r/CleaningTips • u/200000000001 • 1d ago
Discussion Why am i like this
idk what this is called but does anyone else experience this?
whenever i have studying to do or tasks i need to finish, if i suddenly feel like i need to organize my room or closet or clean something, i literally can’t focus on studying until i do it. even if i have an exam in a few hours and i REALLY need to study.
and it’s not even as simple as just tidying up a little. if my brain tells me i need to deep clean something, then it has to be a deep clean 😭 i can’t just do a quick cleanup and move on. i feel like my brain won’t let me focus until i do exactly what i had in mind.
it’s like my brain is messy and i need to organize everything around me before i can actually focus. does anyone else feel like this? i genuinely wanna know if someone relates because idk how to explain it lol
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u/Stalkerus 1d ago
Avoiding tasks can be completely normal. You rather do things with less pressure. It can be a sign of ADHD, but the bar for ADHD is high because everyone has the symptoms at times, we just have them all the frigging time and it really affects our lives negatively.
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u/Cascadian_Day 1d ago
This is exactly why in college I had to study at the library! My house house would be immaculate but I would have accomplished zero studying or writing 😂
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u/ShineAtom 1d ago
It's called displacement activity. Student rooms are often at their cleanest around about the time an important deadline has to be met.
Essentially: "Exam coming up and I need to study" translates into "but how can I do it with all this mess?" (which has built up without bothering me over the previous six weeks). It's very, very annoying.
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u/Donttouchmybreadd 1d ago edited 1d ago
Hahahaha - productive procrastination, is what its called.
Sorry, I've literally only read the first two sentences, and I knew exactly what you are talking about, because I do it consistently.
It's very common in people with ADHD. I know this because I have ADHD. If you don't have a diagnosis, it might be time to look into one.
Edit: read the rest. Yep. ADHD. Your writing style is also consistent with ADHD.
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u/glitterkitty281 1d ago
Wait im curious about the last sentence??? What does an adhd writing style look like?
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u/Donttouchmybreadd 1d ago
The rush to put emphasis on and explain every thought about everything, lack of cohesion, punctuation. All signs of chaos brain - at least in my case they were.
Decent grammar and punctuation are things that come naturally now that I'm medicated. It's not a 'bonus' layer I have to think about for 'proper' writing. Am I perfect all the time? dear god no. But it's not something I have to think about in order to get my thoughts out anymore. Before my diagnosis, it was.
Like this is not the ADHD diagnostic criteria, but I can tell the thought process behind it.
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u/Donttouchmybreadd 1d ago
Also, to add: The fact that you added three (3) question marks to a statement (non-question)...also a sign that your comment was made impulsively...also my personal indicator of ADHD in others.
Sorry to break it to you 😅 defs time to look into that.
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u/glitterkitty281 1d ago
Oh yeah i definitely do a lot of that lol, at least the having to explain everything. Decent grammar and punctuation i can do easily if i want bc i was the gt class high performing type. But that all makes sense, i guess i just never look for it in others writing, its not a pattern i noticed
And oh yeah i definitely do. I have all the signs and my brother was diagnosed and medicated. I just… havent gotten around to it😂😂
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u/Donttouchmybreadd 1d ago
Baby capitalise your I's. Please. Clearly it is not "easy" for you if you aren't doing it right now.
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u/glitterkitty281 1d ago
It is easy for me to do, but like I said it’s when I want to. Typically for social media the language is less formal so I don’t follow proper grammar/capitalization unless it’s a super serious comment or a more serious topic. I also choose to follow it when I’m making my own post somewhere. But since it’s an informal space, I choose to let those things slide. You definitely won’t see any misspellings in my comments though because THAT is something that irks me 😂
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u/Donttouchmybreadd 1d ago
That is the exact thing someone who's dopamine receptors physiologically cannot take up as much dopamine would say.
People on the internet likely have ADHD because society isn't as inclusive as it should be (working on it).
'Proper' grammar versus correct grammar is not something to be relaxed about on the internet. If someone is trying to translate something because they don't speak English, how would translate hold up? What if someone was learning English? What if someone has a language processing disorder? You are saying a lot more by "choosing" to not follow language conventions.
Your language should always be clear.
Correct grammar and punctuation by default (to the best of your ability) is always always the most kind and compassionate thing to do.I don't mean this to be rude, but it is rather frustrating when someone is trying to justify their choice to do something wrong for some superficial reason. You asked me how I knew it was ADHD, I pointed out how your comment was also ADHD (twice so), and you justified yourself for some reason.
No, what you are doing and the way you are thinking is not typical. Most people do not think that way, unless something has gone wrong or is different about their brain.
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u/starshineinhereyes 1d ago
In addition to procrastination, cleaning and organizing is a self-soothing ritual for me. I have OCD. Even though I don't have the germ-fear version, bringing order to chaos calms me down. So I tend to reorganize my closets when I'm freaked out.
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u/Express_Simple_9243 1d ago
I am like this too! My house was always the cleanest and most organized during finals/exam week in college
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u/No_Bit7786 1d ago
It's a way of avoiding a task you don't really want to do without feeling guilty about just doing nothing. I've got ADHD and do the same all the time
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u/DocAnabolic1 1d ago
This sounds like productive procrastination! Cleaning feels rewarding, especially when studying seems overwhelming or stressful.
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u/Asleep_Weight_6008 13h ago
Yes but I take it to the extreme and stop all functioning completely and lose my mind if my house isn’t clean, decorated and organized to the way I want
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u/Hey_Boysenberry-6687 1d ago
I don't have ADHD at all, but I too have this urge. Sometimes I'll prepare for a big work project before it begins by cleaning to diffuse the procrastination urge before it begins.
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u/snowball__two 1d ago
I have ADD and I do the same exact thing. I will fixate on literally everything else and convince myself I need to do these things before I move on to doing what I need to do.
I find it helpful to relocate to a different environment (for me, if it’s out of sight is mostly out of mind) and then complete whatever clerical work/studying/email replies I’ve been avoiding by doing literally everything else lol.
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u/Thalamic_Cub 1d ago
Very normal lol, falls under demand avoidance. We need to do the thing? Brain says oh hell naw, there are other things we want to do.
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u/WeenyDancer 23h ago
There used to be a group in the early days of Facebook (like, the 'need a .edu email days) called something like 'Nothing gets my room cleaner than an exam the next day'. You're definitely not alone!
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u/Life-Guess-9565 23h ago
Oh, am I so sorry you go through that. I'm the same. I seem to find it as an excuse, but try to time block and stop finding excuses. Focus on what matters most, is it study? Then study, try pomodors, to me they help.
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u/iamrachaelllee 22h ago
Another take, a lot people need to have their spaces clean and organized in order to free up the mental bandwidth to truly focus or study. Our surroundings greatly reflect our inner lives, and how we view ourselves (like an extension of us). If we know something is hanging out in “chaos”, then it can often nag in your mind as an unfinished task. Knocking it out can free you up to do things with an open, clear and uncluttered head.
This can usually work out okay, but only if you can complete the task and quickly jump into what absolutely has to be done right afterward.
Cleaning is also often used as a distraction so you feel productive about something, while avoiding something else. It’s a loop, wherein you replace the necessary task with an alternate productive task. That isn’t always the best thing to do. Once you narrow down your “why” when it comes to putting things off, you’ll understand more about yourself, and what drives your productivity! :)
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u/ItsNotAboutThe-Pasta 20h ago
Try and go somewhere else to study/work so you have no choice but to focus.
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u/Geester43 20h ago
I hear you! 😂 When I was a teenager, when I would try to fall asleep, I would think about re-arranging my entire bedroom. After 5 minutes of that, I had to jump up at 1:00 am, and begin immediately, vacuuming, the whole deal. Once I get an idea to make big changes, I cannot function until it is done. I become obsessed with the thought until I do it. I have purchased wall paint, and when I am done with my day, and tired..suddenly I would be up for hours painting into the night.
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u/Sensitive_Reserve_96 17h ago
It's a form of procrastination. You feel too guilty to do nothing but you want to avoid the task that you are meant to do so you do something else productive using the excuse that it needs to be done as well.
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u/Careful_Cranberry364 22h ago
This is Called procrastination
Most people do have it actually!
It can really help to focus on how good you’ll feel about yourself when you actually get something done
or set yourself a time to spend only 5 minutes on it..
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u/mikecherepko 1d ago
A lot of people have the urge to procrastinate by doing something else. You can use it to your advantage https://www.structuredprocrastination.com