Your mess is not a moral failing!

Ok, so the Laundry Pile’s Touching the Roof again (and That’s Okay)

If your laundry pile’s climbing so high it needs its own oxygen mask — you’re not alone. We’ve all had weeks (okay, months) where the washing basket becomes Mount Fold-more and the dishes seem to multiply like rabbits. But here’s the thing: none of that makes you a failure.

Living with a neurospicy brain, mental health ups and downs, or chronic illness means that keeping a “perfect” home can feel like an exhausting punishment. And that's not the point of a home. Your home is meant to be a place you feel safe and comfortable, and your value isn’t tied to the state of your kitchen!

It’s Not All or Nothing

One of the biggest traps we fall into is thinking, “If I can’t do the whole lot, why bother at all?”as we side eye the overflowing coffee table, but as Rachel Hoffman reminds us in Unfck Your Habitat* — progress matters more than perfection and your home only needs to work for you.

Maybe today it’s just washing the one fork and bowl you need for lunch. Maybe it’s ordering Door Dash groceries instead of dragging yourself around Woolies on no spoons. That’s not cheating. That’s adapting. And frankly we think not wasting your precious energy on the hard days is worth celebrating.

Celebrating the Small Wins

As a lived experienced team who really understands the peaks and crashes of neurospicy energy, we reckon the little things make all the difference. They keep us moving, even when energy is low, we feel burnt out and brains are overloaded.

• Found your favourite mug and gave it a quick wash so coffee could happen? Champion

• Tossed clean clothes in a basket instead of folding them? Practically genius.

• Wiped down the bench where you make your breakfast? That’s a win.

• Chucked all the random stuff in your car into a basket? Legendary

  
  

Because honestly, survival on our hard days is an achievement.

Try playing small wins bingo next time you feel overwhelmed-yours could look like this or make it up! (Bonus points for adding a task you've done just to cross it off for the dopamine hit!)

Small Wins Bingo

✅ Washed one fork

✅ Ordered Door Dash groceries

✅ Wiped the kitchen bench

✅ Put clean clothes in a basket (folding optional)

✅ Called a mate while doing chores to keep you going

✅ Sat in the room with the laundry (progress counts!)

✅ Took the bins out

✅ Found the couch under the “clothes mountain”

✅ Changed your sheets

✅ Ate leftovers instead of skipping dinner

✅ Showered today (or washed your face & cleaned your teeth)

✅ Celebrated one thing you did do today

The Power of Doing It Together

Our biggest tip for when getting started feels impossible, body doubling with a friend or support worker can be a lifesaver. Folding socks while chatting to a friend, or just sitting on a video call while someone else tackles their dishes — it’s not about making the work vanish, it’s about leaning into this bio hack that makes you feel less alone in the struggle and helps to make the tasks feel more doable.

A Home That Works for You

Forget Insta-perfect. Forget spotless. What matters is whether your space feels safe, supportive, and workable for you. Some days that looks like clean sheets and folded towels. Other days it’s knowing which basket has clean clothes in it and which one’s dirty. Both are valid.

So let’s agree on this:

💛 You are not your mess.

💛 Neurodivergent brains and tired bodies need different systems — and that’s okay.

💛 Every small step you take counts.

Because whether the laundry’s touching the roof or the dishes are piled up, you’re still showing up where you are today.

And we want you to remember that’s enough.