Those of us with ADHD have a hard time getting things done sometimes. A job may seem overwhelming and you just don’t know where to begin.
Or maybe you have a lot of things to do and don’t know which one to do first.
Boring, repetitive tasks like housecleaning are often the worst.
Checklists or to do lists are a great way to put some structure and order into getting things done. And if the list is already written for you, so much the better.
I found some great resources online that I thought I would share with you.
First up is Martha’s list. You know – Martha Stewart – the Queen of all things home centered.
Martha has a great little list about “6 Things to Do Every Day”. I like this idea because it’s short and simple.
Speaking of simple, Simple Living has a ton of lists. Here is the link to their lists for cleaning.
I especially like the daily cleaning list. Not only does it break things down by room, but it gives you an estimate of how long each task should take.
Home Ever After has some really comprehensive checklists for cleaning. She also suggests supplies that you will need and gives you a place to record when you last cleaned that room. That might be an eye opener!
She also gives you some great suggestions, like cleaning from top to bottom and laminating the list so you can use a dry erase marker to check off things you’ve done.
I’m sure that if you look online, you can find lots of other resources for good checklists. It may even motivate you to start cleaning!
One final note: checklists are available for any task you can think of, not just cleaning. Just do a search and see what comes up!
3 Responses
Hello Brenda!
Another handy entry! This site is great! As someone who suffers from APD and (likely) ADHD, I require a checklist to have a successful day! It’s a must! I find that a 3×5 index card is great, with the back being used for any telephone numbers, or contact information I’ll need that day! This works well on a “per day” basis, or a “per task basic” (e.g. I use these for workout routines too!).
However, a SUPER system for scaling that success through the week/month and year time frames is the productivity system: “Getting Things Done” (GTD)*. I came across it quite a random. I wanted to become more productive in my personal and professional life. It took a few weeks to adopt, but the effect was incredibly. All of the “open loops” in my life were collected into one of three lists: 1. Active Projects 2. “Waiting For” Projects 3. “Someday maybe” projects. The fourth list is: 4. “Completed” projects. It is with great pleasure that I see so many of my active projects moving to the completed list.
At work, it allowed me to keep on top of things. I was usually so disorganized and behind on everything, and then I got ahead of the curve and realized the rewards that brings!
I recommend it for folks with ADD. I find that my mind jumps around so often – from old projects to new ideas!
1. For Old Projects
When my ADD mind remembers that I still need to get something done, I no longer fret about it, because I know it is safely in my project queue. If it is an Active Project, likely there is a reason why I remembered it then, and I can do some action to further it, or even complete it.
2. For New Ideas! New Projects!
When my ADD mind jumps to a new idea, I want to do right then since I worry that I will lose the idea if I don’t do it right away.
Now, I don’t waste cycles on these anymore, because I simply update my GTD project list with it. Is it an Active project, or a Someday Maybe project?
The result is that I rely less on a calendar (which are fixed, hard end dated buckets of deadlines and due dates) and more on my GTD lists, which are dynamic and flexible. I always know what “the next physical action” is for each project too! 🙂 My taxes are getting done on time, assignments are being handed in on time (or even early), and so many positive results. I am simply adapting to how my mind works. Many people don’t need lists (or lists of lists like what GTD is). But, I firmly believe that for a ADHD sufferer, it is a very useful mechanic.
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_Things_Done
PS: It’s free! You can use a few pieces of lined paper, or even better, a simple excel workbook (I carry around a print out of it regularly).
I think you just improved my marriage. We’ve been arguing about the housework for a while now, and it took me over a year to realize it’s because I have adhd that the housework is going to hell. I have gone through college and am almost through with grad school but didn’t think of adhd as still affecting me. For the longest time I thought I was failing at my housework because of some personality deficiency, and was getting very down. After all that education adhd is kicking my ass I’m cleaning- go figure.
Well, I’m very glad to have been of service. 😉
Hopefully all of this education will get you a good job that will pay for a housekeeper. Still dreaming of that one….