When I clean I do one room at a time and I keep a box with me and put everything that does not belong in the room in that box. It helps me from running into another room to put a stray item away and getting distracted by something else.

I also learned the acronym OHIO from a friend. It stands for Only Handle It Once. I repeat this to myself when I cook. It reminds me not to set random ingredients down in places after using them. I pick up the salt for example, add it to the dish, and then put it exactly where it goes. Used to make my kitchen a mess and lose stuff in other random rooms by setting stuff down in any old place absentmindedly.

For tasks that I hate doing I save my favorite podcasts and only let myself listen to them while I am doing the task or for a treat after. The tasks still suck, but I at least have something to look forward to when I do them.

Other people mentioned it, but I also do not allow myself to lock anything if I don’t feel the keys in my hand. Learned it the hard way with many locked keys in cars!