Internet culture moves fast. Like, scary fast. One minute everyone is talking about a specific song, and the next, it’s gone, buried under a mountain of fresh brain rot and new trends. But some things just stick. Meme all the things is one of those rare fossils that managed to stay relevant long after the original blog post that birthed it went quiet. It’s been well over a decade since Allie Brosh first doodled a frantic, bug-eyed character holding a broom, yet we still use that exact energy to describe our daily struggles with chores, work, or literally any task that feels slightly overwhelming.
It’s weirdly wholesome.
Most memes today are ironic or layered under five levels of "post-humor" that require a PhD in TikTok trends to understand. This one? It’s pure. It’s about that sudden, fleeting burst of manic productivity that hits you at 11:00 PM on a Tuesday. You decide you’re going to clean the kitchen, fix the leaky faucet, and finally organize your taxes. You’re gonna meme all the things until the motivation evaporates five minutes later.
The Hyperbole and a Half Origin Story
To really get why this caught fire, you have to look back at the source: Hyperbole and a Half. Allie Brosh started the blog in 2009. It wasn't your typical polished "lifestyle" blog. It was raw, hilariously self-deprecating, and drawn in a style that looked like it was made in MS Paint by someone having a minor existential crisis. In June 2010, she published a post titled "This is Why I'll Never be an Adult."
It’s a masterpiece of relatability.
Brosh describes the struggle of being a "responsible" human. She finds a single piece of trash on the floor, cleans it up, and suddenly feels like a god. The specific panel that became the meme all the things template shows her character triumphantly holding a broom, shouting "CLEAN ALL THE THINGS!"
It captured a very specific human emotion: the unearned sense of accomplishment we get from doing the bare minimum.
The internet did what it does best. It took that image, stripped away the context of cleaning, and turned it into a universal template for obsessive enthusiasm. By the time it hit Reddit and the now-extinct Quickmeme, the phrase had evolved. "Clean all the things" became "Meme all the things," "Eat all the things," and "Code all the things." It became a shorthand for that manic "X all the Y" energy.
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Why the Drawing Style Mattered
Look at the character. It’s not a person. It’s a tube with stick arms and a yellow ponytail that looks more like a shark fin. The eyes are huge, mismatched circles. It looks frantic. That’s the secret sauce. If the drawing had been "good" in a traditional sense, it wouldn't have worked. The crude aesthetic made it accessible. It felt like something you’d scrawl on a napkin while crying-laughing at your own inadequacy.
Experts in digital semiotics—the study of signs and symbols—often point out that the more "abstract" a character is, the easier it is for a wide audience to project themselves onto it. Scott McCloud talked about this in Understanding Comics. Because Allie’s character is so simplified, she is everyone.
The Evolution of Manic Productivity
We live in a hustle culture. Everything is about optimization. But the meme all the things phenomenon was a precursor to our current obsession with "goblin mode" or "rotting." It’s the flip side of the coin. It’s the moment before the burnout.
Think about how we use it now.
- Software Devs: They use it when a new framework drops. Suddenly, it’s "Rewrite all the things in Rust!"
- Gaming: A new RPG comes out? "Loot all the things!"
- Marketing: A new AI tool launches? "Automate all the things!"
It’s a linguistic virus. It’s a snowclone—a type of formulaic cliche that can be customized by swapping out words. "X all the Y." It’s satisfying to say. It has a rhythm.
The Staying Power of Allie Brosh
It’s worth noting that Allie Brosh didn't just disappear into the meme-void. She wrote two New York Times bestsellers. Her work on depression, specifically the "Adventures in Depression" posts, is still cited by psychologists and fans as one of the most accurate depictions of mental health ever put to paper (or screen).
The fact that her "Clean All The Things" panel became a global meme is almost an accident compared to her larger literary impact. But it speaks to her ability to tap into the "universal weird." She didn't invent the feeling of wanting to do everything at once; she just gave us the visual vocabulary to joke about it.
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Why Some Memes Die and This One Didn't
Remember the "Harlem Shake"? Or "Planking"? Those are dead. Buried. If you post a Harlem Shake video today, you're either doing it ironically or you're a brand trying way too hard. They were "event" memes. They required a specific action.
Meme all the things is a "concept" meme. It’s a tool for communication.
Honestly, it’s more like a punctuation mark than a joke. It’s an exclamation point for enthusiasm. You don’t need to know who Allie Brosh is to understand the vibe of the bug-eyed girl with the broom. It’s intuitive. It’s also incredibly easy to Photoshop. You can put a tiny crown on her head, give her a lightsaber, or put a Starbucks cup in her hand. The template is robust.
The Paradox of the "Old" Internet
We’re in a weird era of the web. The "Old Internet"—the era of Rage Comics, Advice Animals, and I Can Has Cheezburger—is mostly gone. It’s been replaced by short-form video and high-octane algorithms. But meme all the things bridges the gap. It’s a relic that still functions.
It reminds us of a time when the internet felt a bit smaller. A bit more hand-drawn.
There’s also a psychological element here. We use these tropes to signal belonging. When you drop a "___ all the things" reference in a Slack channel or a Discord server, you’re signaling that you’ve been around the block. You know the lore. It’s a digital secret handshake that half the world happens to know.
The Dark Side of the "Everything" Mentality
Kinda funny, but the meme actually touches on something pretty real: ADHD and executive dysfunction. Brosh herself has been open about her struggles. The "Clean All The Things" phase in her original story is immediately followed by a complete collapse of will. She spends the rest of the day lying on the floor because the "productivity high" wore off.
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That’s why the meme resonates so deeply with the neurodivergent community.
It’s not just a joke about being busy. It’s a joke about the illusion of being busy. It’s about that dopamine spike you get from planning to do things, which is almost always more satisfying than actually doing them. We’ve all been there. You buy the gym membership, the kale, and the new sneakers. You’re gonna "Fitness all the things!" And then you order a pizza.
The meme captures the peak of the mountain right before the slide down into the valley of "I’m just going to stare at my phone for six hours."
How to Use the Spirit of "All the Things" Today
If you’re looking to apply this manic energy to your actual life (without the inevitable crash), there are a few ways to channel it. The internet loves the meme, but the reality of trying to do everything at once is a recipe for disaster.
- Micro-Bursting: Instead of trying to "Clean all the things," try the "One thing" rule. Pick one small corner. Just one.
- Visual Cues: Sometimes, looking at the meme actually helps. It reminds you that the feeling of being overwhelmed is universal. You’re not broken; you’re just human.
- Lean into the Manic: If you do get that 11:00 PM burst of energy, use it. But don't expect it to last. Ride the wave, get the dishes done, and then give yourself permission to be a "piece of garbage" (Allie’s words!) the next day.
The cultural footprint of meme all the things is a testament to the power of simple, honest storytelling. Allie Brosh didn't set out to create a viral sensation. She just told the truth about how hard it is to be a person sometimes.
Next time you feel that surge of "I'm going to fix my entire life right now," just remember the girl with the broom. Laugh at the absurdity of it. It’s okay to have "Clean All The Things" energy, even if you only end up cleaning one thing. Or nothing at all.
Actionable Takeaways for Digital Creators
If you’re a creator trying to make the next big thing, don't aim for "viral." Aim for "true." The reason this meme survived while thousands of high-budget marketing campaigns failed is because it felt real. It wasn't "produced." It was felt.
- Embrace Imperfection: High-fidelity isn't always better. Sometimes a crude drawing says more than a 4K render.
- Focus on the Relatable "Low": People connect more with your failures and struggles than your highlights.
- Keep it Modular: Make things that people can easily adapt to their own lives.
The internet will keep changing. New platforms will rise and fall. But as long as humans keep over-promising things to themselves and failing to meet their own expectations, we're going to keep meming all the things. It’s just who we are. It's a loop. It's a mood. It's the internet's favorite way to say, "I'm trying, okay?"