolutely hates that I’m not. She avoids coming over normally because it sets off her mental health because my house isn’t tidy. I keep it somewhat clean, like there isn’t food left out but it could do with a dust if you get my drift - but it’s mostly like piles of clothes everywhere, washing basket overflowing, things not having their own places to live etc and she can’t stand it.

[Cinnamoroll]

As someone who also struggles with this and ADHD too - time crunches help. Even if it’s not “real”, create yourself a time crunch. I find if I put on shoes and tell myself “okay my in laws are comin in three hours I have so much to do” I will get SO MUCH DONE. The power of procrastination has netted me a 4.0 GPA. Performing under pressure is my specialty

[Serebii]

As someone who also struggles with this and ADHD too - time crunches help. Even if it’s not “real”, create yourself a time crunch. I find if I put on shoes and tell myself “okay my in laws are comin in three hours I have so much to do” I will get SO MUCH DONE. The power of procrastination has netted me a 4.0 GPA. Performing under pressure is my specialty

Was gonna come in here to say exactly this. With my ADHD, I'll do nothing at all until a sense of urgency is created, and then suddenly I'm able to get EVERYTHING done with only a few moments to spare.

Do I like it? No. It's honestly stressful as hell. But it's the best way to get me to actually finish important tasks.

[xmilo]

i dont have much experience with ADHD im sorry, but i am a very lazy person. perhaps you could use what i do as a reference as well - i hope you dont mind!

in order to not clean up so much later, i prefer to do it as i go. if theres no mess to begin with, theres not much cleaning required! thats the theory! some examples of it would be:
if i happen to walk past somethingthat is out of place, i try my best to just pick it up, as long as its within reach. if along the way of returning said object, i see another object thats to be kept is also in vicinity, double score!

i understand that with a toddler, the difficulty level is gonna be increased by 999999. but we still try our best, 1 item at a time!

with regards to general dusting/cleaning, i agree with some of the posts above me: get a robot vacuum/mop cleaner. they're life saviors. you could schedule it to clean everyday during the day or evening, whichever you prefer. granted its not as clean as you would do yourself, but again, the same concept of doing a little everyday, maintaining it as close as it was yesterday applies here!

best of luck with your cleaning!!

[rio]

Apps with timers or task selectors, as others have said, are super helpful. I also love finding a podcast or audiobook I'm enjoying a lot or really want to listen to, and using that while I clean or complete chores helps with motivation a lot.

[Bunnii]

I'm reading along with this. Definitively something I need to work on! I end up waiting and doing it all together.

[♥ Shinx ♥]

I also have ADHD, I find that body doubling works well. If I do a task, I get my husband to chill in the same area with me, then he does a task and I take a break we each take turns til we get the chores done and I find it works well!