Cleaning for ADHD-ers
Cleaning and maintaining an organized space can be particularly challenging for women with ADHD. The tasks can feel overwhelming, repetitive, and often uninteresting, leading to procrastination and clutter buildup. However, with the right strategies and a fresh approach, you can turn cleaning into a manageable and even enjoyable part of your routine. I’ve included some practical techniques to help you stay on top of cleaning tasks, reduce the stress associated with them, and leverage your ADHD strengths to create a clean and organized environment that supports your personal and professional success.
The Unique Challenges of Cleaning + ADHD
Cleaning can be challenging for the ADHD brain due to differences in how it processes tasks, motivation, and executive function. Here are the key reasons:
Executive Function Deficits: Executive functions help with planning, organization, and task management. People with ADHD often struggle with these, making it harder to prioritize and break down cleaning tasks into manageable steps.
Task Initiation: Starting a task like cleaning can be difficult because the ADHD brain often needs immediate stimulation or reward. Cleaning, which is repetitive and can feel boring, doesn't provide the quick dopamine boost that the ADHD brain craves, making it harder to start and stay focused.
Time Blindness: ADHD can cause a distorted perception of time, making tasks feel overwhelming because it’s hard to estimate how long they will take. This can lead to procrastination or avoiding cleaning altogether.
Distraction and Hyperfocus: While cleaning, the ADHD brain may get easily distracted by unrelated tasks or become hyperfocused on one area, making it difficult to complete the overall cleaning process efficiently.
Overwhelm from Clutter: Visual clutter can be overstimulating, leading to a sense of overwhelm and paralysis when trying to decide where to start.
Some Common Challenges
The Clutter Cycle
What It Is: The clutter cycle refers to the tendency for clutter to build up over time, leading to feelings of overwhelm and paralysis. The more clutter there is, the harder it can be to start cleaning, which leads to even more clutter.
Impact: This cycle can create a perpetually messy environment that feels impossible to tackle, leading to frustration and stress.
Task Paralysis
What It Is: Task paralysis occurs when the brain becomes overwhelmed by the sheer number of cleaning tasks, leading to inaction or avoidance.
Impact: The overwhelming nature of cleaning can make it difficult to even start, resulting in a cluttered and disorganized space.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
What It Is: This phrase describes the ADHD tendency to forget about items or tasks once they’re out of sight, leading to neglected cleaning areas or forgotten messes.
Impact: This can result in hidden clutter in drawers, closets, or other out-of-sight areas, which eventually becomes overwhelming when discovered.
Building a Cleaning System That Works
Creating a cleaning system that aligns with your unique ADHD brain is essential for staying organized and reducing clutter. Below is some guidance on choosing the right tools, creating a cleaning schedule, and using visual aids to keep track of tasks.
Choosing the Right Tools
What It Is: Having the right cleaning tools and supplies can make a significant difference in your motivation and efficiency.
How to Implement: Invest in cleaning tools that are easy to use and store. Consider multi-purpose cleaners, lightweight vacuum cleaners, and easy-to-access storage solutions. Keep your supplies in a central location so you can quickly grab what you need without searching.
Creating a Cleaning Schedule
What It Is: A cleaning schedule helps you break down tasks into manageable chunks and ensures that nothing gets overlooked.
How to Implement: Create a weekly or monthly cleaning schedule that spreads tasks out over several days. For example, Monday could be for bathrooms, Tuesday for kitchen surfaces, Wednesday for floors, and so on. Use digital reminders or a paper calendar to keep track of what needs to be done each day.
Using Visual Aids and Checklists
What It Is: Visual aids like checklists or charts can help you keep track of cleaning tasks and provide a sense of accomplishment as you check them off.
How to Implement: Create a checklist for each room with specific tasks (e.g., dusting, vacuuming, organizing) and use it every time you clean. Consider using color-coded charts or sticky notes to highlight priority areas. Place visual reminders in areas where you often forget to clean, like putting a sticky note on the fridge to remind you to wipe it down regularly.
Strategies to Make Cleaning Manageable
Cleaning doesn’t have to be overwhelming or time-consuming. Leverage these strategies to make cleaning more manageable and enjoyable, catering to the ADHD brain's need for stimulation and variety.
The Power of Micro-Cleaning
What It Is: Micro-cleaning involves tackling cleaning tasks in very small increments, often just a few minutes at a time.
How to Implement: Set a timer for 5-10 minutes and focus on cleaning one specific area, like clearing off a countertop or organizing a drawer. This method reduces overwhelm and makes it easier to start cleaning, as the task feels more manageable.
Body Doubling for Cleaning
What It Is: Body doubling involves cleaning alongside someone else, either in person or virtually, to increase accountability and motivation.
How to Implement: Partner with a friend, family member, or an online community for body doubling cleaning sessions. You can video call while cleaning your respective spaces, keeping each other company and staying motivated. This can be particularly helpful for tasks that you find difficult to start on your own.
Cleaning While Distracted
What It Is: Cleaning while distracted involves pairing cleaning tasks with another activity that you enjoy, making the experience more engaging.
How to Implement: Listen to your favorite podcast, audiobook, or playlist while you clean. This can help you stay focused on the task at hand without feeling bored or overwhelmed. You can also use cleaning as an opportunity to catch up on phone calls with friends or family, making the time more enjoyable.
Maintaining a Clean Space Over Time
Maintaining a clean and organized space requires consistent effort, but it doesn’t have to be a burden. By adding daily routines, regular decluttering, and habit stacking to your schedule, you can keep your space clean over time.
Incorporating Small Cleaning Tasks into Your Daily Routine
What It Is: Incorporating small cleaning tasks into your daily routine helps prevent clutter from building up and makes cleaning less overwhelming.
How to Implement: Dedicate 10-15 minutes each day to tidying up common areas, like the kitchen or living room. Make it a habit to clean up as you go, such as wiping down counters after cooking or putting away clothes before bed. These small daily actions can have a big impact on the overall cleanliness of your space.
Decluttering Regularly
What It Is: Regular decluttering helps prevent your space from becoming overwhelmed with unnecessary items, making it easier to keep clean.
How to Implement: Schedule regular decluttering sessions—monthly, quarterly, or seasonally—where you focus on one area at a time, such as your wardrobe, kitchen cabinets, or office space. Use the "one in, one out" rule to keep clutter in check: for every new item you bring into your home, remove one that you no longer need.
Incorporating Habit Stacking
What It Is: Habit stacking involves linking a new habit (like a cleaning task) to an existing habit, making it easier to remember and implement.
How to Implement: Identify habits you already do consistently, like making coffee in the morning, and stack a cleaning habit onto it, like wiping down the kitchen counters while your coffee brews. This makes cleaning a seamless part of your routine rather than an additional task.
Chapter 5: Stress Management Techniques
Overview: Cleaning can be a source of stress, especially when tasks pile up or feel overwhelming. This chapter provides stress management techniques to help you stay calm, focused, and motivated while cleaning.
Reducing Cleaning Overwhelm
What It Is: Overwhelm can make it difficult to start or complete cleaning tasks, leading to procrastination or avoidance.
How to Implement: Break down large cleaning tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces. Use the Pomodoro Technique—clean for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. Focus on one room or area at a time, and don’t worry about making everything perfect. Progress, not perfection, is the goal.
Mindfulness Practices
What It Is: Mindfulness involves staying present and engaged in the moment, which can help reduce stress and increase focus during cleaning.
How to Implement: Practice mindfulness while cleaning by focusing on the sensory experiences, like the smell of cleaning products or the feel of a clean surface. Use cleaning as a form of active meditation, where you let go of distracting thoughts and stay fully present in the task.
Positive Reinforcement
What It Is: Positive reinforcement involves rewarding yourself for completing cleaning tasks, helping to build motivation and reinforce the habit.
How to Implement: Set up a reward system where you treat yourself after completing certain cleaning tasks. Rewards can be small, like enjoying a favorite snack or taking a relaxing bath, or larger, like watching an episode of your favorite show or going out for a treat. The key is to create a positive association with cleaning.
