08/31/2022
β¨Letβs talk about it! β¨
Did you know that ADHD is not just a disorder for children? There are approximately 9 million adults in the USA alone who have been diagnosed with ADHD. That is a whopping 4.4% of all American adults. Adults with ADHD often have problems dealing with day-to-day tasks. This can make cleaning with ADHD nearly an insurmountable task. While I may not be a mental health professional or expert, I do know one thing - I know how to clean. Not to mention, I am also an adult who suffers with ADHD. Good news- there is a solution! There are different ways adults with ADHD or ADD can keep a healthy and regular cleaning regimen.
First things first. You donβt always have to deep clean your home.
This point needs to be emphasized time and time again. You are not cleaning your house in its entirety. You donβt have to scrub top to bottom around your house every time you start to clean. Those with ADHD tend to get carried away and distracted by auxiliary tasks. Check yourself periodically so you donβt find yourself spending too much time on one task. You donβt need to be scrubbing your floor with a tooth brush if all you needed to do was wash the dishes. Cleaning is a process. If you deep clean your house every time you start to clean, it will obviously overwhelm you and youβll lose focus and give up altogether. Stay calm, stay focused, and only clean what you have planned on cleaning.
Create a detailed cleaning schedule.
Those who have ADHD know that if they donβt know what exactly needs to be done and when, then nothing will get done. Since you have reminders for all your regularly scheduled tasks anyway, why not add cleaning to the list? You can create a personalized cleaning schedule to match your personality and ADHD type. There are several cleaning schedules you can use a reference and then just create one that works for you!
Set a specific time for each task and then set a timer. Time blindness can make it really difficult to complete tasks in general. If you combine that with the never ending task of cleaning with ADHD it can be a recipe for disaster. You need to allot specific time for each task, and check and double check if it can be completed within the time youβve assigned for it. Letβs take a scenario into consideration.
You have one task - doing your dishes. Youβve to do it everyday, so it is something that canβt be avoided. Youβve decided to allot 20 minutes of your time to do this task because, in your head thanks to time blindness, it seems manageable.
We can guarantee that 20 minutes is not going to be enough to finish cleaning your dayβs worth of dishes.
Now, youβve exhausted your twenty minutes and you havenβt even finished scrubbing half your dishes. Youβre frustrated that you couldnβt do it on time, and you leave the rest of them aside angrily, and postpone the task.
Sound familiar? This is the time blindness affecting your judgement. Instead, why donβt you time yourself and see how long it really takes to do your dishes, and allot your time accordingly? Wonβt that make your life a lot easier? While time blindness can cause hindrances, you just need to cut yourself some slack, understand how much time you actually need to clean, and then set that time aside for yourself.
Invest in organization. Purchase containers and labels if you havenβt already! You need to visualize what needs to be done or else youβll forget it. You can see the container or box once itβs labeled, and that way you wonβt end up forgetting about your ongoing projects or cluttering your house!
Donβt forget the end goal here. Cleaning is a big part of your life that you cannot ignore, no matter how much you want to. It can get really demotivating at times because the grime and mess just keep coming back, and the only way to get it done is to motivate yourself enough to do it.
Cleaning with ADHD involves more than just creating a routine. It is a part of your life that you could constantly struggle with, because it is boring, repetitive and constant.
What works best for those who are currently struggling while cleaning with ADHD is to come up with a reward system for yourself after you meet your cleaning goals. Have an episode youβve been meaning to watch? Keep that as a reward.
A reward system can get pretty tired too, so what you can do is complement your cleaning with a task you enjoy so that you can combine the negative (cleaning) with a positive (fun). Put on your favorite album and listen to it while you mop your floors. Or play your favorite podcast in the background while you tidy up your room.
Try to stay away from watching television. It can get too distracting and youβll lose focus.
Learn how to clean your house faster.
The best way to actually clean for people with ADHD is to make it as fast as possible. Once again, cleaning your house does not mean deep cleaning it at all times. You want your home to look presentable and clean enough for any surprise visitors, and thatβs all you should focus on.
Keep twenty minutes aside every morning and every night to do a general tidying up of different rooms around your house (this is separate from the time youβve allotted for your daily chores such as doing dishes, laundry, etc.). Remember to schedule this time in advance otherwise youβll never get around to it (ADHD brain does that).
Cleaning with ADHD is doubly difficult because you have a tendency to forget what you have finished cleaning and what is pending. When you make your cleaning schedule, you donβt want to miss out on any parts of your house that would need cleaning on a regular basis, be it daily, weekly or monthly.
Final thoughts- take it easy. Cleaning with ADHD is a lot harder than it seems, so donβt beat yourself up. It takes time to build and maintain a habit, just remember to do better than you did yesterday.
Itβs cliche, I know, but it is important.
If this information was helpful or you know someone who suffers from β¨ACDCβ¨, share this post or tag them below so they can know that they are not alone and also, what they can do to combat it! Together, we can help others with tools needed to succeed! You got this! ππ»ππ»
