After showing this video to my family last week, today our 7-year-old daughter told her dad, “I really don’t feel like cleaning, but the girl in that video said putting on an apron can help so can I try that?” Thank you for always keeping it real and making us feel like we are not alone! We appreciate you
This 73 year old lady needed this video! When I was younger I was a organizer cleaning machine. Now everything hurts and it’s a struggle to just move. Thank you for your help and support. ❤ You are loved and needed so much. Plus you lift my spirits to the moon 🌚, you make me laugh 😂.
I am 79, I have not been productive since Hurricane Ian in 22. The trauma and the damages to my home and to my mental health and physical abilities have worn me down.
I have ADHD and I use many of these hacks I learned from you! Thank you! I did learn another hack about hanging shirts. After getting clothes out of drying, lay a shirt flat on the bed, then lay each shirt over the top of the last, so they are in a pile. Grab your hangers and slip one in on the top shirt and fold it down, proceed to do one after the other. After you are done, grab the hangers and and put the shirts in the closet all at once. It saves me so much time and now I don’t mind putting clothes away as much.
You are my body double. I put your videos on while I clean and declutter. My husband walked in and watched a few minutes. He said, "so, it's you?" When you describe yourself, it is usually similar to me. You get me motivated to work because you are so relatable and not trying to be perfect.
One great tip i recently discovered: get one of those mesh laundry bags (for delicates) and put dirty socks in there. They stay in the bag while washing and drying and you never have to search for that disappearing match!
I safety pin mine together when I take them off. I was a little hesitant at first, in case one came out in the wash - but it's been about a year now with no issues, and it's been an absolute game changer. I didn't realise how much looking for the matching sock stressed me out until I never had to anymore!
I have to laugh about not folding laundry. I found out that I’m a folder, folding is a self comforting behavior for me. Once I realized this about myself, laundry became easy. I used to try to “streamline” and be efficient by not folding, but then I ended up not doing laundry at all because it was all just chaos anyway. I love tidy drawers and neat packets of clothing. Once I gave into my quirky behavior, laundry became a non-issue. My daughter calls me a “folding ninja” haha! I even fold my reusable grocery bags and plastic and paper bags. Sometimes just being ok with being weird can help us move forward🤪
Sheets are so much easier with a spare set for each bed. If you can change them all at once and then wash and put away when convenient, it eliminates the "well shoot it's time for bed and all the sheets are wet in the washing machine" problem. And makes it feel like less of a project!
I'm the opposite. One set of sheets per bed, so I have to wash and dry in the same day, and I never have to fold them. And I love sleeping in freshly laundered sheets. I prefer pressed sheets, but I'm not crazy enough to iron mine! Lol
Yes, there are a lot of things that I feel more like doing if I have 2 so that I don't feel like I have to do the whole thing now, and so I'm more likely to tackle it.
I love that we can accomplish these goals by adapting, adopting and “tricking our brain” to work with us rather than being the “fun kid” who fluffs off. My trick is I strip the bed and use it as my folding area - the last thing to be wadded/rolled/folded are the sheets. Then I make the bed and at that I am done with both laundry and bed. I can talk myself into and out of all sorts of household chores but I have to have sheets etc on the bed before I lay down so it is one way to motivate aka force myself to put clean laundry away.
@@rv6847 I used to prefer it that way when it was just one bed in my house. Now it's too much of a monkey wrench if I forget until the kids are on their way to bed. It's just nice to learn what works for our individual brains/lives!
I have multiple sets of sheets so that putting clean sheets on the bed and washing the sheets are separate tasks, it makes it much easier. I don't have to have remembered to wash the sheets earlier the same day in order to put clean sheets on the bed, I just get clean sheets from the closet and throw the dirty ones into the laundry, and then my laundry process takes care of the dirty ones!
Great tips. My tip is to remove those tomatoes from your fridge. Apples in the fridge, tomatoes on the counter. A cold apple is a crisp apple and a cold tomato has a ruined flavor and texture. ❤
I want to thank you again for helping my daughter motivate. She struggles with depression and anxiety and recently diagnosed ADHD at age 33. We are moving and she found you a month or so ago. She bought and read your books, and she super organized fridg etc. And so proud of her for getting rid a 1/3 of her and her spouses things. She says she couldn't have done it without you ! Words can't express gratitude 🙏 ✨️
As an ADHD'er myself... I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how much you publicly embrace it and talk about it. And how you're helping to educate people on it! Thank you so much!!! We love you!!
One thing I started recently is leaving a post-It note on my basement door for things I need to do or items I need to bring up the next time I go down.
As someone with serious (non-ADHD) brain shenanigans, my life motto is "make doing the right thing as easy as possible" - and this is some good stuff. One that may not work for everyone is that I leave my elliptical out in the middle of my bedroom (rather than in an exercise room in the basement) and have been training myself to respond to feeling bored by hopping on the elliptical for a minute or two. Not a "workout", just fifty steps. Sometimes it turns into a workout. Sometimes it doesn't. That's fine. It's still fifty more steps than I had before, and my fitness tracker records it so it counts. Edit: Also while I'm here - fellow Butterflies (and Bees), it is possible to buy minifridges with giant windows on the front. One of these in the home office filled with berries and baby carrots works great for helping increase one's fruit and vegetable intake.
Too bad we don’t live together….i love folding! 😂 Years ago I worked in a clothing store with a wall, floor to ceiling of levis….I loved working on that wall, refolding what customers messed up, but putting things away…ugh, it’s the folding that makes it easier for me because I’m adding to my stack of already folding tees, or pants….but the folding is my favorite part.😊
I’ve gotten to the point where the only clothing I fold is pants because of my space but also it’s the easiest item to fold for me. I hang all my tops in my closet. I throw undergarments in a little drawer because I have no reason to fold them at all. I do like to ball up my socks but mostly because I find it fun! 😂
One of your amazing tips from a previous video on Motivation has really stuck in my head. I’ll be sitting here with zero motivation, unable to even think about tackling my house. Then I remember what you said. “A body at rest tends to stay at rest and a body in motion tends to stay in motion”. So I tell myself to just get up and pick up one or two items and see where that leads. It is amazing! You have given me a great tool and I sincerely appreciate you for it! Thank you so much and keep the tips coming. You are brilliant. Take care and have a Blessed day ❤️
Back in my early 20s I knew I had ADHD but I was clueless about what that meant. I knew what mainstream society knew. But I did notice that I wouldn't clean unless I rearranged my entire room/apartment in the process. Cleaning for the sake of cleaning never worked for me. But if I went to just vacuum up this one bit of broken glass real quick... Next thing I knew, the whole house was clean and it was 6 hours later. Now I'm 36 and I've learned that I have a better chance of vacuuming the whole house (who am I kidding, it's a tiny studio apartment lol 😆) with a dust buster, than my normal stick vacuum or with Oreo, my Roomba. So that's a "hack" I use. If an ADHD person is ACTUALLY CLEANING but it takes them 2 hours with the dust buster... Let them. Don't tell them to stop or that the big vacuum is better. The cleaning tool in your hand THAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY USING is aleats better than the cleaning tool you won't pick up and use. Even if it's not conventional or it takes 3 times longer. So now I don't get mad at myself for not being like others. I know what works best for my kind of brain and I just go with it.
@@thehuntressdanni2972 That is so true! I will sometimes use a broom on my carpet because I don't want to lug the big vacuum around. I bought myself a Swiffer WetJet for my kitchen and bathroom floors because I hate using a mop and bucket! I recently read this quote from Arthur Ashe: "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." That's been my mantra for 2023 so far! Thank you for sharing this.
@Mary Wimbley omg I do that too or I use anything that could be sort of a cloth if it's available in that room. If I have to go to another room to get a cloth I won't do it. I've just moved my stick vaccum upstairs so I don't have to lug my floor one up the stairs!
@@thehuntressdanni2972 That resonates so much. I recently wanted to reorganize my study and started moving furniture around. Before I knew it I was telling myself "Might as well paint the walls too while I'm about it". Luckily I caught myself in time: "Noooooo you've got ADHD & perfectionism: just rearrange the furniture and be happy with that".
What I do for getting up and doing things is I give myself a count down. I literally say out loud "You're have to get up and do stuff in 3...2...1!!" It helps so much!
I love how I already did like half of these before I even started looking into ADHD. I've gone 33 years without knowing I have ADHD and am now so happy to find videos like this to help me even more. Something I found out: ADHD + an anxiety disorder does not mesh well with to-do lists/"brain dumping".
Me too but I do keep a notebook and pen by bed and write things down...sometimes I forget to look/take it with me when I go to work, but it still reminds me to pay something or buy something. Nothing is perfect.
Brain dumping is more of a release, clear your head type thing. If the weight carries to the paper, it’s not a brain dump, it’s planning. Occasionally, things to action will fall out on the paper. For work I have a pad that I write my ‘oh, just remembered, must not forgets’ (so I only write down when I think of it ~ this can range from phone client, to mtg at 3 tomorrow to don’t forget washing powder on way home), then I started leaving a blank notebook on the side table which ends up with brain-dumps ‘really need to re-org kitchen laundry but I’m still sad next door’s cat got hurt I’m so glad we don’t have pets it would break my heart I wonder what kind of garden would be safe oh wow just found a beautiful house in Village X oh I should really change my tv unit oh look at that beautiful range in the catalogue/on-line store’. Quite extreme examples but this is how I differentiate between a brain-dump (stop carrying all the info in your head) and a to-do-list (really must remember). Just to say, now in my late 40s and separating either in my first 3 decades was impossible but eventually something clicked. Hope you find what works for you ❤️🩹 PS just to say if a neurotypical is giving you advice on brain-dumping, the point of reference will not be the same; neuroDs need an extra step with which to separate what is a thought and what is an incomplete action. NeuroTs don’t have those extra flailing thoughts (like what kind of garden would be safe for a cat, they just accept they won’t have a cat in an un-safe garden). Weird. I know. What it must be to have a quiet mind 😂
OMG! It’s 6:00 a.m. but I am not getting up for the day. I never got down for the night. My birthday was yesterday (70! I’m so proud! ) so I have been up tonight surfing UA-cam and eating the box of truffles my neighbor brought me. Self medicating? 😊 While watching your vids and Chinese Wuxia dramas. Thank god for subtitles. #1 inspiration from tonight: Clutter Catchers 😊What a great idea. Since I want them to be pretty, I will hit Goodwill, etc, later today because they always have great prices on miscellaneous baskets. Riffing off of that idea, I will also make a book basket for carrying books, iPad, phone, lists, eyeglasses, pens, etc, from room to room because those items spread and spawn if not controlled. And DISAPPEAR! Once again, thanks for the hacks. 👍❤️👩🏻🎨
I literally just texted my husband “remind me to switch the clothes to the dryer” lol he gets random lists from me all day. About an hour ago I sent him my “tomorrow” list. I will loose a hand written list. It took me 35yrs to realize I can’t have a physical list as much as I love writing it down.
Cass, the ADHD content is 🫶🏼 I know you had a late diagnosis, as did I. Mine was 9ish months before my husband & I separated. The anxiety, depression, OCD (& laundry) went sky high! As a now single mom of 4, I've been trying to get out of survival mode for a year & a half. There's SO MUCH STUFFFFF! Between watching you and Dawn, I've gotten so much hope & inspiration! My home, mindset, and ability to actually be present with my kids have some so far. I'm still a mess, but a progressing mess 💓 Thank you!
Hang in there...I was a single mom of 4, everyone is grown now and I HAVE FINALLY reached the point where I can slow down. Now im going through 20 years of stuff and the kids are helping me! They are all about throwing stuff away and it's so nice to have their permission! You are SO FORTUNATE to have this wonderful information NOW (it was too late for me).
I've been hyperactive since my toddler days and an insomniac since the age of 9. It's very likely I'm either (or both) ADHD or neurodiverse. But here's the thing: your advice to do a 'brain dump' every night is actually something I used to do for many years, and I paired it with the development of a skill: calligraphy. I had a calligraphy fountain pen and would practice my lettering while jotting down my thoughts and 'must remembers' every night. Got good at calligraphy, got a lot of praise for my 'handwriting' (although my non-pen handwriting is difficult to decipher). It really did help drain off the distractions so I could settle down (though it didn't help my ability to fall asleep significantly, just a little bit). I'm old. Like in my 70s old. I used to keep a chalkboard in my kitchen to jot down staples I had just run out of or food items I planned to use soon and needed to buy. Now I use a magnetic dry-erase board on my fridge. I never found padded lists to work for me, and these days all I have to do is take a photo of the fridge dry-erase board as I pass it going out. I'm a little too concerned about privacy and security concerns these days. It's not just illegal hacking, but resale by corporations that provide e-services like Alexa and government intrusion that I'm concerned about. So I minimize the electronic set-ups. I do use my smartphone to document upcoming events and to set alarms to remind me of things, but it's an inelegant network of independent actions. Like I said, I'm old; I'm retired, so I have very few demands on my time. I don't need so much integration with my electronics. Besides; I have an unusually sharp memory (that's that neurodiverse possibility I mentioned). Home projects are easy for me to get started on. I live in a 320sqft studio apartment. I cross the entirety of it every time I grab a snack or leave the apartment or go to the bathroom. I think the longest distance is maybe 25ft. I do put off things, but I consolidate items to pick up and carry to their spot since I do cross the apartment multiple times a day. And more and more the small space pushed me to clean, declutter, minimize purchasing, and put things away more often. A lot of maintenance is strategic; if you don't develop strategies, you will bury yourself. It's what to do, when to do it, how frequently to do it; plus it's just developing the discipline to do it. Mostly is recognizing 'no time like the present' and 'don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good'. OMG! Your 'toss the alarm across the room' hack reminded me of when I used to have to school, appointments, and employment. I would sleep through alarms. I used to have to 'test drive' alarms in the stores, to buy the ones with the most obnoxious sounds. Then when I set it at night I had to put it in different places each night across the room. If I left it within reach or even kept it in the same spot, I would turn it off and never wake up enough to even remember turning it off. I have tried 'body-doubling', but it tends to reduce to a social visit, so not much gets done. But here's something that HAS become helpful: An accountability partner. I have a best friend who now calls me (from 2,000 miles away!) to check in on my project progress. It's all to remind me time's a-wasting and to have me account to myself what I've been doing in the interim. She doesn't guilt me or criticize, just gives me encouragement and a positive view on what I have (or haven't) done since the last phone call. It does nudge me along. She calls me about every 10 to 15 days, which is enough to make a couple false starts and still accomplish something. Plus, I get to speak to my best friend of 50 years! I've spent literally 60 years learning about healthy foods and making healthy choices. I was that kid who liked broccoli and spinach and salads. So I mainly fill my home with healthy alternatives. Lots of nuts, dried fruits, smoothie supplies, fresh produce. I have canned soups and make soups from scratch. I'm not big on breads, but I do have candy bars in the freezer. I rely on eggs a LOT; so many ways to make a quick omelet. I was making a food shopping list this morning and DECIDED to leave off the potato chips; not nutritionally-dense enough to justify the cost or the space in my home. It's not just the sugars, but the amount and quality of fats and whether you're getting enough of the right fat, protein, and fiber. Jello does give you the proteins useful for hair and nails, but I eat full-sugar versions. I just can't stand the taste of sugar-free stuff. I haven't tried wireless headphones, but you make a good point to try them. I will say, I prefer quiet most of the time. Audiobooks and music has its attraction for me, but I usually find sound to actually interfere with the work I'm trying to do; it distracts me from putting my full attention on what I'm doing. But it's likely some audio entertainment might be helpful and enjoyable without competing with results, so I will have to experiment. I enjoy doing dishes. I like to do them first thing in the morning. It starts my day with a feeling of accomplishment. All I have to do is make certain I put all the dirty dishes and pans in to soak overnight. It's all about creating strategies and developing discipline. Some things are easier to be disciplined about if you match natural impulses to what needs doing. I liked another hack of yours to set an egg timer for 5 minutes and spend that working at something. The tendency to continue occurs so often and easily. What's really going on is getting past the initial argument with yourself of just getting started. We argue ourselves out of just starting. But if we turn a deaf ear to the inner argument and just start WHILE it's arguing, the internal Arguer quickly shuts up, and we get progress. I quickly went past the 'egg timer hack' to just 'puttering'. Did you know you can declutter NOT by setting a goal, but just by puttering at the edges of the clutter? Just putter for a minute or two; it's amazing how quickly that couple of minutes can turn into an hour, especially if you're ADHD. Don't think of the whole project, especially if it's a huge one; just putter at the edge of it. Soon, that internal Arguer is arguing with you NOT to stop, and it gets harder to stop than it did to start. Just concentrate on maybe a square foot or less, and next thing you know you did a cubic yard or two. Puttering works best on really BIG jobs, like reorganizing the kitchen cabinets or decluttering the garage or purging your wardrobe or tackling the stuffed storage room. Just do a little. Maybe a little more. Maybe come back to it this afternoon. Just a little more before your bedtime shower. Puttering can take over, and the next thing you know the BIG project is completed (or at least manageable). Clutter Catcher 👍👍👍 21-Item Toss 👍👍👍 Wall Hooks 👍👍👍
Thank You ! Love your ideas.. especially " puttering. . . around the edges" and how trying to convince yourself to stop works. I can't stand anyone trying to Tell Me What To Do, not even myself . Lol !
I enjoyed reading your long video comment. It was unusually well-written, so compliments. I aspire to have and work towards maintaining the described level of organisaiton you have, so your tips help me. Thank you!
As to your ‘explosive diarrhea’ story at the end… I worked at this crazy place when the sorbitol or whatever came out in Pringles, and it was a big deal. Someone brought them to work. They had verbiage on the back that they may cause loose stools. From then on they were known as ‘loose-stool’ Pringles.
It changes so much, doesn’t it? Struggles make sense, like you said, and then there are so many solutions out there from people with the same problem. Solutions that actually work, for a change.
SAME! Diagnosed female at the age of 48. I’m learning more everyday (Thank you, Clutterbug!!!❤) about my 😮bad habits & I find it really funny that I have, out of desperation, developed a lot of the same habits/ “hacks” simply as a coping/survival/maintaining technique.
Well, I just found you yesterday, and I have ADHD plus PTSD. I went and got a notebook so I can write things down that I hear from you. My problem with notebooks is I have about 30-40 and spend lots of time reading thru several trying to find my notes that I need and it's exhausting. I'm 69 and have trying for a long time to find someone like you! (Should be a song title) lol. Thank you for so much for helping my scattered brain.
@@susanlittle8794I have a 4×6" index card box with dividers that I use for notes. The index dividers are labeled with topics. Then each card has the subtopic at the top. It makes it easy to find things. (If you need more space, you could use 5x8 " cards.) For example, under the topic "clutter" I might have a card saying "5 Step Decluttering Process - (Dana K.White)" and another card "Decluttering Questions - Minimal Mom" with the questions listed underneath, etc. The reason this works so well for me is I can add and rearrange the notes as I like and I can have as many different topics as I want and still find my notes. I hope this helps you.
That taking hangers and sticking the empty ones in one spot is a life changer! I am not sure exactly how I started doing that years ago, but it truly does make a difference! Love that one simple thing…
going off the apron tip - I keep my shoes on until I'm absolutely done doing stuff for the day. If I'm wearing cozy socks or slippers my brain thinks I'm done - so the shoes go on first thing, and don't come off until I've accomplished the things (even computer work)
At home, for me its wearing a bra. If I need more personal assist than that, I dress up for chores as if I'm going to work away from home. If I start doing chores in my bathrobe or athleisure wear, I don't get near as much done. My mind says Vacation!
I have been struggling for the last 2 1/2 years literally spending hours a day trying to figure out what works for me and it’s nice to know that you came up with the same idea as I did I’m severely ADHD add that to menopause and three years ago I was a disaster… I’m on track now. Glad I found you. You’re simply delightful.
Omg yes! Menopause reeeeally cranked up all that is neurodivergent about me. İt's... A struggle. I always thought the older you get, the more naturally organized and together you get. Nope! Completely the opposite! Good to see I'm not alone 😂
There is a book... Helped me SO SO SO much as a newly diagnosed adult with ADD... YOU MEAN I'M NOT LAZY STUPID OR CRAZY? Kate Kelly and Peggy Ramundo. It's been called the Adult ADHD Bible, so you've likely heard of it, published in 93 so media will need some updating. But let me tell you, it changed my life. As well as baskets and bins. LOL! I think in categories, not individual items it makes the clutter WAY less of a problem What do you say when your partner says, "I don't know why you can't just put things away when you're finished with them?" I say, "I will!" Hahahahahaha!
At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, finding you - and Dana - has truly been life-changing for me. The idea that we all organize differently - 🤯!! I have been in a decluttering and organizing binge for 2 weeks now, since you showed up in my feed (thank you algorithm!) I’ve taken dozens of bags to the trash, and dozens more for donations. I’ve decided I’m a lady-cricket-bug - I literally shuddered (LOL) when you said, "don't worry about folding socks and underwear, just toss them in a basket or in a drawer."..... yeah, I'm the girl that has all of her socks folded the EXACT SAME LENGTH so they stack in the drawer, in order of how often they are worn. And my underwear is folded up like a little package and stacked by color in the drawer. chirp chirp LOL Thank you times a bajillion for all that you do for your grateful community!
You made me cry, (and I never cry because I was teased mercilessly as a kid for crying a lot). I’m 59 and just diagnosed. When you talked about how hard it is to physically get u and walk across the room to get started… that made me cry! I’m not alone. I’m not just lazy. I’m not bad, I’m different. It’s not because I CHOOSE to be different (which I do, but that’s a different thing), it’s because my brain is different, and no amount of willing, or berating, or just trying harder, or doing better, will magically make me “normal”. This has been an issue all my life, and now I know why!! Thank you so much for sharing!!❤️
The clutter catcher is a game changer. I rearranged all my baking spices and extracts in 1 basket. And all the spices we use daily in 1 basket. Now, when we bake or cook, we pull the basket then return it to cabinet when done. Game changer in that grandson who loves to cook, had problems putting things back when he's done. Now, no excuses. 😉
I grew up sorting laundry, just like you, but as my boys became teenagers their clothes were harder to tell apart and laundry truly became a chore to do. So a few years ago, we bought each of them a hamper and things just evolved into this routine where they bring down their hamper when it’s full, I refill it with the newly washed clothes, and they take it back to their rooms. I don’t have to make sure socks go to the right boy, I have WAY less clothes to fold, and I choose not to worry about whether or not THEY fold their clothes. It’s brilliant! Now I’m sitting here wondering why the hubby and I don’t do our clothes this way🤔.
I've been decluttering and organizing my whole house since January 1st, and I'm almost done. I'm so happy. I think I spent a small fortune in new furniture and organizing containers, but I'm so happy that the house is looking so much better and everything is getting its own place. Also, I clean my sheets every Monday and also bathe my dogs every Monday before they are aloud back on the bed. Lol. As I'm declucuttering, I'm taking it all over to my daughter's empty extra room for a yard sale this summer, and whatever doesn't sell is going straight out the road to the goodwill. Nothing is coming back into my house. I've gotten rid of some much stuff already. I'm so happy this was my New years resolution. And sticking with it.
Your videos work for body doubling! I spent most of the day emptying doom boxes, bags and baskets while the plylist of your videos played. Its motivating. Filled another trash bag with trash and a bag plus 2 totes of donations. I combine your methods with Dana's container method. I feel so much better saying my container says i cant kerp more and just throwing away things i usually would feel bad about wasting. It works.
I have narcolepsy, so I am tired ALL the time, and it definitely makes it hard to get things done. Like you, I also put every little thing in my calendar: taking meds, pulling meat out to thaw, calling to make an appoint, ordering refills, etc. That's what keeps me on task.
I thought I had ADHD… after decompressing from being a nurse since 97, I don’t seem to have it. 😅😂❤ My house is the way I’ve always wanted…. I have nothing to declutter and no Knick Knacks to keep moving around to clean under my wardrobe is 10 summer spring dresses, 10 transitional dresses for 50-70 degrees. 4 skirts 4 blazers, 4 denim jackets 10 base layer tops (sleeveless, sleeves, T -shirts) I have to go through my shoes… 40 pairs..20 I haven’t worn in years. I’m still watching to see what I can get rid of. I have one expensive king size sheet set for now. My life is sooo much better with empty shelves and cardboards/ cabinets and drawers/ closets. ❤ all the best!
While I don't have ADHD, I do have a severe brain injury from a nasty car wreck (where memory can be a booger sometimes!) -- these hacks are awesome, and so completely doable!!! You have the amount of pep that helps get me going, and you have simple answers to problems ... oh my goodness, I SO appreciate your channel!! Thank you so much!! New subscriber!!
I'm 54 and the more I learn about ADHD, the more I wonder if I'm undiagnosed. I'm almost sure my mom was undiagnosed. I love your tips and will be implementing many of them. Thanks Cass!!
I'm same age ADHD gal and when we were growing up, it wasn't a known diagnosable disorder. Yet somehow 90% or more of us learned to manage on our own. For some context, I've trained horses since I was a kid and also became a high school teacher. My students were the ones with "behavior" issues who didn't do well in regular classroom settings. It was amazing what we could do with some classroom tweaks. My theory on why so many kids are diagnosed these days is twofold: ADD/ADHD became trendy, now it's autism that's trendy. We ALL can check some yes boxes on diagnostic scales for both, doesn't mean we have either. Sadly, there is now a disorder to excuse any behavior. Personal responsibility has become passe. Secondly, kids from kindergarten on are forced to sit in desks most of the time now at school instead of running around being kids. This is in spite of brain based research proving that's not the way. I love videos like this that teach real world strategies to help us cope and function well with ADD/ADHD. Finally, research has shown it is primarily hereditary. There can be other factors in play, but when you talk to parents and grandparents, they usually have many of the same struggles, they're just undiagnosed.
A bigger hack for laundry for me has been not doing my kids' laundry. I *accidentally* came across the opportunity to delegate laundry to my kids when they were 4 and 6 years old. I haven't washed, sorted, folded, or put away anyone's clothing but my own for the last 9 years! It's been glorious and laundry has become a non-event. Today, we are a family with 6kids (blended family), and I literally only wash my own clothing and the household towels. That's it.
once my mom accidentally shrank a completely new shirt in the laundry. i was sad and i also realized i cant be upset with her, i should be grateful she did my laundry. from that day on i did my own laundry :D
I am 56 amd was diagnosed with ADD at age 20 .Life is hard enough with clutter. I have declutterd on my personal journey since 2019 and still working on it. IT never really ends.
One of the things I do when I don't have the dopamine to do a lot of cleaning then I will create a scavenger hunt list, I look around and see what is the things that are all over the place and need to be picked up, I have a Dollar Tree laundry basket that I carry around with me. So then on a commercial break of what I am watching I have to get up and rush around to pick up as many items as I can, so one commercial break is picking up all the dishes, put in the laundry basket as I go and put them all in the sink with dishwater in then I go back to what I was watching. Then on the next commercial break I'd do the next thing on the list. It keeps me being able to watch the shows I want and still get stuff done. When the list is done or I need a break from running around the house then I do some dishes. I put a timer on if I need to the average length of a commercial break if I'm having a problem with the amount of time.
I have used the same tactic with commercials since I was young. I wasn’t diagnosed with adhd until my late 30s/early 40s so I just thought I was lazy and suffered from a disorganized brain when i was younger. Each time a commercial came on, I would jump up and do what I could before the show I was watching came back on. This was my way of cleaning and it worked well for me for many years. I’ve also discovered that using my earbuds (while at work) and listening to “whitenoise” or rain videos on UA-cam tricks my brain and distracts it enough to get certain tasks done and accomplished that I normally would have trouble completing. I don’t know why, but it has definitely worked for me and seems to lesson the distractions (or my focus to them) so I can concentrate.
I'm messy but grouping unused hangers has always been a pet peeve of mine. I have adhd and autism so the hangers out of order drives me crazy hahaha lots of love from Brazil 🇧🇷 ❤️ 💕
A TO DONE list is great!! Don't make list you never do and judge yourself on what you haven't done . Just make a to done list a list of everything you have done today!! It is great to go back over and realize how much you have actually done
I always add a couple of things I've already done, so I have the satisfaction of seeing a couple of ticks. Yesterday I even borrowed the washing that my hubby had done and hung out and ticked that off too. Delegation counts too 😊 The dopamine hit is real
Also diagnosed late and learned so much, so late because I hadn’t taken permission to do things weirdly, but in ways that work for me. Many of your hacks are things I have figured out. Except laundry. Sorting carefully saves my clothes so getting dressed is easier because my basic pieces are in good shape. AND, folding is my zen time. So soothing. The one thing I took from Marie Kondo that made me more successful and not guilty.
I’ve never thought to use my phone to remind me of tidying tasks! I use it for recurring commitments but never thought to use it for cleaning. Thank you. This is amazing!
Thank you so much for this video. As an adult who is looking around at others who seem to have no struggles with home maintenance, I’ve been beating myself up pretty badly. I’ve recently discovered I believe I have ADHD. Thank you for the tips and sharing about the dopamine deficiency. That makes so much sense! I hope to implement a few steps at the time and maybe just learn how to live with this instead of feeling buried under it. Please don’t stop making these videos!
Thank you Thank you, Thank you! I enjoy your advice and videos! I felt like this is what may be going on with me and now I know it is just that! ADD I don't think I have the h pary. Nothing hyper snout this girl that has MS , FIBRO, DEPRESSION and more! I just need a starting point now! Idk where to begin, honestly..... I'll replay the video!
Love this video! I picked up some very helpful tips that I will be incorporating into my housekeeping routine 😊 One tip that I would like to share is to set a timer on your phone when your dryer will be finished. That way you can get your clothes out before they wrinkle. My laundry room is upstairs and I never hear the dryer alarm go off.
I do that! Not so much to avoid wrinkles, but mainly so I remember to get my laundry done before I go to bed...so I have clothes to wear in the morning! 😄
Lots of great ideas here for anyone who is neurodiverse! Timers can be super helpful! As for the sugar-free goodies, it *sounds* like such a good idea but it really isn't. Aside from the fact that many of them are, as you said, very *laxative* in nature, there is a lot of evidence that your brain is unable to tell the difference and therefore wants more and more (and will be fine with more and more things that have real sugar too). This is also the case with Olestra (a fake fat that is banned here in Canada but still available in some countries). It isn't absorbed and just passes through you, so zero calorie potato chips. Yay, right? But rats fed Olestra who don't gain weight from those foods also overeat on regular fat-containing foods. And it also has the same sort of uncomfortable side effects as the sugar free stuff. Bloating, cramping, you know. Nobody likes being the lady who has a little pee leakage when she laughs. Even less fun would be being the lady with the liquid farts!
True story! Those fake sugars basically train your taste buds to crave more and more. It's better to cut it out entirely, because then, after a while, your natural "sweet detector" dials itself back, and things that once didn't seem sweet enough can begin to taste perfectly sweet, and take care of the craving. It's like the low-fat fad from the early 90s. They took the fat out of food, (replaced it with texturizers, sweeteners and fake fats), but those low-fat foods didn't satiate, so people ate more and more because "hey, it's low-fat!". But people gained weight over time, from over-consuming low-fat foods because - surprise! - it turns out we need fat. Not getting enough will make you hungry and crave food constantly. Same thing with fake sugars. We actually need sugar (glucose, specifically) to feed our brains. But over-consumption of fake sugars is a slippery slope. And that's before you factor in the 💩 side effects. Or the fact that some fake sugars like xylitol, are toxic to animals. So if your pet gets into them, it can literally kill them. Not something I want in my house.
I get stomach upset from just sugar free gum if I chew the pack. I watch Bobby Parrish and some others that explain whats in most products and try to find stevia products vs other fake sugar and lower calorie snacks. I have more energy and less bloat
So good!!! For the food hack- I’m going to recommend chia seeds! If you grab a yogurt, add chia seeds. That banana split? Add chia seeds. If you like fruit smoothie bowls or oatmeal or shakes…add chia seeds! They help you stay fuller, longer. 👍🏼
Chia seeds are pure magic. I make a fast bircher muesli every morning using rolled oats, chia seeds and combination of seeds, oat milk, yoghurt and maple syrup (the real thing) and it's amazing and keeps me full - I get so hungry in the mornings 😆
Thank you for validating things for me, like hanging clothes on hooks. I frequently put robes, flanels that I'musing as jackets, etc. Using the delay wash. I usually set that up to run all night and finish mid-morning. Using a notebook instead of a planner. I learned to brain dump a long time ago. I used to use post it notes or notepads and that got messy when they were laying everywhere. Now I use a cheap spiral notebook so it stays together and I can also find the previous days to see if I need to forward something to another day that I've forgotten about. The back couple of pages I use for things I need to remember a bit later on or keep on the back burner at least. I use Alexa to remind me to let the dog out among other things.
I do your apron thing and I’m ready to clean. It also helps me prep the vegetables I’m brought home and I have less work later. Love you, Cas. You’re great.
Triple ADHD family, and we love your videos so much!!! For those of us who have already discovered Alexa, please don’t say her name, especially loudly and clearly, in your videos! I don’t have a sourdough starter, but now I DO have a reminder to feed one! I’m kind of tempted to leave it, so my husband will wonder if I simply have a new project… 🙃❤
Heck, I haven't changed my sheets since before Christmas, and I'm still alive! 😆 Thanks for all your help with the ADHD stuff, it's nice to find a community that gets it. ❤
I have an ex colleague who was shocked that I changed mine every two weeks at that time! I was shocked that she changed hers twice a week!! And changed her towels out EVERY DAY. Waste of water.
Fwiw: I’m terribly erratic with changing sheets….finally just did it after who knows how long…..and I’m sleeping SOOOO much better. Going to take Cas’s advice on how she remembers, and looking forward to better sleep consistently.
This is absolutely one of the best cleaning/organizing videos I've ever seen. And, I SO LOVED your dancing around/exercising - it made me so happy!! Thank you so much for this. I loved it!!
As a nurse, I often gave patients a dose of sorbitol as a laxative. It was almost the last resort. (Warm prune juice with milk of magnesia will do it for sure). Many people are unaware of why they suffer from diarrhea when they eat healthy, but unfortunately, it's the additives like sorbitol, and not all food companies include a warning. Speaking of milk of magnesia, be cautious of antacids that contain magnesium. If you overdo them, you'll do a fine impression of Mt. Vesuvius.
I’ve had ADHD since childhood. I am everything you are talking about. My main problem is finding a routine that will work for me! Thank you for your videos and ideas to get me going!
As a diabetic, I know the sugar free candy problem VERY well. Jelly Belly jelly beans are really bad, too. Get a bidet. We installed a cheap one from WalMart. Game changer.
I usually do my own laundry, but sometimes my mom has helped me out by either putting in the dryer for me, or by taking it out of the dryer. Sometimes when she would take it out of the dryer, she would flatten all the shirts and pants out so they stack on each other instead of doing a big pile of clothes. I feel like this can be really helpful because even if I don’t put away my laundry right away, it keeps my shirts wrinkle free until I can get to it. It’s also much easier to visualize exactly how much you have to put away and usually looks a lot smaller and more approachable than a jumbled mess!
The one thing that finally got me exercising daily: the Apple Watch and those silly little rings. Every time I look at my watch, I can see them; they make it obvious whether or not I've exercised enough for the day. It's a surprisingly good motivator! As for healthy eating, I "put my blinders on" in the store and literally avoid looking at the snack, baked goods, processed food, and candy aisles. I've told my family they can buy those things if they must but *don't* tell me about it and hide it in their room! Time restricted eating has also helped a lot (gradually reducing your "eating window" to 6-8 hours a day)...it's amazing how much weight you can lose if you ditch one meal a day, plus there are other health benefits. Thanks for all the great videos!
I use the notes app on my phone to make to do lists, shopping lists and any information I want to have handy like my dog’s microchip info, recipes, etc. it’s always with me. I use the calendar app to remind me of appointments etc. so I don’t need a command center.
I do this too. In addition, for each accomplished item, I type in caps the word DONE. Easy to see on my list and feels like I actually did something during the day. Helps tremendously!😊
So helpful and encouraging!! My father in law passed away recently and I just don't have motivation and am super tired. But I gotta do the things. Thank you 💖
Cass, you just made my day! I love your videos, but the staying for after, thanks for hanging around ,the best thanks for sharing. I hope you’re doing well. Please keep us updated. You help all of us so much with your kindness and your cheerfulness. I pray everything’s going well.
I love your videos and this is not an exception. So many good tips even if I don't have adhd. Thanks for filming great content and having so many tips that are actually workable and realistic. For me it made a huge difference to have some fruit out on the table and the cookies hidden. Having some apples washed on the table makes it easier for my family to grab that instead of going to the pantry and getting a cookie. Another trick I do is to have fruit or veggies with dip first, then I treat myself to a cookie or a piece of chocolate afterwards. This way I am satisfied with one piece (instead of the whole package). And now I am off getting a clutter catcher. I love that idea. Thanks again.
I am 44 with ADHD, 5 children with ADHD, and a Husband with ADHD. Most my children are grown now, but i am honestly impressed with how many of your hacks i am currently doing already....they say great minds think alike. The hangers, laundry baskets, bins, etc.. i mean almost everything, The one thing i have added added last year was yoga, it's amazing. I now do it morning and night, and sometimes a workout mid day. I use you-tube video's, sometimes do 10 minutes sometimes 1 hour. Its been crazy how much it has helped my symptoms. Also ive been adding learning a new hobbie or interst. Thank you. You have a great inspirational additude fornus fellow ADHDers
Your channel brings me so much joy and inspiration. It would be a dream to see you collaborate with Jessica from "How to ADHD" channel here on UA-cam. You both are so warm and positive, plus you're spreading awareness and inspiring others with mental barriers!! 😃❤️
😱 OMG!!! R we the SAME FREAKING PERSON 😮?!? I am new to ur channel but I already know how FABULOUS U R!!! I was recently diagnosed with ADHD & am also a woman who’s “40ish” & I have almost every ADHD symptom possible & now, while watching this video I’ve realized that I must’ve developed (at least some if not all) ways to cope/survive/maintain the condition. I have LOVED each of ur videos so far, but I have to say that this one is frighteningly on point 😂! Ty for taking the time to make an ADULT ADHD organizational & lifestyle hacks video 😊🎉😊
Sue Wolfe- Cass, your decluttering 21 items in 5 minutes is such a great idea! I just tried it and it gave me such incentive to keep on going. What a fantastic idea!! 👏 👍❤️
What is her name - the woman who started with cleaning your kitchen sink? I just cannot recall - great ideas! Oh, yeah -- The FlyLady! I really love your Brain-Dump - that should really help!
To add to your tip about reminders for cleaning time, I love the Sweepy app. You can use the free version, but after a year I finally switched to paid and I love it. It generates a cleaning schedule for me so I don't have to go hunting for what needs doing, and it will assign tasks to various family members. You can set difficulty levels of tasks, which people can do which tasks, how often things need to be done, how much you're willing to do a day, and it'll make a plan (that you can adjust as needed). I love it. Sugar-free isn't the magic answer. Many sugar substitutes are worse for you, even if you're diabetic. Honey and agave are good, but for more flavor get the full-fat versions of things. The number of calories doesn't matter; the quality of those calories does. Calories are energy, so you need them, but get them from fat, protein, and complex carbs. Skip the gimmicky "health" foods like everything you mentioned, because they're just swapping in something that's not as good.
I am always mistified that people put their clean laundry in the dirty laundry basket to transport back to put it away. Also when you can't tolerate the sorbitol or mannitol in foods means you have a fodmaps health problem.
These tips are amazing! I am Autistic, ADHD and OCD and can relate to these a lot. I personally love the timer idea and then throwing it so I have no choice but to go get it. ☺
I cook for one, so when I make a casserole I divide it into 4 servings and put it in small containers. This causes portion control and makes it easy to pick dinner every night. Also cutting up veggies and putting them in sandwich bags makes a convenient healthy snack. And last, of all, I hit the snooze button each morning and this makes me get up and make my bed before the alarm goes off again. That way I start the day already finishing something.
The not-sorting laundry hack is amazing. I used to have piles and piles of laundry but now its so much easier and the clean laundry no longer sits in the living room for days until I finally put it away. Timers are also so helpful, even for those of us who don't have ADHD.
I am blown away by this video. I have ADHD and copied this link and mailed it to myself. I figured a few of them before by myself. Now I know why a few failed. Out of sight, out of mind.
Love this! I do a bunch of these already, but it's nice to know IT IS possible to have a tidy house AND have ADHD. My calendar and lists are on my fridge too, but wipe-off boards. One's a calendar and one looks like a piece of lined paper, I LOVE them. I can take a pic of them and then head to the store and not forget stuff.
The motivation thing you said with the low dopamine is so helpful cause I thought it was just a me thing... Wow, now I know I just need to keep moving forward. It's easier when you understand what is wrong because now you're like oh it's the ADHD acting up, let me just power through
Cas, thank you for the best video filled with helpful tips on ADHD in the home. I have ADHD and just never want to do anything. Since I found you and Dana my house is finally getting decluttered a little each day and more cleaning is being done. I love the simple snack ideas and know I’m thinking what I can eat that’s not all sugary. More ideas please!
I've just added Tidy Up Time alarms to my phone. Thanks! 😊 Must try your hanger thing too. I set Wednesday as my wash towels and sheets day back when the kids were toddlers, as I found the weekends were often full of things that we would do as a family - and we didn't really use a dryer unless it was raining. (Actually, since moving to Queensland, we don't even have a dryer - it I really do have to stay on top of washing so I'm not left with a smelly mess. Right, off to add the kids sheets to the machine! 😁).
Hey Cas, for adhd, No-Sugar candies and sugar free things don't work. They satisfy you for the moment because of the taste, but when the brain goes to use the sugar it thought you ate, and it can't find it, then it makes you crave sugar all the more (and might even make you moody). Instead if eating sugar free, here is your permission Cas, to do full on sugar, BUT only if you have a protein first. So a babybel cheese or a boiled egg or a meat snack or a (real sugar)Greek yogurt cup, or a handful of nuts. Protein first, then sugar.
@@bellagreen6660 Protein increases dopamine in a different way than sugar does, not just a quick trigger, but actually providing the amino acids that build the neurotransmitters that produce dopamine. So more amino acids mean more dopamine, and a more efficient neuro-network it also helps blood sugar to stabilize, and prevents sugar spikes and crashes, which cause you to want more and more and more sugar. So while sugar is a quick, temporary dopamine spike, you have to grab cookie after cookie after cookie to keep it flowing. But protein first prevents that surge so the dopamine is more of a slowburn and gives you that feeling of contentment, and since the blood sugar is more stabilized, sugar after protein doesn’t have the same effect as it does alone, so , it contributes to the dopamine flow, and you need and want less.
As an ADHDer, I felt so much of this deep into my soul! You hit so many nails on the head with the reasons we do things the way we do and how to combat them. Your gummy bear story had me rolling. Thank you for your honesty with All The Things™️!
Cas, I started using a new hack a while back that had has me reduce the clothes clutter problem. When I'd take something off that could be worn a second time, I'd put it away (inside out) . That way clothes would be out of sight. Shirts, pants, shirts and even PJs. I'd know before putting it back on. It was a success
Yeah a lot of things can contribute to executive function issues. I definitely have ADHD. Oh saw my doctor by the way last year. You encouraged me too. Things are going good. My brain is still my brain. Educating myself and hearing what has worked for others has definitely made the biggest impact on me. Knowing I am not the only one who struggles with these things makes me feel better and also I have helped others know they aren't alone. So many of us out there.
Thank you for mentioning moving the veggies and fruit up. I have never understood putting them in a deep drawer at the bottom of the fridge. My carrots end up under my lettuce then go bad. So many people have fought me on this idea. I don’t get it.
The head phones were a life changer for me. However, I don’t use them to turn off my brain. I use them to keep my brain occupied on one thing. It helps me keep from getting distracted and starting something else when I’m doing mindless tasks.
LOL I just watched an interior designer say hooks ruin your spaces. He doesn’t get that I can put my coat on my chair or have it hanging. The bonus is when I have hooks I get to use my chair.😆
@@brittanyt729 what a strange idea from the interior designer! Mind you, too many houses I've gone in are clearly not designed by people who live in houses...
Thanks for the helpful tips! I already implement quite a few of these! I actually use the timer on my stove to keep me on track! I have a tip that works for me and hopefully will help others. I too keep my empty hangers together in my closet and pull them out when I'm ready to wash clothes. My tip is put clothes on hangers straight out of the dryer! This works particularly well if you have a bar to hang them on but I've even laid them on top of the washing machine and scooped them up when I was done! It is a life changer! Blessings of love and light to all!
Casals I love how you embrace your ADHD & how you provide us with functional hacks that involve this ADHD nightmare that I also have been diagnosed with
Thanks for sharing your tips. It took me nearly 50 years to figure out that I have ADHD. Perhaps it's because I thought it doesn't apply to a middle age mom. I always thought I was just a scatterbrained person, always a bit behind. But hearing you explain it, it all makes sense! Now I know why I love wireless ear buds. I'm listening to you while cleaning my laundry room that was so neglected. I'm wearing shoes and an apron, too!
I have adhd. At 55 I have only just recognised it! Also ASD. Your inspiration has helped me to sort my house SO MUCH! My bedroom is looking amazing! All thanks to you. Sending so much love from wales UK xxx
I am considered ADD and while I’ve gotten a lot better over the years at “ adulting“ decluttering can still be difficult for me so I love the 21 item rule and I’m going to start implementing that this week. I’ve already done little things in my routine to try to streamline, keeping my house clean like a five or 10 minute rule of just going from room to room and picking up and lightly cleaning things and doing a couple of light chores, but not committing to fully cleaning the house all at once, wearing myself out and burning myself out mentallyand thank you for these tips. They are very helpful and motivate me to streamline my organizing and cleaning duties.
❤ I love how encouraging you are. I think your podcasts are so helpful because you are so honest about not being "perfect." And I love your sense of humor... even if it does get gross, once in a while. Your sugar-free gummy ordeal reminded me of a cherry-picking experience when I was young... never forgot it (and I won't eat more than a half dozen cherries at a time, either! 😊 ) Thanks for being there! Laurie
Laundry room hack that I like is hanging a shower curtain rod somewhere in the laundry room with hangers. That way they can be carried straight from that bar to each bedroom. 😀👍
I knew there was a reason I loved the way you explain things so much. It's because our brains are similar. Thank you for making a video that is geared to people with ADHD. I find it really helpful. And I'm also glad to see someone else using the timer across the room hack.
After showing this video to my family last week, today our 7-year-old daughter told her dad, “I really don’t feel like cleaning, but the girl in that video said putting on an apron can help so can I try that?” Thank you for always keeping it real and making us feel like we are not alone! We appreciate you
I bought a friend an apron that was nice with 3 pockets and I don't want to ask if she uses it, but it does help some.
Oh my gosh, how adorable is that? 🤩
So adorbs! 🥰
That's the Spirit! 🥳
The end was killing me!!! Lol. Fellow ADHDer here. ❤
This is so precious!!!!!
This 73 year old lady needed this video! When I was younger I was a organizer cleaning machine. Now everything hurts and it’s a struggle to just move. Thank you for your help and support. ❤ You are loved and needed so much. Plus you lift my spirits to the moon 🌚, you make me laugh 😂.
I am 73, also, and have chronic pain issues. I hate not feeling productive.
I'm 40 and I have rheumatoid Arthritis and the lack of productivity at my age over the last five years takes a huge toll on your mental health.
Right? I’ll be 70 in December and it’s the same for me!
Try carnivorous eating.
I am 79, I have not been productive since Hurricane Ian in 22. The trauma and the damages to my home and to my mental health and physical abilities have worn me down.
I have ADHD and I use many of these hacks I learned from you! Thank you! I did learn another hack about hanging shirts. After getting clothes out of drying, lay a shirt flat on the bed, then lay each shirt over the top of the last, so they are in a pile. Grab your hangers and slip one in on the top shirt and fold it down, proceed to do one after the other. After you are done, grab the hangers and and put the shirts in the closet all at once. It saves me so much time and now I don’t mind putting clothes away as much.
ADHD'er here and I love this!! This is absolutely ADHD friendly. It's autopilot friendly too!
That's how I do shirts and it's awesome.
What!? How have Iived so long without figuring this out?
I am sorry I didn't get it.
Thank you!
You are my body double. I put your videos on while I clean and declutter. My husband walked in and watched a few minutes. He said, "so, it's you?" When you describe yourself, it is usually similar to me. You get me motivated to work because you are so relatable and not trying to be perfect.
I love this idea thanks
One great tip i recently discovered: get one of those mesh laundry bags (for delicates) and put dirty socks in there. They stay in the bag while washing and drying and you never have to search for that disappearing match!
I do this too 😊 Each family member has their own bag. It's been game changing for me.
You're a genius
I safety pin mine together when I take them off. I was a little hesitant at first, in case one came out in the wash - but it's been about a year now with no issues, and it's been an absolute game changer. I didn't realise how much looking for the matching sock stressed me out until I never had to anymore!
I have to laugh about not folding laundry. I found out that I’m a folder, folding is a self comforting behavior for me. Once I realized this about myself, laundry became easy. I used to try to “streamline” and be efficient by not folding, but then I ended up not doing laundry at all because it was all just chaos anyway. I love tidy drawers and neat packets of clothing. Once I gave into my quirky behavior, laundry became a non-issue. My daughter calls me a “folding ninja” haha! I even fold my reusable grocery bags and plastic and paper bags. Sometimes just being ok with being weird can help us move forward🤪
Sheets are so much easier with a spare set for each bed. If you can change them all at once and then wash and put away when convenient, it eliminates the "well shoot it's time for bed and all the sheets are wet in the washing machine" problem. And makes it feel like less of a project!
I'm the opposite. One set of sheets per bed, so I have to wash and dry in the same day, and I never have to fold them. And I love sleeping in freshly laundered sheets. I prefer pressed sheets, but I'm not crazy enough to iron mine! Lol
@@rv6847 well, I was very happy to have a spare set of sheets when my dog puked in my bed in the middle of the night! 🤢
Yes, there are a lot of things that I feel more like doing if I have 2 so that I don't feel like I have to do the whole thing now, and so I'm more likely to tackle it.
I love that we can accomplish these goals by adapting, adopting and “tricking our brain” to work with us rather than being the “fun kid” who fluffs off. My trick is I strip the bed and use it as my folding area - the last thing to be wadded/rolled/folded are the sheets. Then I make the bed and at that I am done with both laundry and bed. I can talk myself into and out of all sorts of household chores but I have to have sheets etc on the bed before I lay down so it is one way to motivate aka force myself to put clean laundry away.
@@rv6847 I used to prefer it that way when it was just one bed in my house. Now it's too much of a monkey wrench if I forget until the kids are on their way to bed. It's just nice to learn what works for our individual brains/lives!
I have multiple sets of sheets so that putting clean sheets on the bed and washing the sheets are separate tasks, it makes it much easier. I don't have to have remembered to wash the sheets earlier the same day in order to put clean sheets on the bed, I just get clean sheets from the closet and throw the dirty ones into the laundry, and then my laundry process takes care of the dirty ones!
You have a “laundry process”? Color me envious!
Great tips. My tip is to remove those tomatoes from your fridge. Apples in the fridge, tomatoes on the counter. A cold apple is a crisp apple and a cold tomato has a ruined flavor and texture. ❤
I want to thank you again for helping my daughter motivate. She struggles with depression and anxiety and recently diagnosed ADHD at age 33. We are moving and she found you a month or so ago. She bought and read your books, and she super organized fridg etc. And so proud of her for getting rid a 1/3 of her and her spouses things. She says she couldn't have done it without you ! Words can't express gratitude 🙏 ✨️
My daughter too....she organized pantry, it might slide a bit, but she tries. Sometimes I feel a gain here is a slide there but that's life.
As an ADHD'er myself... I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how much you publicly embrace it and talk about it. And how you're helping to educate people on it!
Thank you so much!!! We love you!!
I so agree with the ADHD THING… And the CLUTTER CATCHER….. is the BEST!!! I will be watching this many times 😊
This was great!😊
You are hilarious. “Run to the boarder” moment. Instead of explosions. 😂😂
One thing I started recently is leaving a post-It note on my basement door for things I need to do or items I need to bring up the next time I go down.
As someone with serious (non-ADHD) brain shenanigans, my life motto is "make doing the right thing as easy as possible" - and this is some good stuff.
One that may not work for everyone is that I leave my elliptical out in the middle of my bedroom (rather than in an exercise room in the basement) and have been training myself to respond to feeling bored by hopping on the elliptical for a minute or two. Not a "workout", just fifty steps. Sometimes it turns into a workout. Sometimes it doesn't. That's fine. It's still fifty more steps than I had before, and my fitness tracker records it so it counts.
Edit: Also while I'm here - fellow Butterflies (and Bees), it is possible to buy minifridges with giant windows on the front. One of these in the home office filled with berries and baby carrots works great for helping increase one's fruit and vegetable intake.
That is a very cool idea! I want to do the same thing with an exercise bike!
Great idea!!!
Brain shenanigans… love it! 😂 I’m using that from now on!
Sounds brilliant to me
So smart!!
I decided one day to stop worrying about folding laundry and just worry about putting it away, and honestly best decision I've ever made.
Does it get wrinkled?
Too bad we don’t live together….i love folding! 😂
Years ago I worked in a clothing store with a wall, floor to ceiling of levis….I loved working on that wall, refolding what customers messed up, but putting things away…ugh, it’s the folding that makes it easier for me because I’m adding to my stack of already folding tees, or pants….but the folding is my favorite part.😊
I’ve gotten to the point where the only clothing I fold is pants because of my space but also it’s the easiest item to fold for me. I hang all my tops in my closet. I throw undergarments in a little drawer because I have no reason to fold them at all. I do like to ball up my socks but mostly because I find it fun! 😂
One of your amazing tips from a previous video on Motivation has really stuck in my head. I’ll be sitting here with zero motivation, unable to even think about tackling my house. Then I remember what you said. “A body at rest tends to stay at rest and a body in motion tends to stay in motion”. So I tell myself to just get up and pick up one or two items and see where that leads. It is amazing! You have given me a great tool and I sincerely appreciate you for it! Thank you so much and keep the tips coming. You are brilliant. Take care and have a Blessed day ❤️
Wow ive got to try that
Back in my early 20s I knew I had ADHD but I was clueless about what that meant. I knew what mainstream society knew.
But I did notice that I wouldn't clean unless I rearranged my entire room/apartment in the process.
Cleaning for the sake of cleaning never worked for me.
But if I went to just vacuum up this one bit of broken glass real quick...
Next thing I knew, the whole house was clean and it was 6 hours later.
Now I'm 36 and I've learned that I have a better chance of vacuuming the whole house (who am I kidding, it's a tiny studio apartment lol 😆) with a dust buster, than my normal stick vacuum or with Oreo, my Roomba.
So that's a "hack" I use. If an ADHD person is ACTUALLY CLEANING but it takes them 2 hours with the dust buster...
Let them.
Don't tell them to stop or that the big vacuum is better.
The cleaning tool in your hand THAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY USING is aleats better than the cleaning tool you won't pick up and use.
Even if it's not conventional or it takes 3 times longer.
So now I don't get mad at myself for not being like others. I know what works best for my kind of brain and I just go with it.
@@thehuntressdanni2972 That is so true! I will sometimes use a broom on my carpet because I don't want to lug the big vacuum around. I bought myself a Swiffer WetJet for my kitchen and bathroom floors because I hate using a mop and bucket! I recently read this quote from Arthur Ashe: "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." That's been my mantra for 2023 so far! Thank you for sharing this.
@Mary Wimbley omg I do that too or I use anything that could be sort of a cloth if it's available in that room. If I have to go to another room to get a cloth I won't do it. I've just moved my stick vaccum upstairs so I don't have to lug my floor one up the stairs!
@@thehuntressdanni2972 That resonates so much. I recently wanted to reorganize my study and started moving furniture around. Before I knew it I was telling myself "Might as well paint the walls too while I'm about it". Luckily I caught myself in time: "Noooooo you've got ADHD & perfectionism: just rearrange the furniture and be happy with that".
This is like Fly Lady + A Slob Comes Clean + How to ADHD and I am *here for it*! 🎉
Your tips are also very helpful if you're low energy, e. g. due to depression or if you're paralyzed with perfectionism. 🙏🏼
What I do for getting up and doing things is I give myself a count down. I literally say out loud "You're have to get up and do stuff in 3...2...1!!" It helps so much!
"Color Catchers" are helpful when washing everything together, especially when including reds.
I use them when washing new dark jeans, and when washing the quilts I make.
I’d never heard of these! Bless you for the game-changing suggestion ❤
They are great cause I don't need to separate my clothes.
Colour catchers have changed my life.
I love how I already did like half of these before I even started looking into ADHD. I've gone 33 years without knowing I have ADHD and am now so happy to find videos like this to help me even more. Something I found out: ADHD + an anxiety disorder does not mesh well with to-do lists/"brain dumping".
I'm the same been doing bits of these for a while and highly suspect I have adhd
Me too but I do keep a notebook and pen by bed and write things down...sometimes I forget to look/take it with me when I go to work, but it still reminds me to pay something or buy something. Nothing is perfect.
Brain dumping is more of a release, clear your head type thing. If the weight carries to the paper, it’s not a brain dump, it’s planning. Occasionally, things to action will fall out on the paper.
For work I have a pad that I write my ‘oh, just remembered, must not forgets’ (so I only write down when I think of it ~ this can range from phone client, to mtg at 3 tomorrow to don’t forget washing powder on way home), then I started leaving a blank notebook on the side table which ends up with brain-dumps ‘really need to re-org kitchen laundry but I’m still sad next door’s cat got hurt I’m so glad we don’t have pets it would break my heart I wonder what kind of garden would be safe oh wow just found a beautiful house in Village X oh I should really change my tv unit oh look at that beautiful range in the catalogue/on-line store’.
Quite extreme examples but this is how I differentiate between a brain-dump (stop carrying all the info in your head) and a to-do-list (really must remember).
Just to say, now in my late 40s and separating either in my first 3 decades was impossible but eventually something clicked.
Hope you find what works for you ❤️🩹
PS just to say if a neurotypical is giving you advice on brain-dumping, the point of reference will not be the same; neuroDs need an extra step with which to separate what is a thought and what is an incomplete action. NeuroTs don’t have those extra flailing thoughts (like what kind of garden would be safe for a cat, they just accept they won’t have a cat in an un-safe garden).
Weird. I know. What it must be to have a quiet mind 😂
Because these are basic and I actually don’t think most of these are ADHD friendly.
Brain dumping is not a to-do list. It is a circuit breaker. Put the brain turmoil on paper and do something else more productive like wash the dishes.
OMG! It’s 6:00 a.m. but I am not getting up for the day. I never got down for the night. My birthday was yesterday (70! I’m so proud! ) so I have been up tonight surfing UA-cam and eating the box of truffles my neighbor brought me. Self medicating? 😊 While watching your vids and Chinese Wuxia dramas. Thank god for subtitles.
#1 inspiration from tonight: Clutter Catchers 😊What a great idea. Since I want them to be pretty, I will hit Goodwill, etc, later today because they always have great prices on miscellaneous baskets. Riffing off of that idea, I will also make a book basket for carrying books, iPad, phone, lists, eyeglasses, pens, etc, from room to room because those items spread and spawn if not controlled. And DISAPPEAR!
Once again, thanks for the hacks. 👍❤️👩🏻🎨
Thank You! Great ideas! I b 77, and still struggling!
I literally just texted my husband “remind me to switch the clothes to the dryer” lol he gets random lists from me all day. About an hour ago I sent him my “tomorrow” list. I will loose a hand written list. It took me 35yrs to realize I can’t have a physical list as much as I love writing it down.
Cass, the ADHD content is 🫶🏼 I know you had a late diagnosis, as did I. Mine was 9ish months before my husband & I separated. The anxiety, depression, OCD (& laundry) went sky high!
As a now single mom of 4, I've been trying to get out of survival mode for a year & a half. There's SO MUCH STUFFFFF! Between watching you and Dawn, I've gotten so much hope & inspiration!
My home, mindset, and ability to actually be present with my kids have some so far. I'm still a mess, but a progressing mess 💓 Thank you!
I love this and it gives me inspiration. Thank you!
Your story touched me. Proud of you for progressing!
Great work! Cas and Dawn are the BEST!
As a single mom of four I felt this in my soul. Way to go!🥰🤗🥰
Hang in there...I was a single mom of 4, everyone is grown now and I HAVE FINALLY reached the point where I can slow down. Now im going through 20 years of stuff and the kids are helping me! They are all about throwing stuff away and it's so nice to have their permission! You are SO FORTUNATE to have this wonderful information NOW (it was too late for me).
Body doubling is awesome. I watch these videos as my body double for motivation
I've been hyperactive since my toddler days and an insomniac since the age of 9. It's very likely I'm either (or both) ADHD or neurodiverse. But here's the thing: your advice to do a 'brain dump' every night is actually something I used to do for many years, and I paired it with the development of a skill: calligraphy.
I had a calligraphy fountain pen and would practice my lettering while jotting down my thoughts and 'must remembers' every night. Got good at calligraphy, got a lot of praise for my 'handwriting' (although my non-pen handwriting is difficult to decipher).
It really did help drain off the distractions so I could settle down (though it didn't help my ability to fall asleep significantly, just a little bit).
I'm old. Like in my 70s old. I used to keep a chalkboard in my kitchen to jot down staples I had just run out of or food items I planned to use soon and needed to buy. Now I use a magnetic dry-erase board on my fridge. I never found padded lists to work for me, and these days all I have to do is take a photo of the fridge dry-erase board as I pass it going out.
I'm a little too concerned about privacy and security concerns these days. It's not just illegal hacking, but resale by corporations that provide e-services like Alexa and government intrusion that I'm concerned about. So I minimize the electronic set-ups.
I do use my smartphone to document upcoming events and to set alarms to remind me of things, but it's an inelegant network of independent actions. Like I said, I'm old; I'm retired, so I have very few demands on my time. I don't need so much integration with my electronics. Besides; I have an unusually sharp memory (that's that neurodiverse possibility I mentioned).
Home projects are easy for me to get started on. I live in a 320sqft studio apartment. I cross the entirety of it every time I grab a snack or leave the apartment or go to the bathroom. I think the longest distance is maybe 25ft.
I do put off things, but I consolidate items to pick up and carry to their spot since I do cross the apartment multiple times a day. And more and more the small space pushed me to clean, declutter, minimize purchasing, and put things away more often.
A lot of maintenance is strategic; if you don't develop strategies, you will bury yourself. It's what to do, when to do it, how frequently to do it; plus it's just developing the discipline to do it. Mostly is recognizing 'no time like the present' and 'don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good'.
OMG! Your 'toss the alarm across the room' hack reminded me of when I used to have to school, appointments, and employment. I would sleep through alarms. I used to have to 'test drive' alarms in the stores, to buy the ones with the most obnoxious sounds. Then when I set it at night I had to put it in different places each night across the room. If I left it within reach or even kept it in the same spot, I would turn it off and never wake up enough to even remember turning it off.
I have tried 'body-doubling', but it tends to reduce to a social visit, so not much gets done.
But here's something that HAS become helpful: An accountability partner.
I have a best friend who now calls me (from 2,000 miles away!) to check in on my project progress. It's all to remind me time's a-wasting and to have me account to myself what I've been doing in the interim. She doesn't guilt me or criticize, just gives me encouragement and a positive view on what I have (or haven't) done since the last phone call. It does nudge me along.
She calls me about every 10 to 15 days, which is enough to make a couple false starts and still accomplish something. Plus, I get to speak to my best friend of 50 years!
I've spent literally 60 years learning about healthy foods and making healthy choices. I was that kid who liked broccoli and spinach and salads. So I mainly fill my home with healthy alternatives. Lots of nuts, dried fruits, smoothie supplies, fresh produce. I have canned soups and make soups from scratch. I'm not big on breads, but I do have candy bars in the freezer. I rely on eggs a LOT; so many ways to make a quick omelet. I was making a food shopping list this morning and DECIDED to leave off the potato chips; not nutritionally-dense enough to justify the cost or the space in my home.
It's not just the sugars, but the amount and quality of fats and whether you're getting enough of the right fat, protein, and fiber. Jello does give you the proteins useful for hair and nails, but I eat full-sugar versions. I just can't stand the taste of sugar-free stuff.
I haven't tried wireless headphones, but you make a good point to try them.
I will say, I prefer quiet most of the time. Audiobooks and music has its attraction for me, but I usually find sound to actually interfere with the work I'm trying to do; it distracts me from putting my full attention on what I'm doing.
But it's likely some audio entertainment might be helpful and enjoyable without competing with results, so I will have to experiment.
I enjoy doing dishes. I like to do them first thing in the morning. It starts my day with a feeling of accomplishment. All I have to do is make certain I put all the dirty dishes and pans in to soak overnight.
It's all about creating strategies and developing discipline. Some things are easier to be disciplined about if you match natural impulses to what needs doing.
I liked another hack of yours to set an egg timer for 5 minutes and spend that working at something. The tendency to continue occurs so often and easily. What's really going on is getting past the initial argument with yourself of just getting started. We argue ourselves out of just starting. But if we turn a deaf ear to the inner argument and just start WHILE it's arguing, the internal Arguer quickly shuts up, and we get progress.
I quickly went past the 'egg timer hack' to just 'puttering'. Did you know you can declutter NOT by setting a goal, but just by puttering at the edges of the clutter? Just putter for a minute or two; it's amazing how quickly that couple of minutes can turn into an hour, especially if you're ADHD. Don't think of the whole project, especially if it's a huge one; just putter at the edge of it. Soon, that internal Arguer is arguing with you NOT to stop, and it gets harder to stop than it did to start. Just concentrate on maybe a square foot or less, and next thing you know you did a cubic yard or two.
Puttering works best on really BIG jobs, like reorganizing the kitchen cabinets or decluttering the garage or purging your wardrobe or tackling the stuffed storage room. Just do a little. Maybe a little more. Maybe come back to it this afternoon. Just a little more before your bedtime shower. Puttering can take over, and the next thing you know the BIG project is completed (or at least manageable).
Clutter Catcher 👍👍👍
21-Item Toss 👍👍👍
Wall Hooks 👍👍👍
Thank You ! Love your ideas.. especially " puttering. . . around the edges" and how trying to convince yourself to stop works. I can't stand anyone trying to Tell Me What To Do, not even myself . Lol !
I love your post and ideas. You’ve got this figured out. I’m 58 and still working out the kinks but we can do this.
I enjoyed reading your long video comment. It was unusually well-written, so compliments. I aspire to have and work towards maintaining the described level of organisaiton you have, so your tips help me. Thank you!
Tldr
You, my dear, are a inspiration ❤❤❤
As to your ‘explosive diarrhea’ story at the end… I worked at this crazy place when the sorbitol or whatever came out in Pringles, and it was a big deal. Someone brought them to work. They had verbiage on the back that they may cause loose stools. From then on they were known as ‘loose-stool’ Pringles.
I was just diagnosed with ADHD at age 34. Everything is making so much sense now as to why I do things the way I do. Thank you Cas!
Hey! Same lol was diagnosed one year ago at 33. The world is WILD once you learn about all these cool new tools that actually work.
It changes so much, doesn’t it? Struggles make sense, like you said, and then there are so many solutions out there from people with the same problem. Solutions that actually work, for a change.
SAME! Diagnosed female at the age of 48. I’m learning more everyday (Thank you, Clutterbug!!!❤) about my 😮bad habits & I find it really funny that I have, out of desperation, developed a lot of the same habits/ “hacks” simply as a coping/survival/maintaining technique.
Well, I just found you yesterday, and I have ADHD plus PTSD. I went and got a notebook so I can write things down that I hear from you. My problem with notebooks is I have about 30-40 and spend lots of time reading thru several trying to find my notes that I need and it's exhausting. I'm 69 and have trying for a long time to find someone like you! (Should be a song title) lol. Thank you for so much for helping my scattered brain.
@@susanlittle8794I have a 4×6" index card box with dividers that I use for notes. The index dividers are labeled with topics. Then each card has the subtopic at the top. It makes it easy to find things. (If you need more space, you could use 5x8 " cards.)
For example, under the topic "clutter" I might have a card saying "5 Step Decluttering Process - (Dana K.White)" and another card "Decluttering Questions - Minimal Mom" with the questions listed underneath, etc.
The reason this works so well for me is I can add and rearrange the notes as I like and I can have as many different topics as I want and still find my notes.
I hope this helps you.
That taking hangers and sticking the empty ones in one spot is a life changer! I am not sure exactly how I started doing that years ago, but it truly does make a difference! Love that one simple thing…
going off the apron tip - I keep my shoes on until I'm absolutely done doing stuff for the day. If I'm wearing cozy socks or slippers my brain thinks I'm done - so the shoes go on first thing, and don't come off until I've accomplished the things (even computer work)
At home, for me its wearing a bra. If I need more personal assist than that, I dress up for chores as if I'm going to work away from home. If I start doing chores in my bathrobe or athleisure wear, I don't get near as much done. My mind says Vacation!
I have been struggling for the last 2 1/2 years literally spending hours a day trying to figure out what works for me and it’s nice to know that you came up with the same idea as I did I’m severely ADHD add that to menopause and three years ago I was a disaster… I’m on track now. Glad I found you. You’re simply delightful.
Omg yes! Menopause reeeeally cranked up all that is neurodivergent about me. İt's... A struggle. I always thought the older you get, the more naturally organized and together you get. Nope! Completely the opposite! Good to see I'm not alone 😂
@@maiskitty Ditto!! Had no idea that I had ADHD until I've been post menopausal, now its very hard! Thankful for these tips!
Menopause makes it soooo much worse!!
Great minds think alike!💜
There is a book... Helped me SO SO SO much as a newly diagnosed adult with ADD... YOU MEAN I'M NOT LAZY STUPID OR CRAZY? Kate Kelly and Peggy Ramundo. It's been called the Adult ADHD Bible, so you've likely heard of it, published in 93 so media will need some updating. But let me tell you, it changed my life.
As well as baskets and bins. LOL! I think in categories, not individual items it makes the clutter WAY less of a problem
What do you say when your partner says, "I don't know why you can't just put things away when you're finished with them?"
I say, "I will!"
Hahahahahaha!
At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, finding you - and Dana - has truly been life-changing for me. The idea that we all organize differently - 🤯!! I have been in a decluttering and organizing binge for 2 weeks now, since you showed up in my feed (thank you algorithm!) I’ve taken dozens of bags to the trash, and dozens more for donations. I’ve decided I’m a lady-cricket-bug - I literally shuddered (LOL) when you said, "don't worry about folding socks and underwear, just toss them in a basket or in a drawer."..... yeah, I'm the girl that has all of her socks folded the EXACT SAME LENGTH so they stack in the drawer, in order of how often they are worn. And my underwear is folded up like a little package and stacked by color in the drawer. chirp chirp LOL
Thank you times a bajillion for all that you do for your grateful community!
I love the way you combined your bug! That's so cute! That would make me a lady-bee-bug! 😁
Seriously I love it!!!
Same
I agree! Cas and Dawn have made an awesome impact on my life, too!
yess!
You made me cry, (and I never cry because I was teased mercilessly as a kid for crying a lot). I’m 59 and just diagnosed. When you talked about how hard it is to physically get u and walk across the room to get started… that made me cry! I’m not alone. I’m not just lazy. I’m not bad, I’m different. It’s not because I CHOOSE to be different (which I do, but that’s a different thing), it’s because my brain is different, and no amount of willing, or berating, or just trying harder, or doing better, will magically make me “normal”. This has been an issue all my life, and now I know why!! Thank you so much for sharing!!❤️
The clutter catcher is a game changer. I rearranged all my baking spices and extracts in 1 basket. And all the spices we use daily in 1 basket. Now, when we bake or cook, we pull the basket then return it to cabinet when done. Game changer in that grandson who loves to cook, had problems putting things back when he's done. Now, no excuses. 😉
I grew up sorting laundry, just like you, but as my boys became teenagers their clothes were harder to tell apart and laundry truly became a chore to do. So a few years ago, we bought each of them a hamper and things just evolved into this routine where they bring down their hamper when it’s full, I refill it with the newly washed clothes, and they take it back to their rooms. I don’t have to make sure socks go to the right boy, I have WAY less clothes to fold, and I choose not to worry about whether or not THEY fold their clothes. It’s brilliant! Now I’m sitting here wondering why the hubby and I don’t do our clothes this way🤔.
I've been decluttering and organizing my whole house since January 1st, and I'm almost done. I'm so happy. I think I spent a small fortune in new furniture and organizing containers, but I'm so happy that the house is looking so much better and everything is getting its own place. Also, I clean my sheets every Monday and also bathe my dogs every Monday before they are aloud back on the bed. Lol. As I'm declucuttering, I'm taking it all over to my daughter's empty extra room for a yard sale this summer, and whatever doesn't sell is going straight out the road to the goodwill. Nothing is coming back into my house. I've gotten rid of some much stuff already. I'm so happy this was my New years resolution. And sticking with it.
wow that' amazing! congrats1
Your videos work for body doubling! I spent most of the day emptying doom boxes, bags and baskets while the plylist of your videos played. Its motivating.
Filled another trash bag with trash and a bag plus 2 totes of donations.
I combine your methods with Dana's container method. I feel so much better saying my container says i cant kerp more and just throwing away things i usually would feel bad about wasting.
It works.
I have narcolepsy, so I am tired ALL the time, and it definitely makes it hard to get things done. Like you, I also put every little thing in my calendar: taking meds, pulling meat out to thaw, calling to make an appoint, ordering refills, etc. That's what keeps me on task.
I also have narcolepsy, and I do this too! I need a reminder for everything!
I thought I had ADHD… after decompressing from being a nurse since 97, I don’t seem to have it. 😅😂❤
My house is the way I’ve always wanted…. I have nothing to declutter and no Knick Knacks to keep moving around to clean under my wardrobe is 10 summer spring dresses, 10 transitional dresses for 50-70 degrees. 4 skirts 4 blazers, 4 denim jackets 10 base layer tops (sleeveless, sleeves, T -shirts) I have to go through my shoes… 40 pairs..20 I haven’t worn in years.
I’m still watching to see what I can get rid of.
I have one expensive king size sheet set for now.
My life is sooo much better with empty shelves and cardboards/ cabinets and drawers/ closets.
❤ all the best!
My dad set our Alexa to call him my dad “Fatso”. All of us forget from time to time and then it calls us that. 😂 We always crack up.
That's cute ☺️
While I don't have ADHD, I do have a severe brain injury from a nasty car wreck (where memory can be a booger sometimes!) -- these hacks are awesome, and so completely doable!!! You have the amount of pep that helps get me going, and you have simple answers to problems ... oh my goodness, I SO appreciate your channel!! Thank you so much!! New subscriber!!
I'm 54 and the more I learn about ADHD, the more I wonder if I'm undiagnosed. I'm almost sure my mom was undiagnosed. I love your tips and will be implementing many of them. Thanks Cass!!
my son has adhd, he's 17 now. The more I learn the more I think I have always had this too. in my late 50s now.
I'm same age ADHD gal and when we were growing up, it wasn't a known diagnosable disorder. Yet somehow 90% or more of us learned to manage on our own.
For some context, I've trained horses since I was a kid and also became a high school teacher. My students were the ones with "behavior" issues who didn't do well in regular classroom settings. It was amazing what we could do with some classroom tweaks.
My theory on why so many kids are diagnosed these days is twofold: ADD/ADHD became trendy, now it's autism that's trendy. We ALL can check some yes boxes on diagnostic scales for both, doesn't mean we have either. Sadly, there is now a disorder to excuse any behavior. Personal responsibility has become passe.
Secondly, kids from kindergarten on are forced to sit in desks most of the time now at school instead of running around being kids. This is in spite of brain based research proving that's not the way.
I love videos like this that teach real world strategies to help us cope and function well with ADD/ADHD.
Finally, research has shown it is primarily hereditary. There can be other factors in play, but when you talk to parents and grandparents, they usually have many of the same struggles, they're just undiagnosed.
A bigger hack for laundry for me has been not doing my kids' laundry. I *accidentally* came across the opportunity to delegate laundry to my kids when they were 4 and 6 years old. I haven't washed, sorted, folded, or put away anyone's clothing but my own for the last 9 years! It's been glorious and laundry has become a non-event. Today, we are a family with 6kids (blended family), and I literally only wash my own clothing and the household towels. That's it.
Cool
And I bet they all know where their favorite jeans 👖 are!
once my mom accidentally shrank a completely new shirt in the laundry. i was sad and i also realized i cant be upset with her, i should be grateful she did my laundry. from that day on i did my own laundry :D
I am 56 amd was diagnosed with ADD at age 20 .Life is hard enough with clutter. I have declutterd on my personal journey since 2019 and still working on it. IT never really ends.
One of the things I do when I don't have the dopamine to do a lot of cleaning then I will create a scavenger hunt list, I look around and see what is the things that are all over the place and need to be picked up, I have a Dollar Tree laundry basket that I carry around with me. So then on a commercial break of what I am watching I have to get up and rush around to pick up as many items as I can, so one commercial break is picking up all the dishes, put in the laundry basket as I go and put them all in the sink with dishwater in then I go back to what I was watching. Then on the next commercial break I'd do the next thing on the list. It keeps me being able to watch the shows I want and still get stuff done. When the list is done or I need a break from running around the house then I do some dishes. I put a timer on if I need to the average length of a commercial break if I'm having a problem with the amount of time.
I have used the same tactic with commercials since I was young. I wasn’t diagnosed with adhd until my late 30s/early 40s so I just thought I was lazy and suffered from a disorganized brain when i was younger. Each time a commercial came on, I would jump up and do what I could before the show I was watching came back on. This was my way of cleaning and it worked well for me for many years. I’ve also discovered that using my earbuds (while at work) and listening to “whitenoise” or rain videos on UA-cam tricks my brain and distracts it enough to get certain tasks done and accomplished that I normally would have trouble completing. I don’t know why, but it has definitely worked for me and seems to lesson the distractions (or my focus to them) so I can concentrate.
I'm messy but grouping unused hangers has always been a pet peeve of mine. I have adhd and autism so the hangers out of order drives me crazy hahaha lots of love from Brazil 🇧🇷 ❤️ 💕
A TO DONE list is great!! Don't make list you never do and judge yourself on what you haven't done . Just make a to done list a list of everything you have done today!! It is great to go back over and realize how much you have actually done
I always add a couple of things I've already done, so I have the satisfaction of seeing a couple of ticks. Yesterday I even borrowed the washing that my hubby had done and hung out and ticked that off too. Delegation counts too 😊
The dopamine hit is real
Also diagnosed late and learned so much, so late because I hadn’t taken permission to do things weirdly, but in ways that work for me. Many of your hacks are things I have figured out. Except laundry. Sorting carefully saves my clothes so getting dressed is easier because my basic pieces are in good shape. AND, folding is my zen time. So soothing. The one thing I took from Marie Kondo that made me more successful and not guilty.
Awesome!
PLEASE do more hacks for ADHD! Absolutely LOVE this video! New subscriber!!!
I’ve never thought to use my phone to remind me of tidying tasks! I use it for recurring commitments but never thought to use it for cleaning. Thank you. This is amazing!
Thank you so much for this video. As an adult who is looking around at others who seem to have no struggles with home maintenance, I’ve been beating myself up pretty badly. I’ve recently discovered I believe I have ADHD. Thank you for the tips and sharing about the dopamine deficiency. That makes so much sense! I hope to implement a few steps at the time and maybe just learn how to live with this instead of feeling buried under it. Please don’t stop making these videos!
I feel you friend. You are not alone.
Thank you Thank you, Thank you! I enjoy your advice and videos! I felt like this is what may be going on with me and now I know it is just that! ADD I don't think I have the h pary. Nothing hyper snout this girl that has MS , FIBRO, DEPRESSION and more! I just need a starting point now! Idk where to begin, honestly..... I'll replay the video!
Love this video! I picked up some very helpful tips that I will be incorporating into my housekeeping routine 😊 One tip that I would like to share is to set a timer on your phone when your dryer will be finished. That way you can get your clothes out before they wrinkle. My laundry room is upstairs and I never hear the dryer alarm go off.
Thanks for this! I always forget and go back to wrinkled clothes in the dryer sometime later.
I do that! Not so much to avoid wrinkles, but mainly so I remember to get my laundry done before I go to bed...so I have clothes to wear in the morning! 😄
I use my stove timer, so I have to get up to turn it off (it's soooo annoying & doesn't stop) & change the load/reset it... LOL!
Lots of great ideas here for anyone who is neurodiverse! Timers can be super helpful!
As for the sugar-free goodies, it *sounds* like such a good idea but it really isn't. Aside from the fact that many of them are, as you said, very *laxative* in nature, there is a lot of evidence that your brain is unable to tell the difference and therefore wants more and more (and will be fine with more and more things that have real sugar too). This is also the case with Olestra (a fake fat that is banned here in Canada but still available in some countries). It isn't absorbed and just passes through you, so zero calorie potato chips. Yay, right? But rats fed Olestra who don't gain weight from those foods also overeat on regular fat-containing foods. And it also has the same sort of uncomfortable side effects as the sugar free stuff. Bloating, cramping, you know. Nobody likes being the lady who has a little pee leakage when she laughs. Even less fun would be being the lady with the liquid farts!
True story! Those fake sugars basically train your taste buds to crave more and more. It's better to cut it out entirely, because then, after a while, your natural "sweet detector" dials itself back, and things that once didn't seem sweet enough can begin to taste perfectly sweet, and take care of the craving.
It's like the low-fat fad from the early 90s. They took the fat out of food, (replaced it with texturizers, sweeteners and fake fats), but those low-fat foods didn't satiate, so people ate more and more because "hey, it's low-fat!". But people gained weight over time, from over-consuming low-fat foods because - surprise! - it turns out we need fat. Not getting enough will make you hungry and crave food constantly.
Same thing with fake sugars. We actually need sugar (glucose, specifically) to feed our brains. But over-consumption of fake sugars is a slippery slope. And that's before you factor in the 💩 side effects. Or the fact that some fake sugars like xylitol, are toxic to animals. So if your pet gets into them, it can literally kill them. Not something I want in my house.
I get stomach upset from just sugar free gum if I chew the pack. I watch Bobby Parrish and some others that explain whats in most products and try to find stevia products vs other fake sugar and lower calorie snacks. I have more energy and less bloat
So good!!! For the food hack- I’m going to recommend chia seeds! If you grab a yogurt, add chia seeds. That banana split? Add chia seeds. If you like fruit smoothie bowls or oatmeal or shakes…add chia seeds! They help you stay fuller, longer. 👍🏼
Chia seeds are pure magic. I make a fast bircher muesli every morning using rolled oats, chia seeds and combination of seeds, oat milk, yoghurt and maple syrup (the real thing) and it's amazing and keeps me full - I get so hungry in the mornings 😆
Thank you for validating things for me, like hanging clothes on hooks. I frequently put robes, flanels that I'musing as jackets, etc. Using the delay wash. I usually set that up to run all night and finish mid-morning. Using a notebook instead of a planner. I learned to brain dump a long time ago. I used to use post it notes or notepads and that got messy when they were laying everywhere. Now I use a cheap spiral notebook so it stays together and I can also find the previous days to see if I need to forward something to another day that I've forgotten about. The back couple of pages I use for things I need to remember a bit later on or keep on the back burner at least. I use Alexa to remind me to let the dog out among other things.
Soooo glad you are covering more on ADHD as I also have that diagnosis. It gives me hope that I can turn my mess around! Thank you for all you do.
I do your apron thing and I’m ready to clean. It also helps me prep the vegetables I’m brought home and I have less work later. Love you, Cas. You’re great.
Triple ADHD family, and we love your videos so much!!! For those of us who have already discovered Alexa, please don’t say her name, especially loudly and clearly, in your videos! I don’t have a sourdough starter, but now I DO have a reminder to feed one! I’m kind of tempted to leave it, so my husband will wonder if I simply have a new project… 🙃❤
Heck, I haven't changed my sheets since before Christmas, and I'm still alive! 😆 Thanks for all your help with the ADHD stuff, it's nice to find a community that gets it. ❤
Definitely get it!
I have an ex colleague who was shocked that I changed mine every two weeks at that time! I was shocked that she changed hers twice a week!! And changed her towels out EVERY DAY. Waste of water.
Fwiw: I’m terribly erratic with changing sheets….finally just did it after who knows how long…..and I’m sleeping SOOOO much better. Going to take Cas’s advice on how she remembers, and looking forward to better sleep consistently.
This is absolutely one of the best cleaning/organizing videos I've ever seen. And, I SO LOVED your dancing around/exercising - it made me so happy!! Thank you so much for this. I loved it!!
As a nurse, I often gave patients a dose of sorbitol as a laxative. It was almost the last resort. (Warm prune juice with milk of magnesia will do it for sure). Many people are unaware of why they suffer from diarrhea when they eat healthy, but unfortunately, it's the additives like sorbitol, and not all food companies include a warning. Speaking of milk of magnesia, be cautious of antacids that contain magnesium. If you overdo them, you'll do a fine impression of Mt. Vesuvius.
I’ve had ADHD since childhood. I am everything you are talking about. My main problem is finding a routine that will work for me! Thank you for your videos and ideas to get me going!
You're welcome!
As a diabetic, I know the sugar free candy problem VERY well. Jelly Belly jelly beans are really bad, too. Get a bidet. We installed a cheap one from WalMart. Game changer.
I usually do my own laundry, but sometimes my mom has helped me out by either putting in the dryer for me, or by taking it out of the dryer. Sometimes when she would take it out of the dryer, she would flatten all the shirts and pants out so they stack on each other instead of doing a big pile of clothes. I feel like this can be really helpful because even if I don’t put away my laundry right away, it keeps my shirts wrinkle free until I can get to it. It’s also much easier to visualize exactly how much you have to put away and usually looks a lot smaller and more approachable than a jumbled mess!
The one thing that finally got me exercising daily: the Apple Watch and those silly little rings. Every time I look at my watch, I can see them; they make it obvious whether or not I've exercised enough for the day. It's a surprisingly good motivator! As for healthy eating, I "put my blinders on" in the store and literally avoid looking at the snack, baked goods, processed food, and candy aisles. I've told my family they can buy those things if they must but *don't* tell me about it and hide it in their room! Time restricted eating has also helped a lot (gradually reducing your "eating window" to 6-8 hours a day)...it's amazing how much weight you can lose if you ditch one meal a day, plus there are other health benefits. Thanks for all the great videos!
I use the notes app on my phone to make to do lists, shopping lists and any information I want to have handy like my dog’s microchip info, recipes, etc. it’s always with me. I use the calendar app to remind me of appointments etc. so I don’t need a command center.
I do this too. In addition, for each accomplished item, I type in caps the word DONE. Easy to see on my list and feels like I actually did something during the day. Helps tremendously!😊
So helpful and encouraging!! My father in law passed away recently and I just don't have motivation and am super tired. But I gotta do the things. Thank you 💖
I absolutely love this! I have ADHD, and this is great. I actually do some of these things. Thank you so much for the great tips!
Cass, you just made my day! I love your videos, but the staying for after, thanks for hanging around ,the best thanks for sharing. I hope you’re doing well. Please keep us updated. You help all of us so much with your kindness and your cheerfulness. I pray everything’s going well.
I love your videos and this is not an exception. So many good tips even if I don't have adhd. Thanks for filming great content and having so many tips that are actually workable and realistic.
For me it made a huge difference to have some fruit out on the table and the cookies hidden. Having some apples washed on the table makes it easier for my family to grab that instead of going to the pantry and getting a cookie. Another trick I do is to have fruit or veggies with dip first, then I treat myself to a cookie or a piece of chocolate afterwards. This way I am satisfied with one piece (instead of the whole package).
And now I am off getting a clutter catcher. I love that idea. Thanks again.
I do the same with laundry. Sort by person. Goes right back in the persons room. Also got my kids doing their own laundry early
yup: fifth grade-- ready for a phone, then also ready to do laundry
@@jmsl910 I love this!! 🙌😄
I am 44 with ADHD, 5 children with ADHD, and a Husband with ADHD. Most my children are grown now, but i am honestly impressed with how many of your hacks i am currently doing already....they say great minds think alike. The hangers, laundry baskets, bins, etc.. i mean almost everything, The one thing i have added added last year was yoga, it's amazing. I now do it morning and night, and sometimes a workout mid day. I use you-tube video's, sometimes do 10 minutes sometimes 1 hour. Its been crazy how much it has helped my symptoms. Also ive been adding learning a new hobbie or interst. Thank you. You have a great inspirational additude fornus fellow ADHDers
Your channel brings me so much joy and inspiration.
It would be a dream to see you collaborate with Jessica from "How to ADHD" channel here on UA-cam.
You both are so warm and positive, plus you're spreading awareness and inspiring others with mental barriers!! 😃❤️
I so agree
Great idea! I love that collab idea too.
Cas collabs with people on her podcast quite often, btw. I don’t know about the one you mentioned, but check out her podcast if you haven’t already!
😱 OMG!!! R we the SAME FREAKING PERSON 😮?!? I am new to ur channel but I already know how FABULOUS U R!!! I was recently diagnosed with ADHD & am also a woman who’s “40ish” & I have almost every ADHD symptom possible & now, while watching this video I’ve realized that I must’ve developed (at least some if not all) ways to cope/survive/maintain the condition. I have LOVED each of ur videos so far, but I have to say that this one is frighteningly on point 😂! Ty for taking the time to make an ADULT ADHD organizational & lifestyle hacks video 😊🎉😊
Sue Wolfe- Cass, your decluttering 21 items in 5 minutes is such a great idea! I just tried it and it gave me such incentive to keep on going. What a fantastic idea!! 👏 👍❤️
What is her name - the woman who started with cleaning your kitchen sink? I just cannot recall - great ideas! Oh, yeah -- The FlyLady! I really love your Brain-Dump - that should really help!
@@jillmadigan9841 is it the Sunday Stylist your think of? Aussie Lady
To add to your tip about reminders for cleaning time, I love the Sweepy app. You can use the free version, but after a year I finally switched to paid and I love it. It generates a cleaning schedule for me so I don't have to go hunting for what needs doing, and it will assign tasks to various family members. You can set difficulty levels of tasks, which people can do which tasks, how often things need to be done, how much you're willing to do a day, and it'll make a plan (that you can adjust as needed). I love it.
Sugar-free isn't the magic answer. Many sugar substitutes are worse for you, even if you're diabetic. Honey and agave are good, but for more flavor get the full-fat versions of things. The number of calories doesn't matter; the quality of those calories does. Calories are energy, so you need them, but get them from fat, protein, and complex carbs. Skip the gimmicky "health" foods like everything you mentioned, because they're just swapping in something that's not as good.
Oh my goodness Cas your “end of video” talks never fail to disappoint🤣🤣🤣
Thank you for those wonderful ADHD hacks….will definitely try them out!! 👏🏻🥰
I am always mistified that people put their clean laundry in the dirty laundry basket to transport back to put it away. Also when you can't tolerate the sorbitol or mannitol in foods means you have a fodmaps health problem.
These tips are amazing! I am Autistic, ADHD and OCD and can relate to these a lot. I personally love the timer idea and then throwing it so I have no choice but to go get it. ☺
I cook for one, so when I make a casserole I divide it into 4 servings and put it in small containers. This causes portion control and makes it easy to pick dinner every night. Also cutting up veggies and putting them in sandwich bags makes a convenient healthy snack. And last, of all, I hit the snooze button each morning and this makes me get up and make my bed before the alarm goes off again. That way I start the day already finishing something.
The not-sorting laundry hack is amazing. I used to have piles and piles of laundry but now its so much easier and the clean laundry no longer sits in the living room for days until I finally put it away. Timers are also so helpful, even for those of us who don't have ADHD.
I am blown away by this video. I have ADHD and copied this link and mailed it to myself. I figured a few of them before by myself. Now I know why a few failed. Out of sight, out of mind.
Love this! I do a bunch of these already, but it's nice to know IT IS possible to have a tidy house AND have ADHD. My calendar and lists are on my fridge too, but wipe-off boards. One's a calendar and one looks like a piece of lined paper, I LOVE them. I can take a pic of them and then head to the store and not forget stuff.
The motivation thing you said with the low dopamine is so helpful cause I thought it was just a me thing... Wow, now I know I just need to keep moving forward. It's easier when you understand what is wrong because now you're like oh it's the ADHD acting up, let me just power through
I don’t have a delay feature on my current washer. So cool! I will definitely keep my eye out do that for my next washing machine. Thanks Cas!
Cas, thank you for the best video filled with helpful tips on ADHD in the home. I have ADHD and just never want to do anything. Since I found you and Dana my house is finally getting decluttered a little each day and more cleaning is being done. I love the simple snack ideas and know I’m thinking what I can eat that’s not all sugary. More ideas please!
I've just added Tidy Up Time alarms to my phone. Thanks! 😊 Must try your hanger thing too. I set Wednesday as my wash towels and sheets day back when the kids were toddlers, as I found the weekends were often full of things that we would do as a family - and we didn't really use a dryer unless it was raining. (Actually, since moving to Queensland, we don't even have a dryer - it I really do have to stay on top of washing so I'm not left with a smelly mess. Right, off to add the kids sheets to the machine! 😁).
Hey Cas, for adhd, No-Sugar candies and sugar free things don't work. They satisfy you for the moment because of the taste, but when the brain goes to use the sugar it thought you ate, and it can't find it, then it makes you crave sugar all the more (and might even make you moody). Instead if eating sugar free, here is your permission Cas, to do full on sugar, BUT only if you have a protein first. So a babybel cheese or a boiled egg or a meat snack or a (real sugar)Greek yogurt cup, or a handful of nuts. Protein first, then sugar.
Can you explain why proteins first? What is science behind it?
@@bellagreen6660 Protein increases dopamine in a different way than sugar does, not just a quick trigger, but actually providing the amino acids that build the neurotransmitters that produce dopamine. So more amino acids mean more dopamine, and a more efficient neuro-network it also helps blood sugar to stabilize, and prevents sugar spikes and crashes, which cause you to want more and more and more sugar. So while sugar is a quick, temporary dopamine spike, you have to grab cookie after cookie after cookie to keep it flowing. But protein first prevents that surge so the dopamine is more of a slowburn and gives you that feeling of contentment, and since the blood sugar is more stabilized, sugar after protein doesn’t have the same effect as it does alone, so , it contributes to the dopamine flow, and you need and want less.
@@dptfo that's great and really informative. Thank you
Thank you! This was def not an ADHD friendly video even though she said so.
@@dptfothank you this is very informative and helpful. So this is why I like cheese sandwiches so much. Thanks!
As an ADHDer, I felt so much of this deep into my soul! You hit so many nails on the head with the reasons we do things the way we do and how to combat them. Your gummy bear story had me rolling. Thank you for your honesty with All The Things™️!
Cas, I started using a new hack a while back that had has me reduce the clothes clutter problem. When I'd take something off that could be worn a second time, I'd put it away (inside out) . That way clothes would be out of sight. Shirts, pants, shirts and even PJs. I'd know before putting it back on. It was a success
Yeah a lot of things can contribute to executive function issues. I definitely have ADHD. Oh saw my doctor by the way last year. You encouraged me too. Things are going good. My brain is still my brain. Educating myself and hearing what has worked for others has definitely made the biggest impact on me. Knowing I am not the only one who struggles with these things makes me feel better and also I have helped others know they aren't alone. So many of us out there.
:)
Thank you for mentioning moving the veggies and fruit up. I have never understood putting them in a deep drawer at the bottom of the fridge. My carrots end up under my lettuce then go bad. So many people have fought me on this idea. I don’t get it.
The head phones were a life changer for me. However, I don’t use them to turn off my brain. I use them to keep my brain occupied on one thing. It helps me keep from getting distracted and starting something else when I’m doing mindless tasks.
LOL I just watched an interior designer say hooks ruin your spaces. He doesn’t get that I can put my coat on my chair or have it hanging. The bonus is when I have hooks I get to use my chair.😆
@@brittanyt729 what a strange idea from the interior designer! Mind you, too many houses I've gone in are clearly not designed by people who live in houses...
I LOVE how real you always are in your videos. Thank you.
Thanks for the helpful tips! I already implement quite a few of these! I actually use the timer on my stove to keep me on track! I have a tip that works for me and hopefully will help others. I too keep my empty hangers together in my closet and pull them out when I'm ready to wash clothes. My tip is put clothes on hangers straight out of the dryer! This works particularly well if you have a bar to hang them on but I've even laid them on top of the washing machine and scooped them up when I was done! It is a life changer! Blessings of love and light to all!
Casals I love how you embrace your ADHD & how you provide us with functional hacks that involve this ADHD nightmare that I also have been diagnosed with
:)
Thanks for sharing your tips. It took me nearly 50 years to figure out that I have ADHD. Perhaps it's because I thought it doesn't apply to a middle age mom. I always thought I was just a scatterbrained person, always a bit behind. But hearing you explain it, it all makes sense! Now I know why I love wireless ear buds. I'm listening to you while cleaning my laundry room that was so neglected. I'm wearing shoes and an apron, too!
Yay!
I have adhd. At 55 I have only just recognised it! Also ASD. Your inspiration has helped me to sort my house SO MUCH! My bedroom is looking amazing! All thanks to you. Sending so much love from wales UK xxx
I am considered ADD and while I’ve gotten a lot better over the years at “ adulting“ decluttering can still be difficult for me so I love the 21 item rule and I’m going to start implementing that this week. I’ve already done little things in my routine to try to streamline, keeping my house clean like a five or 10 minute rule of just going from room to room and picking up and lightly cleaning things and doing a couple of light chores, but not committing to fully cleaning the house all at once, wearing myself out and burning myself out mentallyand thank you for these tips. They are very helpful and motivate me to streamline my organizing and cleaning duties.
❤ I love how encouraging you are. I think your podcasts are so helpful because you are so honest about not being "perfect." And I love your sense of humor... even if it does get gross, once in a while.
Your sugar-free gummy ordeal reminded me of a cherry-picking experience when I was young... never forgot it (and I won't eat more than a half dozen cherries at a time, either! 😊 )
Thanks for being there!
Laurie
Laundry room hack that I like is hanging a shower curtain rod somewhere in the laundry room with hangers. That way they can be carried straight from that bar to each bedroom. 😀👍
I knew there was a reason I loved the way you explain things so much. It's because our brains are similar. Thank you for making a video that is geared to people with ADHD. I find it really helpful. And I'm also glad to see someone else using the timer across the room hack.