1) I put clocks in every room. Flip numbers or digital work better, and clocks with the day and date are the best. 2) I use the bathroom as my base. My bathroom is actually my cleanest room, because I try to clean “one thing” or put “one thing” away in the bathroom every time I go to the bathroom. When I need to go to the bathroom, I try to bring “one thing” from the room I am in to the bathroom that belongs there, and mentally reset when I am there. I keep my plant watering can in the bathroom, and sometimes my “one thing” is just filling it, or carrying it out and watering the plants in the room where I am working, or any room while I am not working. “One thing” is like mini pomodoro, and I don’t think it’s great because the whole day is so fractured, but it ensures something (anything) gets done in the very short duration I can maintain focus, and helps me reset on the longer duration tasks I am trying to complete. It’s extremely difficult to get meds in the USA right now due to a shortage. I have a prescription and have been unable to fill it.
Do read the Kolberg book. She advises to skip Kondo in this: clocks, scissors, ... in every room is good with adhd because we can get unnecessarily distracted if we have to leave the room.
The (? Not sure about the name) restaurant method (Kolberg): when leaving a room, Take 1 thing with you to take to its proper home everytime you leave a room.
What worked for me was consciously adding a step called ‘follow through’ to literally everything I do. It sounds awful but it feels surprisingly good and it’s addictive - and the outcome is way less mess/piles. Has worked for me for multiple decades now.
It's like there are two steps going on that seem impossible sometimes: Starting a task, and finishing a task. One would think these two go hand in hand but it honestly feels like a new task. Thanks for putting this into words for me! I'm going to consciously add "okay and now finish it". Then reminding myself of how much I dislike what an avoidant procrastinating chip-on-my-shoulder brain feels like, and how I can avoid that by simply FOLLOWING THROUGH!
My conception of this is 'task debt'. As I'm doing something, I remind myself (a newly formed habit post-diagnosis) that everything I do incurs a post-task cleanup step and I cannot reward myself with the sense of accomplishment until that step is completed and the debt is paid.
As a 48-year old who has spent my entire life punishing myself (and being punished) for being messy and erratic, this video is a revelation. I've not had an official diagnosis of ADHD yet but, good lord, I cannot begin to describe the absolute sheer relief I feel to hear other people's experiences - ones that I thought were solely mine, and a great source of shame. For me, it could (and does) take months to tidy up a room (let alone the entire house). My superpower? I can turn a completely tidy room into utter chaos within minutes - no problem. When I do muster the energy to do boring chores, I find that putting on headphones and listening to my favourite music is a great distraction (in the same way that runners listen to music to dull the monotony of a 10k run). I must stress that you need to put headphones/earphones on. Playing music through a speaker is too spacious, leaving me prone to being distracted.
I've adopted the mantra "just one thing". If I need to tidy a room, I start with a bookshelf, rather than an entire bookcase. It might take a few days.
Moved in to my place a year ago, still "unpacking," sh*t everywhere! the best is when I find my cloths in the kitchen counter and my dishes in the bathroom ..... HOW!?
I'm thinking of doing a body doubling video where we can all sit and sort out our 'deal with it later' boxes together - seems to be something that resonated with a lot of people!
Oh, the "let's deal with it later" box. Yeah, mine's up to 7 years now. That filled up so I started another one 3 years ago. There were council tax bills to be paid, TV Licensing post MOT reminders and a speeding fine in there. As well as updates on my health insurance from my employer. I know not because I dealt with those things from the box, I know because I got served court papers for most of those things and got spurred into action to sort them out. Those originals are still in those boxes.
OMG, this is so relatable. I’m 43 and in the process of getting an ADHD diagnosis, and it’s really helpful to just see someone else working through some of the same things I struggle with. But it’s good to know that starting stimulant meds will not help with this particular area :p
What I noticed for me is decrease resistance as you mentioned. What I’d do in your case is move the cupboard with hair and makeup stuff to right next to the desk. That way the basket is within arms reach and you won’t have to get up to put the stuff away. For the pens and pencils I’d say maybe see which ones that are currently living in the pencil cup are actually used, and remove the unused ones, creating space for the ones that you do use. Notebooks and journals are a very tough one for me. I love them to bits. But I never use them after I bought them. So my personal rule is that I’m no longer allowed to buy them- until I fully used one. I never use pre printed ones. Instead I rely on a bullet journal due to its customiseability (they have a RUclips channel too!) Also for the “deal later with it” bin- the struggle is real. I’m a seamstress and I had one full of random clutter. The way that I bit the bullet was by organising everything that was fabric and everything that wasn’t. I still haven’t sorted out the “not fabric” category but I had a semi place for those anyways so that’s where all of it is stashed now. The fabric one is still in the bin but now it fits within my cupboard.
Love this Lindy! Thanks so much for sharing - I've moved the basket with my hair and make up now, and it has made it easier. I'm about to tackle my mound of notebooks soon - might do a video about that too 😊
10:39 Hi Rachel! Quick suggestion for your hair & makeup yellow box: I’d swap it with the box that’s currently next to your mirror. That way there’s less “travel time” between the mirror (where you’re using your dryer, etc) and the yellow box (where those items “live” when not in use. Also, just to clarify I’m not suggesting to put the “get to it later” box in the cubby in your bookshelves. 😊 This video is so relatable!
Tbh I’d keep the makeup at the desk if that’s where she uses it. I started keeping my toner and moisturizer in my desk instead of the bathroom, cause I would bring it there every day anyway.
Great suggestion! I've done this now, and it helped. It's funny 'cause it used to be next to my mirror and then I moved my office around and wondered why I started leaving my hairdryer and make up in random places - you hit the nail on the head here!
Looking around my office, i have a tote under my desk where I put the things that were cluttering my desk into this tote so that i could clean my desk for when i had guests use this room. I now have a new lot of clutter on my desk plus this tote under my desk of the things that once cluttered my desk. The office doubles as a guest room. and I put things on the bed that don't fit on the desk. and when i need to clean up? those things on the bed go into a tote... that i put... under my desk. Executive function is not my forte
I was interested to hear you're a former primary school teacher. I was myself for 10 years before stopping in the pandemic. Since realising I probably have undiagnosed ADHD, I can't believe I ever coped with the workload and admin associated with teaching. Why did you stop?
Yeah it's a recipe for stress for an ADHDer, though I think the structure and accountability are positives. A few different reasons (I only did 2 years) but I think the main were 1. I spent every moment from 8am Monday counting down to the moments where I wouldn't be teaching, which felt like a sad way to live life 2. It drained me mentally, physically and emotionally 3. I taught kids aged 5 and 6 and it bothered me that I had to expect them to sit still and stand straight and do as they were told - when I couldn't even do those things myself 😅
Hahaha your tea towel story is the exact same story of my hubby, me and the car keys. It only took 12 ish years for me to finally put a hook on the wall and actually hang the keys up when I walk in the door! Except for if I’m overwhelmed, then the keys end up where everything else I need ends up….. lost!
Thanks so much for your video! It's really comforting to see someone else working through the same issues, and it's even more relatable that you're sharing your process before you have it all 100% figured out. And yes, I have lost way too many things in various "deal with it later" boxes that I don't touch b/c I don't like the choice explosion of where the contents should *actually* go!
Thanks Will - appreciate you watching and commenting! Ohh i so relate to the choice explosion of sorting through the deal with it later box. I'm thinking of doing a video where I sort through my box - so maybe we can help each other out on that!
I really like the idea of a dancing or disco ball hour (maybe trying to learn a new type of dance while tidying) or maybe having an audiobook or favorite podcast reward while straightening up. I've just started the book and podcast idea and sometimes have to rewind to catch what I've missed, but so far I've found it useful .
A few years ago I found that listening to an audiobook or podcast made doing the dishes much easier in the sense that it slightly diminished the resistance. (And if I'm being honest, resentment towards my partner) Perhaps pairing a resistant task with an enjoyable task is the answer. I also found in really low moments, probably seeking that dopamine, that to feel good about my to do list each day I had to think very hard about adding things in that I thot were 1. Interesting 2. Exciting or 3. Fun. I felt like something was wrong with me, that I couldn't enjoy anything. I felt like I barely knew what I liked. I asked myself, don't other people just enjoy doing things around their houses? I just recently started wondering if I have adhd and your videos are sooooo relatable. Thank you for sharing. I'm so glad my enthusiasm for starting a new project and my subsequent inability to finish it might not just be because I'm an Aries. 🤣🤣🤣
I have never seen anyone who has as messy a desk as I do and for exactly the same reasons. Well, I have another one that often happens too. I'll start a project and at some point I get kinda stuck and think, oh well I'll just leave that on my desk to remind me to finish it later. Ya, that usually never happens.
Rachel excellent video. Dont know if you or anyone else can relate tp this, but I have 3 of everything because I can never find anything. I also learned that people with ADHD have it have ability to not see things. If it's not right in their face- it doesn't exist. In other words we surround ourselves with mounds and piles of things because that's our stuff. My husband wiĺl put my protien drink at eye level in the fridge so i will see it and drink it. I frequently dont eat enough, or properly. After MUCH research, i believe i have found the answer- but honestly dont know if i can make it work. I need to become a minimalist. I have been told my brain functions better when not surrounded by " my stuff". Dont know that i believe it, but ill try just about anything (within reason) once.
I love to craft, but my husband says my crafting is like an invasive weed. It takes over the house, because I need everything out, all around, otherwise I will forget about it. I buy snacks to put in the kids school lunches, but then once they get put in the cupboard, I forget They are there and go buy more of the same things.
Thanks for watching and commenting Jackie :) I'd be interested to hear how minimalism goes. I tried adopting some minimalist principles a few years ago but then I ended up having no things left for a creative outlet. It's such a tricky balance!!
What has helped me loads is playing a few clean with me videos before and even during my clean up session. Its so motivating and it helps me feel like its more fun because im not doing it on my own.
Funny you should say that, as I'd started making some of these for this channel - partly to help others, partly to keep myself accountable to tidy. Watch this space! 😎
ADHD - the interest-based nervous system. I re-e-eally struggle to prioritise the mundane stuff over my current hyperfixations. My brain just wants to follow its interests ALL the time. One way I have found to appease my brain, which sometimes works, is to find a podcast/audiobook/RUclips video focused on whatever subject I'm currently hyperfixated on, and listen to that while I get on with said mundane activities. That way my ADHD brain is tricked into thinking it is getting what it wants, while my body is getting on with the boring stuff. My brain often likes the fact that my body is kept busy while it listens and learns, and I often take in the information from the podcast (or whatever) much better. Doesn't always work though, particularly if the mundane activity demands more active executive functioning. Music sometimes helps in that instance though. Although, then, I at risk of getting sucked down the rabbit hole of "finding the perfect music to help me do the boring stuff"; AKA "what era/genre of music will offer me the right kind of mood/motivation today?" This can be a problem with podcasts, too, and I spend ages staring at my phone, getting distracted with other unrelated things around the house and forgetting what I was doing, until I eventually remember my original intention... then get stuck in this loop ad infinitum!
I do so much better alone and within days my house is clean .We are all so different. Thank you for your help.For some reason I have to get on a roll.How many people have said do me JUST put it back in the same place lol
@@rachdoesyoutube this Channel literally has changed my life ❤ ....I've started some natural meds to help and just knowing I wasn't alone and abnormal lol 😆 has been so comforting and inspiring. I'm home alone for the weekend and am thrilled to get on it again with a better understanding of myself
1 basket for Bring to another room. And add more storage, but watch out: each basket or shelf just big enough to fit: electronics, stationery, notebooks, (et cetera), not too big or storage will become clutter magnets. (I hope I don't win the Most Irritating Stating the Obvious Follower Prize, but this really works if you keep trying and make it a William Dodson Competition).
I like this! I have an awful habit of dumping stuff in a big box - the smaller the container, the less opportunity for it to become a 'deal with it later' box. Thanks!
Oh, yeah. Been there. For ... all my life. Took my first Concerta two weeks ago and started decluttering off the bat as all of a sudden I noticed, that it was complitely unaceptable, right. Won't tell you what was my kitchen like, cause it's rather embarrassing. Will just say that only a puke was missing there, hah.
I have a lot of "stuff", acquired due to general consumerism and especially because of novelty-seeking and impulsiveness from ADHD. I will start medication next week and I wonder how meds will affect my organisation and general messiness. I wonder whether becoming minimalist and having a massive declutter would help me to get rid of "stuff" baggage from my decades unmedicated.
Perhaps! I do find a big, cleansing declutter very cathartic every now and then. Have you ever tried the Marie Kondo Kon Mari method? I've found that quite enjoyable to help decide what to keep and what to let go of
@@rachdoesyoutube Yeh, I tried it when sorting some clothes last week. I got tired after some minutes of "sparking joy" though. There's about 30 times as many items of all sorts that I need to sort out, not just clothes. Thanks.
She going through the mess is giving me serious anxiety. Put it away right now, don't think, just put themmmm in the right placeeeeeeee, you have the time as you are explaining, but left them there!!!!! AAAHHHHH THE PAIN.
I don't think we're chaotic, I think we're being adversely advised to use neurotypical systems. If so, we look chaotic. At the time I didn't know about my adhd I would always strongly disagree about my being chaotic (I am very structured because of my adhd, even before I knew about it) and I would be called obstinate. Sounds familiar?
Yeah this is very relateable. I would say I am a very organised person who loves structure because of ADHD, but I often feel chaotic (probably due to neurotypical systems as you say!) Though personally I enjoy feeling chaotic when I think about it in a fun and free spirited way.
@@rachdoesyoutube Yes! I like being chaotic too (one of many adhd paradoxes). I don't WANT to converge! Tamara Rosier calls this tendency: divergent thinking. (I used to say I'm centrifugal, because my father was a physicist, not a physician.)
I have my own system for finding things, which involves putting important things in sensible places, without fail. Items such as keys, TV remote controls, essential cooking ingredients, can opener, etc. This should be OBVIOUS to anyone above the age of 3. (I had a grand-child who understood it at age 4.) It amazes me how many people 'don't get this' and cause a chaos of frustration and wasted time by not doing the obvious. I complain about this and yet, if anyone in my home has ADHD, it is ME, and I am the one who is ORGANISED.
@rachdoesyoutube Regarding The Big Issue. I used to buy it, not read it and feel guilty as it cluttered up my house. Now I give them the money for it and let them keep it to sell to someone else.
1) I put clocks in every room. Flip numbers or digital work better, and clocks with the day and date are the best. 2) I use the bathroom as my base. My bathroom is actually my cleanest room, because I try to clean “one thing” or put “one thing” away in the bathroom every time I go to the bathroom. When I need to go to the bathroom, I try to bring “one thing” from the room I am in to the bathroom that belongs there, and mentally reset when I am there. I keep my plant watering can in the bathroom, and sometimes my “one thing” is just filling it, or carrying it out and watering the plants in the room where I am working, or any room while I am not working. “One thing” is like mini pomodoro, and I don’t think it’s great because the whole day is so fractured, but it ensures something (anything) gets done in the very short duration I can maintain focus, and helps me reset on the longer duration tasks I am trying to complete. It’s extremely difficult to get meds in the USA right now due to a shortage. I have a prescription and have been unable to fill it.
Thanks for sharing this! I will try the one thing principle :)
Do read the Kolberg book. She advises to skip Kondo in this: clocks, scissors, ... in every room is good with adhd because we can get unnecessarily distracted if we have to leave the room.
The (? Not sure about the name) restaurant method (Kolberg): when leaving a room, Take 1 thing with you to take to its proper home everytime you leave a room.
What worked for me was consciously adding a step called ‘follow through’ to literally everything I do. It sounds awful but it feels surprisingly good and it’s addictive - and the outcome is way less mess/piles. Has worked for me for multiple decades now.
It's like there are two steps going on that seem impossible sometimes: Starting a task, and finishing a task. One would think these two go hand in hand but it honestly feels like a new task. Thanks for putting this into words for me! I'm going to consciously add "okay and now finish it". Then reminding myself of how much I dislike what an avoidant procrastinating chip-on-my-shoulder brain feels like, and how I can avoid that by simply FOLLOWING THROUGH!
@@zachyoutube213 😆🤣 I LOVE this reply!!!
My conception of this is 'task debt'. As I'm doing something, I remind myself (a newly formed habit post-diagnosis) that everything I do incurs a post-task cleanup step and I cannot reward myself with the sense of accomplishment until that step is completed and the debt is paid.
Love it! Thanks for sharing Jon :)
As a 48-year old who has spent my entire life punishing myself (and being punished) for being messy and erratic, this video is a revelation. I've not had an official diagnosis of ADHD yet but, good lord, I cannot begin to describe the absolute sheer relief I feel to hear other people's experiences - ones that I thought were solely mine, and a great source of shame.
For me, it could (and does) take months to tidy up a room (let alone the entire house). My superpower? I can turn a completely tidy room into utter chaos within minutes - no problem.
When I do muster the energy to do boring chores, I find that putting on headphones and listening to my favourite music is a great distraction (in the same way that runners listen to music to dull the monotony of a 10k run). I must stress that you need to put headphones/earphones on. Playing music through a speaker is too spacious, leaving me prone to being distracted.
I've adopted the mantra "just one thing".
If I need to tidy a room, I start with a bookshelf, rather than an entire bookcase. It might take a few days.
Moved in to my place a year ago, still "unpacking," sh*t everywhere! the best is when I find my cloths in the kitchen counter and my dishes in the bathroom ..... HOW!?
10:20 "Im probably not gonna read it, but I feld bad about it. So it's jsut gonna sit there." YIKES. I do this so often 😭
I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels inappropriate levels of guilt towards inanimate objects 😅
the "deal with it later" box ... have too many of them! ahhh
I'm thinking of doing a body doubling video where we can all sit and sort out our 'deal with it later' boxes together - seems to be something that resonated with a lot of people!
Watch A slob comes clean, aka Dana K White. She advises against Handle It Later boxes, especially bad for adhd.
Oh, the "let's deal with it later" box. Yeah, mine's up to 7 years now. That filled up so I started another one 3 years ago. There were council tax bills to be paid, TV Licensing post MOT reminders and a speeding fine in there. As well as updates on my health insurance from my employer. I know not because I dealt with those things from the box, I know because I got served court papers for most of those things and got spurred into action to sort them out. Those originals are still in those boxes.
Your office is actually really tidy in my eyes ha! You don't want to see my desk.
OMG, this is so relatable. I’m 43 and in the process of getting an ADHD diagnosis, and it’s really helpful to just see someone else working through some of the same things I struggle with. But it’s good to know that starting stimulant meds will not help with this particular area :p
What I noticed for me is decrease resistance as you mentioned. What I’d do in your case is move the cupboard with hair and makeup stuff to right next to the desk. That way the basket is within arms reach and you won’t have to get up to put the stuff away.
For the pens and pencils I’d say maybe see which ones that are currently living in the pencil cup are actually used, and remove the unused ones, creating space for the ones that you do use.
Notebooks and journals are a very tough one for me. I love them to bits. But I never use them after I bought them. So my personal rule is that I’m no longer allowed to buy them- until I fully used one.
I never use pre printed ones. Instead I rely on a bullet journal due to its customiseability (they have a RUclips channel too!)
Also for the “deal later with it” bin- the struggle is real. I’m a seamstress and I had one full of random clutter. The way that I bit the bullet was by organising everything that was fabric and everything that wasn’t. I still haven’t sorted out the “not fabric” category but I had a semi place for those anyways so that’s where all of it is stashed now. The fabric one is still in the bin but now it fits within my cupboard.
Love this Lindy! Thanks so much for sharing - I've moved the basket with my hair and make up now, and it has made it easier. I'm about to tackle my mound of notebooks soon - might do a video about that too 😊
10:39 Hi Rachel! Quick suggestion for your hair & makeup yellow box: I’d swap it with the box that’s currently next to your mirror. That way there’s less “travel time” between the mirror (where you’re using your dryer, etc) and the yellow box (where those items “live” when not in use. Also, just to clarify I’m not suggesting to put the “get to it later” box in the cubby in your bookshelves. 😊
This video is so relatable!
Tbh I’d keep the makeup at the desk if that’s where she uses it. I started keeping my toner and moisturizer in my desk instead of the bathroom, cause I would bring it there every day anyway.
Great suggestion! I've done this now, and it helped. It's funny 'cause it used to be next to my mirror and then I moved my office around and wondered why I started leaving my hairdryer and make up in random places - you hit the nail on the head here!
Most realistic video of what ADHD looks like so far... and I have watched a LOT! Do not stop doing this as truthful as you do!
Yay! So happy to hear that.
Looking around my office, i have a tote under my desk where I put the things that were cluttering my desk into this tote so that i could clean my desk for when i had guests use this room. I now have a new lot of clutter on my desk plus this tote under my desk of the things that once cluttered my desk. The office doubles as a guest room. and I put things on the bed that don't fit on the desk. and when i need to clean up? those things on the bed go into a tote... that i put... under my desk. Executive function is not my forte
I feel this on every level
I was interested to hear you're a former primary school teacher. I was myself for 10 years before stopping in the pandemic. Since realising I probably have undiagnosed ADHD, I can't believe I ever coped with the workload and admin associated with teaching. Why did you stop?
Yeah it's a recipe for stress for an ADHDer, though I think the structure and accountability are positives. A few different reasons (I only did 2 years) but I think the main were 1. I spent every moment from 8am Monday counting down to the moments where I wouldn't be teaching, which felt like a sad way to live life 2. It drained me mentally, physically and emotionally 3. I taught kids aged 5 and 6 and it bothered me that I had to expect them to sit still and stand straight and do as they were told - when I couldn't even do those things myself 😅
Hahaha your tea towel story is the exact same story of my hubby, me and the car keys. It only took 12 ish years for me to finally put a hook on the wall and actually hang the keys up when I walk in the door! Except for if I’m overwhelmed, then the keys end up where everything else I need ends up….. lost!
Sooo relateable
Thanks so much for your video! It's really comforting to see someone else working through the same issues, and it's even more relatable that you're sharing your process before you have it all 100% figured out. And yes, I have lost way too many things in various "deal with it later" boxes that I don't touch b/c I don't like the choice explosion of where the contents should *actually* go!
Thanks Will - appreciate you watching and commenting! Ohh i so relate to the choice explosion of sorting through the deal with it later box. I'm thinking of doing a video where I sort through my box - so maybe we can help each other out on that!
I really like the idea of a dancing or disco ball hour (maybe trying to learn a new type of dance while tidying) or maybe having an audiobook or favorite podcast reward while straightening up. I've just started the book and podcast idea and sometimes have to rewind to catch what I've missed, but so far I've found it useful .
A few years ago I found that listening to an audiobook or podcast made doing the dishes much easier in the sense that it slightly diminished the resistance. (And if I'm being honest, resentment towards my partner) Perhaps pairing a resistant task with an enjoyable task is the answer. I also found in really low moments, probably seeking that dopamine, that to feel good about my to do list each day I had to think very hard about adding things in that I thot were 1. Interesting 2. Exciting or 3. Fun. I felt like something was wrong with me, that I couldn't enjoy anything. I felt like I barely knew what I liked. I asked myself, don't other people just enjoy doing things around their houses? I just recently started wondering if I have adhd and your videos are sooooo relatable. Thank you for sharing. I'm so glad my enthusiasm for starting a new project and my subsequent inability to finish it might not just be because I'm an Aries. 🤣🤣🤣
Thanks for sharing - love those tips! Definitely helpful to appeal to the fun, excited, interested side of things :)
I have never seen anyone who has as messy a desk as I do and for exactly the same reasons. Well, I have another one that often happens too. I'll start a project and at some point I get kinda stuck and think, oh well I'll just leave that on my desk to remind me to finish it later. Ya, that usually never happens.
Rachel excellent video. Dont know if you or anyone else can relate tp this, but I have 3 of everything because I can never find anything. I also learned that people with ADHD have it have ability to not see things. If it's not right in their face- it doesn't exist. In other words we surround ourselves with mounds and piles of things because that's our stuff. My husband wiĺl put my protien drink at eye level in the fridge so i will see it and drink it. I frequently dont eat enough, or properly. After MUCH research, i believe i have found the answer- but honestly dont know if i can make it work. I need to become a minimalist. I have been told my brain functions better when not surrounded by " my stuff". Dont know that i believe it, but ill try just about anything (within reason) once.
I love to craft, but my husband says my crafting is like an invasive weed. It takes over the house, because I need everything out, all around, otherwise I will forget about it.
I buy snacks to put in the kids school lunches, but then once they get put in the cupboard, I forget They are there and go buy more of the same things.
Thanks for watching and commenting Jackie :) I'd be interested to hear how minimalism goes. I tried adopting some minimalist principles a few years ago but then I ended up having no things left for a creative outlet. It's such a tricky balance!!
What has helped me loads is playing a few clean with me videos before and even during my clean up session. Its so motivating and it helps me feel like its more fun because im not doing it on my own.
Straight after this video I’m going to look up ‘clean with me videos’…. Ummm this is a thing? 🎉
Funny you should say that, as I'd started making some of these for this channel - partly to help others, partly to keep myself accountable to tidy. Watch this space! 😎
There is a lady called Cas site is clutterbug and she has ADHD. Lots of good stuff from her.
ADHD - the interest-based nervous system. I re-e-eally struggle to prioritise the mundane stuff over my current hyperfixations. My brain just wants to follow its interests ALL the time. One way I have found to appease my brain, which sometimes works, is to find a podcast/audiobook/RUclips video focused on whatever subject I'm currently hyperfixated on, and listen to that while I get on with said mundane activities. That way my ADHD brain is tricked into thinking it is getting what it wants, while my body is getting on with the boring stuff.
My brain often likes the fact that my body is kept busy while it listens and learns, and I often take in the information from the podcast (or whatever) much better.
Doesn't always work though, particularly if the mundane activity demands more active executive functioning. Music sometimes helps in that instance though. Although, then, I at risk of getting sucked down the rabbit hole of "finding the perfect music to help me do the boring stuff"; AKA "what era/genre of music will offer me the right kind of mood/motivation today?" This can be a problem with podcasts, too, and I spend ages staring at my phone, getting distracted with other unrelated things around the house and forgetting what I was doing, until I eventually remember my original intention... then get stuck in this loop ad infinitum!
Oof that is very relateable Andy - thanks so much for sharing your experience ❤It's nice to know I'm not alone in this struggle either!
Sort later boxes/piles... bane of my existence
I've got 3 piling up at the moment 🤣Thinking of doing a video of me sorting through them just to get myself to tackle them!
The struggle is real.
I do so much better alone and within days my house is clean .We are all so different. Thank you for your help.For some reason I have to get on a roll.How many people have said do me JUST put it back in the same place lol
You know you've found your people when they understand why 'just put it back in the same place' makes you half laugh, half cry 🤣
@@rachdoesyoutube this Channel literally has changed my life ❤ ....I've started some natural meds to help and just knowing I wasn't alone and abnormal lol 😆 has been so comforting and inspiring. I'm home alone for the weekend and am thrilled to get on it again with a better understanding of myself
Oh yes, moving the piles round n round. I know it well. Haha!!!
1 basket for Bring to another room. And add more storage, but watch out: each basket or shelf just big enough to fit: electronics, stationery, notebooks, (et cetera), not too big or storage will become clutter magnets. (I hope I don't win the Most Irritating Stating the Obvious Follower Prize, but this really works if you keep trying and make it a William Dodson Competition).
I like this! I have an awful habit of dumping stuff in a big box - the smaller the container, the less opportunity for it to become a 'deal with it later' box. Thanks!
Oh, yeah. Been there. For ... all my life. Took my first Concerta two weeks ago and started decluttering off the bat as all of a sudden I noticed, that it was complitely unaceptable, right. Won't tell you what was my kitchen like, cause it's rather embarrassing. Will just say that only a puke was missing there, hah.
I have a lot of "stuff", acquired due to general consumerism and especially because of novelty-seeking and impulsiveness from ADHD. I will start medication next week and I wonder how meds will affect my organisation and general messiness. I wonder whether becoming minimalist and having a massive declutter would help me to get rid of "stuff" baggage from my decades unmedicated.
Perhaps! I do find a big, cleansing declutter very cathartic every now and then. Have you ever tried the Marie Kondo Kon Mari method? I've found that quite enjoyable to help decide what to keep and what to let go of
@@rachdoesyoutube Yeh, I tried it when sorting some clothes last week. I got tired after some minutes of "sparking joy" though. There's about 30 times as many items of all sorts that I need to sort out, not just clothes. Thanks.
She going through the mess is giving me serious anxiety. Put it away right now, don't think, just put themmmm in the right placeeeeeeee, you have the time as you are explaining, but left them there!!!!! AAAHHHHH THE PAIN.
Who is Mr. Rachael?
Her significant other ❤
Yes my other half. It really makes me chuckle to refer to him in a mysterious way 🤣
Has that Big Issue been read yet? 😢
I don't think we're chaotic, I think we're being adversely advised to use neurotypical systems. If so, we look chaotic. At the time I didn't know about my adhd I would always strongly disagree about my being chaotic (I am very structured because of my adhd, even before I knew about it) and I would be called obstinate. Sounds familiar?
Yeah this is very relateable. I would say I am a very organised person who loves structure because of ADHD, but I often feel chaotic (probably due to neurotypical systems as you say!) Though personally I enjoy feeling chaotic when I think about it in a fun and free spirited way.
@@rachdoesyoutube Yes! I like being chaotic too (one of many adhd paradoxes). I don't WANT to converge! Tamara Rosier calls this tendency: divergent thinking. (I used to say I'm centrifugal, because my father was a physicist, not a physician.)
I have my own system for finding things, which involves putting important things in sensible places, without fail. Items such as keys, TV remote controls, essential cooking ingredients, can opener, etc.
This should be OBVIOUS to anyone above the age of 3. (I had a grand-child who understood it at age 4.)
It amazes me how many people 'don't get this' and cause a chaos of frustration and wasted time by not doing the obvious.
I complain about this and yet, if anyone in my home has ADHD, it is ME, and I am the one who is ORGANISED.
@rachdoesyoutube Regarding The Big Issue. I used to buy it, not read it and feel guilty as it cluttered up my house.
Now I give them the money for it and let them keep it to sell to someone else.
Love that!