Published on 12, July, 2020
Does anyone else have issues with tidying up and cleaning? I don't actually have a diagnosis but have strong traits of autism and probably some of adhd too. I find things like tidying, cleaning, doing the dishes etc incredibly difficult. It probably comes across as laziness but I quite literally cannot face doing these jobs and usually let them build up far too much so it's an absolute mission when I do do them. Does anyone else have this issue? And can anyone shed any light on why I find this so difficult or if there is anything I can do to make it easier?
I definitely have the same problem. It was worse when I was living alone, as I would get in from work and only want to listen to music or watch the TV. I didn't have the energy to spare for much else. And I rarely had visitors, who might have commented on it. But occasionally I would get sick enough of looking at it all to have a big clear out. Ironically, I always knew where to find things when the house was a mess, but after tidying up I couldn't remember so well.
Now I have a family I have to make more effort, but still find it hard to get into a routine. And my children are also extremely untidy, which doesn't help. The best strategy I have is to pick a time when I'm feeling rested and in a pretty good mood, then work on one room a time. Otherwise I get overwhelmed and can't decide what to do first. And I plan tea breaks every hour, because I know that's the limit of my endurance. But I still have some boxes to unpack from when we last moved house (7 years ago), and huge piles of paperwork in odd corners.
Your first paragraph is me to an absolute t. I try and reward myself by scheduling my tidying before a program I really want to watch. Sometimes works. Sometimes doesn't. Such a bad procrastinator.