The Tired Girl’s Guide to Cleaning Your House When You Have Zero Energy Or Motivation!
Last Updated on 10/27/2025 by Nicky
How to Clean When You Have No Motivation or Energy
Okay, so I have a secret that I’m going to share, but don’t hate me. Yes, I have undiagnosed ADHD but secretly, I love to clean. In the ADHD world, this take is probably more than a little controversial.
When I frequent ADHD groups and talk to other people who I’m fairly certain have ADHD, cleaning is not something that they enjoy.
But for me not only do I enjoy it but I find it necessary for my own mental health and sanity.
However, there are days when I look around my house, with the dishes piled high in the sink, the laundry needing to be folded (my least favorite part), and the floors littered with crumbs and I say “Nope, not today”. Because sometimes I’m just not feeling it.
On those days, I have no motivation or desire to plug in a vacuum or even prepare the floors so the robot vacuum can do it’s thing. Yes, it can be that bad. So what do you do on those days when you’re burnt out but you’re running out of clean dishes?
That’s what we are going to talk about today because I know we’ve all been there.
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* Start Small … Like, Ridiculously Small *
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One of the traps of ADHD is this all-or-nothing thinking that so many of us have. If we don’t have the energy to clean the house from top to bottom, then there’s no point in cleaning at all, right?
Wrong. There is definitely still a point! We don’t have to wait until we have the energy to clean the house until it sparkles because more than likely, that day is never going to come.
Instead, do what you can. Take the tiniest step you can possibly take. I mean minuscule. Throw 1 (ONE) thing away. It might just be a paper plate. It might be a napkin. Just start with one thing.
And if you feel like you have the energy, try clearing a whole countertop. The idea is to get away from this black and white thinking and just move forward in some positive way. For instance, yesterday, there was a peculiar smell coming from the refrigerator.
Keep in mind this is around 6:30, after work, and I’m tired and hungry. So my first thought was, “Well, I guess I have to go ahead and clean out the entire fridge so I can get rid of that smell”.
But my stomach reminded me of the time, and so what I wound up doing was just going through the fridge and throwing old food items away. I found the source of the smell and kept it moving.
But if I had an all-or-nothing type attitude, I would have either left the smell or cleaned the whole thing while dying of starvation. Perhaps a bit dramatic, but you get my point.
Just do the bare minimum in order to get some sort of result, even if it’s not perfect. Below are some practical suggestions that are super easy to try:
The “One Song Clean” — clean until one song ends. I would suggest picking a super long song, like at least 7 minutes (Purple Rain, anyone). But if you want to pick a 3-minute pop song to clean to, then go for it.
Once again, the idea is just to start. Task initiation is a struggle for so many of us, but the one song clean idea might make the hurdle easier to climb over.
The “Trash Walk” — grab one grocery bag and toss trash only. I promise you this works. Just take a plastic grocery bag (or if you’re feeling motivated, a trash bag) and just start throwing stuff away. That’s it. That may be all you do, and that’s cool. I’m proud of you!
The “Five-Minute Reset” — set a timer and stop when it’s done. Pretty self-explanatory. Clean for 5 minutes. Like, take a bottle of cleaning solution and start wiping counters.
Grab a sponge and wash dishes for 5 minutes or load the dishwasher. Or unload the dishwasher as the case may be. Once 5 minutes end, you can decide if you want to stop or keep going. It’s your choice.
* Trick Your Brain Into Wanting To Clean *
Let’s be for real, for real. If you are waiting for motivation to kick in before you start cleaning, you may be old and gray before that happens. So what you might have to do is trick yourself into wanting to clean. I know that seems impossible but try some of the ideas below to see if they might work for you.
Pair cleaning with your favorite upbeat playlist or podcast. Surely there’s a playlist on Spotify or a station on Pandora you like to listen to, right? Perhaps, if you listen to some of your favorite music while you clean, it will feel less laborious? Maybe not, but just try it.
Turn cleaning into a dance party. And if cleaning for you is not really a motivation issue but a lack of energy issue, be sure to read my blog post about 5 ways to get more energy naturally.
Light a candle or diffuse essential oils before you start (instant mood shift). This is something I usually do after I’ve finished cleaning, but maybe doing it beforehand will motivate me to clean more. Because who wants to light a candle in a dirty house?
Reward yourself — “I’ll wipe the counters, then I can scroll TikTok guilt-free.” Bribes work for a reason. If you need to promise to treat yourself to make yourself clean, then so be it. There’s no shame in that. Whatever works!
Use visuals — before/after photos are a dopamine hit! Have you ever taken a picture of your house when it was super clean, like before company was coming over, perhaps?
Scroll through the photos on your phone and find that picture. That house isn’t a make-believe house on Pinterest. It’s your house, and you deserve to live like that all the time. I don’t just want a clean house for other people.
I want a clean house for myself. Don’t you? Cleaning is self-care in my book. I created a self-care planner that you can use to create a self-care routine. Cleaning needs to be a part of that self-care routine.
It’s perfect for tracking your wins and building those little dopamine-boosting habits that keep you consistent without burning out. Your mental health will thank you.
* Change the Way You Talk to Yourself About Cleaning *
We as women can be so hard on ourselves. We beat ourselves up over the smallest things…like not having a clean house. Now don’t get me wrong. Not having a clean house is sort of a big deal in the since that it truly messes with your sanity. But it’s not something that can’t be fixed or improved.
In fact, a dirty house can be changed quite easily if you have the right mindset. Cleaning your house feels overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. You can start by speaking more compassionately to yourself.
Instead of saying “I don’t know why I can’t keep a clean house,” say “My house isn’t clean yet, but it will be.” Would you ever say to your best friend, “Why are you so lazy? Just clean your house!”.
I hope the answer would be no or else you have a very ummm interesting relationship with your best friend.
However, we are quick to speak harshly to ourselves about the state of our homes. Try saying “I will clean for 5 minutes a day” instead of “I’m overwhelmed and don’t know where to start, so I won’t.”
The idea is to start changing how you think about cleaning so that eventually the process won’t be so stressful.
* Break Cleaning Down So It Feels Easy *
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I used to have the mindset that I had to clean my house from top to bottom in order to feel accomplished. But I had to let that go. Sometimes I still get in that mode of “I’m going to clean the entire house in 2 hours!”.
However, whenever I get that delusional, my body is real quick to remind me that cleaning the entire house isn’t about to happen. So instead, I might clean the kitchen and the bathroom one day and clean my bedroom and the living room another day.
Or I might clean the entire kitchen except for the floors and leave that for another day. The point is, I listen to my body and my energy levels. If I can’t get it all done in one fell swoop, then I don’t and I don’t freak out about it. Break cleaning down into small chunks.
Clean one section of one room if that’s all you can do. You may not think that it’s worth it to only clean off your dresser but I tell you, it makes a huge difference!
Having one corner of your bedroom nice and tidy might be all the motivation you need to clean the rest of the room!
* When You Truly Can’t — Give Yourself Grace*
If you’ve tried the steps above and you still can’t bring yourself to clean today, that’s okay. And if you haven’t been able to clean for a long time, that’s okay too.
It might be that you need to talk to someone about what’s going on and why you feel so unmotivated, because there might be something deeper going on.
I know that there were days when I didn’t want t get out of bed and some days when I actually didn’t. And when I was in that state of mind, there’s no way to trick myself into cleaning. I had to lean heavily into my faith in God to push through in those days.
And what I realized is that I needed to talk to someone because I wasn’t going to be able to get out of this depression by myself. One of the steps I took that made a big difference in my life was online therapy.
I talk about my experience with online therapy here. It was really helpful to be able to talk to someone about my problems from the comfort of my own home.
I wasn’t quite ready to walk into a therapist’s office at that point, although I did eventually do that.
If you feel like you’re unmotivated to clean because you’re depressed, I would really encourage you to check out online-therapy.com. I can tell you from personal experience that therapy of any kind can change your life, if you’re truly open to it.
So if you’re interested in learning more, you can click the link here and learn more about online-therapy.com. You’ll be glad that you did!
In the meantime, you can try these ideas for making your home fresher and more inviting:
- Open the blinds.
- Spray something that smells nice.
- Make your bed.
- Open the windows and let fresh air in.
That’s enough until you get in a better headspace.
* You’ve Already Taken The First Step To A Cleaner Home *
Okay, ladies, if you’ve made it this far, I’m proud of you! You’re taking real steps toward a cleaner, more peaceful house, just by being here.
Don’t be hard on yourself if you have no motivation to clean. If you continue to change your mindset by reading articles like this, changing how you talk to yourself, and getting help if you need it, you’ll be well on your way to creating the sanctuary that you desperately deserve.
Even if all you did today was read this post, you’ve already started shifting your mindset. You’re learning to work with your brain instead of against it — and that’s a powerful thing.
The truth is, your home doesn’t need you to do it all. It just needs you to start somewhere. A single drawer, one corner of the couch, or even just washing your favorite mug — it all counts.
And remember: motivation often shows up after you start, not before. So the next time your space feels too far gone, just whisper to yourself, “I’ll do one small thing.” That’s how real change begins — one small step at a time.
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