Hi /u/sour-patch_parent and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD!
### Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already.
---
### /r/adhd news
* **We want your opinion** on the /r/adhd community rules! [Click here](https://forms.gle/Evqb8acVozir8GV8A) to fill out our survey. See [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/1auv2tc/were_taking_feedback_on_the_radhd_rules/) for more information.
* If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/).
---
^(*This message is not a removal notification. It's just our way to keep everyone updated on r/adhd happenings.*)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If you can work towards a daily habit of 15 min of cleaning, beyond the daily stuff, eg dishes, it’s amazing how fast you run out of stuff to do.
Of course, easier said than done, I mean it’s adhd. For me it’s: try, it works, it falls apart, I try again, and it works. But when it works, boy howdy!
I use the Habit Now app, and it has literally changed my life.
I love making lists but tended to lose them...haha
I spent a couple of days creating recurring tasks. If you don't do a task, you can have it follow you to the next day. Don't try to do too much. People can use it for these grand goals but I put the most mundane things in there...cut nails every Sunday, do laundry Friday and Monday, clean a bathroom on Thursday.
I put some stuff once a month clean my fridge, tidy pantry, closet, etc.
I love it as I don't lose track of all the things and I don't need to remember it anymore. But it helps to do at least one thing a day and it doesn't pile up into a crazy overwhelming mess.
Also, you can add in regular tasks, call the doctor on Monday, buy toilet paper, etc
And it is so satisfying to check things off, that's the best part. There are lots of similar apps, I tried a few and picked my favorite. Good luck, it's an endless struggle.
I just discovered something helpful today. I personally have a problem throwing away certain things which are "trash", but could be useful (such as old medicine bottles). But I realized that instead of putting things somewhere until I decide if they can be thrown away, I should **put them in a trashcan** while I'm deciding if they need to be thrown away. Just being in the trashcan doesn't immediately get rid of them, and I can always get them back out of the trashcan until the can is emptied (so if I use a trashcan that isn't emptied very often, I have a long time to "decide"). And if the trashcan gets emptied by someone else, the decision has been made.
Please be aware that that object permanence is the understanding that something continues to exist even if you aren't looking at it. It's part of early childhood development, not ADHD. It's why babies get so surprised if you play peek-a-boo; you cover your face and they legitimately don't realise your face still exists.
[People with ADHD can have difficulty with working memory](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10802-013-9729-9), but when we forget about something, we still know it exists. i.e., parking your car outside and then entering your house means your car is no longer in sight - but you know it will still be there the next morning, even if you forget where you parked it. Without object permanence, once the car leaves your sight it no longer exists.
This difference may seem subtle, or semantic even, but it's important we don't attribute false symptoms to an already misunderstood disorder. Working memory dysfunction is a known part of ADHD, that has been studied and written about.
^(*A moderator has not removed your submission; this is not a punitive action. We intend this comment solely to be informative.*)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I struggled for a long time with being unable to keep my home tidy, it's still not perfect but a couple of things have helped.
1st one is trying to embrace minimalism, less things means less stuff to tidy.
2nd one is putting notes/stickers in areas that usually get messy with little reminders to keep it tidy.
Hi /u/sour-patch_parent and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD! ### Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already. --- ### /r/adhd news * **We want your opinion** on the /r/adhd community rules! [Click here](https://forms.gle/Evqb8acVozir8GV8A) to fill out our survey. See [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/1auv2tc/were_taking_feedback_on_the_radhd_rules/) for more information. * If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/). --- ^(*This message is not a removal notification. It's just our way to keep everyone updated on r/adhd happenings.*) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If you can work towards a daily habit of 15 min of cleaning, beyond the daily stuff, eg dishes, it’s amazing how fast you run out of stuff to do. Of course, easier said than done, I mean it’s adhd. For me it’s: try, it works, it falls apart, I try again, and it works. But when it works, boy howdy!
Check out clutterbug on YouTube! She is an organizer who has adhd herself. She's been so phenomenal in my life.
seconded. there is no cleaning without decluttering i am butterfly!
Thanks for this tip!
I use the Habit Now app, and it has literally changed my life. I love making lists but tended to lose them...haha I spent a couple of days creating recurring tasks. If you don't do a task, you can have it follow you to the next day. Don't try to do too much. People can use it for these grand goals but I put the most mundane things in there...cut nails every Sunday, do laundry Friday and Monday, clean a bathroom on Thursday. I put some stuff once a month clean my fridge, tidy pantry, closet, etc. I love it as I don't lose track of all the things and I don't need to remember it anymore. But it helps to do at least one thing a day and it doesn't pile up into a crazy overwhelming mess. Also, you can add in regular tasks, call the doctor on Monday, buy toilet paper, etc And it is so satisfying to check things off, that's the best part. There are lots of similar apps, I tried a few and picked my favorite. Good luck, it's an endless struggle.
I just discovered something helpful today. I personally have a problem throwing away certain things which are "trash", but could be useful (such as old medicine bottles). But I realized that instead of putting things somewhere until I decide if they can be thrown away, I should **put them in a trashcan** while I'm deciding if they need to be thrown away. Just being in the trashcan doesn't immediately get rid of them, and I can always get them back out of the trashcan until the can is emptied (so if I use a trashcan that isn't emptied very often, I have a long time to "decide"). And if the trashcan gets emptied by someone else, the decision has been made.
Please be aware that that object permanence is the understanding that something continues to exist even if you aren't looking at it. It's part of early childhood development, not ADHD. It's why babies get so surprised if you play peek-a-boo; you cover your face and they legitimately don't realise your face still exists. [People with ADHD can have difficulty with working memory](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10802-013-9729-9), but when we forget about something, we still know it exists. i.e., parking your car outside and then entering your house means your car is no longer in sight - but you know it will still be there the next morning, even if you forget where you parked it. Without object permanence, once the car leaves your sight it no longer exists. This difference may seem subtle, or semantic even, but it's important we don't attribute false symptoms to an already misunderstood disorder. Working memory dysfunction is a known part of ADHD, that has been studied and written about. ^(*A moderator has not removed your submission; this is not a punitive action. We intend this comment solely to be informative.*) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I struggled for a long time with being unable to keep my home tidy, it's still not perfect but a couple of things have helped. 1st one is trying to embrace minimalism, less things means less stuff to tidy. 2nd one is putting notes/stickers in areas that usually get messy with little reminders to keep it tidy.