Anyone need a tidying buddy today?

[petal2019]

Hi! Is anyone else looking for a tidying buddy? I think I would really appreciate some company while I work through unpacking and tidying away our house! We have just moved and its a terrible tip.... I am on my own with my DC and so its just me who has to get on with the tidying. Im not very well at the mo so a bit low in energy... so I think I need to give myself some boosting motivation. SOO... if you don't mind I will make a start and plod on. Anyone fancy joining me and we can cheer each other on?

@MrsTidyHouse
🖐

Going to have a coffee and get started in 20!

Its nice to know you are all there tackling similar challenges... I am prevaricating in every way... but will now start. Its so massive it feels insurmountable. ah well. ... praps just one more tea!!

Wow, impressed starting so early!

I know what you mean about reclaiming space, I kind of think after two days of being ill in front room if you're still ill go to your room or try and get on a bit more.

Oh and I've heard about the armpit a lot with the booster, glad no headache though, that was a killer. Hope you're back to full health soon

ok... excuse the dullness... am going to keep a tally of my small achievements as I go to motivate me!! So... 6.54.... kitchen surface.

out of interest... does anyone here know they have adhd... or had it as a kid. I have never been diagnosed with it but I have just been reading about it on another thread.... it.. and the connection to organisation fascinated me.

oh god... kitchen surface ...5.58!

right.. so that is done... fridge clear out.... 7.04 yuk, I hate fridge clearing!!

@petal2019 I was talking to DH last night that we think DD may have ADHD (she's 15) in that she can only function if she's hyper organised and controlled, literally never seen anything like it. It's not like OCD more that I think she struggles to focus so she is ridiculously over organised (she's doing a GCSE this year and did her mocks, she had index cards to organise her colour coded revision index cards). She is always late/running out the door as she can't seem to work backwards to work out what time she needs to do things in the morning. And takes his doing everything, serially 10 mins to make a slice of buttered toast.

DS13 is much more traditional ADHD, always getting behaviour points at school for tapping/talking/fiddling etc and had to be occupied constantly. Waiting for input from school SENCO as his behaviour has been flagged

I’ll join too though I have some distractions through the day.

I’m going to list my jobs to get myself motivated by having and following a plan:

• Get the bins out
• My room needs a declutter and tidy
• The pile of open but unwritten Christmas cards needs to be removed from said room, written and posted
• Gym at 09:00
• Collect DS1’s meds
• Bring DS2 to the library for his history project
• Put away the Christmas decoration boxes that have been sitting in the hall for 2 weeks
• Sort out the laundry baskets and ironing
• Declutter the storage cupboards in the utility room
• Clean the bathrooms
• Collect DS1 and his GF to bring them into town for their Christmas Day out (they are teens, live rurally with no public transport)
• Prep dinner
• Head to my parents to put up their Christmas tree for them
• Wrap 3 or 4 more Christmas gifts and dispose of boxes and packaging

Oh God!

Wow...@Wond3rment. That is a plan!! You can do it! Ill be pleased if I get my fridge done!! x

@LefttoherownDevizes that is very interesting... sounds like she has already worked out some really good strategies.... sounds v impressive in fact.
Its meant to be genetic... I find myself becoming a carbon copy of my dad with all the characteristics (good and bad) that seem to be typical of the condition.... except the fidgety side..which has never been an issue so praps it is not relevant. anyway... fridge.

@LefttoherownDevizes
Thank you 😘

@petal2019
Funnily enough I do have ADHD! Weird coincidence!

Right I've sorted the recycling, unloaded and loaded dishwasher and put laundry on. Fag break and then will make ready brek for DP.

What I struggle with is massive procrastination and feeling overwhelmed easily by lots of things "to do" on my head but I find that once I actually get started I am super speedy and very efficient. Also great at multitasking

^ me too. And the idea that unless I can do all of it and perfectly, I may as well not bother

Hi @Valeriane, yes yes!! Great at multi tasking.. that is so true... I think I also have a kind of creative ability to solve problems that is particularly good.... I think I look at things differently.... kind of all at once and see the important bits. (without wanting to seem boasty...but I spose I mean amidst all the chaos there seems to be a different way of looking at things. I notice the same in my dad.

And procrastination is definitely a huge issue.... the thing is in many ways you think is it helpful or important to find a label for characteristics that are common to a lot of people... I suppose I have felt all my life that my dad and I are like peas in a pod and share so many problems characteristics ... I have often wondered if I had a nameable learning difficulty.... and Im beginning to wonder if I do!!

But Im procrastinating about the next job!! Done fridge... now oven and hob... yuk

@LefttoherownDevizes...yes! Everything has to be perfect... is that an identifying characteristic too?! or is that just us!

I was talking to a friend who is a dr yesterday and who has just had his own daughter diagnosed. He said (I think) that the neurological patterns of ADHD are clearly identifiable and well documented. Wd be interesting to find out more. anyway.. I'm not sure how helpful all this is.

And its definitely not helping my hob! x

Ill stop blithering on about it.... sorry if its a bit too personal!

No, it is really useful. I Ann struggling massively with concentrating for work at three moment and think that perimenopause is just making the ADHD so much worse. I either can't focus or focus to the exclusion of everything else, no in betweens

It's not boastful to recognise your strengths at all! And as for procrastination, sometimes I think it could have something to do with what the thing you are procrastinating represents to you, emotionally. For example say you're buying a house, and you need to submit some important paperwork to get to the next step, and you spend a week procrastinating. It might be that although you THINK you want to buy the house, subconsciously, there's fear there, or possibly you don't actually want to move at all, deep down.

I've made DP breakfast and tidied and aired the bedroom. Next step is one I'm definitely procrastinating over for emotional reasons: tidying my office. It's a complete disaster zone, and it's where I'm supposed to be doing an important piece of work. But lately I've felt blocked and I'm afraid of even trying in case it's shit. I reckon I'm procrastinating because once the office is cleared, there will be no visual distractions. Just the blank page...

...time for a coffee!

I’m definitely up for a tidying thread. House is a mess. And we have friends coming for dinner tonight.

I need to have breakfast, shower and then go to the supermarket before tackling the tidying though.

Job list:
Put in a load of laundry
Finish decorating Xmas tree in hall
Tidy away boxes from decorating
Clean downstairs cloakroom
Tidy away random piles in kitchen and living room
Vacuum downstairs
Wash floors
Fold a pile of laundry
Put away a pile of laundry

Thankfully DH is doing the cooking for tonight so I don’t have to worry about that.

Re ADHD - I think I definitely have a tendency to it. Just ADD though. No hyperactivity here. I love a list. Am so bad a procrastinating though.

[quote petal2019]Wow...@Wond3rment. That is a plan!! You can do it! Ill be pleased if I get my fridge done!! x[/quote]
Not sure if I can but the good news is that two have been knocked off the list:

• Get the bins out
• My room needs a declutter and tidy
• The pile of open but unwritten Christmas cards needs to be removed from said room, written and posted
• Gym at 09:00
• Collect DS1’s meds
• Bring DS2 to the library for his history project

-Put away the Christmas decoration boxes that have been sitting in the hall for 2 weeks DONE

• Sort out the laundry baskets and ironing confused
• Declutter the storage cupboards in the utility room
• Clean the bathrooms DONE
• Collect DS1 and his GF to bring them into town for their Christmas Day out (they are teens, live rurally with no public transport)
• Prep dinner
• Head to my parents to put up their Christmas tree for them
• Wrap 3 or 4 more Christmas gifts and dispose of boxes and packaging

I will keep updating (sorry I’m advance)

Me. I’m a dreadful reluctant housekeeper and the house is a tip. Have promised the family we’ll put the tree up tomorrow - have to get the place Chrismas ready. Bah. Hate housework.

Another quirk question. Does anyone else but nice things (clothes, smelliest, books) and then not use then so they won't be used up/may get wrecked etc? Through tidying I have found millions of books/magazines unread, partly it's laziness but it's also once I've read then I won't have then to read any more and I might be sad, so I don't start so they're still there. DH doesn't understand at all

Ah Pictish I am in the same boat. We have DH’s Xmas party this afternoon/evening so I was planning on getting some hardcore tidying done so we can think about getting the tree up. He is at work this morning so the ideal time to do it with no one underfoot but I’m still laying in bed on mumsnet.

I am going to get up and dressed, have a coffee and breakfast and at the very least start on the tidying by 10.00am. And I will remind myself I am accountable to this thread.