Shrink the Cycle: How to Make Laundry Work with Your ADHD Brain
Last week, a client told me she’d started a load of laundry on Monday—and it was still sitting wet in the washer on Wednesday. When she finally rewashed it, she laughed and said, “I swear, laundry is my arch nemesis.”
If you’ve ever done the same thing, you’re in good company. Laundry is one of those everyday tasks that looks simple, but for ADHD brains, it’s full of hidden traps. Too many steps, too many decision points, and absolutely no finish line in sight.
Why Laundry Feels Impossible
Laundry isn’t hard because you’re unmotivated. It’s hard because it’s relentless.
You have to:
Remember to start the laundry.
Move it before it smells.
Dry it.
Fold it.
Put it away.
By the time you get to any of those steps, your brain is already overloaded.
The ADHD-Friendly Fix: Shrink the Cycle
Here’s one simple shift that can change everything: shrink the cycle.
Stop trying to do all your laundry at once. You’ll never “finish” it anyway, it’s a never-ending loop. Instead, pick one small category and finish that.
Maybe it’s towels.
Maybe it’s your kid’s clothes.
Maybe it’s just underwear because, well, desperate times.
Then complete that one load from start to finish:
Wash. Dry. Fold. Put away.
Even if it takes two days or you have to rewash it once, it still counts. That’s how you build momentum without the overwhelm.
How to Remember to Move the Laundry
If your laundry tends to sit forgotten in the washer, try one of these ADHD-friendly reminders:
Set a timer you’ll actually respond to.
Match a playlist to your wash cycle—when the music ends, switch the load.
Use a podcast timer—set it to stop playing when your wash cycle ends.
Don’t pick the system that sounds “responsible.” Pick the one your brain actually listens to.
Folding (or Not Folding) Without the Shame
If folding is where it all falls apart, make it easier:
Live out of baskets. One for clean clothes, one for dirty ones.
Hang what you can. I hang my t-shirts so I can see them instead of forgetting them in drawers.
Buy duplicates. Same socks, same underwear, no matching needed. Or go wild and let them mismatch—it’s fine.
The goal isn’t perfection. It’s completion in a way that works for you.
Closing the Loop
ADHD brains crave closure. Laundry feels heavy because it never ends, every outfit you wear creates more work. When you shrink the cycle to one small load, you finally give your brain that “done” feeling.
And if you’re truly drowning in laundry, consider whether you simply have too much. Fewer clothes means fewer decisions and less overwhelm.
Laundry doesn’t have to be an endless source of guilt. Start small, finish one cycle, and call it a win.