The “Weird” Cleaning Routine ADHD Moms Swear By 💡

One of the moms in my cleaning routine membership transformed her home into an actually clean, tidy, organized haven in just 30 minutes a day—even with ADHD. I’m going to tell you how.

This is more than a cleaning success story. It’s a reminder that systems can meet you where you are—especially when your brain works differently.

So, if you ever feel like housework is this impossible mountain, or that routines just don’t “fit you,” keep reading. This is how Emily (that mom) flipped her home and mindset, and maybe you’ll find something that works for you.

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Why “Normal” Routines Often Fail (Especially With ADHD)

Before we dive into the system we used, let’s acknowledge something: Emily thought she was just lazy or unmotivated. But in reality? Traditional cleaning routines were working against her brain, not with it.

Overwhelm & decision fatigue — When every surface, task, or drawer screams “where do I start?!”
Stuck in indecision — What to do next? Which room? Which chore?
No system that fit her lifestyle — Most routines assume a level of executive function many of us don’t operate at daily.

The breakthrough came when we reframed cleaning not as a massive checklist, but as a guided, timed experience that walked her through exactly what to do next—with no brain work required.

The 3-Step System That Changed Everything

Here’s the core of what we did. Use this as a framework. Adapt. Tweak. But this got Emily unstuck—and kept her moving forward daily. (And it’s helping hundreds of other moms like her!)

Step 1: Turn routines into audio-guided flows

Instead of a long checklist and wondering where to start, Emily just pressed play. We created a “podcast cleaning routine” (yes, really) that felt like a companion. For example:

I took binge-worthy 1950s radio shows like Dragnet! (True Crime) and Father Knows Best (Comedy) and turned them into guided cleaning routines.
Over ~30 minutes, it walks you through simple tasks: making the bed, doing dishes, putting in a load of laundry, clearing clutter
On top of that, there’s a weekly task built in (just 15 minutes)

Because she didn’t have to decide what to do next—she just followed along—everything got done more smoothly.

Step 2: Time everything in increments your brain can manage

Every task in the routine was timed, but the radio show itself was the timer. So Emily never had to worry about overextending or losing track.

Task 1-2: Airing the beds + Start a load of laundry (5 mins) I tell you what to do, then the radio show plays the story for 5 minutes, and then I tell you the next task:
Task 3: Unload the Dishwasher (5 mins)
Task 4: Pick up clutter (5 mins)
Task 5: Weekly task like cleaning the bathrooms (15 minutes)

This gives structure and lets you slip into autopilot. No getting stuck, no drifting off mid-task.

Step 3: Remove decision fatigue—pre-decide for her brain

We designed her routine so that every detail was decided already:

Which load of laundry to wash
Which machine setting to use
What to tackle first in clutter clearing

Nothing was left to guesswork, so she didn’t waste energy wondering what to do next.

As Emily put it:

“The morning and night routines have been a game changer.”

Why This Works So Well (Backed by What We Know)

Reduced executive load: ADHD brains often struggle with planning and decision-making. Offloading those tasks to guided steps helps.
Micro-tasking helps momentum: Psychology research suggests that breaking things into super small tasks lowers resistance and increases follow-through.
Cue + habit loop: Having consistent signals (press play, begin) helps anchor routines.
Less friction = more consistency: The fewer decisions between you and the task, the better your odds of doing it.

How You Can Try This Yourself (Adapted for Your Life)

You don’t need my exact routines to get started. (BUT you can get some free episodes here, or get NEW episodes 6 days a week in my membership here). Here’s how to DIY it yourself though:

Choose 3–5 simple tasks that matter most (laundry, dishes, clutter)
Assign short times (5, 7, 10 minutes)—just enough you can stick with them
Podcast/Audiobook App + Sleep Timer use the sleep timer function on your fave app for listening to podcasts or audiobooks. Set the time for how long you want to work on the task you’re on. When the show stops move on to the next task and set the timer again.
Repeat daily— remember, progress and consistency is what matters. NOT perfection.
Be kind to yourself — some days you do more, some days less. AGAIN. Progress over perfection, darling!

Let Me Walk You Through More

Emily’s story shows how a system built for your brain can shift your entire home life. But believe me—there’s so much more I want to share with you.

👉 I’ve got a Clean With Me YouTube video playing one of the exact episodes Emily used. You can press play, and we’ll clean together.