I Turned Cleaning Into a Game for My Neurodivergent Mind – I Was Amazed at How Easy it Made Boring Chores

I have always struggled to stay on task without being distracted. Unless I am super interested in something, my mind always wanders (there’s a reason I am under investigation for neurodivergency) – and nowhere is this more true than for house chores.

Cleaning, tidying, decluttering, you name it, it is never smooth sailing for me. The tasks end up dragged out and feel impossible to complete, no matter how hard I try or which productivity methods I test out.

So, I decided to try something different to tackle my post-holiday January mess and turned cleaning into a game. By adding structure, clear rules, time limits, and small rewards, mundane tasks suddenly became engaging instead of exhausting.

Here’s how making cleaning fun can change your relationship with your to-do list, too.

How Gamifying Chores Can Make Them Easier

Until now, one of the only ways I have successfully stayed on track and make a to-do list less overwhelming has been body doubling – using a YouTube video of someone doing a similar task to help me stay on track with my own. However, it doesn’t work 100% of the time, especially when I need to get a lot of different things done, or can’t easily carry my iPad around with me as I work.

That’s where turning cleaning into a game came into the picture to help spark joy when completing tasks, as Marie Kondo urges in her game-changing book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (available at Amazon).

As Heather Tingle, AuDHD, decluttering and organizing specialist, owner of Untangled by Tingle, explains, ‘Using gamification reduces decision fatigue, supports focus, and makes starting easier. When tasks have structure instead of pressure, neurodivergent people get results.

‘Traditional decluttering methods and advice fail because they rely on motivation, vague tasks, executive function, and sustained focus,’ she continues. ‘Instead, I use a gamified approach that gives tasks clear boundaries, urgency, and an endpoint. That might mean using a podcast or album as a timer to get things done in short bursts built into a routine. Finish the dishwasher before the episode ends. Clear the kitchen sides before the kettle boils. The brain stays occupied with audio, so you can focus on the task without getting sidetracked.’

While adding challenge to tasks might not sound like a logical way to make cleaning less overwhelming, a sense of urgency, as seen in the scary hour method, can help you to power through tasks with less opportunity for distraction.

Plus, fabricating a shorter time frame in which a task needs to be done can give you a small light at the end of the tunnel – a promise that the task will be over quickly, and you can get on with something preferable to scrubbing a sink, for example.

Fun Ways to Gamify Cleaning

There are several great ways to gamify tasks to tidy your home when you feel overwhelmed.

• Roll the Dice: This social media hack involves creating a list of chores and assigning them a number on a dice (available at Target). Then, roll a die and complete whatever chore you roll for. This can help to remove some decision-making to make launching into a task a little simpler.
• Spin the Wheel: Heather shares, ‘Using a roulette wheel with all the tasks that need doing and spinning it to choose a task so the decision isn't yours, which automatically removes a barrier to starting.’
• Create Stakes: In a home where you split chores with a partner, Heather suggests implementing some low stakes to create a challenge. ‘One couple agreed that whoever had the most items left on their dressing room floor by Friday paid for the takeaway/takeout that night. No nagging, just a shared rule and a deadline that could happen at any time, as the winner from last week had the 'check items on the floor now' card, which they could use at any point that day.’
• Point Systems: Kristin Koliha, therapist and educator with Welcome Home ADHD suggests, ‘Create a points system for cleaning out that closet, dividing up points to each type of clothing, and then awarding points to things donated or trashed.’ You can then use the points to ‘purchase’ rewards, as if they were arcade tokens. It could be that you actually employ yourself to clean and set aside some money for treats, for example, or you create a dopamine menu that you can ‘spend’ points on, with more desirable rewards with higher points to encourage completing bigger tasks.
• Beat the Clock: Kristin continues, ‘Try to beat the clock, timing oneself to see how quickly they can complete a task, i.e., how quickly can they clean out a drawer or unload the dishwasher.’ It is the most time-efficient way to conquer your ADHD cleaning checklist. You might find using a digital timer from Target, rather than your phone, better for avoiding online distractions.
• Use an App: Levana Slabodnick, therapist and owner at Silverlinings Counseling and Hypnosis, says, ‘There are several apps that use gamification as motivators to accomplish all kinds of goals. The Finch app allows users to set goals in the app, and each time they accomplish their tasks, they take care of a pet bird. The app keeps people engaged with their pet and drives them to complete their tasks.’ I have used Finch myself and found it a game-changer for getting tasks done.
• Try the Just One Song method: This marries up a few great techniques for neurodivergent minds into one. Use a favorite song as your timer to limit the duration of the task, boost dopamine by listening to music, and give yourself freedom to tackle just one area (be it organizing, cleaning or decluttering), rather than lots of space or following lots of steps.

What Happened When I Turned Boring Cleaning Chores into a Game

I gamified chores in two ways: By using the Finch app to give myself an instant visual reward for completing tasks, and secondly, by beating the clock. I am incredibly competitive, so these two methods combined worked perfectly.

The Finch app rewarded me for maintaining a daily streak of logging in and completing tasks, and it became addictive maintaining the streak, while beating the clock on tasks such as cleaning a bathroom was a great mini challenge that was seriously satisfying every time I accomplished it.

The Finch app helped me in particular. Not only did it remind me of repeatable chores daily, but being able to dress up a character and decorate their home really helped me to create better habits and change up my cleaning routine for the better, as every completed task meant an instant digital reward.

Plus, the app offers inspirational quotes to help me stay motivated, while offering random learning opportunities. Better yet, the built-in mental health tools offered grounding exercises when things all felt a little too overwhelming.

If, like me, you find being held accountable a great tool in ticking tasks off, the app is great, allowing you to add your friends and send one another gifts, too.

VERDICT: While my neurodivergence is under assessment with my doctor, adding these smaller games to cleaning and tidying my home has had an instant uplifting effect. It might sound childish, but it works, and is a 10/10 method that I missed doing over the busy holidays when I broke my app streakk. Forgoing my competitive chore game meant my home's mess instantly piled up again. Here’s hoping I can pull them all back on track.

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Meet the Experts

Heather Tingle

Heather lives in a neurodiverse household and has firsthand experience of how living with autism or ADHD/ADD can cause issues with clutter and executive functioning. She founded Untangled by Tingle in 2016 to help educate others that decluttering doesn't have to be a battle.

Levana Slabodnick, LCSW, LISW-S

Levana Slabodnick is the owner and therapist of Silverlinings Counseling + Hypnosis, a niche private practice serving Autistic and ADHD adults. Her practice offers Neurodivergent Affirming Therapy, which aims to help clients radically accept their differences and learn to accommodate themselves in a Neurotypical world. Having over 25 years of experience in the field of mental health, she can speak on the topics of Autism and ADHD in adults, Complex Childhood Trauma and Body Image and Eating Disorders.

Kristin Koliha

Kristin Koliha, LICSW, is a therapist, ADHD coach, and educator. Late-diagnosed herself, she understands the unique challenges adults face when navigating life, work, and family with ADHD. With over 20 years of experience in mental health, Kristin has worked with hundreds of individuals as a therapist and now helps recently diagnosed adults build clarity, confidence, and practical systems that fit their brains. 

Need a little extra help to avoid despising your chores? Consider dopamine pairing and tacking a more enjoyable hobby onto a less desirable task to help lessen the blow.

The Sunday Butterfly method is also helpful for those who might struggle to retain focus during household tasks.