Happy Momentum Monday (on a Sunday)!

This week we’re diving into something that can be reeeeally helpful in preventing (or at least reducing) overwhelm, and that’s the idea of “little and often.” Now, this is likely something you’ve heard off an on your entire life: “just do the dishes as you’re done with them,” or “clean up the kitchen as you’re cooking,” or “do a load of laundry every day.” And I’ll be honest, I’m going to say some of those same things, but for a different reason. So please come at this with a beginners mind vs “not this shit again” thoughts. K? Cool.

Ok so do you ever get ambushed by your own…stuff? Like, one minute there’s “just a few socks,” and the next your entire floor is an abstract art exhibit made of hoodies and gym towels? 🙃
Been there. Still there. I will perpetually have a flordrobe and I’m ok with that.

Or if you’re anything like me there are somethings (email inbox, anyone?) that haven’t been properly dealt with since 2004. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This week’s Momentum Monday is all about “little and often,” a small-but-mighty strategy that’s become one of my top ADHD life hacks for staying ahead of overwhelm without needing to overhaul my whole dang life.

Why this works for our ADHD brains:

ADHD tends to run on extremes. We’re all-in or not-at-all. (Sound familiar?) But that backfires when we wait until it’s unbearable to clean, respond to emails, or do literally anything that takes more than 10 minutes.

That’s where “little and often” shines.

When we:

Run the dishwasher daily (even if it’s half full)
Do a laundry load every Wed/Sun (even if it’s just socks + tea towels)
Vacuum twice a week (instead of once a month when the floor crunches)

…we’re avoiding that giant wall of dread that makes us shut down and binge-watch four hours of Schitt’s Creek instead.

Time > Task (and why that’s a good thing)

Another sneaky shift: stop tying your success to finishing a thing.

Instead, try this:

“I’ll work on this report for 25 minutes”
“I’ll clean for 10 minutes and stop”
“I’ll fold clothes for the length of one Adele song”

This tricks your brain into starting, which is usually the hardest part. And you might even keep going once the dread disappears. But even if you don’t? That still counts.

I know for me, sometimes “clean the house” is too big of a task, but “clean the kitchen” is doable. And when even that is too much, “wipe the counters and do a quick vacuum” can help me get started and handle part of the clutter/mess/overwhelm.

Momentum. Over. Motivation. Always.

⚠️ But what if I fall off?

Oh, you will. I do too. That’s normal.

This is where we bring in the 80/20 rule: If 80% of the time you’re doing “little and often,” then 20% of the time, you might have to do a big reset. Cool. That’s not failure, it’s just awareness and maintenance.

Also, let’s sprinkle in a little “ish.”
Laundry-ish. Clean-ish. Done-ish. You’re not a robot. You’re a real human with a nonlinear brain, and you’re allowed to approach habits with a little (or a lot of) flexibility.

✅ Action Item for This Week:

Pick ONE area of your life that regularly turns into a monster.
Dish pile? Laundry? Emails? Your car turning into a second closet?

Ask yourself:

What would “little + often + ish” look like for this one thing?
Could I set a 15-minute timer 2x/week and just start?
Could I shift from “I have to finish it” → to “I’ll do what I can for a few minutes”?

Then do the thing. Imperfectly. And see how that tiny action makes everything feel a little less huge.

And come back to WHY!! Why do you care? Why does it matter to do the dishes or wash the laundry or clean out your car?

Side note: think of ways to be proactive here with a side of rules-ish…

Have a clean clothes basket for when you can’t be bothered to hang things back after trying them on and a dirty clothes basket for things that actually need to be washed.
Do an evening sweep and pick up all the dishes.
Keep a box in your car for “stuff” and a small grocery bag for trash.
Delete and/or unsubscribe from 10 emails every morning (could double as a great first thing in the morning/low hanging fruit momentum task)

🧾 BONUS FREEBIE:

Too much to remember? I got you.

Download this week’s “Little + Often + Ish Habit Builder”—a worksheet with sample tasks, time-based options, and room to make your own ADHD-friendly plan.

You’re not broken, lazy, or failing. You just haven’t had tools that fit your brain (until now 😉). Let’s work with it, not against it.

So what are you going to try this week? Laundry-ish? Inbox-ish? Let me know, I’d love to hear!

Keep up the messy, glorious momentum,
Leah 🌶️