Do you lack motivation to do chores?

[. . .]

When it comes to chores, do you lack the motivation to do them and do them mostly only when you absolutely have to?

I feel that most chores are unnecessary/unimportant so I usually do them only when I have to do them (i.e. - if I have no clean dishes left I'll wash them, if I spill something on my bed I'll clean my sheets, if I spill lots of stuff on the floor I'll clean it, etc.).

It's, for example, very hard for me to understand why some people vacuum their floor every few days . . . to me it just seems like unnecessary work. Don't get me wrong - I'm not a complete slob or anything, I just feel that most non-aspies put way too much importance into making things look almost unnaturally clean and tidy. As an aspie, I can't understand the reason why people put so much importance into this.

I'm very certain that this lack of much care has to do with me being on the spectrum. Lots of us on the spectrum could care less about how neat and tidy things are. I think this maybe has to do with the fact that most of us have very weak or non-existent social lives which means that we don't really have anyone to impress. I believe that most NTs like to have this "neat and tidy" image to have a good image for friends who could show up at their home. I mostly don't care about how clean and tidy my stuff is because, well, I don't have anyone to impress. :no:

If I had friends and/or a girlfriend, I'd at least be a bit more neat and tidy.

 

[Droopy]

Lots of us on the spectrum could care less about how neat and tidy things are.

Unless you have OCD of course.

I find that I can't be bothered with chores. I just lack motivation to do anything - even things that aren't chores. Lately I have been trying to build up my music collection and have a list of artists/songs to check out and then download. I have had this "task" for a while now but have very little motivation to complete it - despite music being a thing that I love. Maybe I'm lazy or maybe I just lack motivation in general. Or perhaps I am addicted to the computer so much that it gets in the way of everything else. I often put things off until the last minute or when absolutely necessary.

 

[Bell]

I procrastinate, whine, pout and ***** about chores. But I'm a germ-phobe so I feel uncomfortable if I'm not clean or the house isn't clean. Lucky my wife is very clean and is willing to put up with my whining/getting angry about doing chores. I find having lists (written or mental) helps and once the list is finished I can pursue my regular interests (reading science stuff/strength training/internet).

 

[gonzerd]

If there were such a thing as a procrastination degree, by now I'd probably be a triple Ph.D. I like things to be clean and relatively orderly though, it just feels better, but that certainly doesn't make me Mr. Clean. Maybe it's a lack of motivation, maybe it's just that there are better things to do. I usually go through all the dishes too before I start cleaning them too. I think I more or less do chores as needed. If I need to work at my desk, I'll clean my desk, if I want to do some extensive cooking, I'll clean the kitchen, if I want to play some guitar, I'll tidy up that area. When I'm caught up in something for days or weeks (say making a website or something) it would all deteriorate pretty fast. My desk would be ok, but all the rest would just start to pile up.
I'd do a few "springcleans" throughout the year, and then practice the noble art of damage control in between.
I used to get really anxious about it when people would come over and stay up all night to clean, and then be a zombie by the time they'd arrive, but that was mainly due to some childhood issues. Also, when there's one big thing that really needs to be done, it suddenly becomes incredibly easy to do all the other chores. The cleaner my house, the greater the likelihood of there being some important phone call I'm putting off.

 

[. . .]

Unless you have OCD of course.

I was going to say that, but no - not everyone with OCD feels the need for everything to be germ-free/tidy. I have OCD and I could care less about germs and about how tidy things are, as odd as that may seem. I mostly just have irrational beliefs about certain things and have to do things my way.

 

[Droopy]

I have OCD and I could care less about germs and about how tidy things are, as odd as that may seem.

Lucky you. I have it too and am a germaphobe. I also like things tidy and perfected.

 

[. . .]

Unless you have OCD of course.

I find that I can't be bothered with chores.

So do you usually get others to do chores for you (your parents, siblings, etc.)?

I'm weird in that I hate doing chores myself, yet I also despise it when others do chores for me. I don't like people touching or moving my stuff around; it feels like they're invading my privacy.

 

[Droopy]

So do you usually get others to do chores for you (your parents, siblings, etc.)?

I would keep my room clean/tidy, put my rubbish in the bin and bring my clothes down to the washing machine. My mum or dad would do the actual washing and keep the other rooms tidy. I don't do the dishes because of my OCD as mentioned above, so parents would do that. My brother doesn't seem to do a thing though. His room is usually a tip.

I don't like people touching or moving my stuff around; it feels like they're invading my privacy.

I am the same. I tend to notice if someone has been in my room and moved things around, opened a window or thrown some rubbish in my bin.

 

[Robin45]

I am obsessed with doing the chores on time in a particular way such as cleaning the house but when I am depressed I still do these chores but can't find the motivation to do things in the garden or DIY.

 

[superboyian]

I am obsessed with doing the chores on time in a particular way such as cleaning the house but when I am depressed I still do these chores but can't find the motivation to do things in the garden or DIY.

Would you feel more motivated if it was around the summertime?

 

[WildCat]

Oh god yes. I can't push myself to do anything productive like that unless I'm either full of energy or someone else complains about it. If it needs to be done it needs to be done my way, forget what anyone else says about it. Kinda anal about it when I do get the motivation but as far as I know that trait runs in the family

 

[AspbergersGirl27]

I find I suffer severely with lack of motivation for doing chores. I have Aspbergers and a severe anxiety disorder so I get very overwhelmed with having to clean. I also get very annoyed when someone I don't know or haven't seen for a long time is coming to the house. I feel like my space is invaded and people judge the messiness with out remembering what I have. I struggle each and every day trying to push myself to clean up and some days I am to the point of crying. Anyways enough venting, I was hoping that some of you could share ideas with how you cope and motivate yourself into cleaning? I can only usually clean if I have someone such as my Mother or Grandmother at my side to help and encourage me.

 

[Ronin82]

Omg, I'm OCD and have to have everything in its place. The level of clutter my mom enjoys drives me nuts! My room is totally orderly, and I'm anal about bug-control (lots of different infestations in this house right now) as well as keeping things nice-smelling and mold-free. I can't believe it, but I'M the one who does the most-thorough cleaning in this house! I don't like doing chores, but I hate living in disorder, filth, and stink even more than I hate doing chores. Now, there are times my various physical and mental issues prevent me from cleaning things regularly, and I'll let inconsequential disorder go for quite a while before I do something about it at times, but for the most part I like to keep everything in its place and the mold and roach-food in the kitchen to a minimum.

With that said, there's a pile of paperwork that I need to file sitting on top of my file-box, waiting for me to find the motivation to actually file it. That needs to happen this week, the stack of papers is getting out of control...