Why is cleaning so difficult?

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Hey everyone!

Ive been diagnosed w/ mental illness in the past but now at 41 I suspect I may be on the spectrum instead. One of the things I find extremely difficult to do is clean my home. It has gotten pretty bad. I see the dirt and mess but dont feel that urgency to do anything. Im aware it needs to be cleaned and organized but Im not sure how to put the pieces together or where to start. Does anyone have any tips to actually get started?

Thanks

Because it's not a high priority and it's boring AF.

I have the same problem. I have so much clutter and stuff everywhere which means I'll have to move everything and that takes more time than the cleaning itself. So the solution is to leave it and worry about it another day.

I have ADHD by the way.

Depends what the main issue is.

Sometimes cleaning is harder due to executive functions, certain physical conditions, the too common conditioning, inexperience, or just plain laziness.

Physical conditions -- likely would need assistance, techniques, energy management, or special tools and equipment...

Conditioning can be done by opening your own mind, and laziness can be done with willpower and discipline.

Inexperience is just that -- inexperience. But it can get behind worry and overwhelm by lack of knowledge.
Research if one is very uncertain of what to do in specific tasks.


In executive function, it can seem like a combination of many.

Planning, initiating, executing, etc. No plan or routine seems to be followed.
To just plain forgetfulness, overwhelm, or certain aversions definitely can relate to mental health issues.



I know 'how' but I wouldn't recommend anyone.
Because there are plenty of gaps without any acknowledgement of one's circumstances;

It's the cliche 'list them all, break huge task into smaller pieces, and prepare tools' and 'disregard any fancy overthink, grab whatever's tool relevant to use, allow yourself to get dirty and just do it'.

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Executive processing dysfunction

the main reason cleaning is such a female dog is because it taxes the resources of the frontal lobes which are weak in many of us. the brains on paper technique is one way of strengthening those suckers. following this list develops self-discipline and improves self-esteem, one feels more normal.

It is something I struggle with at times. I never let food stuff pile up, but general things do tend to pile up. Books and paperwork and trains and things... All sorts!

I tell myself I would clean my house if other areas of my life calmed down. I could take the time to focus on it. I would start where I could get the most positive impact with the lowest effort and begin in small increments (10-20 minutes).

But alas, I'm over committed, so messy house it is. Plus I like to see where things are, or else it's out of sight and out of mind, so messy house it is. It drives my husband and relatives crazy. Executive function continues to decrease with age so there are a few folks in my support group that have executive function support. A person visits to either help them plan etc., or else just be there (e.g. reading a book) which seems to help some people also.

Maybe if I had a really good "clean up" song list that I could enjoy for 10 min a day that would help.

If you look at a mess, it can look normal, and you may remember where everything is, or prefer having a little bit of it visible. It may be hard to guess where you put away things like a glass cutter, which is not really like any other tool. However, one trick that works for some people is to stop looking at a mess and seeing an overwhelming number of things to do, but to look at the space and strongly resist moving anything as long as you can while imagining the space when tidy. Eventually, the urge to remove things that don't belong in the tidy vision is overwhelming. I try to always have at least one table clear for a new project. I don't mind cleaning when I can see a real difference, unless I'm really depressed.

I was also ill-trained by the frequent class changes in school - I had to put things away just when I was well engaged. Now, I tidy up after various stages of progress on a project, not by a clock.

there is a stubborn mess behind my puter chair that i MUST deal with before sis comes by tomorrow.