You want to start tidying, but you just don’t know where to start. Or you start but end up switching from task to task and never actually getting anything done.

“I have today to clean for the first time in ages. I don’t even know what to tackle first. I will start something then walk to another room to put it away only to find something there to tackle. I’ve never felt so overwhelmed in my life. Where do I start first?”

I found this comment on a social post so relatable.

When you are overwhelmed by mess a lack of will to deal with it is rarely the problem.

The problem really lies in having clear, actionable steps that you know are going to lead to your desired outcome.

This is particularly problematic for those of us with ADHD brains. We can see the end goal. A tidy house. But the steps to get there are so many, so jumbled or so insignificant that we just can’t see how to get there.

And if we can’t see a clear path we will get lost or take a wrong turn on the way.

So you can find yourself with a mountain of stuff to do, but instead of doing it, you are zoned out on the couch, scrolling TikTok or just hiding under the covers.

(You may also like The Best Decluttering Questions to Ask to Overcome Overwhelm)

Having too much to do is overwhelming and can paralyse us into not doing anything at all.

I experienced this in a big way when I was pregnant with my daughter.  We were due to be moving soon. Our lovely flat, though large, was on the top floor of a walk-up building. Not ideal with a small child.

The plan was to buy a house in a green and family-friendly neighbourhood.

So this was the perfect opportunity to declutter old furniture we had inherited and clutter we had amassed and knew we wouldn’t need any more. And that was my plan.

But although I wanted to go through this stuff in the evenings and at weekends, it just wasn’t happening. 

I’d find myself doing anything but. Scrolling property listings. Researching baby buggies. Pulling out a box to sort and then realising an hour later that all I’d done is look through old photos and search the profiles of old school friends on Facebook.

So why, even something is important, do we find ourselves so paralysed or distracted that we can’t get it done?

“Your brain doesn’t just see a to-do list; it sees a threat. It sees the threat of scarcity: not enough time, not enough energy, not enough magical ability to fit everything into twenty-four hours. Or it sees the threat of failing, the threat of disappointing others, the threat of feeling incapable.”

– Ellen Hendriksen, PhD

This freeze response is a common symptom of ADHD. Paralysis comes from other sources too, including depression, anxiety, fatigue or hormonal changes. Or simply the from the feeling of powerlessness when facing an enormous task.

Whatever your cause, you need some simple strategies to break out of the cycle and move forward.

Beat Paralysis and Avoid Procrastination

Prioritising and planning are executive function skills that ADHD brains struggle with, so you can easily end up so overwhelmed that you just can’t start at all.

Follow This Simple Method to Beat Paralysis and Avoid Procrastination:

Divide and Conquer

To break out of Overwhelm Paralysis you need two things:

• A task that is small enough not to be overwhelming
• A clearly defined end point. Again, to reduce overwhelm, but also to give you the dopamine reward of completion.

To overcome distraction you need:

• A clearly defined task
• A location you don’t need to leave
• A short enough time frame to maintain focus.

KC Davis demonstrates how this looks in practice in her “5 Things Tidying Method” which you can watch here:

You’ll see her cleaning a really messy kitchen and lounge by breaking it down by task:

1. Trash
2. Dishes
3. Laundry
4. Things with a place
5. Things without a place

Breaking it down like this makes each task smaller, lets you complete them quickly, gives clarity on what to do, keeps you in one space and breaks down the time.

But What if You Have a Big Job? (like decluttering the whole house before a move)

That’s not a small task, it has multiple rooms and a long timeframe. And this can throw your brain into full on panic mode.

With a big task you need to break it down into smaller milestones. And if it is a job with a fixed deadline, you’ll need to give each milestone a deadline too.

Once you’ve broken your job down into smaller chunks you can use the tips above to tackle each task one at a time.

Make sure you track your progress too. I like to think of a fundraising progress bar. The church roof fund does not expect to get to their goal in one, big donation. Instead, lots of small ones eventually colour the bar till they reach their goal. 

What if you still can’t get started?

Sometimes Setting Tasks Alone is not Enough. You may need external sources of motivation.

Here are some more ideas to beat procrastination and paralysis:

• Talk the task through with someone – A friend, family member or a coach.
• “Coach” yourself – What would you tell a friend to do?
• Accountability buddy – Share your goal and set a time to report back on your progress.
• Accountability post – Post your goal in a group, then report back on your progress.
• Motivational background – Put something that inspires on to watch or listen to. Youtube, a podcast or even energising music.
• Hire an expert. The fastest way to beat procrastination and paralysis is to get professional help.

Conclusion – Beat Paralysis and Avoid Procrastination

So if you are finding yourself in tidying overwhelm, and battling either paralysis or distraction, remember that first of all this does not make you a bad or incompetent person. Your brain is simply looking for ways to protect you from the threats you are facing.

Remember to:

• Look for ways to break the task down into smaller steps,
• track and celebrate each step as you complete it to reward yourself along the way,
• and look for external sources of support and motivation.

You may also like 12 Ways to Start Decluttering When You Are Feeling Overwhelmed.

The post Beat Paralysis and Avoid Procrastination to Finally Declutter Your Home appeared first on Go Win at Life.

If so, you are in the right place, as I will be sharing tips to make your home easier to manage.

I had never been brilliant with housework, but when my daughter was born the overwhelm hit another level. Suddenly even the most basic tasks like taking a shower, preparing a meal or putting away laundry became an overwhelming challenge.

Later I had bouts of fatigue which made it hard to get off the couch, let alone do any housework.

A diagnosis of ADHD went a long way to explaining my challenges. But there are many reasons that can make maintaining a house overwhelming.

So if you are struggling with your home you are not alone.

Here I will share the systems I use to make my home easier to manage and avoid the stress and overwhelm.

A lot of problems can be avoided with a little careful planning and the right systems.

So for every household task you need to do, ask yourself the question:
“How can I make this easier?“

Once you get creative about making things easy, you’ll be amazed by how much you can reduce your workload.

Here Are a Few Ideas That have Worked For Me, And May Work For You Too:

1. Declutter

Clutter not only looks messy, it makes everything you do in the home more difficult. 

• If your cupboards are full you can’t put stuff away. 
• If things are mixed up it’s hard to find what you need
• When things are buried you loose time pulling them out
• Seeing clutter can distract your focus from what you should be doing

What you can declutter to make your home easier to manage:

• Check in with your values. How do you want your home to look, feel and function? Declutter whatever doesn’t support that vision.
• Declutter duplicates for the same task. Keep the best, donate the rest.
• Streamline the extras. Keeping lots of sets takes up space and effort. For example, keep just 2 sets of linen for each bed. One on, and one to wash.
• Declutter items that take a lot of effort to look after. There is more to life than dry-cleaning fancy napkins.

2. Be a Savvy Shopper

Managing your home starts with the things that you bring into it. Make sure you bring things in that will make your life easier and not add to your workload.

• Avoid single task items. If an item only does a single job, it doesn’t really save you time. Searching for that heated butter knife, animal waffle maker or cheese melt pan only adds to your workload, not reduces it.
• Avoid seasonal items that will be clutter for the other 11 months of the year. Yes, by all means keep some holiday decorations, but don’t feel obliged to go all-in for every holiday. your family can live without heart bunting for Valentines Day or an Easter Egg door wreath.
• Stick to one colour scheme for dishes, linens and towels. If they are white, even better as it will be easy to replace missing or broken ones when needed.
• Avoid age, gender or person specific items. Make it easy to mix and match.

3. Design for Ease

Where you keep things in your home will make the difference between a frantic search and a speedy exit.

• Store things near their point of use – Like dishes within reach of the dishwasher, your keys, purse and phone in a landing zone near the door, jackets and shoes by the door.
• Keep like with like. Avoid storing the same type of item in multiple locations, keep them together.
• Use labels. They remind you where things should go, and help your family get on board too.
• See more tips in Hack Your Habits for a Clutter Free Home.

4. Eliminate Unnecessary Tasks

The most impactful thing you can do to make your home easier to manage is to reduce the number of things that need to be done. Here are a few ideas:

• Don’t over-launder. If you are washing every item after wearing once then you could be making unnecessary work for yourself.
• Outsource what you don’t like to do. Cleaners, gardeners and nannies can be a great investment in your mental health.
• Declutter to reduce the amount of things you need to deal with.
• Go with systems that work for you. Don’t enjoy folding clothes? Keep them in storage bins. Don’t like ironing? Buy clothes and linens that don’t need to be ironed.
• Do grocery shopping online to save the time and effort of going to the store.
• Sign up for a meal plan delivery service.

5. Reduce the Amount That Comes Into Your House

Every item you have in your home needs your attention. You will store, clean, maintain or make decisions about these items, so reduce your workload by reducing what comes in.

• Say no to freebies
• Plan your purchases
• Shop from a list
• Ask for gift experiences rather than things
• Go paperless for all your accounts

6. Have a System For Getting Things Out of Your House

Advertising, media and even well-meaning friends and family tell us what we should bring INTO our homes. But there is very little support for getting it back out.

• Link donating to a task you already do, like dropping off donations on your way to do the weekly shop
• Set a reminder and search your home for rubbish, recycling and donations before bin day
• Join local free cycle groups and post any unwanted items on them
• Have a “one in, one out” rule, or if you still have clutter, one in, two out till your home is at a manageable level
• Set reminders to regularly go though categories in your home, particularly for things like kids clothes, toys and paperwork, which build up fast.

7. Reduce Decision Making

Every decision you make, from what to wear to what to make for dinner takes mental energy. Make your life easier by reducing decision making.

• Have a daily uniform or capsule wardrobe
• Rotate a list of dinner options and have theme days
• Save a grocery list of basics to copy and paste

8. Enlist Your Family

Everyone over the age of 2 in your household should be contributing to looking after the house. Make sure you are not carrying the burden alone.

• Even young children can be given tasks to do to help around the house. By starting young they will build good habits and can make a significant contribution to reducing your workload as they grow up.
• Give responsibility for a given task to the person that cares most about it being done. 

Over To You – What Will You do to Make Your Home Easier to Manage?

This is by no means a finished list of all the ways you can make your home easier to manage. I’m sure that you can think of many more.

Some will be useful to you, others may not be. Regardless of how many of these you can implement, I encourage you to really look at the tasks you do in the home and keep asking yourself “How can I make this easier or eliminate it entirely?”.

By focussing on ease you should quickly get to having a home that is much easier to manage.

You may also enjoy 12 Ways To Start Decluttering When You Are Feeling Overwhelmed.

Make sure you sign up for my newsletter for more practical tips and a weekly declutter challenge.

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The post 8 Ways to Make Your Home Easier to Manage appeared first on Go Win at Life.

Unfinished projects can be a major source of clutter, and those of us with ADHD brains can be particularly susceptible to them. 

In this post you’ll see why you may have the clutter of unfinished projects, and what you can do about it.

The problem with unfinished projects is that they are often left out, to be worked on, which causes mess and clutter. Or if they are put away they take up valuable storage space so other things may end up being left out.

And if they are stored they may be forgotten about. They can also cause us feelings of guilt and frustration, as they are a constant reminder of something we set out to do but failed to complete.

Unfinished projects are definitely my clutter Achilles heel.

I used to have so many things on the go at the same time. I’ve trained myself to be better, but I must confess, it can still be an issue.

I’ll often jump into what seems like a good idea, do the bulk of the work, and then allow it to slide down the list of priorities till it’s almost forgotten about.

This might be a DIY project, like tiling a kitchen backsplash. I’ll start out with good intentions (doing it myself to save money, I have the skills, I have the tools etc.) but the task never becomes the most important priority at a given moment. There is always something more important to do.

So I end up with a stack of tiles and a bucket of tile adhesive sitting in the kitchen for months.

Or it could be driven by a need. I’m looking at you, pile of clothes that need mending.

And sometimes it comes from distraction. Like the stack of books I took out to sort through and forgot to finish.

It’s perfectly normal to start a task with enthusiasm, only to flag halfway through. But this happens even more often for those of us who are easily distractible or ADHD.

Why Might ADHD Lead to Unfinished Project Clutter?

#1 Problems getting started

We may have a simply brilliant idea and rush out to buy the tools and materials for it. Like me with my tiling project. But the reality of actually doing the work may be less attractive than our vision of the end product. Other tasks seem more important, or we can struggle to plan out and sequence the process, putting us off from starting in the first place.

#2 Distractability leads to unfinished projects

To stay on task, our brains need to filter out all the things around us that are not part of the task. Like a barking dog, a child calling for attention, the ping of an email, the letter that lands on the mat, the growl of a hungry tummy etc.

And whilst we are filtering these things out, we are all good, we are on task.

But focussing for a prolonged period of time takes effort. And at some point we get tired and our attention starts to wander.

That’s when we notice the distractions, and they can take us off course. And with poor working memory, we may lose track of what we were doing, to begin with.

#3 Flagging stamina leads to unfinished projects

“Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms associated with ADHD — and one of the least talked about.”

Our brains use 20% of our energy. Thinking is hard work! Staying on task and switching between tasks both require mental energy and if these processes are hard for us they can drain us quickly.

According to Dr Steve Copps, we have to “work twice as hard for half as much.”

So we may simply run out of energy before completing our task.

#4 Lack of a deadline

I am very conscientious and reliable when doing projects for someone else. I know that I have someone to be accountable to. But when it comes to doing projects for myself, there is no deadline or accountability. And because there is no defined endpoint, the task keeps getting put off.

Can you relate?

ADHD brains need external motivation and deadlines to help us get things finished. We are great at last-minute sprints.

#5 Problems with comprehending time

A very common issue with ADHD is time blindness. We simply do not perceive time the same way that neurotypicals do. This makes it very hard to estimate how long a task will take. And it can lead to us taking on things that are unrealistic to do in the time we have available.

So Now You Understand Why You Might Have Unfinished Projects, Let’s Take a Look at What to do About Them.

What’s the problem with unfinished projects?

The problem with unfinished projects is that they create a visual “to do” list. We see all these things that need to get done, which can distract us from focussing on what we should be doing at a given moment. 

Or they could be stressing us out, making us feel inadequate for failing to finish these projects.

And they simply clutter up our homes, taking up mental and physical space.

Do Unfinished Projects Actually Have to Get Done?

Productivity advice for neurotypicals usually focuses on strategies for getting things done.

In fact, even though blogs aimed at ADHD brains may describe the problem, any solutions simply focus on how to get the tasks done.

And if you do a Google search on unfinished projects, you will bring up loads of productivity tips for getting them done.

Now, this is great advice for the tasks that we really need to complete.

And for getting things done, check out this post: Hack Your Habits For a Clutter-Free Home.

But it doesn’t address the real issue.

What if you shouldn’t actually be getting these things done at all?

An ADHD superpower is generating ideas and seeing potential. 

Starting a project gives us the dopamine hit of doing something novel. But it also allows us to reality test the idea and figure out if it is worth pursuing further.

And actually, many of those unfinished projects may simply be ideas that are not worth taking through to completion.

So instead of beating yourself up about not finishing them, consider, are they actually worth finishing? They may not be.

And if not, give yourself permission to abandon them.

Before Attempting to Finish Your Unfinished Projects do This.

Action Plan:

1. Grab a clipboard and take a tour of your house. Make a list of all the unfinished projects you find.

2. Now cross off any that don’t need to be done at all. 

3. Also, cross off any that are not essential and you don’t really want to do any more.

4. Highlight in red any that need to be done but can be delegated to someone else (a cleaner, a tradesperson, a repair shop etc.)

5. Next, pick a colour and highlight any that can be done in 10 minutes or less.

If there are only one or two of these, do them right away. If there are lots, pick a daily time that works for you and set an alarm to remind you to do them. By tackling one a day you’ll quickly clear out these small projects and the associated clutter.

6. Now take a different highlighter, and highlight up to three bigger projects that you really want to do and commit to doing within the next 30 days.

7. Make a note in your diary, set an alarm, or get someone reliable to check in with you in 30 days to follow up on the projects that you highlighted to do. 

8. For all the projects that you have crossed out, see if you can sell, donate or throw away the project materials.

9. Repeat this exercise monthly and you will soon blast through the clutter of unfinished projects.

Conclusion: Eliminate the Clutter of Unfinished Projects

Now that you understand how your ADHD could be leading to the clutter of unfinished projects you are in a better position to prevent it.

So if you are struggling with clutter, take a good look around to assess whether unfinished projects are to blame. 

If there are a lot of unfinished projects, use the tips above to eliminate or blast through them.

And armed with this knowledge, you should be in a better position to avoid taking on more than you can handle.

To eliminate the clutter in your home, make sure you grab my handy clutter checklist here.

And sign up for my newsletter, in which you get a weekly declutter challenge.

The post Unfinished Project Clutter – The ADHD Achilles Heel? appeared first on Go Win at Life.

If you’ve been trying to declutter, but no matter how hard you try, you never seem to make any progress then this post is for you. 

Feeling overwhelmed by clutter or unable to focus on working through it is no fun.

But the answer may be simpler than you think, and it could boil down to asking yourself the right questions while decluttering.

In this post, you’ll be introduced to the key question categories that could help you fine-tune your decluttering skills so that you can get your home organised once and for all.

For years I struggled with clutter. And not for want of trying to get rid of it.

But I hadn’t figured out the right questions to ask. Instead, I kept pulling the same items out over and over and then putting them back again, thinking that I needed, wanted or liked them. 

I kept asking myself “Can I use this?”. Well, for anyone with a creative or an ADHD brain, the issue with that is that we can ALWAYS think of a use for something. So I kept coming up with ideas for my items.

I can upcycle this, I can mend it, I’ll wear it for a special occasion, this will work for fancy dress etc. I’m sure there isn’t a thing on the planet that I can’t think of a use for.

The problem is, that in most cases all of these uses exist purely in my imagination and rarely translate to the real world.

So I set out to compile a list of questions that would actually be useful in deciding what to keep and what to declutter.

And in my research, I found that there is no one-size-fits-all with the questions that work. A question that resonates with you might seem trivial to someone else, and vice versa.

So I have put together a checklist by category so you can pick and choose depending on what themes really resonate with you.

Below Are the Main Decluttering Question Themes

You can download the full checklist here.

Practical Decluttering Questions – Do I use it?

The average American home contains over 300,000 items. I can’t imagine being able to use that many items in a day, a week, a year or at all really. So that suggests that most of what we own we don’t actually use.

This is the most straightforward category of questions, designed simply to identify whether an item is actually useful to you. Not whether we can imagine a use for it (ADHD brain I’m talking to you!) but whether it is truly, genuinely useful.

Emotional Clutter Questions – Does this bring me joy?

Let’s consider quality of life here. Not everything we own has to have a practical use.

Some of the things we hold on to purely because we like them. And that’s OK. But what you do want to be mindful of is the balance between the practical items and the ones you keep just because you like them.

So be honest with yourself as to which items you actually love and which you are holding on to because of the emotions they evoke for you.

Sentimental Clutter Questions – Do I have this for it’s value or for the memory it evokes?

If this category is challenging for you, you are certainly not alone. In fact, sentimental items are usually the hardest for most people to declutter. And because it can be hard, it is also often a category we shy away from dealing with. But asking yourself the right questions can help define which of these items you should keep.

Firstly, some things bring back bad memories. Do you really want to be reminded of negative experiences? If not, let them go.

For the items that hold valuable positive memories for you, consider if there are other ways to preserve your memory that might not require holding on to say all of grandma’s dining chairs.

Guilt or Fantasy Self Questions – Do I feel I should use this, but actually don’t?

I used to love skiing and would go usually several times a year. But after I moved back to the U.K. opportunities for skiing became far more limited. I kept my ski gear for the first few years, hoping for a winter holiday abroad, but in reality, I had other priorities.

So I gave in and donated the ski gear. Now I’m glad I did, as if and when I do go skiing again I am not going to be excited to pull out 20-year-old ski clothes.

So this category is all about getting real about who you are and what serves you now. Not in the past or for some future fantasy self.

Giving Questions – Can someone else benefit from this more than I can?

If you are not using all the things in your home, could they be put to better use by someone else? Holding on to them might mean missing the opportunity for another person to use them whilst they are still functional and current. Once things become old and dated they may become a lot less useful.

Time and Energy Decluttering Questions – Do I want to deal with this item?

This is often overlooked when we consider our things. Yet everything in your home requires your time and energy to look after it. Even if it is simply to move and dust it.

So consider whether the things you have are worth your time and energy to look after. This is especially important when you have a lot of demands on your time and energy, or when your time and energy have been limited by physical or mental health factors. Less bandwidth for managing stuff = a need for less stuff.

Money and Scarcity – Am I paying to store this item?

The most obvious way you might be paying for excess clutter is in storage fees. But also consider the hidden costs. Like the size of house you live in to fit all the stuff you have. Or how it impacts your ability to earn if you have a chaotic home. Or the extra things you may be buying because you can’t find the ones you already have.

You might also be holding on to things because you don’t want to spend money buying them again in the future. This is so common and makes a lot of sense. To a point.

But we often forget to weigh up the cost of holding onto the item against replacing it later down the line.

Last summer we went on a family camping trip and my mother came along too. She needed a camp bed to sleep on and dug my old one out of the attic, which I had used decades ago in Girl Scouts. This bed had been sitting in the attic for over 30 years. And after all this time it was no longer in useable condition.

When I ran a calculation based on the cost of property in the area and the space that this bed was taking up, over those 30+ years storing that camp bed cost around £12,570 at today’s prices! You can hear me tell the full story HERE.

So beware of the hidden costs of holding onto clutter.

Family and Friends – Am I saving this for someone else?

Time for a reality check on whether your loved ones actually want the stuff you are saving with them in mind. The simplest way to get the answer to these questions is to ask them. And if they say “No thank you”, release yourself of the burden of storage and honour that request.

Projects – When, exactly, am I going to tackle this?

Ok, this one is my Achilles heel. An ADHD brain is wired to seek novelty and gets easily bored. So projects are easy to start but much harder to finish. Which inevitably means a lot of unfinished projects being stored for later. The thing is, for many of them, later never comes.

So if you, like me, have unfinished projects taking up space, it’s time to ask some hard and honest questions and get rid of the ones that are destined never to get done.

In Conclusion – How to Use Your Decluttering Questions

Even if you’ve struggled with decluttering before you can become a master organiser of your own home by asking the right questions.

By considering which of these categories is the most meaningful and relevant to you, you can make sure that you are asking yourself the right decluttering questions.

If you haven’t already, you can download the full clutter checklist here. Pick the ones that really resonate with you. You may even find that one is enough, as Marie Kondo demonstrates with her one question “does it spark joy”?

For me, that question is too subjective. I need something more concrete and practical.

So I encourage you to go through and see which ones resonate with you because asking the right decluttering questions can lead to a home that brings you joy.

I’d love to hear your feedback. Which ones resonate with you? And what did I miss?

The post The Best Decluttering Questions to Eliminate Overwhelm appeared first on Go Win at Life.

For decades my home was plagued by clutter. No matter how often I cleaned, sorted or donated, the clutter kept creeping back in.

Every time I moved (which was a lot!) I vowed that in this fresh, new space things would be different. But soon the clutter crept back in, and the pile of unopened boxes that travelled with me on every move continued to grow.

So clearly the problem was not the space I was living in. The problem had to be me. Or more specifically, the habits and behaviours I was subconsciously repeating that were leading to clutter.

It’s taken a long time to break this cycle, and I am still learning. 

But I’ve picked up a lot of useful strategies along the way.

So in this post I will share with you how habits are built, and how you can use your habits for a clutter-free home.

My favourite book on habit change, by a long shot, is Atomic Habits by James Clear. In it he describes the four stages of a habit:

Cue, Craving, Response, Reward

The cue is the trigger. The craving is what we want. The response is the action we take. And the reward is what we gain.

Habits can be good or bad, depending on whether the reward is a helpful one or not.

So the reward of a dopamine hit from drugs, alcohol or caffeine can reinforce a bad habit. And the reward of a dopamine hit from exercise or a lovely space can reinforce a good habit.

The trick is to be aware of the cues and rewards to steer them in the direction that you want.

For a deeper dive into the psychology behind the 4 stages of a habit you can read here.

What are habits, and how can they help us?

A habit is defined as:

“something that you do often and regularly, sometimes without knowing that you are doing it:”

Cambridge English Dictionary

If your house is very cluttered your first task will be to identify the negative habits that have led to it becoming this way. No amount of cleaning is going to help if the cause of the problem is not addressed.

Your next stages will be to declutter and then to organise. These are bigger, one-off projects and not habits. You need to get to a point where you can maintain the space for new habits to truly serve you.

So how can we use these habit stages for a clutter-free home?

Let’s look at each of these habit stages in turn.

Clutter-Free Habit Stage 1 – Cue

If all we need to start on a habit is a cue, surely our homes should be immaculate? Because if you have a messy house you have cues all around you. All the mess you can see should act as a cue to declutter or tidy up.

But it doesn’t.

Why is that?

Well those of us with messy homes, particularly if we have ADHD, struggle with filtering and prioritising these cues. 

And if we don’t know which of the cues to pay attention and respond to, we can end up ignoring them all.

These cues are also usually not urgent, so we put off the task for later. Which can translate to never.

So to actually cue a desirable action we need to be intentional in which cue we respond to and when we respond.

This is where starting small is key. 

How to successfully trigger clutter-free habits with cues:

First, you need a plan. Pick just one cue to trigger one action.

This cue should also be time-specific and linked to something you do already.

So for example, if you would like a cleaner, more organised kitchen start with the habit of washing and putting away all the dishes. And set a specific time to do this. 

How does this look in practice?

We have breakfast as a family in the morning. So the first habit to a clean kitchen is to have every family member clear their own plates and cups from the table and take them to the kitchen counter. The cue for this is finishing breakfast and getting up from the table.

Then my husband takes our daughter upstairs to help her get ready for school. That’s my cue to load the dishwasher and wash up anything that needs hand washing.

I do the school drop off, then come home to work. Before heading upstairs I step into the kitchen to fill my water bottle. That’s my cue to check that all the washing up is done and that counters are clean and clear.

By breaking this one task down to three stages I’m giving myself a much better chance of getting it completed. If my only cue was my daughter getting ready for school I would have to clear the table, load the dishwasher, hand wash and clean the counters in a very small time window. If I didn’t make it in this time the leftover mess would sit there till lunch. And then I’d be annoyed at failing at my goal.

So having staged cues gives you more opportunity to get the task finished.

When there is a lot of mess in the house doing the dishes may feel insignificant. You have plenty more to deal with.

But building a new, tidy habit is about training your brain, and like any new habit takes time to learn.

For more on this, check out this post How to Reach Your Goals Faster With Habit Stacking and get your habit stacking workbook here.

Clutter-Free Habit Stage 2 – Craving

If something truly doesn’t bother you, you will not be motivated to act on it. Our actions come as a result of wanting to satisfy desires (cravings).

So if you are not bothered by the state of your kitchen, you won’t crave the outcome of a tidy kitchen. But as you are reading this post I am assuming that you are bothered by things in your home.

So really connecting with your craving (your “Why”) will help motivate you to move towards a successful outcome.

Nobody wants to start the horrible jobs. In fact, your brain is wired to move you away from pain and towards pleasure. So it’s no surprise that you don’t feel motivated to start a task that feels like it will be unpleasant. That’s OK. And perfectly normal.

We don’t crave the action that leads to a positive outcome. We crave the outcome. There aren’t many people who crave the process of cleaning a kitchen. What many of us do crave though is the enjoyment of a beautiful, clean and uncluttered space.

This is why habits with quick outcomes are much more likely to stick than habits with rewards far off in the future. 

So although you may crave a clean and tidy home, don’t pick that as your habit goal. It’s going to take far too long to get to the reward for it to be motivating. Start small. With consistency, you’ll get to that clean and tidy home before you know it.

Now have you noticed that although you might normally put off cleaning, if someone is due to come over you suddenly find yourself very motivated to clean? That’s a cue and craving in action. You suddenly start craving a clean space to avoid embarrassment in front of your visitor.

How can we use cravings to motivate ourselves to declutter?

Keep connecting with your “Why”.

What is motivating is different for everyone, but here are a few ideas:

• A vision board of your ideal space
• A motivational quote in a prominent place
• A reminder in your diary
• A cleaning buddy coming over
• Booking a cleaner
• Inviting guests
• Putting on a decluttering video or podcast

Clutter-Free Habit Stage 3 – Response

So you are motivated and craving a tidy space. But motivation is useless without action. 

Now you need to make it as easy as possible to respond and take action on your cue.

If you want to get your dishes under control, but you don’t have enough storage space to put them away, you are going to struggle to respond. If the drainer or the sink is too full of other stuff then you are going to struggle to respond.

So a bit part of making your desired action a habit is making it as easy as possible. 

This is why I am a big believer in decluttering first, before you try to organise or maintain cleaning routines. You need to give yourself the space in which to organise and clean.

So before setting out to start a cleaning habit, make sure you have mastered your decluttering habit first. 

Decluttering is a bigger task that requires more thinking than routine tidying. But the principle remains the same. Start small, and give yourself specific cues to start it. This might be a weekly window when your family is out, or a nightly routine when you have time to yourself.

To make decluttering easy prepare your tools first. Grab a box and label it “donate”. And then a bag for trash and one for recycling. 

As you declutter, leave cues for the next response. So you might stack the trash bags by the door ready to take out to the rubbish. You might take the charity box straight to the car ready for taking to the charity shop.

And make sure you have an incentive to keep up the momentum. You might set yourself a timer to work against the clock. Or set a specific number of items to declutter. Whatever motivates you to keep up the momentum is good.

Clutter-Free Habit Stage 4 – Reward

This is a big one. So often we race on to the next task, forgetting to congratulate ourselves for what we have accomplished.

But for your new habit to stick you need to take a moment to enjoy the reward of your behaviour.

A clean, decluttered space can be a reward in and of itself. Even if that space is just a tiny part of your house.

So take a moment to enjoy the fruits of your labour. You might give yourself a high-five, do a happy dance or tick your win off in a habit tracker.

Before and after photos are a brilliant reward system. We even get a dopamine hit from looking at other people’s transformations (that’s why makeover shows are so popular). So take your own before and afters to remind yourself of what you’ve achieved. 

Take it a step further and share your wins on social media or by bringing a friend over. 

Using Habits for a Clutter-Free Home When You Have ADHD

The cue, craving, response reward sequence is even more important for ADHD brains. We have a hard time getting started and are easily distracted. So any break in the sequence can take us off task.

Firstly make the cues really obvious. Out of sight is out of mind, so at least when starting out with a new habit you may need to be utilising a lot of reminders of your cue. 

Reminders include:

• Post it notes
• Phone or app reminders
• Alarms
• A habit tracker
• An accountability buddy to check in with
• A support group
• A coach

My habit stacking workbook has some more ideas.

If you have a tendency to procrastinate by focussing on something other than your desired task give yourself a little menu of options. Now I don’t recommend taking on too many habits at once, but a few small and varied options might be just what you need to stay interested.

Remember too to focus on the reward. You might need to vary the rewards to keep things interesting and maintain the habit.

ADHD brains are great at starting something new but much less good at follow-through and consistency. Which makes the motivation part of habit formation even more key. 

So to make sure that your habits for a clutter-free home stick, make sure you are planning your cue, craving, response and reward.

An accountability partner is the fastest way of making your new habit stick.

For personal support and accountability check out my declutter coaching services.

The post Hack your Habits for a Clutter-Free Home appeared first on Go Win at Life.