Calm planning with ADHD
A cleaning schedule with ADHD
A cleaning schedule with ADHD works best when it is small, visible and flexible. Cut jobs into pieces of ten to fifteen minutes, hang them on fixed anchors such as after dinner, and keep them in sight instead of in your head.
Good to know
This is practical planning help, not medical or therapeutic advice. If you have questions about ADHD itself, talk to your GP or a healthcare professional.
Why an ordinary schedule often fails
| What an ordinary schedule asks | What often works better |
|---|---|
| A long list for each day | One or two jobs at a time |
| Remembering yourself when something is due | The schedule decides, you follow |
| "The whole bathroom on Saturday" | "After brushing your teeth: the sink, two minutes" |
| All or nothing | A small version for bad days |
| Planning in your head | Planning on paper, in your calendar or in an app |
The schedule in four layers
- AnchorsChoose three moments that happen every day anyway: getting up, after dinner, before bed. Hang your jobs on those.
- Mini jobsEvery job fits in ten to fifteen minutes. "Kitchen" is too big; "clear the worktop" fits.
- One room a dayMonday the bathroom, Tuesday the kitchen. You do not have to choose; the day chooses.
- An emergency versionFor days without energy: washing up, bins, ten minutes. The rest moves on.
Also plan what you do on a day when it does not happen, so one missed day does not become a missed week.
A sample week
| Day | After dinner (15 min) | Before bed (5 min) |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Bathroom: sink and toilet | Put things ready for tomorrow |
| Tuesday | Kitchen: worktop and hob | Washing up away |
| Wednesday | Washing in the machine, set a timer | Hang the washing out |
| Thursday | Living room: ten-minute tidy | Washing up away |
| Friday | Bins and recycling out | Nothing: free |
| Saturday | One 30-minute block: vacuuming | Nothing: free |
| Sunday | Look at next week (10 min) | Nothing: free |
Tricks that help many people
- A timer. Set it for ten minutes and stop when it goes off. Starting is easier when the end is fixed.
- Doing it alongside someone (body doubling). Clean while someone else is also busy at home, or call a friend while you tidy.
- Keep it visible. A basket in each room for things that belong elsewhere. A schedule on the fridge or a reminder on your phone.
- Set things out. The things you need for a job live in the room itself: a cloth and spray in the bathroom.
- Tick it off. Seeing what you have done gives you the urge to do the next one.
How SortYourMind does it
The schedule remembers what is due
SortYourMind keeps track of what is due, so you do not have to remember it. Every room of your home is a theme with routines on their rhythm, and the app puts them in your free time around your appointments. When your day changes, the app replans from now and moves on what does not fit. Tell SyMon if typing is too much: "put the bathroom on Monday, fifteen minutes".
No card needed. Basic stays free. Works in the browser on any device.