Maya

Mother of four, lives with ADHD, writes about ADHD and cleaning

Maya has ADHD, and cleaning has always been hard for her. A messy house does not just feel inconvenient, it feels impossible. She gets overwhelmed, does not know where to start, and with four children in the house there is always more than one thing asking for attention.

Over the years she found a few things that actually help. The biggest one is recording a timelapse while she cleans: it keeps her going, and watching it back shows her own progress instead of her brain telling her she did not do enough. Setting a timer for ten minutes, so the job is "ten minutes" and not "the whole room". And breaking a room into small steps she can tick off, instead of staring at one big, blurry job.

Those three tricks are what ADHD Cleaning Planner is built on. Her name is on the articles about ADHD and cleaning, because the methods in them are the ones that work in our home.

How the blog is written, and what it is not: how we write.

Articles by Maya

What Is Body Doubling, and Can You Do It Alone? Body doubling means cleaning while someone else is there, and for many people with ADHD it is what makes starting possible. Here is how it works, alone too.
Why Are Dishes So Hard With ADHD? Dishes look like the smallest chore in the house, yet the sink is where many people with ADHD get stuck. Here is why, and how to make the pile shrink.
Why Does Laundry Defeat People With ADHD? Laundry is not one chore but six, each needing its own start, and the machine never calls you back. Why that breaks with ADHD, and how to cut the steps.
What Are Closing Duties, and Why Do They Work With ADHD? Closing duties are a short, fixed list of evening tasks so tomorrow starts in a usable home. Where the idea comes from, and how to build a list that lasts.
What Is an ADHD Doom Pile, and How Do You Clear One? A doom pile is a stack of small decisions nobody made. Why they form with ADHD, and a sorting method that clears one without an afternoon of dread.
The ADHD Cleaning Routine That Survives a Bad Week Most cleaning routines are built for the version of you that has energy. Here is one with a floor under it, so a bad week does not end it.
Why Can't I Start Cleaning? ADHD Task Paralysis, Explained ADHD task paralysis makes starting a mess feel impossible even when you want to clean. Here is what is happening and five ways to get moving.