I design digital planners, and I kept noticing that most cleaning systems assume you have the same energy every day. So I built one that starts with a check-in: Fading, Steady or Focused.

• Fading: each room has a tiny version (make the bed only, wipe the sink only, one pile only).
• Steady: the full list for the room.
• Focused: a deeper reset for the days you have momentum.

It also has one-room-at-a-time pages, a 30-night tracker where five minutes counts, and a list of rewards you choose yourself.

I’m not claiming it fixes anything. I’d like to know what actually helps you, and what makes cleaning systems fall apart. Too many steps? Guilt after a missed day? Not knowing where to start? Your answers will shape the next version.

So one thing those of us with ADHD often suffer from is difficulty in task initiation. We often find ourselves repeating unhelpful behaviours and habits and the loop is demoralizing and it saps energy. One of the common tips and tricks is to break tasks down, to determine the first step, to just start by taking 1 action no matter how small.

Is this advice good? 100%. Is it easy? Surprisingly not.

Here is a tip to help others, I've just gone through a bit of a difficult spell and I've found myself needing to 'get back to basics' in managing my ADHD.

So here's the tip, here's the trick and here's the little nugget that might help you 'start'.

Your first tiny step forward shouldn't be the first step in the task you need to do, rather, make your first tiny step:

# #Don't get distracted.

Sounds a lot like 'Just do it' or 'Focus' or 'Push through' but I swear it's not. I would just highly recommend you try to make your first step when you're struggling to get started is to recognize how important it is to take away your alternatives / bad habits. Sure, you could break down doing your taxes into something like: Login to the CRA website, or smaller still: Gather your tax form(s). However, you're more likely in a situation where while breaking down your to do list or your task you end up getting distracted but the exact same thing you're constantly distracted by. There's some habit or some alternative you routinely go to when procrastinating. So make NOT doing that thing your first step instead.

Step 1 of doing your taxes: Sit in silence instead of checking TikTok. 'Just don't do the habit that you're naturally leaning towards' - you don't have to start your taxes (yet) but you should work on not getting derailed from coming up with step 2.

A little wordy and chaotic but I am currently using this opportunity to fend off one of my own common distractions as of late. This post only takes so much time and then it's over and I can get back to my real task but I had to stop myself from doing the *wrong* thing so that I could find a better alternative to get back on track.

Wish you all well,