cannot understate the value of turning a few no-thought-required chores into your idle animation. I am wandering around in aimless restless need, unsure what kind of stimulation I crave, compelled to seek it out and yet unsatisfied by all that I attempt? ok I can do that while I put the dishes away. or fold some laundry. recently I was able to add 'washing the dishes' to the list and it's been a game changer. I can settle into the physical motion and very low-level mental requirements of doing the chore, and the rest of my brain can turn over the problem of What Should I Do Next. eventually I think of something I could try doing instead, and by the time I do I've folded three shirts and half my underwear. and these are all chores I can drop almost at once (except washing dishes, I don't like to leave the soapy dishes out, but rinsing is mostly quick). so as soon as I want to not be doing this anymore, I just stop!
crucially this is not an 'if you can lean you can clean' thing! I am doing these tasks to keep my hands busy. keeping my hands busy frees up brain space to actually make a rational decision about what I should spend my energy on, because it scratches the restless screaming itch in my skin to DO SOMETHING RIGHT NOW (normal relatable content teehee we've all got bees in our bones right?)
as a bonus it also quiets the voice that complains I never do anything worthwhile etc etc, and it also makes me feel better later in a mysterious inexplicable way (since nicer living space => better mental health, in a mechanism that I'm intellectually aware of but regularly forget in practice)
I don't have a clear guide for How To Do This, but a huge part of the end goal and something one could try working on idk is mentally turning the chore into "a thing I do while I'm really doing other stuff." this may work best if you already have a few activities in that category - I like to knit while I watch TV, sew while I'm chatting with people, etc - but the key component is that the dishes are not The Activity. the dishes are what your hands are doing while your brain is occupied with The Activity. you get in the habit of expending like .5% of a thought on the dishes, which includes not thinking any thoughts like "ugh ugh I hate doing the dishes." you have better things you could do with that brainpower!
maybe a good way to practice is turn on a podcast or youtube video while you do the chore. or maybe call a friend and chat all the way through! get used to doing the chore while your mind is fully just elsewhere.
another one is probably making sure the chore requires minimal effort + time to start and to stop. for me Folding Laundry is no longer a thing with a start and stop, I just leave the hamper of clean clothes out and I fold a shirt whenever I walk by until the whole thing is empty. it takes the time it takes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ the moment you have to do Setup Activities before you can commence the chore, the chore becomes a whole Thing and you suddenly have to engage executive function on purpose to do it, instead of having it be something your hands can randomly pick up without you having to think about it.
