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I do things little and often, the above don't work for me
The most important thing for me was to select a task (like move the mugs), and let that be the end of the task if I'm not feeling great. If I know that I'll have to finish the room, it makes starting the first task impossible.
Non zero days are important. Even the smallest task (one piece of rubbish in the bin) will add up if done every day.
When I'm depressed and non-productive and the place is a mess, I tell myself: just one thing in every space, one thing in every space. Eventually I'll get moving.
It doesn't matter what the one thing is? Picking a leaf off the entrance floor counts, so does putting the empty toilet paper rolls into recycling, so does putting one glass into the dishwasher, so does recharging my watch. Walk into a room or hall or stairway landing, find one thing that isn't right, fix it and move to the next space.
Somewhere a little over halfway through, I'll get a run of energy. I'll usually stay in whatever room I'm in and just keep moving stuff, cleaning, straightening up, doing whatever needs done. At some point, I'll notice that I'm running out of energy. At that point, I'll finish whatever single task I'm doing in that area, and go through the rest of the place, fixing one thing in every room.
I meantioned elsewhere, but I will sometimes break it down so far as to say "I'll walk in the kitchen and look at it. Adn if I turn around immediately, that's okay, I tried." and that doesn't always work.
But I need to do dishes right now, so I'm going to do just that after hitting reply on this and see if I can go unload the dishwasher. Will I load it again? We'll see, but i'm taking a couple of dirty dishes in there with me as I go. So it'll be progress, no matter how tiny.
edit: dishes unloaded, dishwasher loaded and started, whee
It doesn't work for me, because I know the plan. I know the intention is for this to create a cascade that results in lots of stuff happening, and so carrying the mug inherits the load of all that's intended to come after.
I don't like getting fooled, even if it's by myself, so I do nothing, like a fool.
It reminds me of a lot of simple diet advice, like smaller portions or subsititutions with less fat or sugar.
Do they think our bodies are stupid?
I don't like getting fooled, even if it's by myself, so I do nothing, like a fool.
I also have this honestly very frustrating mindset. All this inaction and foresight is really fucking hard to get rid of sadly. I hate it
I don't look at it like fooling myself but taking a physical first step may get the brain juices flowing enough to continue the task
it's no problem if it doesn't
I'm glad it works for you, because that's probably quite helpful.
For me saying its just the first step to get the momentum needed to do the task feels like arguing I didn't kill the guy, I simply built a ramp and engineered an axe on a cart. Sure I setup a system by which ringing my doorbell would release the death cart, and sure the ramp leads directly head level to the front door, and sure I invited him over, but I think we can all agree gravity is what killed him, I wasn't even home at the time!
And to be clear, I'm not arguing with you, I'm truly happy it works for you, this is the argument I have with myself. I suggest to myself that the nice internet people say I could maybe start with just one thing, and then I respond to myself by saying if starting one thing leads to me doing more things, then doing one thing is the same as doing all the things. Then I suggest to myself I'd have to get up pretty early in the morning to try pulling that shit on me, and that I should take myself back to lawschool.
Of course, I've never been to "Law School", nor planned on it, but I've never let that get in the way of a good line!
Yes, but not because I don't know where to start or feel overwhelmed. It's just a lot easier to carry the momentum once you're up and moving. If vacuuming feels overwhelming, avoid putting it in the back of the closet so you have to work just to begin, and avoid starting with it!
The purpose of this strategy, which applies to everything, is simply to carry momentum. Get off your chair and look out the window for a minute. Now you're standing up, might as well grab that dirty plate and move it to the sink. It's right there, it's so easy. Well, since you're up and about, might as well take out the trash. When you get back, your legs are in motion and exercised so you might as well grab the vacuum that you placed so conveniently.
Neurotypical people who write these type of hacks (OP pic) tend to think we're all the same, and because it worked for one person they told it to, that it should work for all of us.
This method also really helps when you're the "Why did I get up? What was I going to do?" Type.
You might forget why you got up, but you take the opportunity to do one of the things that needs doing.
The mantra of "no empty hands no empty trips" helped me; if I'm up from my desk I'll take any mugs to the kitchen, I'll grab a drink while in the kitchen, might as well do the bins, but if I'm doing the kitchen bins, I might as well do the whole lot and take them out. Then suddenly one of the bigger cleaning jobs is done, all because I wanted to get a drink.
Autistic inertia is real.
I got around vacuuming by getting a robot to do it for me. The Chinese may now see my dick, but that's a sacrifice i'm willing to make.
The podcast If Books Could Kill covered Atomic Habits, and they had a similar critique: They thought it would be helpful for exactly the kind of person that really wouldn't need to buy a book about it, and useless to everyone else.
Step 1 read this post
Step 2 continue reading, maybe there are other great tips
Step 3 whatever
Step 4 Went to take a nap
I'll start with "move the mugs to the kitchen" but see something else that needs done on the way, stop and do that and forget where I set down the mugs to do that other task. From there I'll go pee, realize the soap dispenser needs refilling, see that the refill bottle is low and go write down hand soap on the shopping list on the kitchen whiteboard. Then I'll realize I was gonna bring the mugs into the kitchen, but then remember I also needs to vacuum the kitchen. Uh oh, vacuum is full lemme empty that, uh oh trash is full gotta empty that, and so on and so on.
At this point it's after 5pm and I remember I haven't ate anything all day.
So no, that doesn't work for me lol
i think the most important bit is: you finish it before picking up another task.
it shouldn't be anything to arduous nor should it be bullshit.
and if on the way, one finds there is more to do, thats just the todolist flying by, it will still be there when the current task is finished... and i can see it can be difficult carrying five mugs to the kitchen when encountering another group of five mugs somewhere in the house..... or something worse... but its important one finishes at least that one originally set task
I take the mugs to the kitchen. The sink is full. I should put stuff in the dishwasher. The dishwasher is full. I should empty it. This will take a while, I should put on something to listen to on YouTube. Oh that's an interesting short. Doomscroll for an hour. Oh yeah mugs.
To fix your deficit of executive function, simply have executive function!
Real talk, lists of steps and small tasks making up a whole is super helpful to me, but that needs to be generated outside of the moment..
step zero: create a new web based app in a front end framework you want to learn, to keep track of your tasks. then never finish it. trip over a pile of mugs on your way to bed.
to-do
make to-do system
Hahaha jokes on me. I decided I wanted to secure my front end apps finally. Maybe I should read a cyber security book instead of vibing my way through the old fashion way: blind. I finally got a cloudflare acct but I believe I'm making it 100% more complicated, have you heard of zrok2?
Unironically the only thing that works for me is this
I keep posting this quote because it remains true and has helped me a lot with overcoming my executive dysfunction:
"Anything worth doing is worth doing badly"
It doesn't matter if you don't take all the dishes to the kitchen; just take 1.
It doesn't matter if you don't do all your laundry; just put 1 shirt in the hamper.
If you're in school, turn in unfinished assignments, even a 1 sentence essay.
At work, do the smallest task you can imagine, even if it's just opening a document.
The point is, while all of these things aren't perfect, they are infinitely better than doing NOTHING. Plus, that one small thing will often snowball into doing more. And if it doesn't, so what? You met your goal already. Anything else is extra.
You are not lazy. You are not a failure. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you. It's the world that is wrong. Remember, society has evolved WAY faster than our brains have. Quit placing such high expectations on yourself when none of us are meant to be doing any of this in the first place.
Wtf that’s a fix for procrastination, not ADHD. With ADHD I take the cups and want to put them into the kitchen, see that the plant needs water, put the cups down to get the watering can. I get the watering can, fill it with water and on my way to the plant I see that I left the window open, go to the window to close it and put the watering can down.
The whole inventory is constantly on the move.
I miss back when I only had these problems and less task paralysis 😭
People will really attribute fucking ANYTHING to adhd.
This is a common, normal ass life experience. Everyone on the face of the earth procrastinates with things like this and "choosing a smaller version of the task" is a common technique used by millions without ADHD
So yes you're right in general, but also ADHD specifically fucks with executive function, meaning it makes it much harder to actually put the brain into doing shit mode.
Doing something much smaller, e.g. only committing to 5 minutes of cleaning as opposed to cleaning an entire room, makes it much easier to actually start doing a thing. Half the time I end up carried by momentum past my initial commitment, so it really can be a lifesaver.
It's not the overwhelm that's being attributed to ADHD. It's the anxiety, shame, task paralysis, whatever else that's stopping you from taking a first step that's attributed to executive dysfunction that's part of ADHD. The technique is used by millions without ADHD because things that work with hard-mode brains work just as well with normal-mode brains.
Yup I collect mugs and take them to the kitchen, it takes multiple trips. While in the kitchen on the second trip I see a piece of mail that needs to go to the desk, I take it to the desk. While at the desk I see the jacket that needs to go to the coat hook, I take it to the coat hook. While there I realize I'm thirsty and go get a mug of tea. I take that to the desk and forget that I'm cleaning up mugs and the day is over.
Go to bed and realize I've practically made no dent in what needs done. But I worked all day.
With my ADHD, even those smaller tasks can be too much. Sometimes instead of gathering up all the mugs and putting them in the sink, I need to start with just a mug. I can either use that momentum to keep going, or if that's still too much, I'll at least have done something.
Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly.
It does work for me. What's even worse, once i got going, i'm like: i'll do that too, and that. Then i think: wow this is actually fun, next time i'll just do it. But then next time comes and i'm back at square one.
This is the only way it works
This is not an ADHD hack. This is how literally everyone cleans a room.
We all need strategies for tasks, whether daily or occasional, whether simple or complex. And it takes practice to learn to execute those strategies efficiently.
For everyone. It doesn't come "naturally" or "for free" to anyone.
Longest haiku ever
These are the coping methods taught to ASD kids, so this is more autism than ADHD. (I have both).
No that doesn’t work for me either.
Nope. Nothing beats a well structured plan. But I don't know why, the plan apways get screwed in the very first step. Then I go back to planninh again. And the cycle continues.
I dont keep mugs in my bedroom.
I can’t find my washing basket.
I wish this was how it was taught to me as a kid. "Clean your room" always felt like an overwhelming task and I never knew where to start. How much easier life could've been if my mom had tried to show me how to do things, in steps like this, instead of expecting me to somehow figure everything out myself (and then getting upset because I didn't.)
It doesn't help me at all for me, because it's not that the overall job is overwhelming; I am stuck not doing it because there is a problem with my executive function. I can break it down into smaller tasks and still not ever start the smaller tasks no matter how much I want to.
The underlying idea is sound, but it's written by someone who doesn't understand that "collect all the mugs and take them to the kitchen" is still too large of a step. Take one mug, and don't even think about next steps until that's done. If you want to continue, great. If not, don't push yourself.
Repeat tomorrow with another mug and see if you're feeling up to more. So long as you're doing something - anything - every day, you're building up a sustainable low-stress routine that, while ineffective at actually cleaning your room at first, can eventually be built up to something effective.
If you start with something effective but stressful, then it gets abandoned - get the routine established first, then tie effective actions to it slowly enough to prevent it from ever becoming stressful.
I take this a step further: a "clean room" is an abstract, subjective end-goal, it is not a task in and of itself.
Picking up the laundry, clearing out the dishes, and organizing the bookshelf, are tasks. And they needn't be done all at once so long as the progress outpaces the entropy of what cleanliness you have accomplished.
As somebody that currently has a sink full of dirty dishes (picked up around my place), clothes that made it to the hamper (picked up off the floor), and a pile of cleaning products still on the table I ordered online... No. It just puts the mess in one spot for me to avoid. But I'm depressed currently. I'll clean up when I snap out of it in a few days. It comes in waves.
That’s just cleaning… no one goes “I will now clean this room!” then uses their mind powers to simultaneously clean all parts of the room at the same time. Pick up a thing, find its home, rinse and repeat.
We did that for my kid: broke things down into lists of achievable tasks. Worked pretty well as long as the last weren’t too big. However he always had challenges writing his own lists, so I don’t know if you could use it on yourself
I do five things at a time - take 2 mugs to the kitchen, put 3 things in the dishwasher. Or take 4 things out of the dishwasher, and fold 1 piece of laundry. Every episode or chapter or hour (insert something that works for you) I do one round. If I get more enthusiastic or energetic, I might do 5 per room or category. It works for me because that's all I need to do for now, and the rest will come later. The tendency is to do the easiest first, which actually cleans up most of the clutter. Trash, dishes, and laundry are the quickest way to get to 5, so I am done in about 2 minutes for the first 'rounds'.
Basically, it's a simple homemade form of gamification :)