Tidying as You Go: Why Waiting for the “Snow to Stop” Doesn’t Work
When I turned thirteen, a family friend gave me a tiny book called Poems for Women. You know the type—those gift-shop specials designed to sit on a shelf and collect dust faster than the inside of a Dyson. At first, I felt weirdly proud. This wasn’t poetry for girls. I was officially being seen as a woman. How grown-up!
That is, until I opened it.
Inside: a collection of cringe-worthy clichés about men, motherhood, and high heels. Not exactly the most relatable material for a teenager. But one poem stuck with me—not because it was profound, but because it was… a bit cooked:
“Cleaning your house while children are still growing is like sweeping the sidewalk before it stops snowing.”
At the time, I thought, WTF?
It made zero sense to me as a 13-year-old high school student living in Brisbane, where snow was about as likely as a well-behaved bin-chicken. But now, I get it.
Not because I suddenly adore snow metaphors (still not super helpful in Australia, thanks), but because I’ve seen firsthand how overwhelming a never-ending mess can feel—especially for neurodivergent families. The problem is, waiting for the “snow to stop” doesn’t actually make the chaos go away. It just gives it time to multiply.
The Real Value of Tidying as You Go (Even When You Don’t Feel Like It)
Let’s be real: mess doesn’t magically plateau. It builds. Slowly. Then all at once. And if you’re neurodivergent, struggling with executive function, decision fatigue, or low dopamine levels, the idea of “just clean it up” can feel like being told to climb Everest in thongs.
That’s why tidying as you go isn’t about perfection—it’s about protection. It’s about reducing the overwhelm before it spirals. Because the longer it builds, the harder it is to restart.
Quick Wins to Keep the Chaos in Check
Forget the Pinterest-perfect tidying schedules. Here’s what actually works for real humans with real brains:
🧠 Keep it tiny: Tidy one thing while waiting for the kettle. Toss one bit of rubbish while walking past the bin. Micro-tasks still count.
📅 Make it routine, not rigid: Try a simple rhythm (e.g. laundry Mondays, vacuum Fridays), but stay flexible. Neurodivergent-friendly routines should work with your brain, not fight it.
📦 Declutter in layers: You don’t have to do it all at once. Peel back one layer at a time—like an ogre or an onion. A slightly dusty, emotionally complicated onion.
👨👩👧 Team effort > martyr mode: Don’t carry it all. Share the load. Even if your kids whinge. Especially if they whinge.
✔️ Use checklists and visual cues: If it’s not visible, it’s probably not happening. Write it down, draw it, colour-code it. Whatever helps your brain track the task.
Feeling Buried Already? Start Here.
If this all feels too late and your house currently looks like the aftermath of a cyclone crossed with a Lego explosion—take a breath. You’re not broken. You’re not lazy. You’re just overwhelmed. Let’s start small:
⏱️ Set a timer for 10-15 mins. Do anything in that time. Then stop. You win.
📍 Pick a “zone zero”: One space you keep tidy-ish as a sanctuary. A bedside table. A chair. Even a drawer. It’s your visual reset button.
🏆 Celebrate every tiny win. Every dish washed or item donated is proof you’re moving forward.
👯♀️ Phone a friend or coach. External accountability helps when motivation is MIA.
💗 Be relentlessly kind to yourself. You’re not behind. You’re just starting from where you are. That’s more than enough.
Need Help as you go? I’ve Got You.
This is exactly the kind of stuff we tackle in my resources and coaching:
✨ Simplicity with Lauren Winzar – My flagship course where we dive deep into my D.C.L.T.R. framework and help you move from chaos to calm (without the burnout).
🛠️ The Simplicity Toolkit – A low-cost bundle of practical tools to get you started, even if your brain is in full squirrel mode.
🤝 1:1 Coaching – Real support for your real life. I help neurodivergent women and families find strategies that actually stick.
TL;DR? Don’t Wait for the Snow to Stop.
That poem wasn’t totally wrong—cleaning (tidying/organising/decluttering) while life is still happening does feel pointless sometimes. But it’s still worth doing. Not because your home needs to be perfect, but because you deserve a space that feels safe, manageable, and calm.
Even one tiny task done today makes tomorrow’s chaos a little smaller.
So, what’s one thing you can do right now to make your space 1% calmer?
(Let me know—I’ll be cheering you on. With zero judgment and possibly a large pile of folding nearby.)