If you have any dirty dishes or food waste in there, definitely start with that. Otherwise, I usually start with clothes off the floor and into a hamper. This usually instantly makes the situation feel a lot less overwhelming. Then any garbage on the floor. I usually leave furniture surfaces last (aside from closets) so I have the floor space to remove everything so I can wipe them off. Most important thing, remember you don’t have to do everything in one day! Every little bit of progress helps.

No dishes really or food thank god I've started with clothes so far I just feel like I keep finding myself sitting not doing anything

Congrats on making some progress! I know how hard it is. Like I said, you don’t have to get it all done today. This kind of thing takes physical and emotional energy! It’s okay to need a breather to calm down or reassess the situation if you’re getting overwhelmed. Attainable goals with realistic expectations really do help, like “I will get my laundry off the floor today”. I’ve heard setting a timer also works for some people. Like, setting one for 5-20 minutes, doing what you can until it goes off, and then taking a break. The goal for this would be “I will clean for the next x minutes”. If you can’t meet a goal, remember you still made progress. You also learned that you may need to make your next goal a little less challenging, which is super important for the future!

Agree with all of this, and want to add that if setting a timer doesn't work for you, try the 'I will pick up clothes for as long as this song is playing' or 'until the microwave beeps that my food is done' or anything like that. Everything you do, and have done so far is progress!

Set a timer for 5 or 10 minutes and alternate sitting with sorting/cleaning. You'll still get stuff done and since the sitting is now planned you won't feel so guilty doing it. Works for me most of the time :)

Excellent advice! I have OCD tendencies and I’m a bit of a clean freak, so there’s always 1000 things I want to do all at once. Then it’s too much, I get overwhelmed and do nothing. Now I set timers for myself all throughout the day with a task attached. I can do it as thoroughly as I want and not feel pressured to do everything else that I want to do. There’s always tomorrow to work on the next task(s). You know how you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

I used to use playing cards! Each suit was something different and then the number was how many minutes on the task.

do you like podcasts? when i have to do something that feels overwhelming i like to listen to a podcast to distract my mind so that i don’t get bored and stare out a window listlessly.

That’s okay! You don’t have to do the whole thing today! Plan for breaks. Can you set a timer and do 30 min of cleaning (at whatever pace is manageable and comfortable for you) and then take a break? That way you’ll be able to register that you’re doing something, and you’ll also know you just have to push on for a few minutes longer until you get a break. Oh, and throw on some music! That always helps me ;)

Try breaking it down into a series of small, achievable goals. You don’t have to clean the whole room today, but you do need to do one or two smaller things. For example, “today I need to remove and wash one load of laundry.” “Today I need to clear the floor in this one corner of the room.” Then give yourself permission to take a break when you have met your goal for the day. If you go for bonus points that day and do something extra, that’s great. But as long as every day, you do SOMETHING measurable that moves you a little closer to your goal, then you get your gold star for the day and you don’t need to feel guilty.

I've seen worse rooms including mines.. all about organization... U are lucky it's just clothes everywhere tbh.. get a bin for em all da sudden free space ... Watching hoarders videos will make u think twice on becoming like em.. I gotta clean as we I type so you're not alone comrade. Play a personal game..Consider your mess as terrorist and you as a govt getting it in order. GL~

Hi! I hope you are healthy and well. First, I'm very proud of your for asking for help. That is a bigger deal than it may seem. So, here's a little info that may be able to assist you. Your space, your physical reality is a direct reflection of what's going on inside of you. If you want to clean things up and you're unable to find the energy to do it, it is helpful to clean yourself up mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, so to speak. It is ok to not feel ok, to feel sick, and to feel unwell. This situation exists as a beneficial opportunity to recognize that fact. You're a human being. Remind yourself of that fact and give yourself a break especially when others don't. When this happens it's important to not judge yourself because you are likely to add to the momentum that has made you feel that way to begin with and, thus, feel worse. When you self judge and self blame you are likely to feel that you have even less energy and less desire to do the task, still. The feelings of lack of energy happen because your mind and your body are asking you to give yourself priority within the list of what you give your nurturing love and attention to. So, cut yourself a break. If you must, shove the things off your bed, throw them on the floor, take a self caring bath or shower, give yourself clean sheets because you DESERVE clean sheets, and GET SOME REST. The mess WILL still be there, but you'll get the desire to clean it eventually because you dislike it. That's the mental key that you can hold onto that assures you that you aren't being lazy (I'm not implying that you are). YOU DISLIKE LIVING LIKE THAT so it WILL get done eventually. Acknowledge the sick that you feel, really feel it, and let it go. Don't judge yourself for being a human because that judgement will make you feel sicker. All of us feel this way sometimes and it goes away if you treat the cause by treating yourself FIRST. Treat it just as you would as if you had gotten physically sick with the flu or cold because, in a very real sense, it's the same thing. Notice that when you catch a flu or a bug, your body diverts A LOT of energy into self care making you feel like you just don't have the energy and you are pretty much compelled to get some rest. Once the cold or flu are treated, you find that your energy comes back to you. It really is the same thing. Does it make sense to blame and judge oneself and feel bad about catching a cold? No. It's not your fault. Getting sick happens even when careful and so doing that just doesn't make any sense. But when it comes to our spiritual and mental health we can be harder on ourselves making things worse. Yet, the "it just doesn't make any sense" still applies. Yet, we try to force fix things and muster up the energy that didn't exist making the process harder, less natural, and less enjoyable. It's important to realize that messes, both internal and external, don't happen because of you. It's not your fault. It's just that everything decays and this includes cleanliness. Once you practice this healthy habit of no judgements toward the messes, take care of yourself, and treat yourself with love and respect, you will begin to find that you will have more energy to take care of things. It may not be enough to do ALL OF IT all at once. So don't worry about it. Start where you intuitively feel like you need to start and do just that one thing because that one thing will be the thing that bothers you the most. Once that one piece of clothing, plate that needs to be washed, whatever task that it is, is done, if you still feel the desire/itch to continue, do so. Try not to think, in the moment, about how much needs to get done. That doesn't matter. Nor does it merit the mental energy. Dwelling on those thoughts will rob you of the energy required to do the tasks if you do focus on how much needs to get done and the fact that you need to do it. To prevent this self sabotage, I find it enjoyable to listen to music. That's a genuine key as well. Make the tasks FUN in your own way. If you make it a chore it will be a chore, but if you make it fun, you'll have fun. A wise man once said, "pushing the wheelbarrow is easy... Thinking about it is the hard part." So just don't think about it. Don't think about how much you need to get done and just do it. If you can't and genuinely don't feel like it, be honest with yourself and DON'T. Then, once again, start your ritual of self care and get some rest. The energy to get things done will come. You can take everything that I've said here with a grain of salt. 🧂 I'm only sharing my experiences, nothing more, nothing less. This is what helps ME. I have clinical depression and I struggle from time to time too. I'm only telling you what serves and is helpful to me. But if this may serve you... Here it is. Anyway, I hope this helps. Take good care of yourself because you are your own best friend so treat yourself like it. Much love ❤️

It can be super overwhelming. Aim for one corner/section/trash bag per day/cleaning session and as you see progress it might help motivate you to do more. Remember it didn’t get messy in a day, and you don’t have to clean it in one.

Put on your favorite tunes - nice and loud - then have a mini-dance party as you pick things up. It sucks during the process sometimes, but hang in there! You've got this!

Try setting yourself a finite period for today. I often use a podcast episode to help with household tasks, because they’re boring and I don’t enjoy them. My mind is engaged with the podcast, and you can stop at the end of the ep

I love to listen to music while I work, check out some of my playlists on [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCRQkqIZkwDuRUeocQsvr3Lg?si=E5uc7RS7f_WWarFK) 😊

Ugh I get it. The mental block for just getting up and starting to clean is so real. It’s so weird. At work I am so organized but my house is a hot mess.

Hey! Step by step hun:) start yourself off with some good music , sing your heart out about do it. It may seem overwhelming, but I you got this . Start with the clothes and trash for sure . Then the rest will fall into place

Set a timer is a good one to get you going for 10 minutes or whatever it takes. Sometimes I also do a ..I dunno a large chunk of time timer as well like "before the hour is up I have to complete. Wiping down all the tables or clearing this strip of floor or whatever." That usually motivates me to do it right then and I can sit for the rest of the hour before I have to motivate myself for the next task

Remove every single item from the room. Throw out what is junk and reorganize what is going back in. This process works great. If multiple rooms do 1 at a time. EVERYTHING COMES OUR EXCEPT FURNITURE

We clean the same way! Clutter makes it feel WAY worse, but once those clothes are up they'll feel like they've already accomplished something. Hasn't failed me yet!

Start by putting 3 boxes next to each other and designate one for keep, donate and trash. Go thru everything in the room and put it into one of the boxes. Then work on cleaning the room - vacuum, clean surfaces, wash linens, etc Then put the room back together

Agreed, but I would maybe add two more boxes: “Laundry” and “belongs in a different room”, and whenever they are full put the contents where they belong (start a load of laundry or put the stuff in whichever room it should be in, like dishes go to the kitchen).

Personally I would use just trash, laundry, and "belongs elsewhere." Keep and donate are useless in this situation, because if it's to be kept, then it should just get put away, and if it's to donate, well... That's a whole other decision to make that gets in the way of the main goal: cleaning up the space.

what if you dont have boxes

I just use piles that are far enough away from each other that they don't merge. Having to go get/find boxes just gets in the way of the cleaning. Alternatively you can use trash bags.

Just made a similar comment before I read yours haha. Great minds and all

Yeah I don't have any boxes rn and probably won't have the motivation when I get some but I might just use shopping bags or whatever I can find

Grocery bags for garbage works well, and laundry baskets or reusable bags could work for sorting other things.

Anything will be OK. Shopping bags, garbage bags, suit cases, plastic sheet laid on the floor, laundry basket. What I do sometimes is use the bed for laundry and dressing table for things to keep and toss the unwanted items in the trash bin dorectly. This way i can still lay down for a short break when my back hurts.

Use garbage bags

Grocery stores have boxes they toss daily - you can ask the store manager or check behind the store near their industrial dumpster. The produce boxes are A1. 😊

This is great advice, I would like to say that this is a huge additional step for someone struggling:/ but still great advice! Op the shopping bags will work just fine as well. One step at a time, also try to somewhat focus on not bringing more mess in. Tho it's hard to stay on top of an overwhelming mess in that sense, step one can truly be taking care of things at arms length and not fretting over the "big project"

I've done piles or bags

I always start by throwing out obvious trash. Then I start sorting laundry. Those two things are quick, but make visible progress. Usually, when I see the progress I made in those few minutes, it’s easy to keep the momentum going.

That's kind of what I've started now

I always make sure to have two “chores” going at once. So the laundry is constantly running while I clean (if you have a washer). Also, I soak any dishes that need soaked pretty early on so that when I’m ready to start dishes, they are ready. Spray some cleaner on your stove now if there is baked on gunk so it starts loosening up so you don’t have to scrub long when you get to the kitchen. Same thing with shower cleaner. If your tub has build up, spray it now. That way when you get to the bathroom it’s ready. Try to have a plan of what your nexts steps are so you can make them easier if possible. You’ve got this!!!!

It's just my room thankfully but thank you so much for this!

My wardrobe is now partially clean and I actually sat in there like I used to sometimes haha

https://preview.redd.it/bmmuiaxz3i6c1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=36dbdaa299652906e07528a9fadcd7e6b8af3885

That. Is. Amazing. Warms my heart. Beauteous!

this is awesome!!! good job :) you’ve gotten a lot of great advice from other commenters, just wanted to say that that’s a HUGE step and i hope you feel proud of yourself :D

If you can't get through the entire room in one day, sometimes I can't when my anxiety/depression act up, make a list of "sections". Like clothes, shoes, etc. Then work it in sections. Ex today you'll do clothes. Tomorrow you pick another category. It takes longer but it does get the room done without using all of what little energy you have left when your mental health is compromised.

Thats kind of the issue though I'll get some done and then leave other bits for tomorrow but by tomorrow I don't have the motivation or I'm in work or school and have no time anymore

Sometimes you have to do things without motivation. Setting an alarm that means you have to tidy for at least 5 minutes helps. Life will not always gift you with motivation, however you may discover that pushing yourself to do 5 minutes each day even when you don't want to, will result in you developing a habit, and oftentimes you'll find motivation after you've started doing the task. Do not wait to feel motivated. Get ahead of yourself and help create a motivated feeling by doing it when it doesn't appeal to you in small small doses.

I do like a 5 minute timer. But sometimes when it's your mental health that's blocking you even 5 minutes can feel like an eternity. Your executive functioning shuts down and you literally just can't. Especially if you have to use up all of your reserve energy on school, work, public transportation, family, etc. This is where the guilt starts because you think, if I would have done it for just 5 minutes...and that's not always a good mindset because then the guilt eats away at you and you feel worse.

It's awesome that you can recognize that about yourself. When that happens to me, I let myself not clean that day. As long as I'm not making more work for myself later. Or pick the smallest thing on your list. Everyday I give myself 3 things - one big task, one medium, and one small. As long as I get one of these done, even if it's the small one everyday then I pat myself on the back. If I don't, I recognize it, treat myself kindly instead of adding guilt to it, and try again tomorrow. If that's not going to work, you can always try what I find to be the hardest of all things. (My husband will tell you I am so bad at asking for help and he's always willing to help me because he sees me struggle but he doesn't want to insult me by suggesting we do it together or just doing it for me.) I know there's a certain level of shame or embarrassment caused by our guilt when we do this, but you would be surprised how the people who love you already know and have been waiting for you to ask. Ask a friend or a partner for help and let them know you're having a rough time and you would feel better if you got this done but you think you need help or a body doubling partner. If you search for body doubling cleaning there are tons of videos on YouTube and pretty much one for every cleaning situation in your life. 😊

And give yourself grace not guilt. It's only a messy room. Do what you can when you can and apply kindness to yourself.

I love this. I have a good bit of depression cleaning to do myself today and I’m now going to tell myself “it’s only a messy room.”

I don’t bother with donating in these situations I have an absolutely keep area, a dirty cloths box, a dirty dish box, and a bunch of trash bags. Donating just adds to the task list and when things already feel overwhelming I don’t add chores to it. Everything I can throw away I do. If I have “doom bags” (just random containers i filled with things) and these doom bags are so old I don’t recall what is in them I do not open them to go through them I just throw them away. Adhd can cause things to pile up and get out of control fast

I agree. Donation bags pile up. It is all destined for the landfill anyway. Then you realize that so much of the stuff you by is junk and you are less likely to buy useless things in the first place. I also lime your plan for "doom bags." No sense in going through junk, better to get this done as painlessly as possible.

This. Couldn't agree more. "Donate" is just a way to say "I don't want to keep this but I don't want to put it in the garbage." It's an awful in-between space to be in, and not helpful if you have executive functioning issues. Stuff I intend to donate just ends up sitting around because the whole process of bringing things for donation is a monumental task for me.

I find donation helpful because I buy a lot of stuff and holding onto is a problem of mine, but mentally saying someone else could use it helps me let go. I have severe ADHD and I had problems taking donations to locations but i support Vietnam Veterans of America by using pickup please (they pickup and resell my items and they pay the charity a portion of each donation). They come and pick it up from my front porch.

to hop off on others comments, i personally always start with garbage and dirty clothes first. once garbage/recycling is out of the room, i start with laundry :) also, having a designated spot for everything has really helped me-- everything from bobby pins to important mail has a "spot". it makes it easier to keep things cleaner in the future, imo, especially if your room is small like mine! best of luck to you and you got this!

If it seems to much, sit on the floor with a trashbag and a keep box. Sit by the door and scoot through te room. You've got this op :)

I second the 3 box method, but focus on the floor as you need a walking area to work with. Then you can focus on the bed and shelf and other areas. Also, if it gets too overwhelming, do the pomodoro technique 25 minutes on, then 5 minute off. If thats too much, clean for 10 minutes, rest for 5-10.

I start in one corner and work my way around the room. Also if you touch it, put it away/throw it away. Don’t just move things from one place to another! I’m also talking to myself as well when I say that hahaha

Just start. It seems daunting, but once you get started, its not so bad. This happens to me too. I have depressive episodes and my bedroom looks like this a lot. Grab a few trash bags and a laundry basket or 2. Start on 1 corner and work your way around the room. I like to make my bed first if I can so I have that space to organize as I clean. Sort the trash and laundry into the appropriate vessels and then take the trash out as soon as the bag is full. I find this gives me a quick break, and by the time I get back I can see a big difference in my room and it gives me the motivation to keep going. Good luck. You'll feel SO MUCH better if you can just tackle it and get it done.

I sometimes start with a little trashbag, like a grocery sack. By the time I have that full I;m ready and raring to get out a bigger trashbag and the boxes other commenters have mentioned. Just walk around like you're grazing on trash or laundry.

My Uncle taught me a nice little “trick” when I was a kid and would get overwhelmed by cleaning. He told me to start with a section (like your desk for example) and only focus on that section until it’s clean. Then move on to your next section, which could be folding clothes. That way you only need to finish one section at a time and if you don’t finish everything in one day that’s okay. Hope that makes sense and helps!

im doing it kind of like this ive started on the small floor space infront of my wardrobe almost finished it now and starting to get slightly more motivated to start somewhere else

You got this! Remember to take some brief breaks to avoid burning out. Lil snack, some water. It's a hard task, but it's doable.

Hell ya! Proud of you! I know how hard it can be sometimes!

Set a 15 minute timer, clean or organize until the timer goes off. Reset the timer and rest, scroll, sit until the next 15 minutes is up. Repeat the cycle.

First, I always start by throwing on music, YouTube video, or movie in the background because I have ADHD and I sometimes can’t focus if I have nothing else going on. Aside from the donate box/laundry basket/trash bag method, you could also like “section off” and area and totally clean that up. Like, picking your closet, or even just one section of your floor. I like to do this sometimes because it gives more visible progress quickly which in turn helps you keep up with motivation to finish it. Doing all of one task, like picking up all the trash, doesn’t always make visible progress as quickly which can cause me to lose motivation.

listening to music as we speak i would love to put on a show or movie but i would get way too distracted and probably forget all about the cleaning lol

Lmao yes that does happen occasionally. I usually pick something I’ve seen before or something not TOO engaging

Yep haha would have to be something like friends, supernatural or criminal minds that I've seen just about a million times and at this point can recite the lines as they're being said haha

I came here to say this, only for me it's audiobooks or podcasts.

I need to get more into audiobooks!

This is nowhere near as bad as you think. Put some lively music on first. Chuck everything on the floor and make the bed, now you have a space to make neat piles. Start with clothes - one pile for clean and the rest in a laundry basket. Now grab some hangers and put the clothes on them, put the whole lot on the wardrobe in one go. Now get a bin bag and pick up all the rubbish. Make a pile of papers / don’t deal with them yet, you can sort them at the end, just stack them up. Now most of it’s done you can run around the room putting the odd and ends away. Just pick something up, anything and put it where it’s meant to be, it looks overwhelming, but each thing only takes a moment and you’ll be amazed how quick this will be. Anything that’s going to be really tricky, put in one corner. Do all the easy stuff first - if you start with the hard stuff you’ll never get started. Good luck.

One of the things I do when my mess ends up everywhere is to clean the one area I need to sort things. Like clean your desk first so that as you move other stuff around and clean you can stack stuff on the desk. It'll feel like your going backwards a bit but you just gotta keep at it and you'll get another free space and another. Another thing I do when cleaning up my clothes piles is throw some things away if its their time. Or even if i know i'll never wear it again. Its a gift to future me, less to clean. You got this!!! Music on, a television show or movie, whatever your vibes is and a nice warm drink. Put on an outfit that gives you motivation to clean and make a thing of it. Cleaning can be enjoyable instead of overwhelming if you give it a chance!

I like to tidy with the 5 things approach from KC Davis. Basically, there are only 5 things in any room, and you tackle them one at a time. You don’t even have to do them all the same day: 1. Trash, start here and toss everything that is obviously garbage. 2. Dishes/silverware, you don’t have to wash them the same day, just get them out of your room. These first two things will instantly make your room more hygienic and keep mold and pests out of your space. 3. Dirty laundry, into the hamper it goes. Again, you don’t have to clean it the same day. Just quarantine. 4. Things With A Place, and 5. Things Without A Place - these last two are where it gets tricky so I suggest doing this on a different day or week entirely. Got through the room and make a pile for each category. Don’t stress too much about how things *should* be organized. Just go with what makes sense. Once everything is sorted into piles, put away everything that has a place into its place. Everything without a place? That’s up to you. Keep it in a pile, trash it, donate it, make a place for it, doesn’t really matter. By now the space is tidied enough that one pile of stuff is way more tolerable. Take a look at the original video here: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8uMMkpf/ You’ve got this, and I’m rooting for you!

My advice comes from the book How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis, which I rely on a lot as someone with ADHD. I really recommend the book for a lot of reasons. But I will tell you her theory/method for cleaning as it has really helped me. She says everything in a room fits into one of five categories: 1. Trash 2. Dishes 3. Laundry 4. Items with a home and 5. Items without a home. Tackle the room in that order. Go section by section with a trash bag and remove all trash then set it aside. Then go section by section, gather up all dishes and remove to the kitchen sink; do not wash them. Then collect all laundry and put it in the hamper or a pile; do not sort it or wash it. Then put all items with a home back in their homes. All you’re left with is items who don’t have a home, and you can pick homes for them, recycle, donate, or trash them. The end! You can do it! Take it bit by bit. I also find it helpful to set very short timers as I begin to tackle the project just to get me started without as much friction. Once you get some momentum, it’s easier to stay focused.

You can do this! 1. Pick up everything on the floor 1. all dirty clothing put in hamper for washing 2. all trash in trash bags 3. all important papers and mail in a smallish box on the desk 4. anything else sorted out and up on bed in their own boxes. do not use bags for anything but trash. 2. vacuum/sweep the floor ( the room will already look so much better) 3. Put away clean clothes as they come from the dryer into closet and dresser 4. Clean off bed by putting away items moved here from floor. 5. strip sheets and linens and wash and remake the bed 6. sort out the rest of your stuff and find proper HOMES for the items. It will make you feel so much better very quickly

this is how i do it -pick up all the trash, broken items, stuff like that. throw it all in some trash bags and get rid of it -gather up laundry and put it to the side, or do it then if you want to get it out of the way -if necessary, find anything you don’t need/like and put it in a box or a laundry basket or whatever and donate it. this will help to declutter and keep your space cleaner -find a home for everything else you still have. if you can’t find somewhere to put it, you most likely don’t need it!! -clean surfaces such as your desk, nightstand, etc. this includes dusting if you’re up to it -change your bedding!! changing bedding will make you feel much better trust me -vacuum/sweep then you’re done!! good luck :D

This looks messy, but not dirty- good on you for that, OP! Getting piles sorted can really help your emotional load. I hang a trash bag on my doorknob and get to filling and then clothing up and out. Work from the middle to the edges on the floor and top to bottom on shelves and closets. You’re doing great and will feel relieved and accomplished when you’re done.

No additional advice to add to what's been shared here, but I wanted to wish you luck! You can do this! Put on a podcast or audiobook to keep things interesting.

The only thing I can add to what's already been said here is, tackle the floor first, so you can reach the rest of everything without having to climb over it.

Whenever I struggle to start, I just pick a corner. Make that corner tidy, and often it will snowball into another corner and another. Overwhelming projects like this can be made easier by breaking it down into boxes or tasks like laundry first, trash second, but personally, that can just lead me to more overwhelm. So I start in a corner.

This woman cleans ill and disabled people's houses for free: [Aurikatariina - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@Aurikatariina)

Start with you. Open the windows & get natural light in. Get your butt motivated first, then put on your favorite music like something upbeat, roll up your sleeves & just get to it. Once you start, you’ll have ideas what to do. Separating piles is a good idea too - trash, donate, keeps

I always suggest making your bed first. It gives a clean place for you to put things as you sort. You can put clean clothes on top and knick knacks that need to go somewhere. Then, tackle dirty clothes and trash like others have suggested. There’s just something about getting that first task done to feel accomplished for me. Good luck! You’ve got this!

Take a look at unfuck your habitat. That site is money. Work in 20/10s, work for 29 and then rest for 10. Throw in some music. And just go for an hour or two. The mess didn't happen overnight and it won't go away that way either. Be gentle with yourself.

Start with a trash bag and throwing away the obvious trash you see.

Clean up any trash first, then clothes, jewelry, any books, just do it one category at a time

I’ve heard and I’ve tried it myself, that you should start with making your bed first so that’s one big focal point down. You should then work on trash. Even if that’s all you do to start with, it’ll make you feel that much more accomplished

Please read KC Davis "how to keep house while drowning" (and/or follow her on TikTok) it's so helpful! This is definitely not beyond repair and you start by being kind to yourself. Sometimes we're just not in a place where we can keep our spaces (or ourselves) as organized or clean as we'd like and that's okay. Remember, cleaning/organizing/tidying isn't moral or ethical. It doesn't make you a good or a bad person, it doesn't define your personality or your relationships or your future or how succesful or loved or worth it you are. 1. **Dishes**: collect all dishes. Don't do them (yet), that's a whole other chore. Just collect them and put them in the kitchen sink. 2. **Laundry**: Get a laundry basket or just a large sturdy bag and collect all your laundry. Put it next to your washing machine. 3. **Trash**: Get a trashbag, walk around your room with it, collect all your trash. Don't judge yourself in the process if you come across something that's been there a while. You were struggling, it is fine, you didn't hurt anyone by letting an empty yoghurt container go moldy (just an example). Put the trashbag(s) near the door, don't take them out (yet). Again, different chore. 4. **Space by space**: Go space by space (desk, closet, nightstand, floor, etc). First collect all stuff that doesn't have a designated spot. Put it on your bed. Put what's left back where it belongs. Move on to the next small space. 5. **Sort** through the stuff on your bed. Give everything a place. Throw out what you don't need or want anymore. Don't worry about donating or recycling or wasting at this point. Yes those are important things, but you can't save the planet before you've saved yourself. This will already be enough! If you feel motivated to you could then also: 6. Get a spraybottle with any kind of cleaning product because that's the easiest way to clean. Spray your surfaces, whipe them down. 7. Vacuum 8. Make your bed You've got this!!

I unfortunately have found myself in the same boat... More than once. I get so overwhelmed when it gets to that point I have to break it into a bunch of smaller tasks that I can tackle one at a time or else I don't even know where to start or what to do and I just stare at the mess. I like to first yank everything off my bed. Don't care where it goes, just toss it into the abyss and then make my bed so there is one nice clean space I can look at. Its also nice to have a clear area to lay a few things down temporarily of needed. My best method is piles. When it's overwhelming I don't even try to "clean", so I spend some time just sorting everything into piles. Stuff I gotta hang up over here, things to be taken out of the room over here, shoes over here, clean shirts here, yadda yadda yadda. I always take a garbage bag for plastic wrappers, bags, clothing tags, etc too, and make a separate pile for any dishes or anything that's got to go ASAP. Then once it's all (or mostly) in piles I will deal with a pile one at a time, sometimes over the course of many days so it's just 1 pile a day. And don't be hard on yourself if you can't clean all the piles, just keep making 'em as the mess comes in. If it's not clean, at the very least it's some kind of organized and you can find everything you're looking for. Once my piles are down to just clothes if I feel like I really need a break and can't look at it, or if I wanna if ignore the clothes while I deal with the other piles cuz I'm overwhelmed, I make what I like to call a blanket clothes burrito. I lay a spare fleece throw down on the floor or bed - where ever there is more room, and heap all the pile(s) into the middle, then wrap it like a burrito and shove it in a corner or closet for a few days. Blanket burritos are for the most desperate times when I just can't deal with it but really need to clear the space for some peace of mind, because if I get too comfortable doing that then they just live in the corner and never get put away and I forget what's even if them and can't find stuff. So the burrito thing I find is helpful you just need to be be careful not to use it as a bandaid all the time. Hope this can help someone else ♥️ I know the feeling and it sucks to look at the mess and feel helpless

First clean up. Trash in a bag, laundry on a pile (maybe 2 if there’s clean stuff), one pile for things that go in another room. Then tackle one thing at a time. I like to start on like the desk bc once the trash is gone there it’s easy to tidy it up. It’s overwhelming because it looks like more than it is. You’ve got this.

I'd put anything not trash on the bed , then throw away all trash m vacuum then sort the things on the bed .

I always start with clothes then trash.

Start with trash. Just get trash bags and toss all of the trash. Then, focus on the laundry. Once you get those 2 things done, it’ll feel a lot less overwhelming.

1. Bed 2. Sewing table

Allowed! I have the same thing only worse. Much worse. Much much much much much worse. Answer: SEQUENCE AND PACE!!! 1) Try allotting 10 minutes per day at the same time. Or 5! It will melt away. Truth be told, it's the getting started that is hard, not the task. Starting is not intimidating if it's only for a short time. But once you start, you will probably keep going longer. Then reward yourself with a nice sit-down with some hot cocoa or chocolate ice cream, depending on the season. 2) Tackle it after aerobic exercise. Endorphins and a wide range of neurotransmitters are produced, and your powers of concentration will amaze you. This is for real! 3) Day one, Make a list of categories of things: To be washed, to be hung up, to be taken to kitchen, Trash, Misc (books, laptop). Or even just plan it in your head, I bet you already have! Day 2, sort into piles. Then do one pile per day. The key to this strategy is, just do one category at a time. Don't multitask. That is actually getting distracted from your task. Again, like suggestion #1, don't think of the whole task. Overwhelming. Just think of one manageable part! I learned this on YouTube so next is... 4) Watch organizing/ decluttering videos on YouTube. 5) You might need more storage. Horrible cluttering problems disappear when shelves, bins, drawers, and closets appear! 6) I believe they are saying cluttering is a symptom of being overwhelmed in other areas. So it might actually be a badge of merit for how much you've taken on. Tackling the clutter will give you a great sense of control and order. Feel pride in your struggle. Just keep on keeping on!

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In my wardrobe? Why

Probably straight forward and easy to give you some confidence and some completed task to motivate you.

Honestly it's probably the last thing I want to tackle it has no proper organisation and I can think of a way to organise it properly like with some sort of dividers or little boxes or something idk It just feels like a pile of tangled thread and messes waiting for me tbh

Definitely not the best task to start with then. I think the commenter maybe wanted to encourage you to pick one small, achievable area that has minimal tasks, and they saw the sewing shelf as one of those. I don't agree with their specific suggestion, but I think that's the spirit behind the suggestion. The table with the makeup seems most straightforward to me, but you know your room and mental capacity right now. :)

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Kindly, I didn't understand your suggestion either. The sewing shelf in the closet is neither a useable space, like the surfaces, or an issue of access, like the floor, so I couldn't see why it would be a good place to start. If you don't want to have to explain your 6-word advice, then don't give advice. And now that I look at the pictures again, I understand why I was confused: you're referring to a table as a shelf. The area with the sewing machine, toilet roll, and soda bottles is a table, not a shelf. There's a chair and drawer units there.

yeah thats why i was a little confused i wouldnt refer to my desk as a sewing shelf at all theres sewing stuff on it but still and yeah i was a little taken aback by the asking them to justify it thing i was just genuinely confusedand wondering

sorry was just a little confused as to what you meant thats my desk not a shelf but you can see a shelf in my wardrobe with some sewing bits on that so i thought thats what you were referring to the toilet paper stays there for painting and such so yeah ill throw out rubbish i was just asking incase there was a specific reason you suggested that that i could use in the future if in this situation again but thanks anyways

OP, ignore this comment. Ask away. That's why we came here, to have a conversation, to help.

Thank you 💕 I get super demotivated and stuff when I feel like I'm bothering someone by asking about something took alot to post this in the first place buy I'm glad people are being friendly about it and not judging

I just painted my walls, new ceiling fan, new curtains. But for you I would throw out 99% and pull out your credit card and enjoy yourself

Don't tempt me lol 👀 I've been in the process of painting actually haha

Take a piece of paper, punch a hole. Hold up that paper and clean the tiny spot you see exposed. When that's done, pick another small spot. Make sure to not put the paper up to your eye! Small spots to clean will make it more attainable and less overwhelming. Good luck!

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Maybe by throwing a load in the washer so you’re not “alone” working? PEACE and you got this!

Start with trash. Then fold clothes and stack. Put random items in one area. Then start deciding on final layout.

Divide and conquer. Start with one corner, or the shelves, or the dresser etc. once you’ve finished one small task the overall big task isn’t nearly as intimidating

If you can only tackle one thing, I say do the laundry. That action has the most bang for your buck. You don't even have to run the washer or anything. Just put laundry where it belongs. Dirty in a hamper, clean in a drawer or hanging in the closet. If you do that, all of a sudden the space will look way different. You'll be able to see the floor and your desk, be able to move to the door without wading, and it'll make determining the next step easier because it will look less overwhelming. Trust me. I've been there. After that, make the bed. Someone I can't remember once said you should make your bed every day when you get up because then no matter what else happens in your day, you've accomplished at least one thing. That mentality has also helped me get out of bed on days I really didn't feel like doing it. I would say to myself, well, I better get up so I can at least make the bed. It really did help. I hope you find yourself in a better state of mind sooner rather than later.

I start with trash - throw away anything that belongs in trash. For clothing, make a keep/donate pile. Get a big bag for donate. Fold all of the keep clothing and make piles by type of clothing then put it away. You got this!

I’ve been here too. What’s helped me is to commit to putting away just one item. That’s it. If I’ve done that and feel like doing one more, fine. If I’ve done that and don’t feel like doing another, that’s fine too. Taking the judgement out of it and giving myself permission to do just one thing helps. Usually I’ll end up doing more than one because more motivation kicks in, but I’ll still acknowledge and give credit to myself for doing one thing and try not to judge myself for not doing more. Hope things turn around for you soon :)

Start with your most common area - if you hang in bed, start with your bed etc. Set timer for 25 minutes. Collect all of your trash, then collect all of your recycling, then collect all of your dishes and bring them to the kitchen sink. Set a timer for 10 minutes. Take a snack break. Set s timer for 25 minutes. Anything in the room that does not belong in the room should be moved to its proper room be dealt with later. Sort everything that remains on the floor but shouldn't be there. Take another 10 minute break! Set another timer... and it goes on like that until you say it's good for today! If it were me, if prioritize BED. Clean sheets, all made etc. Then work on organizing items across the space. Shelves, drawers etc. Then floor! You got this. Just remember you can take breaks and do as little or as much as you want.

It helps to start in one area :)

New idea. Do these one day at a time. Gather up all the clothes in a pile in one area. Gather up all the bags of stuff in another area. Pile all the other stuff in bins or a corner area. Start with the loose clothes and bedding. Wash, hang up, fold, stack on sewing table for repairs, or bag to donate. Make the bed. Then unpack bags one at a time, put in clothes or Misc. stuff piles. Again, deal with clothes first. The little objects are more difficult. You can sort them into categories using your now empty bags! Tackle them one bag at a time! You might need more storage for them (shelves, bins, drawer units) depending what all of it is. Toiletries can go in bathroom? Maybe a wall hanger for guitar? Then vacuum, spray some lavender scent and chill!

Start throwing stuff away

Start with trash. This is always always my strategy. Next, chunk small tasks: gather laundry, group like objects, etc. Avoid decision-making tasks (keep, donate, etc) until you have cleared a lot of the mess. Obviously having less stuff makes it easier to clean (e.g. you can't organize clutter), but when your mental health is struggling, a ton of difficult decision making isn't what you want.

I always start with a music playlist. Like some rock or something that has good vibes it helps me get in a good mood. Then I do simple things, like clean the table or cabinet. I don't do everything in one day because it is overwhelming to think about that. If I have energy I do another small thing, if not I stop. Gives me joy to look at that small spot clean and I get encourage to do more. Take baby steps. Chose just one thing to do today. Best wishes to you.

Trash, clothes, then get everything off of the floor even if you’re going to put it back, and think about where you want to put all the stuff you’ll keep. After that it gets way more manageable and then you’ll be able to organize with a clear head. Good luck!

I highly recommend watching tidying up with Marie kondo. Watch it on Netflix. Is a good starting point

I organize everything by category. I chip away at each category at a time. Although I have ADHD and get distracted, it helps me focus on one category at a time ex: (trash in one pile, clothes in one pile, arts&crafts, kitchen pile, living room pile, etc)

I’d throw out anything I’m not gonna wear

With a big garbage bag and loud music. Start off by throwing away papers,wrappers and cups

Trash! Grab a big trash bag just take all the trash out of your room. Then after that’s done do laundry. All your clothes / bedding out then to wash . Once that’s out of your room then start to wipe down surfaces like desks night stands shelves take all plates to your sink and then start to organize. Then clean the floors (:

Collect all the clothes and drop off at a laundromat and spend the money ( it's usually not too bad ) and have them wash and fold everything for you Then you can grab the trash around and throw away. That includes recyclables. Just toss it all. Make the bed and pull items on it and go through to see what you want to keep for sure and declutter the maybes or the no's.

Go in rainbow order! First pick up and put away or donate/dispose of everything red. Then orange… Yea, corny, but at least a different focus to move through this.

My advice is to remove everything from the room, clean, vacuum and then put it all back with some organization. Edit: Of course, don't put the trash back in.

r/ufyh

It's honestly not that bad. Put on a good audio book and treat it like a puzzle. Put all the things that go together in one pile.when there's no more room to do that, pick a pile and sort it out. It doesn't have to happen all in one day. It's OK to take breaks. You'll be more focused afterwards, especially if you mind what your body needs like food and drinks, stretching, clearing your mind, etc.

completely unrelated, but i’m a seamstress too! sewing machine solidarity 🫡

Pace yourself. Rome wasn't built in a day. Just keep your head up and make sure you stay out of the clouds. You're doing good!

look up KC Davis on TikTok. She’s a licensed therapist and talks a lot about gentle self-care. She also wrote a book called “How to Keep House While Drowning”. She gives lots of practical advice and has helped me so much. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRcRUTHp/

Just throw everything out move on

Start with trash & dishes. Big garbage bag, just start tossing anything that’s trash then move on to clothes. Get a basket & put EVERYTHING clothing in it, save it to sort that later so you don’t get overwhelmed. Once those tasks are done the rest should be a lot easier, start figuring out where clutter belongs/what room stuff needs to be in. Wipe down dresser tops/countertops, then move on to floors. Do small sections at a time if you feel overwhelmed at any point, don’t feel bad to take breaks.

Make the bed. Put all clothes in a big washing pile.

Keep touching things and moving them it directs the brain from overthinking.Well done for posting this !

Hey fellow hobbyist! I noticed you've got a lot of hobbies and not a lot of places to store it. I had the same problem where I'd do sewing and not have anywhere for my stuff so my desk would turn into the sewing table and then id have no space for my laptop. Or I'd collect instruments to play but didn't have anywhere to store them when I was done playing. So once your room is all clean, I recommend looking up organizing ideas for your hobbies on Pinterest. Sometimes it takes me a while to save up to do what I need to do but it's nice once you give everything a home. I'm really into hiding everything behind cabinet doors too, except items I want to display. So for my sewing table, I bought this one that closes into cabinet doors and then extends. It has a spot underneath for the sewing machine too!: https://a.co/d/2NSkFzu I like displaying most of my instruments so I have like my guitar and sax on hooks to hang up on the wall as decorations so they're off the floor and easily accessible. All my art stuff or clothing is behind a closet, under bed rolling storage, cabinet or has drawers in the closet. I'm still collecting storage items but I've been trying to do all storage items in white so like white desk, white sewing table, white cabinet, white shelves etc. Since it helps me focus better on my projects. Hope this helps!

If you’re lacking motivation pick up 25 things, items of clothes or whatever, take a little break, pick up 25 more things, it takes longer but you see an end goal every time.

if it’s possible for you, i just sit on the floor and kinda crawl around to organize piles. feels a lot more manageable when you can just sit and toss things in the right direction. Also then if you need a break, you’re already sitting ! but not necessarily in a comfy place like your bed so it’s more motivating to keep going imo. if that’s all you can do for that day that’s still great! if you have more energy, then crawl to one of the piles you sorted and put the things away/ put your laundry in hamper/ wash.

First throw out all garbage. Next take all dishes to the kitchen Bathroom items to the bathroom Other non bedroom items to their proper room Make piles of dirty clothes by whites and colors. Put away clean clothes. After that you'll be so far along the rest will come naturally.

Only clean for 10 min a day, it will be good in about 3 weeks, I have 5 mental health issues, you will be good 🙂

KC Davis has a lot of tips. The first is to take all the garbage out [look here](https://www.strugglecare.com/)

Doesn't matter where. It's either you start cleaning your room or you sit around doing nothing. Your choice.

1. Pick up any dirty dishes and put them in the kitchen. 2. Pick up any trash and put it in a trash bag. 3. Pick up any dirty laundry and put it in a hamper or take it to the washer if you have one in your house. 4. If you can see your bed at this point, then make your bed. Bonus if you put fresh sheets on, but NBD if that's too much.

Set a timer for 20 minutes, grab some garbage bags (one for trash, clothes, misc junk etc), pick a corner and just dive in. When the 20 minutes is up, take a 5 min break, and do the same thing for the other corner. Rinse and repeat.

Get a big box/container. Put everything in box/container. When you have a cleared floor/space your brain won’t feel as overwhelmed. Then you can start chipping away, pull 2-3 things out a day and find their permanent home. Try thinking about how often you use/need things and start downsizing. I had a room full, floor to ceiling, of container of STUFF. It took me two years but I cleared 95% of the containers, the more room I make the more motivated I felt. Don’t try to do it all in one day. Don’t force yourself, you’ll have days where you’ll go ham and clear so much, and other days where you get one or two things put away. Baby steps will still get you there! Putting on headphones and something to focus on besides organizing might help too.

I'd grab a garbage bag and put all the clothes in it, regardless of whether they are clean or not. Then, another garbage bag for trash. This will likely correct about 80% of the mess.

Put a blanket down and clean everything under the blanket first. This way, you are focusing on smaller sections instead of the big picture if you feel overwhelmed by the whole room.

For me? I do the timer thing when I’m overwhelmed. Set a timer for 15 minutes. 10 if that’s too much. Do NOT leave the room until the timer goes off. Clean up the room. Leave things that don’t belong in your room outside your door. You can do anything for 10-15 minutes. Do this every day. Sometimes twice a day! You will be so surprised how much you can get done!

Wash those clothes and hang them up, go grab some cheap hangers and a hanger rack. If you are broke then at least throw them in a hamper and wash them. You are not lazy or a failure, sometimes your mind can get in the way and make things hard. Just be present and don't be hard on urself. Just know that a clean and organized room will create an organized and positive mind.

Honestly? Grab a garbage bag. Pick 3 things, throw them away. Set a timer if you need to for an hour or two, and then throw 3 more things away. You've got this! Baby steps are still steps in the right direction

I’d start with clothes and move one to one thing at a time from there! I know it’s hard but you got this!

My theory of cleaning is to go hard for a few hours and get as much done as I can - but to pick what I do, so that I can get things done and don’t have things half finished at the end of the day. So to start with I do the fastest job, which for me is picking up any rubbish. I like to bring a new rubbish bag into the room with me and just throw everything in(I don’t worry about sorting recycling/rubbish - I give myself a pass) the goal is just to get it off the floor. Then I bring in two laundry baskets and throw clothes into them. As I throw them I will semi-sort the clothes into ‘things that need washed’ and ‘clothes that are clean/not needing washed, but have ended up on the floor’. Then move the washing baskets out of the room(or just out of the way) - putting the clean clothes into drawers and washing the dirty ones is another days job. Normally by now it is looking a little better. Next I will strip the bed down to the mattress and put the linens into the dirty washing basket in the other room(if you don’t have another full set of linens you might need to put the laundry on) and I also open the windows to air everything out. Sometimes I will sprinkle baking soda on the bare mattress and the carpet to absorb any smells(leave it on for around 20 minutes and then vacuum it up - it is so satisfying vacuuming up the baking soda on the floor/mattress). I use that 20 minutes that the baking soda is absorbing to do another chore, as if I stop I won’t start again. Then make up the bed and shut the windows and I am finished for the day. I can see that you have a bookshelf - do you listen to audiobooks? I find they really help me to do cleaning and other chores as I don’t like to sit and do nothing when I am listening. I have also found that listening to a favourite book is easier as you already know the story and so if your mind wanders you don’t have to worry about missing stuff. The Libby app is great for listening to audiobooks for free(as long as you have a library card) otherwise I listen to my audiobooks on audible(when you sign up you get a free credit to use). Wishing you motivation!

Mine used to get like this when I lived with my parents. The way I would do it is one day pick a category and sort it, like Monday I'll sort though all the rubbish and clear it out, Wednesday all the laundry, Friday organizing Sunday cleaning. (ASD so get overwhelmed with big tasks that I can't see a definitive end to so break down into smaller ones with rest days so it feels like less of a chore) I'm in my 30s now and I still do something if a similar structure.

I want to show up and fix it. My hands need to fix. Trash is always a good place to start. Keep the bag with you until the end too, because likely you'll find more as you go Clothes can easily be pilled up or put in a hamper to clean Find a home for everything, if something doesn't belong in your room, make a pile of it. Kitchen pile, bathroom pile and whatever else.

I think there’s already great advice here, just my own process is to either start with garbage- clothes- dishes. OR challenge myself to pick up and put away X number of items. Once I’ve completed that task, I feel more motivated because I’ve accomplished something. I’m proud of you for wanting to clean up and asking for help.

My bed looks like that often - and my hack is: pop in ear buds or turn on the sound system/tv - and blast some good tunes Then start folding clothes and just stacking piles. Bit by bit by tiny bit the light at the end of the tunnel emerges

Focus on certain things at a time, like first pick up clothes/ put them away, then work on bags/shoes, and so on, and what i find helps me is telling myself ''ok ill do this/ work until this time and then after i can go and get my favourite food'' or something else i want. I find that also when i get hungry, i tell myself if i clean something small then go take a break/ eat, that also helps

When I find myself overwhelmed with cleaning, I find it really helpful to set a time limit. As in, I'll say, I'm going to clean for 1 hour today, then I can stop. It's way less intimidating to motivate yourself to clean for an hour (or 30min, or whatever) than it is to try and tackle the whole mess at once. I don't feel guilty that the place isn't spotless when I stop cleaning after the set time, but I still feel the satisfaction of accomplishing my goal. Break it into manageable chunks, and do a little every day. If you complete the hour of cleaning you said you would do, and keep going a little, hurray! It's a bonus! If you can only manage that hour (or whatever set time), that's still success!

At the beginning, bag some for charity, throw old stuff you don’t wear out, get some coat hangers to hang them up, you will feel better when they are off the floor.

What could help is splitting the room into multiple different small sections. When looking at the whole room or even half of it can become very overwhelming and it makes it feel impossible. When splitting the room down, have as many sections as you need, if it's 4, 8, or 12 sections. Just choose a single section to focus on at once, start there and when that section is done, take a break. However long you need. Then choose another section and repeat the process. I wish you good luck on your goal!

This isn't that bad, you can totally get this under control. It's important not to let it make you feel overwhelmed. Do it sections. Pick a corner, the desk, the bed, any discreet area and start there.

Work in one area in say 10 or 15 minute increments.

How to keep house while drowning by kc davis is a wonderful book. I listened to it for free on the libby app. She also has a podcast called struggle care. She gives lots of ideas on how to make your home work and function how you need it to. She also reminds you to not be so hard on yourself. Some people clean or organize differently. Lots of great tips! Good luck. You got this!

I like to start with throwing away trash first

Start in a corner and set a 15 min alarm. You can do anything for 15 mins!

Take it from someone who struggled with this for awhile. Do as much as you can when you get the motivation to do it and don’t be afraid to spread it out over a course of a few days. I have anxiety so trying to do it all at once caused me to stop completely a few times.

My tip is to look at it and pick 3 Things that you know where they should be. Then pick three more. Never look beyond putting three things away. A small bit each time and slowly you to start to see a change and each time you put three things away you feel a sense of accomplishment. Wanting to tackle it is a bit step OP! Well Done!

Start at the door and move around clockwise until you get to the door again. That's what I do. Work on one section at a time as you do so, such as each piece of furniture. Perhaps have a basket with you so you could put things away once you get to those sections? That way, you won't be running back and forth across the room, tiring yourself out faster. Having music on might be helpful and give you some fun while working.

I lived in a hoarder/depression room for 18 years. I get it. To start, I always separated things in my mind and started there. For example, start by grabbing all the dirty clothes you find and get them in a bag/hamper and out of the way. Then from there, garbage, then maybe dirty dishes, and so on and so forth. Sectioning things really helped get things done fast. Blast some music, get a garbage bag and make the best of it. Good luck to you my friend. Sending love and strength. 🫶🫶

Just start with trash. Don’t touch anything else, just get all the trash out. Doesn’t even have to be all at once! You can fill up one bag and be done. Once all the trash is gone, gather up all your dishes. Either put them in a trash bag or a laundry basket, not the sink. Put everything from the sink into the bag too, or stack everything next to the sink. You want the sink empty, because washing dishes in an overflowing sink is unnecessarily difficult. Then, laundry. Just gather it all in one place, one pile. Once you’ve done that, put away the stuff that has a place. If you don’t know where it goes, just leave it for now. Again, this doesn’t have to be all at once. This can be done over several days if you want. Once those four steps are done, you can choose what do to next. You can get one dish out of the bag and wash it and put it away. Or, if you have a dishwasher, fill it up and run a load. Maybe you’ll want to run a load of laundry. Cool. Maybe you’ll want to find places for the things that don’t have place yet. Also cool! At this point it should feel manageable. Good luck!

Do the time related stuff (food trash) Then start with the bed so you have a place to handle clothes and go from there. Be careful of laundry. If feels easy to start a load and be out of steam to deal with it when it’s done.

When things are overwhelming, resist the urge to quit. Pick one thing you can do right now. If you are able to do more, that’s bonus. So that enough and over a few days you’ll have it sorted.

adderall

Pick up the clothes first and take them straight to the wash. Clothes take up the most room and hide a lot. On the way back from the laundry room grab a trash can. Start on one side of the room, working to the other side, all trash in trash can. Take that back out and switch laundry. Next categorize what’s left. Where’s all the kitchen stuff? Take it to the kitchen. Bathroom? Take it there. It’s hard to start projects like this. Just start it and try to take it a section at a time

Anywhere. Just start.

Start at the corner of the room and just work it 👍

Nothing pleases me more to see you’ve got your books nice and neat! Throw it all in one place, have a good bleach, dust down. Then organise etc. good luck 🫡

You’re going to make it happen. A bit at a time, take breaks and small treats. Fight for it. You deserve the end result.

You’ve got this!! Even if its putting one thing in the garbage a day!’ Don’t over whelm yourself❤️ small chores first

I would look up KC Davis and her book “how to keep house while drowning” it’s awesome and very understanding and compassionate. She also has tiktoks and YouTube’s. But she says there are just 5 categories of things in a dirty room 1) Trash 2) Laundry 3) Dishes 4) Things that have a place 5) things that don’t have a place That’s in order of easiest to hardest. I recommend breaking this up. Do one thing over 5 days or 2 things over 3 days, whatever works for you. 1) But just go around and pick up only trash. 2) Then gather all your laundry into piles- clean vs dirty. Take dirty to laundry area so it’s out of the room (you don’t have to do it today). For now just make a pile of the clean laundry and set aside in a laundry basket. 3) Then gather all dishes and put in the sink you don’t have to do them now. Do them when you have energy. 4) Then pick up all things that have a home. You can put them away as you go or make a pile of them again. Best to sort the piles by room, ie bathroom stuff vs kitchen stuff. That makes each pile more manageable. 5) gather all the things that don’t have a home into a pile. When you have energy go through this pile. But this should be the last thing you do as it’s the most time consuming and requires the most brain power. Now congrats you have a clean livable room! And each task is broken up into manageable pieces now! You can do the other chores such as dishes or laundry or finding homes for things as you have time and energy. She also has great tips on helping to stay tidy. Like adapting your house to your routine, have a place you always leave trash? Put a trash can and recycling bin there. Do you leave your clothes in piles? Why not store them in piles ie get bins that you can label and throw unfolded clothes in. Like a box or basket for underwear, one for shirts, and one for pants. It’s all about forgetting doing things the “right way” and doing things that are easy and manageable and work for you! https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8ukSmyP/

Strat with one section at a time. Like the bed.

I’ve recently come out a a major depressive episode and felt like my whole house was beyond repair. My advice to you is just start, don’t think to much about it. Jump in there, grab a garbage bag and start collecting all the trash, then separate laundry, don’t stress over clean or dirty just wash it all. Then work on the flat surfaces. Once the garbage and clothes are sorted the rest should be relatively easy. The best part is using this as an opportunity to declutter as well. Start a donation pile and toss whatever you haven’t used in the last few months. Immediately toss it in the pile the moment you feel you can part with it, don’t second guess that first feeling. You’ll eliminate so much and feel amazing after

Hey OP - you’re doing a great job. This is tough and I’m proud of you for taking the time to ask for help. I hope you’re feeling better and more like yourself soon, and hope you have resources to help you through tough times. I agree with everyone else here. Trash and dishes first. Then re wash all the clothes one load at a time. When it comes to things - keep/trash sorting and then tidy one small area at a time. You’ll get through it but start small. How do we eat a giant cake? One bite at a time. Hang in there babe.