How do you do a clean?

Sometimes the success we get isn't the one we aimed at, but that sure as all doesn't mean it's not a win.

 

I am saving all the advice in this thread.

I just have two small things to add that I don't think have been said. First, before I start cleaning or any other brainsucking arduous task, I ask myself four questions: Have I slept enough? Have I eaten today? When was the last time I had a drink? Did I take my meds yet today? I find that if I don't answer all of these questions positively, I'm much more likely to have an absolute meltdown in the middle of a task. Which is not helpful both because it drains spoons and because it creates a negative association with the task, along with the fact that obviously the task does not get done. This was a super hard habit to get into at first, as a combination of ADHD, anxiety, and depression made all of those things basically like climbing up sheer rock with my fingernails, but real talk: if you are finding basic self-care like that nearly impossible, cleaning is not your highest priority now, you are.

The second is that my problem, in general, is not "keeping things clean" so much as "keeping things organized". I've got a LOT of ADHD friends and family, and I've found that clutter (i.e. "where the hell should this go? idk so i'll just set it down here for now and ignore it because trying to organize melts my brain" is a significant factor in the upkeep of cleanliness once it is achieved. I solve this by having a designated "crap catcher" space in each room. Then when my boyfriend (who likes organization and has a very analytical mind) is free, I point him at the crap catcher and go "find a place for this please." This only works if you have a friend or family member who understands organization, which does eliminate 90% of my social circle, but if you know a person like that, it can help on the resource-draining front.

 

I have strangely found over the last few days that I've gotten a lot of cleaning done just but..well not thinking about it? If that makes sense. Like I set out to do one thing, and then I go 'oh I should do that too, that's easy enough'. And I've gotten like way more done than anytime I've gone "I need to clean this room" because I always get overwhelmed when I do that and get defeated when nothing seems to be better after hours of work. Weirdly I'm crediting Twining Bedtime tea a bit, because it sure didn't make me sleepy but it sort of gave me idk extra spoons in a way or at least enough focus to be able to go "I will do this one thing" and do the thing and be able to follow up with small but connected things.

 

A thought: often I will get more done if I announce it, and make it A Silly Thing. Like, I cleaned my desk (last week...?) and in order to make it feel like Not-Work, I took pictures and posted them on my Tumblr with silly captions. Worked pretty well. (It's mostly stayed clean. >_>)

 

I find small incentives that I don't have complete control of are useful motivators for me, but a lot of my trouble is in the getting started. Some chocolate in the hands of a patient observer (in another room, because don't watch me clean this mess is horrible) waiting for me to finish is... helpful, sometimes.

Also that checklist is the best, thank you so much for it.

 

All this advice is super useful. My problems were a lot less ADHD - I think... - and more depression, but I used to be very, very forgetful, and I lost things, forgot homework, forgot to turn in homework I did, didn't put things away... etc. My dad is a bit of a neat freak in general, so he was always after me, sometimes unpleasantly, to do x thing, or pick up y, and to stop forgetting z. I don't really know how I transitioned to what works for me, but here are some of the random things I know helped me/help

1. I used to write things I had to do on my hand if I didn't have my agenda/planner on hand. Since my hands are visible when I do things, I tended to get reminded by the text to do a thing, and sometimes just to write down the thing.
2. Post It Notes. I put post it notes in my room so that I would always see them. Stuff like "Did I put the dirty clothes in the hamper?" or "do you have your homework?" or "check your keys."
3. Patting pockets. This one is... something that took me years to develop, and again I'm not really sure how to remember to check for things I'm forgetting, but whenever I get up, I pat my pockets, look at the ground, look at the table going "am I forgetting something? Am I leaving something?"
4. Dailies list. This helped me a lot when fighting out of the worst of my depression, when all I had was "Eat something. Drink some water. Shower". Since then it has expanded to "Two servings fruit a day. Meds. Shower. Put things away 5 minutes."
5. Post it notes. I already wrote this down, but putting post it notes everywhere, even if they repeat, means that sometimes I stop and redo a thing/do a thing.

 

This thread was exactly what I needed to get my butt in gear tonight. Mum has a friend arriving from the other side of the country tomorrow afternoon and I have not been able to touch the pile of things that need to be done for about five days. I will report back with the sum total of tasks achieved once I run out of spoons.

 

Spoons ran out, but tasks were done. Not all of them by far, but enough that I shouldn't have too much trouble in the morning. It's weird, I have no issue cleaning at work, it's like my brain processes the same things on different levels depending on my location :/ Going to give myself a C+ grade for what I managed to get done.

 

I always carry the same stuff in the same pockets and therefore know if anything "feels wrong". Otherwise I'd be lost.

 

So I've been working in my room, and while it's still a fucking DISASTER, I thought you might like to see the progress I've made in one corner.


The bottom bit is my floor. Yeah.

I hyper-organized the drawers (I got a drawer unit for five bucks at a yard sale, SCORE). The blue bin is skirts/pants/dresses, the green bin is PJs/socks/underpants/bras, and the drawers are shirts/tops.

I also have all those boxes up there to hold spare change. My rule is that I am NOT allowed to take from the change boxes until they are FULL, at which point I'll organize the money and take it to the bank.

I'm personally finding it helpful to focus on one aspect of cleaning at a time. Right now I'm focused on clothes; before, it was bottles and cans (which I'm still finding, so I wasn't too thorough, I guess). Next up is probably books and such, and then trash.

 

Well done!

(I love bins with lids.)

 

Yay bins and cheap drawers! I should take a photo of what my floor looks like right now lmao. It is atrocious. I think I need to sort out my cloths and do a cull of wardrobe >.>;

 

BTW, Acey. You've got some major whimsey going there. I like it.

 

Aww, thanks! :) I'm a bit addicted to posters and other fun things like that. I mean, I spend a lot of time in here--I might as well make it fun!

And I picked the colors out when I was thirteen. Dark purple walls with pale green trim, and I love it to this day. <3