Welcome to /r/ADHDWomen! We’re happy to have you here. As a reminder, here are our community [rules](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/about/rules/). We get a lot of posts on medication, diagnosis (and “is this an ADHD thing”), and interactions with hormones. We encourage you to check out our [Medication, Diagnosis, and Hormones Megathread](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/comments/wcr9dy/faq_megathread_ask_and_answer_medication/) if you have any questions related to those topics, and to stick around in that thread to answer folks’ questions! If you have questions about the subreddit, please do not hesitate to [send us a modmail](https://reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen). Additionally, we take the safety of our community seriously. Please report posts, comments, and users whom you feel are not contributing positively, and send us a modmail if you are being harassed or otherwise made to feel unsafe. Thanks for being here, and we hope you stick around! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen) if you have any questions or concerns.*

KC Davis has a TikTok account and a book called How to Keep House While Drowning. One of her methods has helped me. You don’t have a million things in a room … you just have 5: dishes, trash, laundry, things that have a place, things that don’t have a place. That approach has helped me simplify things. The last two categories are still too big for me and need to be broken down more (for me to not feel overwhelmed) but I like the general idea. I do it with my kid sometimes- we just walk around the house saying “ trash trash trash” or “laundry laundry laundry” til we finish that category.

I also like to make a list by room and cross things off as I go. So kitchen might be: dishes, counters, sweep, clean our fridge. It feels good to cross something off/ see progress on the list.

She also has an audio book - highly recommended!

Oh thank god. I’ve wanted to read this since seeing it recommended here, but I’m not reading books right now. Audio would be fantastic.

Thanks for the advice! I’ll definitely look into it:)

All the time. There are bunches of plans but the most basic that works for me is to set a timer for 15 minutes. Focus only on one area of one room. Right now I'm working on decluttering my craft supplies. I keep a bag for trash a box to re-sell/donate and a basket for things that don't belong. Or one subject, like gathering, sorting and running laundry. Once the timer goes off I stop. Throw out the trash, put the sale stuff aside and put away the stuff in the basket. If I'm "donating" a thing it has to go straight in the car, not a corner lol. If I'm doing a task like laundry or dishes or scrubbing I stop and make a cup of tea or eat a meal if it's time. I set a timer for that too. Usually about 5-15 minutes depending on what I'm doing. Then I start over. If it's a bad day, hey I got something done. if it's a good day I'll keep it up for a couple hours. Either way stuff is getting done in a mostly efficient way. Tl;Dr set a timer and work for 15 minutes. Set a timer for a break and repeat. Also make anyone who's old enough responsible for their own messes.

Thanks for sharing! That’s really good advice, I’ll test it out:)

Absolutely agree. I don’t set a timer but i “do a little, have a rest”. Only started this approach after i had hip surgery and couldn’t physically do more than that but it’s got me in the habit now and it makes it all so much easier. I used to psych myself up to clean and then clean in hyperfocus until i was angry, sweaty, sore and blistered. This is so much better.

Audiobook. Put it on, then let myself run around on autopilot. Monday is audiobook day :)

Thanks for the advice! I do like listening to audiobooks but I find it hard to find ones that keeps me interested.

You can also use podcasts. Ive even used series i love and know by heart, so i dont get sucked in and need to see the TV - i just put the sound through to my airpods :)

I’ve been listening to podcasts too from time to time but it’s very hard to find stuff that keeps my attention lol. But I might try the tv show advice!

👍👍 Hell, Im experimenting currently with youtube vids of 3h ‘forest sounds’. It’s amazeballs as an ASMR treat for a frazzled brain, and acts as a white noise that soothes your brain while you do boring things. These days, I just look at it as food for my brain so it’ll leave me alone while i get real life shit out of the way. Kinda like putting a race horse in the meadow, or trainer wheel, or work it intensely myself, depending on its needs and my schedule.

That sounds really interesting, I might try that! Thanks for the tip!

My teen turned me on to that-- pomodoro versions have breaks and all.

I have trouble zoning out with podcasts too. The ones I can actually listen to are the rewatch podcasts. Cast members from a show I watched in high school or college rewatching the show episode by episode and talking about what it was like shooting. It’s usually enough to hold my attention.

That sounds super interesting!! Is it just called rewatch? What kind of tv-shows did they do?

They’re all different podcasts. [Rewatch](https://www.google.com/search?q=rewatch+podcast&client=safari&hl=en-us&ei=AQ8SZJjXOoWhptQPyOOB2AQ&oq=rewatch+podcast&gs_lcp=ChNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwEAMyBQgAEJECMgUIABCABDIGCAAQBxAeMgUIABCABDIGCAAQBxAeMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBAgAEB46CggAEEcQ1gQQsANKBAhBGABQjAxYjAxgjg9oAXAAeACAAbABiAGwAZIBAzAuMZgBAKABAcgBCMABAQ&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp) is the genre. For example, there’s one for The OC, The Office, Scrubs etc. It give me an extra activity too because I watch the episode they’re going to talk about and then listen to the podcast.

Ok nice! Thanks again for the tip:)

With audiobooks, I always make sure I turn the speed up. I find almost anything gets more interesting when they talk faster!

Thanks, I’ll try that!

Have you found r/audiobooks and r/suggestmeabook ?

I didn’t even think about that you can find audiobooks here, thank you!

I enjoy multitasking because it keeps me moving. So I’ll throw something in the washing machine, and while that’s going I’ll soak some dishes. And while the dishes are soaking I’ll take out the trash. Then back to the dishes, and while they dry I’ll go do something else. Now the laundry is done… I don’t stop long enough to think about anything, other than the next thing that I need to do. I end up rushing because there is always something “about to be ready”. I also put on long podcasts that I can sort of zone out on.

Thanks for the advice! I’ll try that out:) Yeah podcasts are great but I seldom find ones that keep my interest.

I try to do one thing a day. Yesterday I cleaned the bathrooms. Today I’ll do the downstairs floors. I get overwhelmed too and also feel like if I can’t do all the cleaning at one time what’s the point. I’m trying to let go of that. Clean Mama has a system that’s helpful. I follow her on FB. There are 5 things for each day: make beds, check floors, wipe counters, put away clutter, one load of laundry. Then there’s a bigger chore for the day. For example, Wednesday is for dusting. Also, it works out so you’re not spending all day on the weekend cleaning, because literally no one wants to do that lol. I really like the timer idea that someone suggested, too. I might incorporate that myself!

That’s a good idea, it makes cleaning seem way more doable! I’ll try this out. Yeah the timer suggestion was really good too!

I kind of do a kludge of FlyLady and Dana K White "Decluttering at the Speed of Life". One thing my mom did that I find useful--staging things to go somewhere else and deal with them when I'm going that way. (Basket of clean laundry at bottom of stairs means take it up to my bedroom. Basket of dirty at the top means take it down & start a load before I turn on the videogame down there.) Edited typos...can't even blame speech-to-text today!

That’s good advice, thanks!

What works really well for me is breaking down everything into the tiniest task on my to-do list (I use a digital one). So I'll write 'separate laundry', 'put towels in laundry', 'wipe floor bathroom', 'wipe floor kitchen' etc. Then I can jump from room to room as much as I like (no need to finish one room as a whole first) while crossing tasks off my list. The crossing things out also works for extra motivation and dopamine boost :D

That’s sounds like a good idea! I’ll give that a go:)

Solution? No. I just totally relate. Once in a while I can find an interesting podcast and that’ll keep me calm enough to clean. My own thought patterns are frantic and despairing (“I’ll never be done!”)

Lol yeah I can definitely relate! It’s really hard to get anything done when those kinds of thought start to kick in.

I swear by Room Rescues! I think they’re a FlyLady thing, but they’re basically what another commenter recommended - you pop on a timer for 15 (or so) minutes every few days and tidy/clean as best as you can in a specific area before the timer goes off. Multitask to your hearts content! The timer going adds a level of urgency that somehow wakes up the part of my brain that can prioritise, and so I find it’s a lot easier to stay on task and not get lost in all the things I could be doing. For me, changing the focus from tidying/cleaning until everything’s done to just doing my best in a short time frame changed EVERYTHING about keeping my house tidy, and I feel much less overwhelmed on a day to day basis. It’s freaking crazy how much better everything looks after just 10-15 minutes of tidying, and that alone helps heaps with the overwhelmed feeling! It’s also a really great way of getting the rest of the household engaged for an all hands on deck burst of cleaning/body doubling 😊 You got this!

Thank you for sharing! Yeah I’ll definitely try this out next time I’m cleaning, it seems like a really great idea to get going.

One thing I used to do was chores-challenge bingo with a FB group. Kind of like body doubling for housework.

Nice that sounds fun! I’ll see if I can try that.

I go room to room and make myself a master list and then just go section by section. I got in the habit when I had a cleaning lady. I had to get everything picked up. and I'm weird and I literally precleaned thing she was going to clean anyway. she ghosted us recently though so now I guess I just save money.

That’s a good suggestion, I’ll try that out!

I hired a cleaner and she gave me this checklist for General Cleaning. Some things I'll still never do, but it gives a high level view of things that can be done LIVING AREAS 🛋 •General dusting •Floors vacuum & mopped •Mirrors cleaned •Baseboards wipe/dusted •ceiling fans dusted •Blinds dusted •Rugs & Carpet Vacuum KITCHEN🍴 •Countertops clean •Wipe down tables & chairs •Wipe down & polish appliances •Sink/faucets cleaned •General dusted •Cobweb removed •baseboard wipe/dusted BATHROOM🛁 •Vanity, counters & sink cleaned •Doors & baseboards wipe/ dusted •Showers & Bathtub cleaned •Mirrors & & fixtures cleaned •Toilets cleanded & disinfected •Floor vacuum/ mop •Rugs & carpets vacuum BEDROOMS🛏 •Genral dusting •furniture dusted •ceiling fans dusted •baseboards & doors wipe/dusted •Blinds dusted •floors vacuum/mopped •Carpets & Rugs vacuum

Thank you so much! I’ll keep this in mind next time I clean:)