Overwhelm Part One: How to Tackle the Clutter

Hello brains! I'm back from YouTube NextUP and just in time for the holidays!

Chances are I'm not the only one dealing with overwhelm right now (especially if it's your turn to entertain for the holidays!) So I enlisted (semi) professional help so we can tackle that clutter and clean our homes just in time for Thanksgiving. Or Christmas. Because, you know, procrastination.

Thank you for being patient with me while I was off learning all the things!!

ALSO!!
Check out all the YouTubers from creator camp, they're all making great stuff!!!

"The Show Must Be Go," "Shiny Tech"
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

[ClipsByLaura]

Oh my goodness, this is literally the first time a cleaning video showed a mess that is ACTUALLY messy, instead of an already clean room with two shirts on the floor. This finally is recognisable, thank you! It makes me feel less like a slob and more motivated to actually get something done.

[QuitCut]

The worst part about having ADHD is I don’t even notice the mess til it’s overwhelming, then I can’t figure out where to start. I like the idea of starting where it’s less overwhelming. I usually start with the messiest room and then give up lol.

[RussyPiot]

Me: " I'm finally gonna clean my living room today" Me, 2 hours later: *has watched every single ADHD cleaning video on youtube*

[taylorulch]

WOW your home is TRASHED!!! This is so incredibly validating!!! My home looks like this almost perpetually. I'm constantly so ashamed because my day job takes up all my spoons and my desk is tidy and organized to a fault. My coworkers could never imagine the level of disarray and chaos I go home to. I'm currently reducing my possessions according to instruction in the wonderful book " how to organize with adhd" I think it's called. The cover image is a bunch of sticky notes (fitting lol) I will have to try this cleaning method next! Thank you for making this video

[marljusweety]

I have a cleaning lady. And when she comes, the house has to be tidy for her to do her job and for me not to die of embarrasment. By the time she comes to clean, I could have done the job myself in under an hour. Its all tidy and empty surfaces. But if I didnt have an appointment with her, I wouldnt ever tidy and clear out trash as much. And then cleaning it would feel like such a big endeavour. Aaaaand it wouldnt get done. So I pay for this wonderful woman to be my deadline, and also a little bit for the cleaning part. It took me 37 years to find what works for me, but this has made it possible for me to have guests drop by on short notice without my stress levels going haywire.

[Fire_soul]

"We've done a lot, but we haven't gotten anything done."
She perfectly described my day today. Lol!
Thanks for sharing this.

[jonathancook]

I don't make messes, they just appear over night.

[ShawnaHill]

I love that you showed us how overwhelming your place can get because it shows how real your struggle is. I feel normal when I watch your videos because the comment section is full of people just like me! all your videos are on point 100% of the time. thank you so much because I needed to know I'm not alone in this very REAL struggle with myself!

[mintbrownieangelfish-]

I swear... every time I watch your channel I get that little boost of "you're not alone, and here's some help" that I didn't know I needed. I love this channel so much.

[robinhart]

When I was younger and had six growing children, you can only imagine the clutter/mess! I was ALWAYS overwhelmed. One thing I learned to do when I was overwhelmed with toys, etc, was to take a garden rake (yes you read that correctly) and rake EVERYTHING into the center of the room. I would then sit down and make piles of related items. That gave me the structure I needed to get stuff done. I frequently had the kids who were old enough help with the sorting, then each of us would take one pile and put everything away! Easy to stay focused when everything is in front of you. My therapist thought I was crazy, but it worked for me!

[wifflesplat]

I don't think I've ever commented on a YouTube video before.

The state of my home is something I've always been very hard on myself over. It is incredibly relieving to know that this is struggle for other ADHDrs.

Your videos have made me feel a lot less alone with this condition. Thank you!

[Clutterbug]

I just love your videos! I am a recovering slob...I'm sure having ADHD is a huge reason for my messy ways. Anyhoo, I started getting organized and found I can hyper focus on organizing tasks...which is a positive way to use my hyper focusing superpower! Now I have a YouTube channel all about organizing...lol. Still a slob, but an organized slob ;)

[BrooklynneMichelle]

I have literally been trying to clean my room for 4 months now... This really helps A LOT! Thanks!

[JennhasADHD]

I bought the book "The life-changing magic of tidying" by Marie Kondo recently. And I've already donated 4 garbage bags of clothes. And one full of books to a community centre. Also 4 garbage bags of junk in the bin. The less stuff I have to overwhelm me I found made everything easier to clean. Bye bye shiney things that no longer spark joy. I highly highly recommend simplifying your life or using minimalism techniques if you find yourself _constantly_ cleaning. You must always put things back after you use them is key. And cleaning or de-cluttering by item not by room also helps.

[erinpeterson]

i am currently staring at the overwhelm that is my old bedroom that needs to be cleaned (im talking "can't see the floor, " "there are layers" messy. no exageration) i have been putting this off for so long its not even funny and i have to deal with it right now bc my dad is coming to help in the morning and i have said i've been working, but i have no progress to show at the moment, so i need to make some progress tonight. sleep? who needs sleep?

[CarolynDesign]

Thank you so much for sharing a video of your home in it's monster state. I get so deeply ashamed of my own house when it gets there, and a lot of times, I feel like the only person fighting that monster. It's very isolating.

It's SO meaningful to me that you were willing to share your own monster. It's helping me let go of the shame, which will (hopefully) make it easier for me to tavkle the monster moving forward.

[littlelady]

I'm ADHD and an ENFP too! Your videos have been so helpful and I am so grateful for you taking the time to explain just how this impacts us (in the, "ahhh so I'm not crazy, this is part of my disorder!") and how we can succeed in a neuro-typical world. Keep up the good work!!

[craftmamanl]

this is so recognizeable! my gosh.. need to try that.. it is so hard to keep a house clean...

[_Gianna_R]

My room is so messy all the time, I have to jump to try to not step on anything. I know my best friend for about 5 or 6 years now and she has NEVER seen my room because it was always messy. Oh, yeah, and my ex also only has seen my room once where I was sure I cleaned everything but he told me it was still a mess. I am definitely willing to try this method.

[EvelynaGR]

I don't know if I have adhd, but that totally helps me, I am easily overwhelmed and I just call it multitasking 😂