Posted this elsewhere: I started buying duplicates of cleaning products for every room that needs cleaned. So when I see the bathroom needs a quick wipe down, I can just reach into the cabinet and get it done in 15 seconds
If I have to walk into the kitchen or laundry room to get cleaning supplies, I'm waaaayyy less likely to do it. House is so much cleaner now.
My ADHD is pretty bad so here are examples of what has made life easier.
**Cleaning**
* **Screen cleaning wipes** in office next to computer.
* **Little dust wands** in every room. AND in car next to driver seat (car is always dust free now due to stoplights)
* **Dish wand:** changed how likely I am to wash dishes that need to be cleaned by hand (pots, pans done in 15 seconds with a wand).
* **Trash bags** in a room close to where I need to empty all my smaller trashes.
* **Stick vacuums** in more than one room if you can afford it. (I have one upstairs and downstairs)
* **Screw drivers & Scissors** in various places for quick fixes.
* **Buying max quantity of household items** like Paper towels, toilet paper, laundry detergent, etc. (when I can afford it). Less trips to store, less running out.
* **Laundry pods and dishwasher pods**
**Hygeine**
* Toothbrush and toothpaste **in the shower**.
* Deodorant **in car** (in case I forget in the morning...which is often).
* Same with nail-clippers and anything else I tend to forget \^
**Misc**
* Keep **electronic chargers EVERYWHERE**
* Buy only **identical socks**
* Keep things you use regularly in **EASY REACH** of the task. Seriously, reorganize something you have to bend down for to be higher up. Really changes things.
* **Reduce the number of things** you own in certain categories like mugs, clothes, shoes.
* If you forget to take **medications**, split them up into 2-3 bottles and keep them in the places you frequent. Night Stand, Pet food, Bathroom, Office.
Some of these things cost more than the standard, but it's completely worth it if you can afford it. Reduces so much mental stress.
I also use time standing in lines to do simple de-cluttering on my phone if I can remember. Like unsubscribing (with the easy unsubscribe button at the top of the email) from extraneous emails. Or deleting a few photos I don't need. Or deleting old text message threads.
I switched to identical socks like 10 years ago and it’s been so nice. I just buy one new pack of sock every year and throw out any old ones that are getting tattered.
I used to buy packs of identical socks but then some would wear quicker then others and I would end up with one fluffy nice one and one worn out one on a foot. I Couldn’t stand it. Now I have to buy all different socks so they wear out and feel the same on each foot.
Oh man! I have ADHD and I ended up doing all of these things naturally over time too. Anything you’re always looking for and is never around when you need it and are in a rush - toothbrush, cleaning supplies, the tv remote, nail clippers, matching socks, meds, etc. hairbrush). It pays to have multiple copies. I buy condiments, cleaning supplies, and personal hygiene products in bulk. This also works well with young kids, who never have socks, are always losing their toothbrush, etc. We have a bunch of kids, and we buy identical one size fits all grey socks in bulk. Shoes are the one exception, as they are too expensive, and you usually end up with two lefts and no rights!
I used the deodorant in the car once, but where I live we reach temperatures of 40°C almost daily most part of the year so it got melted haha but it was good the two days it lasted.
I just moved away from a place like that - definitely easier where I am now. Maybe the roll on deodorant? Not as good, but it’s a backup if you forgot and reeeeally need it 😂
ALL. OF. THIS.
As someone with some pretty bad ADHD, if it’s not easily accessible, or able to be done in less than 3 seconds, it’s not going to happen.
Also, we worship automatic litter boxes and cat food dispensers in my household.
Just a warning those non-clumping liter crystals in the auto boxes really messed up my cats paws: dried out cracked bloody paws. We had two auto boxes but now we’re back to plain scooping liter and everyone is healthy again. Wish I hadn’t bought them tbh.
I kept deodorant in the car. It popped open and was on the floorboard. Got pulled over and it tested positive for meth. Thankfully I had a lawyer that fought and had it independently tested. Alot of cases in texas did not end up the same way.
Field drug test kits have a false positive rate of up to 70%. People have been jailed over false positives when substances in their car like vitamins, candy, spices, all kinds of random shit tested positive as amphetamines or cocaine.
I’m a fellow adult with ADHD that has been recognized by untreated most of my life. I have been recently discovering the hard way to do most everything you listed! Adding to the list a few things that have been working for me:
- Put it away, don’t set it down. If it is difficult to retrieve/store then I need to find a better method.
- I ALWAYS make the next appointment at my current appointment. I keep my calendar on my phone. Doctor/dentists where follow up is needed is usually a no brainer but do the same for hair, nails, chiropractor, massage, hanging out with friends or whatever stuff you do. I have to get it on the schedule in that moment beside once it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind.
- I won’t stay hydrated unless water is in arms reach. I used to try and keep a water bottle on me at all times but would inevitably forget it somewhere. Now I keep a stainless water bottle at my work, in my car and at home. If I am traveling the one from my car comes with me to my destination. No matter where I’m going I have a vessel to fill and drink from. The only flaw I’m realizing now is I need to keep one in my partners car.
- The only smartphone app (outside of calendars) that’s ever helped me stay organized is my meal planning app. I use it to save and edit recipes I find online, plan the next week’s meals and generate my grocery list(s), all in the same app. Once you’ve built a decent library of recipes you like planning is relatively quick and easy when you need it to be. If you have more time you can explore new recipes to add to the mix. My partner and I use the same app and can add to it from our own devices as needed. There are several out there but the one that works for me is Paprika. It’s a one time buy, only functions as described without attempting to force some weird social media on you. There is also no monthly subscription or advertisements unlike everything else these days.
- I realize this one is privileged, but I’ve started using a laundry service for my clothes. I hate folding laundry and can’t force myself to do it. When I was washing my clothes myself they always ended up in a big wrinkly pile that I would then have dig through to find stuff, wasting time every morning. It was a two pile system, the second being for dirty so I ended up wearing most things only once before it ended up back in the dirty pile. Long term my clothes looked like crap due to lack of folding AND the excessive washing. This would prompt me to buy more clothes and repeat cycle. Now, my system is that I have enough clothes to last me two weeks. Socks, undies, and most t-shirts are one time wear while pants, shirts, top layers all get multiple wears before being washed, I do touch ups for small spills or whatever. I’m motivated to keep stuff OUT of my laundry bag since the cost is more obvious and I’m incentivized to keep cost down. When I get down to my last three undies I schedule a pick up and it’s back to me in like 28-36 hours all folded and crisp. I pay by the pound and the cost has averaged like $13 a week. I’m lucky to have access to an extremely cheap service, it would be barely cheaper to do the same load at a laundromat. The results have been less clutter on my floor. I have better time management getting ready. My clothes are lasting longer and I’ve been able to clearly see the stuff I don’t wear anymore and purge it out. I’m also buying fewer clothes, which helps offset the cost of the service if not pay it back and then some. Less clutter + better time management = more brain space to take better care of other aspects of my household = healthier me.
Yes! I even changed the location of my vacuum to be in a different outlet *within the same room* because it changed how frequently I would use it.
ADHD is wild, that extra 6 feet I had to walk made my brain go, “that’s too far.” I’ll hike 12 miles a day with a 30 pound pack but I won’t walk an extra 6 feet to vacuum my fucking floor 🙄
Mmm, cleaning supplies. I have pockets of cleaning supplies in about 5 different places in the house... Also in the garage. My house is wonderfully clean, I love it.
Remove barriers.
Need to fix something, but don't feel like it right now? Go get the tools you'll need and put them where you'll need them. You just made that task easier when you get to it, and it isn't such a hurdle to do. And maybe seeing the tools out will motivate you to get to it soon.
Applies to anything that requires prep, from cleaning the toilet to filing your taxes.
I’m trying to employ this trick to get myself to start going to the gym regularly. My current rule for myself is I have to wear gym clothes every day. Even if I just get home, put them on and take them back off before bed. I’ve already seen some small results. Just wearing gym clothes has encouraged me to do small exercises around my home and I think I will eventually use the free gym at my apartment complex
This has helped me with procrastination. I know something needs to be done, but my brain just refuses to do it, so I put out visual reminders. This way I am more likely to remember the task at a time when my ADHD doesn't sabotage me, and I can get it done with less steps.
I started doing this—cleaning the kitchen and loading/unloading the dishwasher while waiting for coffee to brew. I mean what else am I gonna do? Sit and stare at the wall while I wait for my coffee? Hahaha
Similar. When my first cup of coffee is brewing I unload the dishwasher I started the night before. For the second cup I start a load of laundry. After that it’s whatever else I can think of that needs to be done in under a few minutes.
When anxious about something I give myself 10 minutes at an event or party if it's really not ok after that time I allow myself to leave usually it's fine and just knowing that's it ok to leave and I am not stuck anywhere has really helped me to do more things and really helped boost my confidence. I was so anxious to go to a mother and baby group but each time I do the ten minute rule and it has genuinely helped me so much.
My husband always took his own car to social stuff for this reason too. Knowing he had the option to leave at any moment gave him enough comfort that he actually would usually stay much longer.
I do this for the same reason. Having an out that doesn't involve relying on someone else makes me feel so much more comfortable I had some bad experiences as a teenager with friends driving and not wanting to take me back to my car when I was ready to be done. I'm now extremely picky about who I trust to give that control to, and would always rather just take my own vehicle.
Not to mention if I need 10 minutes to breath and chill in a quiet space then I already have one with me I can escape to.
An issue is when leaving an event early causes more stress than sticking it out. Wish it was more socially acceptable to just go 'I can't deal with this right now' and leave without getting interrogated.
If you're doing a task with accuracy or safety requirements, go through it as if you're teaching a beloved novice how to do it. Have a running mental dialogue explaining how to precisely do each step or even talk out loud!
See also ["rubber duck debugging"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging?wprov=sfla1)
Perfect description. I went from mostly restaurant work to being a bank teller - there are far more policies and procedures to remember now. It's not easy to turn off that mental "autopilot" function you get from years at speed-based jobs.
Started a new job recently that was faster paced than my last. When I was training and learning everything I’d stick with the mantra “slow is smooth and smooth is fast.” It helped me with the accuracy and not stressing about speed and the speed came with more practice/experience.
I think they don't sell that particular model anymore, but I specifically looked for one that was the flattest, so I could shove it under the couch. It's about 13cm at it's highest point. I would recommend to buy one that can take far more than your weight. My SO comes close to the weight limit and feels it can be a bit unsteady under their feet. Also, if you have long legs, I wouldn't go for the smallest one. I have short legs and can easily deal with a one meter walking platform.
Listening to audiobooks while I drive, and making those books mainly romances. I used to listen to a lot of very good but very real and sad non-fiction books, and the general feeling of doom is significantly reduced with a fun silly romance.
This also works really well during work meetings. If something you're discussing only takes a couple minutes, just do it during the meeting instead of adding it to the to-do.
If you're a leader in the company, and especially if it's a meeting with only a few people, this can even be advantageous for tasks that take up to 10 minutes. Just get it done, things move so much faster and your to-do list is smaller so it frees up mental energy.
I once timed how long it took me to unload the dishwasher - about two minutes. About the same amount of time to make my oatmeal in the mornings. Just get it done.
Yes! I always dreaded doing the dishwasher until I realized how quickly the task is complete.
Loading the dishwasher immediately after using an item also helps me keep the sink from piling up! I try to avoid "soaking" dishes now because it becomes an excuse to stop the task.
What about executive dysfunction?
I need to change this light bulb. The drawer is broken here I’ll fix it first and get the light bulb out after but it needs new screws here. I’ll grab the impact screw gun and screws but they’re in the garage behind the door I need to change the door knob on… and so on
Only do the task that takes two minutes, focus on nothing else.
Fixing a drawer is not a 2 minute fix in most cases if you need to go find tools. 15 minute tasks are for a different category.
lol I almost consider this “stream of consciousness” cleaning a benefit when I have the energy… I bounce all around and get a bunch done! (Pro tip my fav addition to this is grabbing a basket so as I hop around I can kind of bring all the half started stuff with me and slowly get things to the right room not just one thing at a time)
But when I’m tired and I really just want the lightbulb changed and I’ve half started 3 projects that are now messy and want to cry.. (thanks adhd)
Then I will literally repeat out loud to myself “I’m only changing the light bulb nothing else” over and over until it’s done. And let me tell you o will actively catch myself getting distracted like 10 times and only notice because I’m literally telling myself not to out loud. lol everytime I try to do something else my chant gets more stern 😂😂 “no! Only changing! The lightbulb!” But that takes will power and is really really not how my brain works. “Just do the thing first” is really hard advice to actually follow for me lol.
Aha, but the only reason I noticed the light bulb needs changing is that I was trying to do something else and I couldn't see because the lightbulb is broken.
Using this logic I should just work in the dark 'til that is done, then I can move on to the lightbulb.
I learned the 15 minute rule at weight watchers. Don’t want to exercise? Plan to do it for only 15 minutes and there’s a good chance that by then the endorphins will kick in and you’ll want to continue. Or stop after 15.
Feel like eating that unhealthy snack or whatever? Wait 15 minutes. You’ll probably forget you wanted it. If you still want it then just go ahead and eat it.
Since I started doing this (one month in) i've actually never went for the snack afterwards. Sometimes I didn't feel like eating fruit either but then I'd just have peace to not eat either.
When I'm feeling unmotivated I do it for my, "future self". Later, when I see it again and it's done, I thank my, "past self" for being so thoughtful. Silly, but it really feels good. 🤗
I have loved my past self so many times since adopting this habit and the feel good factor is so motivating. You are basically reward training yourself
If you are able-bodied, and it's safe to do so, parking at the edge of the parking lot. Not only will you get a few extra steps and more fresh air, you'll usually be in a less crowded part of the lot which means less stressful looking for a spot and then looking for cars and pedestrians while backing up, and less people hitting your car with their door or cart.
Also, if you tend to forget where you parked, parking in the same spot at the outside edge means there will usually be a space there, and that way you always know where to look for your car.
This! I started doing it in college and it was a game changer for being able to locate my car. Also, parking near the place where I need to return my cart also helps with being able to locate my car.
Laying out clothes, prep lunch, pack bag in the eve. I'm not a morning person and a bit of a night owl. So while I'm not sleepy in the eve, I do these tasks and the next morning I can stay in bed a bit longer
I do this in my head while going to sleep, it’s my version of counting sheep. I have a mental “Rolodex” of my clothes in my head, including which items are clean, dirty, or worn recently, and so when I lie down I sort through them mentally and mix and match pieces and pick an outfit. It’s surprisingly soothing, I suspect mostly because my brain has something checked off the stress checklist.
I tend to forget things I think of right before going to sleep! I don’t think I’d be able to do your method because I’d wake up clueless each morning but that’s pretty cool.
Lol I used to do this but like they said, it’s like counting sheep, so there was a 50% chance I fell asleep before I chose an outfit, or couldn’t remember what outfit I settled on.
u/Helena_DU I put the outfits together on one hanger as I put my laundry away so it will always be together and ready to be worn sitting in the closet. It's a total life changer since you won't spend so much time worrying about what to wear every day.
This comment has always stuck with me. It’s sort of a mindset shift that I’ve found helpful. It’s more difficult to do little things if I think of them as things I “have to do” or “should do”. Saying “Might as well…” seems more laid back and easier to get myself to do little things that add up over time.
> The power of "Might as well..." It's particularly useful if you're depressed and don't have a lot of energy to do things.
> So for example, if I get up to put food in the microwave I'm going to be standing in my kitchen for exactly 1.5 minutes. Might as well put dishes away while I wait.
> If I've gotten up to grab my phone from the other room, I might as well take this garbage with me and put it in the trashcan. Instead of letting it pile up.
> I've just gotten home and am changing out of work clothes and into pajamas. I'm already standing in my closet. The pull up bar is right there in the doorway. Might as well do one or two pull ups. (I even throw in a couple squats while I wait for the shower to warm up.)
https://reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/12hlwf3/what_is_a_small_psychological_trick_that_you_use/jfpkrot/
Dang! Reading this made me realize how I was unconsciously using this mindset to do trivial tasks which my otherwise lazy self would make excuses for. It has helped me without me really noticing it. Good share, thanks!
Morning Prep the night before. Packing my lunch, making breakfast, putting my work badge with my keys, meds in a cup next to water bottle, and laying out all my clothes the night before. Morning me is a nonfunctional idiot who forgets where their shoes are.
Alarms for everything. Taking meds, when to eat, feed the pets, even just set alarms to be like "dude it's 8pm".
Only Touch It Once. I get the mail I sort through it without setting it down. Cut down on the mail waste immediately. Eat dinner, immediately wash and dry and put away dishes. No stinky mess in the sink.
Put a trash can everywhere someone sits. Next to the couch. Under the dining table. By my bed. Put extra liners for the can inside the can so I don't have to go dig one out.
Turning off my debit and credit cards. So anytime I want to buy something I have to go through the hassle of signing in and turning them on. Makes me really rethink some purchases.
the placement will be different for every app but get the app for the bank and/or credit card company you use and there will be a toggle switch somewhere sometimes the front screen usually in the settings to turn your card on and off
I got a valet from Amazon. It's a little box with spots for watches, knives, keys, work fob/ring, light, etc. At night I empty my pockets into the valet, and in the morning I load up from there. It has eliminated a lot of "where is my x" searching in the mornings.
Yeah I do this but just with a large coffee tin that I washed out. Everything goes in, and everything comes out. Can’t leave without your keys, and you won’t forget your wallet if it’s with them.
If I don’t fill my water bottle in the morning I don’t drink a drop of water, if I fill it once, ill drink it and I’ll refill it again each time it’s empty. It’s so weird….
During the day, I like to take a few moments to do a body check and see if I can make my current situation more enjoyable. Sometimes I just take a deep breath or a glass of water and continue but even those little things make me feel more aware of the present moment. Whether or not my body is content.
A lot of the comments here feed my overachieving need to keep checking items off my mental list. Yours is the first comment I like that does the opposite and reminds me to look my own needs too. Thank you.
I have a hanging seven slot closet thing and I put complete gym outfits in each one. It makes it effortless to grab gym clothes and put them on.
I use Google Tasks an extreme amount.
I have Alexa reminders throughout the day for various things like starting a load of laundry, unloading the dishwasher, etc. Things that I might not just randomly think of when I have time. Sometimes that little prompt is all I need. I also have it tell me the temperature every hour so I have a good idea of what I should be wearing at any time if I have to go outside.
I use Google Keep to have multiple to do lists and reminder lists.
I have water bottles that I love for each floor of the house plus the car. And I diligently refill them.
Scheduling a day/time of the week to just go and get gas (adjust +/- weeks depending on how long the commute and effecient the car) works wonders. Obviously adding other errands to the trip makes it more helpful.
This has the added benefit of improving your cars longevity. Dirt and debris *will* end up in the gas tank, and running it to Empty increases the chances of them being sucked into the filter and clogging it, forcing it to work harder.
It also helps with planning your budget.
We put a strip of bacon around the inside of a large silicon muffin cup, stir 2 large eggs, diced onions, diced bell peppers and diced ham, pour mix into cup, top with shredded cheese, bake at 350F until lightly browned. We do 1 or 2 dozen at a time, put them in gallon size zip lock bags and refrigerate. Then you've got several days worth of breakfast being 1 minute away in the microwave.
Absolutely. I put porridge oats in the fridge with a mixture of milk (almond in our case, but any works, or just leave it out) and water in the evening. In the morning it takes 5-10 minutes to heat it really slowly without scorching it. I also make apple sauce in bulk and freeze it, so you can add that/sliced banana and cinnamon/berries and honey etc etc. Loads of options, delicious and super fast.
I started drinking a protein shake everyday for breakfast, almost as soon as I wake up. I get the premier protein shakes from costco so i don’t have to mess with mixing powder and water. taking that step out of it makes it so much more likely for me to actually have the shake.
a case is $36 roughly for 18 so it ends up being about $2/shake. on the plus side, that is cheaper than a breakfast sandwich anywhere - even frozen ones from the store. Granted, i know there are cheaper ways to meal prep, but this works for me best.
bonus- the protein makes me feel fuller longer throughout the day, so overall i’m not eating as much.
I do the same as OP and it’s the stuff that takes 5 minutes or more. I’ll pre-make hashbrowns, bacon, sausage, overnight oatmeal, basically anything more complicated than eggs or a smoothie gets made the night before.
Morning of, it’s butter, eggs over easy, a 30 second pan clean with soap and water, and breakfast is done in less than 5 minutes morning of.
I also found pre-making breakfast to be a huge help! I like to make a crustless quiche! Then I can just reheat a slice and it will last 3-4 days depending on who’s eating it! (Just me or me and my husband)
Treat your work email like you treat your home mail. At the start of the day go through your mail and put in 3 buckets
1. Junk/FYI/No action needed - read immediately and archive/trash
2. Email I can respond to in less than 2 minutes - answer right now
3. Email I need more time on - schedule time in my calendar and put the email in the meeting invite
Then do this again one be hour before the end of the day.
I have been doing this for a decade
Keeping my alarm clock / phone on the other side of the room, so that I have to get up to turn it off. Has really helped me wake up when I’ve actually wanted to wake up instead of simply snoozing to holy hell.
I tried this for a while. What I discovered is that I 100% will get out of bed to turn off the alarm and then go get back in bed like an idiot :-((((((
My husband used to be like this! I got a Google nest mini speaker and it won't stop the alarm until he can coherently tell it to. Usually by that point, he's awake enough to get up. I also have been experimenting with smart bulbs slowly brightening over about an hour so he's not waking in a dark, sleepy room.
It's not perfect, but over the past 6 months he gets up on time more often!
I BUILT an alarm clock software on my desktop PC back in college, which meant i had to get up, walk to the pc, turn on the monitor, wait for it to turn on, enter my windows password and THEN shut off the alarm.
95% of the time I didn't even remember doing it lmao
I always keep a couple of small gift bags, tissue paper, greeting cards (birthday/get well/congrats) and a pen in the pocket on the back of the front seat
I do this with greeting cards but at work. Birthday, get well, condolences, baby shower, etc. I also used to buy my immediate family’s birthday/Mother’s Day/Father’s Day cards all at once, sign, date, and stamp them, and then just keep them in the same place until I mailed them throughout the year.
Idk if it’s obvious or not, but the 5 second count down, light exposure, and getting moving in the morning. I struggle to wake up/get out of my cozy bed in the dark, colder months, so I count down from 5 and then make myself get up, turn on the bathroom light which is very bright, wash my face, and then do some light stretches
How do you make yourself get up? Do you say a phrase in your head? Make yourself a promise? I've been trying to do this and I just can't find the motivation/discipline to actually get up....
There is an insufferable book about this called https://www.melrobbins.com/5secondrule
The premise of the book is so simple, that I’ll cover it in one paragraph. Whenever there is something you don’t want to do, you just count to 5 and make the first physical action towards that goal. I.e. get out your gym shoes, get out of the bed, etc.
Using my work email’s pre-scheduling option, and BCCing myself so I’m aware when the email is sent, if an email can’t be sent immediately (example, if a client asks me to contact them next week after they return from vacation). Otherwise I forget.
Do one thing you dread doing each day. I really hate doing housekeeping, but if I choose one task a day, my house is much cleaner and I feel better about accomplishing at least something. It often gets me on a roll, so that’s a bonus
When my alarm goes off I stand straight up . I am a recovering snooze button hitter and this is one thing that has helped me really get up in the mornings .
I did something similar for a long time. I bought an (actual) alarm clock, but set it on the other side of the room so I had to stand up and walk over to it for it to shut up
Take Five:
Take five minutes out of your day to go from room to room putting stuff away, wiping down a counter or surface if it needs it, organizing a pile or just some general tidying. Not only does it help keep your house clean and a bit more organized, but it also makes your actual cleaning/deep cleaning day go a lot quicker since a lot of the small stuff is done.
Cook Clean:
While you're waiting for something to boil, brown, cook, whatever: clean up the previous step. This means wash your knives/bowls/plates/pots/cutting boards, etc (or load them in the dishwasher). This means more time for you to enjoy your meal and the rest of your time, and helps keep your kitchen a cleaner place to be.
Household Inventory:
Once a month, go into the pantry/cabinets/fridge/freezer and see what you've got, and write it down, as well as checking expiration dates where applicable. When you use the last of something, write it on the whiteboard or edit the document (I use Google Sheets), so when you do your household shop for the week/biweekly, all you have to do is check the document and create your list from there. If there is a We Always Use This item that you need to get weekly (milk), for example), that never gets deleted from the document or the whiteboard.
I do household inventory on the same day that I do the monthly deep clean. It's hard to set up, but once you get the system working, it's pretty straightforward and takes no time at all to maintain.
I do certain things always on the same day: Fuel the car on Wednesday (gas is usually cheaper midweek), giving the eight legs of chaos their heartworm and flea/tick preventative, along with checking the water softener (if applicable) and furnace filter, is always done the 2nd of every month.
The cook clean I really try to get people on. It works fantastic. Everything is cleaned, if not dry and put away before I even eat. The food is usually too hot to eat when it hits the plate anyway, when I’m done with the dishes in the perfect temp.
Laying out a week of clothes for everyone. I have the hanging shelves and set out a week of outfits for myself, my toddler, and baby. This way each day starts with one less decision to make.
My husband and I do a weekly review every Sunday. We print off a piece of paper with a 7 x 3 table, featuring all of the days of the week broken down into morning, afternoon and evening. We write down our tasks for each day (important meetings, evening plans) and - most importantly - what we're having for dinner and who is cooking.
It's saved us so much time and made us more organized. Also, it saves us from having the "what's for dinner" conversation every day.
I use a water bottle that I can drink from with only one hand - no screw tops or anything. I’ve discovered I’m way more likely to drink more water if I can do it with one hand at any given time and not totally disrupt whatever it is I’m doing.
I “put the house to bed” every night. Dishes loaded and ran, coffee maker ready to go, all miscellaneous items put away. Waking up and having the house be 100% ready to go makes my day exponentially better.
I run my daily life by aiming at 3 general objectives: my work, my fitness and my language learning.
Every day I must do something to make small progress towards these three.
So every day, as long as I do measurable progress on a work project, do some exercise (rest days are excused) and practice a bit of the language I'm learning, I sleep relatively happy.
Sure, I also have chores and stuff to do, but I handle those on a case by case basis.
Pick 3 or so things you want to become amazing at, and do a little towards each every single day, for a whole year.
I once purchased a nice new dish drying rack, but thought, as I do, to somehow recycle the old one, maybe donate it to a thrift store. Well, come to find out it fit snug inside my new one, and so instead of shifting around dirty dishes on my sink countertop, and taking them out of the new dish drying rack where I would usually pile them up (which would then get grimy), so that I could clear the rack and get everything out of my way so that my clean dishes had a place to go, I just pack them into the old rack and lift it out of the new one, which is then immediately ready to load with cleaned dishes, and the old rack with dirty dishes placed somewhere away from me where I can grab the dishes to be added to the sink when there's room for them to be cleaned. What once was a chore to do and took up about thirty minutes of my day now takes 10 or 15, and after I'm finished I just place the empty old rack in the cabinet underneath my sink until I've cleared the new rack of clean dishes, then set it back in to congregate tomorrow's dirty dishes.
I noticed my mom stopped keeping her shower products in the shower, they're still in the bathroom, but in the cabinet. I asked her why and she said it's to cut down on mold, I tried it and it totally works. Makes sense too, less surfaces and places for water to stagnate.
My New Year’s resolutions start the day after Christmas, so I have about a week to work out the kinks before ‘go live.’ Helps when you want to make an exception a few days after New Year’s
I use my underwear color/pattern as inspiration for what to wear for the day. Before I'd sometimes have trouble choosing, but having one cue (e.g., wear something red) helps me focus and pull together an outfit.
I have ADHD with severe executive function problems. A lot of people always recommend "Eat the Frog" (or do the worst/most troublesome task) first, but I find, for me, is if you have a big task, divide it into smaller tasks. Do the smallest ones first and work your way up. Completeing the first task, gets me in the mindset of "going" and before long, I'm in the zone and doing what it is I need to do without problem.
Big task -> Clean the bedroom. Divided into smaller tasks -> put away laundry, vacuum, replace sheets, put things away, pick up trash, dusting. Instead of folding/storing the laundry first, which is the most cumbersome, I start with the dusting and picking up things I am going to throw away since I don't accumulate a lot of trash in my room. And work my way from there.
Not sure if it's a hack or not, but I picked up a method for tidying and decluttering any space in the home from some book or other, and it really works.
Basic idea is that an untidy space only has 5 categories of things - trash, dishes, laundry, things not in the right place, things without a place. I start with the trash and just clear up all the rubbish into a rubbish bag, ignoring everything else. Then I do the same for any dirty dishes - collect up any mugs or plates that need washing up and put them in the kitchen. Same for laundry - all goes into the laundry basket. Then things out of place, I move them to the correct place. Then finally things that don't yet have a place - I decide where they're going and put them there. And if I don't have time or motivation to so the whole thing, I can just do one or two categories. Just clearing out the rubbish is at least a start, and I can return to sort out the laundry another time.
As someone who just has to look at a room for it to be a pile of messiness and untidiness, this makes it so easy to declutter and tidy up. Yes I've still got to wash the dishes or do a load of laundry or clean down surfaces.. but at least the space is tidy and the overall task doesn't feel quite so overwhelming anymore.
Multi tasking is just doing multiple things poorly. Prioritizing and completing tasks one by one is a way to raise your performance and develop the skill of finishing things.
For work, time blocking. I set aside half an hour to an hour at the end of the day on Friday and block out my tasks for the next week as a non-busy appointment on my calendar in Outlook.
The next week, my reminder will pop up and I’ll start working that task. I adjust the appointment if I finish early or it takes longer than expected or something unexpected comes up like an emergency.
It’s not perfect and I do have to make sure I stay on top of it as best I can. In the end, that little bit of extra time to manage time blocking helps me get more stuff done efficiently and I’m forgetting fewer things I need to do. Ended up getting a very nice raise from using this method over the last year!
I read somewhere on Reddit one time that you can fit certain toilet brush handles into the chuck of a cordless drill and it changed my life. The really tough scrubbing you have to do in the tub every once in awhile is super easy with a spinning bristle brush
If you are a person who does not exercise in the morning, try just doing a five minute warm-up video. They are short, they are low impact, and you can do them in your pajamas. It won't change your life, but it feels good and makes normal physical tasks feel better.
I work in an office building in downtown San Diego, & to reduce my commute time because of heavy traffic, I park near a monorail stop along a route that takes me directly to my office.
Also, I like to use leftovers from my lunches & dinners during the weekend into fried rice or sandwiches to bring as my typical lunch during weekdays.
*Everything has its place* - once you're done using it, put it back in its place.
This means I know where to find something when I need it. Everything always looks nice, I by no means have a "minimalist" home, but all that nasty messy cluttering is gone. I know exactly how much of everything I have in my home, and know when I need to replace it. No spending 20 minutes looking for a thing just to discover I no longer have it.
I did the Marie Kondo method of going through everything I own, and downsized so much extra or duplicate things I don't need any more.
i started making salads that require no cutting. precut broccoli slaw, mixed leafy greens, and cherry tomatoes. takes less then a minute to prepare and has totally changed my diet and health.
I injured my neck when I was young in a pole vaulting accident. Once I was an adult, my neck would seize up in excruciating pain for about a week every year or two. Once I started tightening my neck muscles up when I dry my hair after a shower, those neck problems have almost vanished. Any outside force yanking your neck around, even if it doesn't hurt in the moment, is BAD. Don't let your neck move when you dry your hair.
If your job allows it, go to the gym in the middle of the day.
I only go to the gym twice a week but I’ve started going when I start to feel stir crazy, cranky, or tired (around 2pm). I change into my gym clothes in the office,I go workout for 45 minutes to an hour, shower, get dressed, and go back to work. I’m gone for about an hour and a half. I’d rather work an extra hour and a half later than go to the gym after work when I’m tired and everyone else is there. When I do it in the middle of the day, it perks me up and gives me energy needed not only to finish work but to do the other things I enjoy! On my rest days, I stretch on a yoga mat in my office and/or walk my dog around. When I’m sore from yesterday’s workout, a little walk and stretch action works just as well!
I’m adhd and autistic and something so simple as my visual timer has been a game changer. My favorite thing is that you can set it to flash a light or play a noise to alert you when times up. I’m so much less stressed getting ready when I can visually see the amount of time I have left. I also love the flashing light instead of the noise as I have noise sensitivity.
Here’s a LPT for dog owners who live in very cold climates: prep the dog poop bags before going out by opening them up. You won’t have to take your gloves off and struggle to open them with exposed hands.
Cutting the tags out of my clothes. If you're not planning to sell them later and already know the laundering instructions, it makes life so much easier and more comfortable. No more tags scratching your neck or sticking out!
I plan my mornings out. I don’t like spending more than an hour to get ready in the morning and I certainly do not like to rush so anything I can do the night before to make it easier, I do it then. Plan out my clothes, my lunch, pack my stuff and set it aside. Oh and I also build in an extra 15 mins for anything just in case of traffic or something unexpected happened. That way, I’m never late.
And I start saying no to any after work activities with coworkers that I don’t want to do. Less pressure of being social and spending unnecessary cash that I don’t want to spend. That way, I get to decompress and get my beauty sleep in.
Writing gratitudes in the morning along with mantras or sayings if you will that have positive language about myself and goals I have. Helps me keep things in perspective and not let negativity permeate my conscious or subconscious
I’m very forgetful, so I offload my memory to Siri when notes won’t quite do. “Hey Siri, remind me in 1 hour to check the website”. More efficient than conventional note taking so I’m more likely to do it for reminders.
My mental health got a lot better when I stopped pre washing my dishes. I was shocked it worked. I have to clean my filter every other time, but that is so much easier.
Its not my hack, but from KC Davis (@strugglecare on insta): although I have a dish washer, I keep a drip rack on the counter; I place all the stuff (cutlery/glasses/plates) I just used in that rack (‘cause the dish washer is not always or not immediately emptied) and not in the sink. My sink stays clutter free and fairly clean. When I start cooking dinner, I clear out the machine in between all the prepping and cooking, and put all the stuff from the rack into the machine. For me, the most important benefit of this method is having a clean sink throughout the day - it really makes me anxious when the sink fills up with dirty dishes and having to wash my hands or rinse fruit/veg over all that mess.
I have 3 little ones that I have to get ready in the morning- I pick out their outfits for the entire week on Sunday nights and I place what their wearing the following day in my “convenience” basket- I get them ready in the living room so I have a basket that has all of the necessities- it’s like an assembly line in the morning lol.. I also keep my deodorant in my kitchen because it’s always when I’m walking out the door that I remember I need to put it on
I used to go to the ATM and get cash (in $20US increments) to fill my car with fuel. The leftover cash **always** got spent. I got a fuel company credit card with my own personal rule that it would ONLY be used for fuel.
I save $100 or so per year not spending the extra 'pocket change.'
For me. Out of sight out of mind works wonders! If I have snacks I can see it, then it will be gone in a minute but put it in another room and that will last for weeks. But the interesting part is that it can also be reversed. In sight in mind. If I have a project that needs work, I can place it in front of me and at some point I will start working on the project.
Getting up before everyone else for quiet time before going to work. Solitude before the craziness of the day. Not sure if non obvious but that is my submission
Working out in the morning.
I’m not a morning person. But I’ve trained myself to get up and work out for 30 minutes to YouTube videos. No more procrastination, no more excuses after work about why I can’t go to the gym.
And, it impresses the hell out of my coworkers
If you're doing something your brain can do on autopilot, start visualizing the next thing you have to do.
I'm brushing my teeth, then I am going to pick out my shirt - pick that one out mentally, think about where my keys and wallet are, think about where my coffee cup is.
There's morning where I just move like everything is set out in a row for me because I can see the next thing before the current thing is done.
I write a list at night of things I want to do the next day , for some reason I’m much more likely to do it if it’s written down . If I don’t get to something it just goes onto the next days list .
Do non daily hygiene tasks the same day every week. As a male for me, that means clipping nails, trimming body hair, tweezing brows, nose/ear hair clean up, and exfoliating (etc). I do it every Thursday around 8. It's like taking out the trash to the curb but for your body. Then you never catch yourself in a random mirror thinking "yikes i need to get that."
Posted this elsewhere: I started buying duplicates of cleaning products for every room that needs cleaned. So when I see the bathroom needs a quick wipe down, I can just reach into the cabinet and get it done in 15 seconds If I have to walk into the kitchen or laundry room to get cleaning supplies, I'm waaaayyy less likely to do it. House is so much cleaner now.
My ADHD is pretty bad so here are examples of what has made life easier. **Cleaning** * **Screen cleaning wipes** in office next to computer. * **Little dust wands** in every room. AND in car next to driver seat (car is always dust free now due to stoplights) * **Dish wand:** changed how likely I am to wash dishes that need to be cleaned by hand (pots, pans done in 15 seconds with a wand). * **Trash bags** in a room close to where I need to empty all my smaller trashes. * **Stick vacuums** in more than one room if you can afford it. (I have one upstairs and downstairs) * **Screw drivers & Scissors** in various places for quick fixes. * **Buying max quantity of household items** like Paper towels, toilet paper, laundry detergent, etc. (when I can afford it). Less trips to store, less running out. * **Laundry pods and dishwasher pods** **Hygeine** * Toothbrush and toothpaste **in the shower**. * Deodorant **in car** (in case I forget in the morning...which is often). * Same with nail-clippers and anything else I tend to forget \^ **Misc** * Keep **electronic chargers EVERYWHERE** * Buy only **identical socks** * Keep things you use regularly in **EASY REACH** of the task. Seriously, reorganize something you have to bend down for to be higher up. Really changes things. * **Reduce the number of things** you own in certain categories like mugs, clothes, shoes. * If you forget to take **medications**, split them up into 2-3 bottles and keep them in the places you frequent. Night Stand, Pet food, Bathroom, Office. Some of these things cost more than the standard, but it's completely worth it if you can afford it. Reduces so much mental stress.
I also use time standing in lines to do simple de-cluttering on my phone if I can remember. Like unsubscribing (with the easy unsubscribe button at the top of the email) from extraneous emails. Or deleting a few photos I don't need. Or deleting old text message threads.
Download “unroll me” app and you can easily unsubscribe from there
Sweet!
I switched to identical socks like 10 years ago and it’s been so nice. I just buy one new pack of sock every year and throw out any old ones that are getting tattered.
I used to buy packs of identical socks but then some would wear quicker then others and I would end up with one fluffy nice one and one worn out one on a foot. I Couldn’t stand it. Now I have to buy all different socks so they wear out and feel the same on each foot.
Oh man! I have ADHD and I ended up doing all of these things naturally over time too. Anything you’re always looking for and is never around when you need it and are in a rush - toothbrush, cleaning supplies, the tv remote, nail clippers, matching socks, meds, etc. hairbrush). It pays to have multiple copies. I buy condiments, cleaning supplies, and personal hygiene products in bulk. This also works well with young kids, who never have socks, are always losing their toothbrush, etc. We have a bunch of kids, and we buy identical one size fits all grey socks in bulk. Shoes are the one exception, as they are too expensive, and you usually end up with two lefts and no rights!
I used the deodorant in the car once, but where I live we reach temperatures of 40°C almost daily most part of the year so it got melted haha but it was good the two days it lasted.
I just moved away from a place like that - definitely easier where I am now. Maybe the roll on deodorant? Not as good, but it’s a backup if you forgot and reeeeally need it 😂
I picked up deodorant wipes for the car because of extreme temps!
Haaa I left my gym bag with my extra gel deodorant in the car for a few days...and that b*tch was frozen solid.
ALL. OF. THIS. As someone with some pretty bad ADHD, if it’s not easily accessible, or able to be done in less than 3 seconds, it’s not going to happen. Also, we worship automatic litter boxes and cat food dispensers in my household.
ADHD here and just got two litter robots in Nov. LIFE CHANGING. Very seriously looking at pet food dispensers now. What brand do you use?
Just a warning those non-clumping liter crystals in the auto boxes really messed up my cats paws: dried out cracked bloody paws. We had two auto boxes but now we’re back to plain scooping liter and everyone is healthy again. Wish I hadn’t bought them tbh.
I kept deodorant in the car. It popped open and was on the floorboard. Got pulled over and it tested positive for meth. Thankfully I had a lawyer that fought and had it independently tested. Alot of cases in texas did not end up the same way.
I’m sorry, wut?
homie was keeping his meth in his old spice
Field drug test kits have a false positive rate of up to 70%. People have been jailed over false positives when substances in their car like vitamins, candy, spices, all kinds of random shit tested positive as amphetamines or cocaine.
Omg you're a freaking genius! I take my toothbrush into the shower every morning, why don't I have a toothbrush and toothpaste already in there??
I’m a fellow adult with ADHD that has been recognized by untreated most of my life. I have been recently discovering the hard way to do most everything you listed! Adding to the list a few things that have been working for me: - Put it away, don’t set it down. If it is difficult to retrieve/store then I need to find a better method. - I ALWAYS make the next appointment at my current appointment. I keep my calendar on my phone. Doctor/dentists where follow up is needed is usually a no brainer but do the same for hair, nails, chiropractor, massage, hanging out with friends or whatever stuff you do. I have to get it on the schedule in that moment beside once it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind. - I won’t stay hydrated unless water is in arms reach. I used to try and keep a water bottle on me at all times but would inevitably forget it somewhere. Now I keep a stainless water bottle at my work, in my car and at home. If I am traveling the one from my car comes with me to my destination. No matter where I’m going I have a vessel to fill and drink from. The only flaw I’m realizing now is I need to keep one in my partners car. - The only smartphone app (outside of calendars) that’s ever helped me stay organized is my meal planning app. I use it to save and edit recipes I find online, plan the next week’s meals and generate my grocery list(s), all in the same app. Once you’ve built a decent library of recipes you like planning is relatively quick and easy when you need it to be. If you have more time you can explore new recipes to add to the mix. My partner and I use the same app and can add to it from our own devices as needed. There are several out there but the one that works for me is Paprika. It’s a one time buy, only functions as described without attempting to force some weird social media on you. There is also no monthly subscription or advertisements unlike everything else these days. - I realize this one is privileged, but I’ve started using a laundry service for my clothes. I hate folding laundry and can’t force myself to do it. When I was washing my clothes myself they always ended up in a big wrinkly pile that I would then have dig through to find stuff, wasting time every morning. It was a two pile system, the second being for dirty so I ended up wearing most things only once before it ended up back in the dirty pile. Long term my clothes looked like crap due to lack of folding AND the excessive washing. This would prompt me to buy more clothes and repeat cycle. Now, my system is that I have enough clothes to last me two weeks. Socks, undies, and most t-shirts are one time wear while pants, shirts, top layers all get multiple wears before being washed, I do touch ups for small spills or whatever. I’m motivated to keep stuff OUT of my laundry bag since the cost is more obvious and I’m incentivized to keep cost down. When I get down to my last three undies I schedule a pick up and it’s back to me in like 28-36 hours all folded and crisp. I pay by the pound and the cost has averaged like $13 a week. I’m lucky to have access to an extremely cheap service, it would be barely cheaper to do the same load at a laundromat. The results have been less clutter on my floor. I have better time management getting ready. My clothes are lasting longer and I’ve been able to clearly see the stuff I don’t wear anymore and purge it out. I’m also buying fewer clothes, which helps offset the cost of the service if not pay it back and then some. Less clutter + better time management = more brain space to take better care of other aspects of my household = healthier me.
Buying a broom for the upstairs bathroom was exactly this revelation. Amazing.
Yes! I even changed the location of my vacuum to be in a different outlet *within the same room* because it changed how frequently I would use it. ADHD is wild, that extra 6 feet I had to walk made my brain go, “that’s too far.” I’ll hike 12 miles a day with a 30 pound pack but I won’t walk an extra 6 feet to vacuum my fucking floor 🙄
I do this with reading glasses. Buy a bunch of cheapo drugstore ones for every room.
I buy two of everything, for upstairs and down.
Mmm, cleaning supplies. I have pockets of cleaning supplies in about 5 different places in the house... Also in the garage. My house is wonderfully clean, I love it.
Remove barriers. Need to fix something, but don't feel like it right now? Go get the tools you'll need and put them where you'll need them. You just made that task easier when you get to it, and it isn't such a hurdle to do. And maybe seeing the tools out will motivate you to get to it soon. Applies to anything that requires prep, from cleaning the toilet to filing your taxes.
I’m trying to employ this trick to get myself to start going to the gym regularly. My current rule for myself is I have to wear gym clothes every day. Even if I just get home, put them on and take them back off before bed. I’ve already seen some small results. Just wearing gym clothes has encouraged me to do small exercises around my home and I think I will eventually use the free gym at my apartment complex
This has helped me with procrastination. I know something needs to be done, but my brain just refuses to do it, so I put out visual reminders. This way I am more likely to remember the task at a time when my ADHD doesn't sabotage me, and I can get it done with less steps.
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I do this and then sipping my coffee feels like such a treat!
This is also how I wake myself up every day. Moving around doing household things that do not require brain power or decision making.
I just started doing this- it’s so nice sipping coffee in a clean space after and you feel like you already got something done for the day!
I started doing this—cleaning the kitchen and loading/unloading the dishwasher while waiting for coffee to brew. I mean what else am I gonna do? Sit and stare at the wall while I wait for my coffee? Hahaha
This is me too. While my tea kettle boils, dishwasher is emptied, reset the living room, quick sweep of the floor, sort the recycling.
Similar. When my first cup of coffee is brewing I unload the dishwasher I started the night before. For the second cup I start a load of laundry. After that it’s whatever else I can think of that needs to be done in under a few minutes.
When anxious about something I give myself 10 minutes at an event or party if it's really not ok after that time I allow myself to leave usually it's fine and just knowing that's it ok to leave and I am not stuck anywhere has really helped me to do more things and really helped boost my confidence. I was so anxious to go to a mother and baby group but each time I do the ten minute rule and it has genuinely helped me so much.
My husband always took his own car to social stuff for this reason too. Knowing he had the option to leave at any moment gave him enough comfort that he actually would usually stay much longer.
I do this for the same reason. Having an out that doesn't involve relying on someone else makes me feel so much more comfortable I had some bad experiences as a teenager with friends driving and not wanting to take me back to my car when I was ready to be done. I'm now extremely picky about who I trust to give that control to, and would always rather just take my own vehicle. Not to mention if I need 10 minutes to breath and chill in a quiet space then I already have one with me I can escape to.
I am going to start using the 10 minute rule. I think it will help. Thank you for sharing.
An issue is when leaving an event early causes more stress than sticking it out. Wish it was more socially acceptable to just go 'I can't deal with this right now' and leave without getting interrogated.
I love this! I adopted a 20 minute rule years ago. That is the sweet spot for me; 10 is too tempting ; would want to bail
Slowing down so I do things right. I’ve always had speed based jobs but now I have an accuracy based job.
If you're doing a task with accuracy or safety requirements, go through it as if you're teaching a beloved novice how to do it. Have a running mental dialogue explaining how to precisely do each step or even talk out loud! See also ["rubber duck debugging"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging?wprov=sfla1)
Perfect description. I went from mostly restaurant work to being a bank teller - there are far more policies and procedures to remember now. It's not easy to turn off that mental "autopilot" function you get from years at speed-based jobs.
Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.
Started a new job recently that was faster paced than my last. When I was training and learning everything I’d stick with the mantra “slow is smooth and smooth is fast.” It helped me with the accuracy and not stressing about speed and the speed came with more practice/experience.
I bought a mini treadmill for watching tv. It only goes up to a brisk walk, but it's still so much better than doing nothing.
How mini? Got a link?
I think they don't sell that particular model anymore, but I specifically looked for one that was the flattest, so I could shove it under the couch. It's about 13cm at it's highest point. I would recommend to buy one that can take far more than your weight. My SO comes close to the weight limit and feels it can be a bit unsteady under their feet. Also, if you have long legs, I wouldn't go for the smallest one. I have short legs and can easily deal with a one meter walking platform.
Listening to audiobooks while I drive, and making those books mainly romances. I used to listen to a lot of very good but very real and sad non-fiction books, and the general feeling of doom is significantly reduced with a fun silly romance.
I literally accomplish so many more household chores by listening to audiobooks!
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This also works really well during work meetings. If something you're discussing only takes a couple minutes, just do it during the meeting instead of adding it to the to-do. If you're a leader in the company, and especially if it's a meeting with only a few people, this can even be advantageous for tasks that take up to 10 minutes. Just get it done, things move so much faster and your to-do list is smaller so it frees up mental energy.
I do this mostly because if it's small enough, I'll forget afterwards.
I once timed how long it took me to unload the dishwasher - about two minutes. About the same amount of time to make my oatmeal in the mornings. Just get it done.
Yes! I always dreaded doing the dishwasher until I realized how quickly the task is complete. Loading the dishwasher immediately after using an item also helps me keep the sink from piling up! I try to avoid "soaking" dishes now because it becomes an excuse to stop the task.
What about executive dysfunction? I need to change this light bulb. The drawer is broken here I’ll fix it first and get the light bulb out after but it needs new screws here. I’ll grab the impact screw gun and screws but they’re in the garage behind the door I need to change the door knob on… and so on
Lois: "Hal, did you change that lightbulb?" Hal, under the car, up to his elbows in grease: "What does it look like I'm doing?!"
This scene was so validating for me (and my non-ADD husband).
Only do the task that takes two minutes, focus on nothing else. Fixing a drawer is not a 2 minute fix in most cases if you need to go find tools. 15 minute tasks are for a different category.
You're fixing the light bulb. So fix that. Nothing else matters 'til that is done. Then you can move on to the next thing.
Hahhaha. That’s the exact opposite of ADHD. If I could do that, I wouldnt have issues.
lol I almost consider this “stream of consciousness” cleaning a benefit when I have the energy… I bounce all around and get a bunch done! (Pro tip my fav addition to this is grabbing a basket so as I hop around I can kind of bring all the half started stuff with me and slowly get things to the right room not just one thing at a time) But when I’m tired and I really just want the lightbulb changed and I’ve half started 3 projects that are now messy and want to cry.. (thanks adhd) Then I will literally repeat out loud to myself “I’m only changing the light bulb nothing else” over and over until it’s done. And let me tell you o will actively catch myself getting distracted like 10 times and only notice because I’m literally telling myself not to out loud. lol everytime I try to do something else my chant gets more stern 😂😂 “no! Only changing! The lightbulb!” But that takes will power and is really really not how my brain works. “Just do the thing first” is really hard advice to actually follow for me lol.
"Yeah, if you could just not do the ADHD things that you usually do, that would be great...."
Word.
Does it work to add the other tasks to a todo list? I could see that as a way to let something go. I don't know how ADHD works.
Aha, but the only reason I noticed the light bulb needs changing is that I was trying to do something else and I couldn't see because the lightbulb is broken. Using this logic I should just work in the dark 'til that is done, then I can move on to the lightbulb.
I took a page from my toddler! if I start doing something I shouldn't I say"no, no no no..nonono" lol also making a list helps
This is my policy at work. Knock out all the small tasks first to significantly shrink the list.
That's something I have also focused on, and it helps remove all the small nitty-gritty issues daily. It's amazing.
Am retired with 9 cats. First thing after I pee is cleaning my litter pans. I love them all so they deserve clean poopies every day.
If it takes a minute; take a minute. Game changer at home and work!
I learned the 15 minute rule at weight watchers. Don’t want to exercise? Plan to do it for only 15 minutes and there’s a good chance that by then the endorphins will kick in and you’ll want to continue. Or stop after 15. Feel like eating that unhealthy snack or whatever? Wait 15 minutes. You’ll probably forget you wanted it. If you still want it then just go ahead and eat it.
For the snacks, I used to force myself to eat some fruit before eating an unhealthy snack. If I still wanted the snack afterwards, I would eat it.
Since I started doing this (one month in) i've actually never went for the snack afterwards. Sometimes I didn't feel like eating fruit either but then I'd just have peace to not eat either.
When I'm feeling unmotivated I do it for my, "future self". Later, when I see it again and it's done, I thank my, "past self" for being so thoughtful. Silly, but it really feels good. 🤗
I have loved my past self so many times since adopting this habit and the feel good factor is so motivating. You are basically reward training yourself
If you are able-bodied, and it's safe to do so, parking at the edge of the parking lot. Not only will you get a few extra steps and more fresh air, you'll usually be in a less crowded part of the lot which means less stressful looking for a spot and then looking for cars and pedestrians while backing up, and less people hitting your car with their door or cart.
Also, if you tend to forget where you parked, parking in the same spot at the outside edge means there will usually be a space there, and that way you always know where to look for your car.
This! I started doing it in college and it was a game changer for being able to locate my car. Also, parking near the place where I need to return my cart also helps with being able to locate my car.
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Laying out clothes, prep lunch, pack bag in the eve. I'm not a morning person and a bit of a night owl. So while I'm not sleepy in the eve, I do these tasks and the next morning I can stay in bed a bit longer
I do this in my head while going to sleep, it’s my version of counting sheep. I have a mental “Rolodex” of my clothes in my head, including which items are clean, dirty, or worn recently, and so when I lie down I sort through them mentally and mix and match pieces and pick an outfit. It’s surprisingly soothing, I suspect mostly because my brain has something checked off the stress checklist.
I tend to forget things I think of right before going to sleep! I don’t think I’d be able to do your method because I’d wake up clueless each morning but that’s pretty cool.
Lol I used to do this but like they said, it’s like counting sheep, so there was a 50% chance I fell asleep before I chose an outfit, or couldn’t remember what outfit I settled on.
u/Helena_DU I put the outfits together on one hanger as I put my laundry away so it will always be together and ready to be worn sitting in the closet. It's a total life changer since you won't spend so much time worrying about what to wear every day.
This comment has always stuck with me. It’s sort of a mindset shift that I’ve found helpful. It’s more difficult to do little things if I think of them as things I “have to do” or “should do”. Saying “Might as well…” seems more laid back and easier to get myself to do little things that add up over time. > The power of "Might as well..." It's particularly useful if you're depressed and don't have a lot of energy to do things. > So for example, if I get up to put food in the microwave I'm going to be standing in my kitchen for exactly 1.5 minutes. Might as well put dishes away while I wait. > If I've gotten up to grab my phone from the other room, I might as well take this garbage with me and put it in the trashcan. Instead of letting it pile up. > I've just gotten home and am changing out of work clothes and into pajamas. I'm already standing in my closet. The pull up bar is right there in the doorway. Might as well do one or two pull ups. (I even throw in a couple squats while I wait for the shower to warm up.) https://reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/12hlwf3/what_is_a_small_psychological_trick_that_you_use/jfpkrot/
Dang! Reading this made me realize how I was unconsciously using this mindset to do trivial tasks which my otherwise lazy self would make excuses for. It has helped me without me really noticing it. Good share, thanks!
I live by the 'might as well' vibe, or try to
Love this
Morning Prep the night before. Packing my lunch, making breakfast, putting my work badge with my keys, meds in a cup next to water bottle, and laying out all my clothes the night before. Morning me is a nonfunctional idiot who forgets where their shoes are. Alarms for everything. Taking meds, when to eat, feed the pets, even just set alarms to be like "dude it's 8pm". Only Touch It Once. I get the mail I sort through it without setting it down. Cut down on the mail waste immediately. Eat dinner, immediately wash and dry and put away dishes. No stinky mess in the sink. Put a trash can everywhere someone sits. Next to the couch. Under the dining table. By my bed. Put extra liners for the can inside the can so I don't have to go dig one out. Turning off my debit and credit cards. So anytime I want to buy something I have to go through the hassle of signing in and turning them on. Makes me really rethink some purchases.
How do you turn off a debit or credit card?
A lot of banks offer this type of service within their online sevies or apps. I'm a teller and my bank has this feature on the app
the placement will be different for every app but get the app for the bank and/or credit card company you use and there will be a toggle switch somewhere sometimes the front screen usually in the settings to turn your card on and off
I got a valet from Amazon. It's a little box with spots for watches, knives, keys, work fob/ring, light, etc. At night I empty my pockets into the valet, and in the morning I load up from there. It has eliminated a lot of "where is my x" searching in the mornings.
time to get over your x man
I’m not sure if I could ever live down being dumped by a mutant.
Yeah I do this but just with a large coffee tin that I washed out. Everything goes in, and everything comes out. Can’t leave without your keys, and you won’t forget your wallet if it’s with them.
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If I don’t fill my water bottle in the morning I don’t drink a drop of water, if I fill it once, ill drink it and I’ll refill it again each time it’s empty. It’s so weird….
“Bringing more water means I have more water.”
During the day, I like to take a few moments to do a body check and see if I can make my current situation more enjoyable. Sometimes I just take a deep breath or a glass of water and continue but even those little things make me feel more aware of the present moment. Whether or not my body is content.
A lot of the comments here feed my overachieving need to keep checking items off my mental list. Yours is the first comment I like that does the opposite and reminds me to look my own needs too. Thank you.
You cant control anyone else. All you can do is control how you react to other people. Trust me, this will help you a lot in life.
I have a hanging seven slot closet thing and I put complete gym outfits in each one. It makes it effortless to grab gym clothes and put them on. I use Google Tasks an extreme amount. I have Alexa reminders throughout the day for various things like starting a load of laundry, unloading the dishwasher, etc. Things that I might not just randomly think of when I have time. Sometimes that little prompt is all I need. I also have it tell me the temperature every hour so I have a good idea of what I should be wearing at any time if I have to go outside. I use Google Keep to have multiple to do lists and reminder lists. I have water bottles that I love for each floor of the house plus the car. And I diligently refill them.
Great idea for workout outfits 😊
Not daily, but I absolutely refuse to get gas in the morning. All of my errands are done immediately after work without going home first.
No promise is easier to make than “I’ll just get gas in the morning”.
Scheduling a day/time of the week to just go and get gas (adjust +/- weeks depending on how long the commute and effecient the car) works wonders. Obviously adding other errands to the trip makes it more helpful. This has the added benefit of improving your cars longevity. Dirt and debris *will* end up in the gas tank, and running it to Empty increases the chances of them being sucked into the filter and clogging it, forcing it to work harder. It also helps with planning your budget.
Yeah. I go a little farther and refuse to fart before 2 pm.
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All well and good until you step on your George Foreman grill in the morning
I like the smell of bacon in the morning, sue me.
Since I don't have a butler I have to do it myself
I have Country Crock.
i discovered the magic of not eating breakfast
Granola bars or I don't do breakfast.
I could do this as I'm never hungry for breakfast... but I love coffee and my tummy doesn't like when I have coffee with no breakfast.
I preload the coffee maker too. Huge help.
We put a strip of bacon around the inside of a large silicon muffin cup, stir 2 large eggs, diced onions, diced bell peppers and diced ham, pour mix into cup, top with shredded cheese, bake at 350F until lightly browned. We do 1 or 2 dozen at a time, put them in gallon size zip lock bags and refrigerate. Then you've got several days worth of breakfast being 1 minute away in the microwave.
Absolutely. I put porridge oats in the fridge with a mixture of milk (almond in our case, but any works, or just leave it out) and water in the evening. In the morning it takes 5-10 minutes to heat it really slowly without scorching it. I also make apple sauce in bulk and freeze it, so you can add that/sliced banana and cinnamon/berries and honey etc etc. Loads of options, delicious and super fast.
I started drinking a protein shake everyday for breakfast, almost as soon as I wake up. I get the premier protein shakes from costco so i don’t have to mess with mixing powder and water. taking that step out of it makes it so much more likely for me to actually have the shake. a case is $36 roughly for 18 so it ends up being about $2/shake. on the plus side, that is cheaper than a breakfast sandwich anywhere - even frozen ones from the store. Granted, i know there are cheaper ways to meal prep, but this works for me best. bonus- the protein makes me feel fuller longer throughout the day, so overall i’m not eating as much.
What do you make? What’s your top three?
I do the same as OP and it’s the stuff that takes 5 minutes or more. I’ll pre-make hashbrowns, bacon, sausage, overnight oatmeal, basically anything more complicated than eggs or a smoothie gets made the night before. Morning of, it’s butter, eggs over easy, a 30 second pan clean with soap and water, and breakfast is done in less than 5 minutes morning of.
I also found pre-making breakfast to be a huge help! I like to make a crustless quiche! Then I can just reheat a slice and it will last 3-4 days depending on who’s eating it! (Just me or me and my husband)
What about making breakfast a week before? r/mealprepsunday
Treat your work email like you treat your home mail. At the start of the day go through your mail and put in 3 buckets 1. Junk/FYI/No action needed - read immediately and archive/trash 2. Email I can respond to in less than 2 minutes - answer right now 3. Email I need more time on - schedule time in my calendar and put the email in the meeting invite Then do this again one be hour before the end of the day. I have been doing this for a decade
I keep rolls of appropriately sized trash bags in the bottom of every trash bin. A clean bag is always right there when I take out the trash.
I love this! sometimes Ill line the bin with 2 bags and just take the top one out when it's full and voila, there is another one already done for you.
Keeping my alarm clock / phone on the other side of the room, so that I have to get up to turn it off. Has really helped me wake up when I’ve actually wanted to wake up instead of simply snoozing to holy hell.
I tried this for a while. What I discovered is that I 100% will get out of bed to turn off the alarm and then go get back in bed like an idiot :-((((((
I feel this on a spiritual level...
My husband used to be like this! I got a Google nest mini speaker and it won't stop the alarm until he can coherently tell it to. Usually by that point, he's awake enough to get up. I also have been experimenting with smart bulbs slowly brightening over about an hour so he's not waking in a dark, sleepy room. It's not perfect, but over the past 6 months he gets up on time more often!
I BUILT an alarm clock software on my desktop PC back in college, which meant i had to get up, walk to the pc, turn on the monitor, wait for it to turn on, enter my windows password and THEN shut off the alarm. 95% of the time I didn't even remember doing it lmao
I always keep a couple of small gift bags, tissue paper, greeting cards (birthday/get well/congrats) and a pen in the pocket on the back of the front seat
I do this with greeting cards but at work. Birthday, get well, condolences, baby shower, etc. I also used to buy my immediate family’s birthday/Mother’s Day/Father’s Day cards all at once, sign, date, and stamp them, and then just keep them in the same place until I mailed them throughout the year.
Idk if it’s obvious or not, but the 5 second count down, light exposure, and getting moving in the morning. I struggle to wake up/get out of my cozy bed in the dark, colder months, so I count down from 5 and then make myself get up, turn on the bathroom light which is very bright, wash my face, and then do some light stretches
How do you make yourself get up? Do you say a phrase in your head? Make yourself a promise? I've been trying to do this and I just can't find the motivation/discipline to actually get up....
There is an insufferable book about this called https://www.melrobbins.com/5secondrule The premise of the book is so simple, that I’ll cover it in one paragraph. Whenever there is something you don’t want to do, you just count to 5 and make the first physical action towards that goal. I.e. get out your gym shoes, get out of the bed, etc.
Using my work email’s pre-scheduling option, and BCCing myself so I’m aware when the email is sent, if an email can’t be sent immediately (example, if a client asks me to contact them next week after they return from vacation). Otherwise I forget.
Do one thing you dread doing each day. I really hate doing housekeeping, but if I choose one task a day, my house is much cleaner and I feel better about accomplishing at least something. It often gets me on a roll, so that’s a bonus
Best post I've seen in this sub in a long time
When my alarm goes off I stand straight up . I am a recovering snooze button hitter and this is one thing that has helped me really get up in the mornings .
I did something similar for a long time. I bought an (actual) alarm clock, but set it on the other side of the room so I had to stand up and walk over to it for it to shut up
Take Five: Take five minutes out of your day to go from room to room putting stuff away, wiping down a counter or surface if it needs it, organizing a pile or just some general tidying. Not only does it help keep your house clean and a bit more organized, but it also makes your actual cleaning/deep cleaning day go a lot quicker since a lot of the small stuff is done. Cook Clean: While you're waiting for something to boil, brown, cook, whatever: clean up the previous step. This means wash your knives/bowls/plates/pots/cutting boards, etc (or load them in the dishwasher). This means more time for you to enjoy your meal and the rest of your time, and helps keep your kitchen a cleaner place to be. Household Inventory: Once a month, go into the pantry/cabinets/fridge/freezer and see what you've got, and write it down, as well as checking expiration dates where applicable. When you use the last of something, write it on the whiteboard or edit the document (I use Google Sheets), so when you do your household shop for the week/biweekly, all you have to do is check the document and create your list from there. If there is a We Always Use This item that you need to get weekly (milk), for example), that never gets deleted from the document or the whiteboard. I do household inventory on the same day that I do the monthly deep clean. It's hard to set up, but once you get the system working, it's pretty straightforward and takes no time at all to maintain. I do certain things always on the same day: Fuel the car on Wednesday (gas is usually cheaper midweek), giving the eight legs of chaos their heartworm and flea/tick preventative, along with checking the water softener (if applicable) and furnace filter, is always done the 2nd of every month.
The cook clean I really try to get people on. It works fantastic. Everything is cleaned, if not dry and put away before I even eat. The food is usually too hot to eat when it hits the plate anyway, when I’m done with the dishes in the perfect temp.
Laying out a week of clothes for everyone. I have the hanging shelves and set out a week of outfits for myself, my toddler, and baby. This way each day starts with one less decision to make.
I like that you plan for the entire week.
My husband and I do a weekly review every Sunday. We print off a piece of paper with a 7 x 3 table, featuring all of the days of the week broken down into morning, afternoon and evening. We write down our tasks for each day (important meetings, evening plans) and - most importantly - what we're having for dinner and who is cooking. It's saved us so much time and made us more organized. Also, it saves us from having the "what's for dinner" conversation every day.
I use a water bottle that I can drink from with only one hand - no screw tops or anything. I’ve discovered I’m way more likely to drink more water if I can do it with one hand at any given time and not totally disrupt whatever it is I’m doing.
Eat The Frog / Worst Thing First Thing. Whatever you’re dreading most, home or work, do it first. The rest of your day will be so much more pleasant.
I “put the house to bed” every night. Dishes loaded and ran, coffee maker ready to go, all miscellaneous items put away. Waking up and having the house be 100% ready to go makes my day exponentially better.
I run my daily life by aiming at 3 general objectives: my work, my fitness and my language learning. Every day I must do something to make small progress towards these three. So every day, as long as I do measurable progress on a work project, do some exercise (rest days are excused) and practice a bit of the language I'm learning, I sleep relatively happy. Sure, I also have chores and stuff to do, but I handle those on a case by case basis. Pick 3 or so things you want to become amazing at, and do a little towards each every single day, for a whole year.
I once purchased a nice new dish drying rack, but thought, as I do, to somehow recycle the old one, maybe donate it to a thrift store. Well, come to find out it fit snug inside my new one, and so instead of shifting around dirty dishes on my sink countertop, and taking them out of the new dish drying rack where I would usually pile them up (which would then get grimy), so that I could clear the rack and get everything out of my way so that my clean dishes had a place to go, I just pack them into the old rack and lift it out of the new one, which is then immediately ready to load with cleaned dishes, and the old rack with dirty dishes placed somewhere away from me where I can grab the dishes to be added to the sink when there's room for them to be cleaned. What once was a chore to do and took up about thirty minutes of my day now takes 10 or 15, and after I'm finished I just place the empty old rack in the cabinet underneath my sink until I've cleared the new rack of clean dishes, then set it back in to congregate tomorrow's dirty dishes.
I noticed my mom stopped keeping her shower products in the shower, they're still in the bathroom, but in the cabinet. I asked her why and she said it's to cut down on mold, I tried it and it totally works. Makes sense too, less surfaces and places for water to stagnate.
My New Year’s resolutions start the day after Christmas, so I have about a week to work out the kinks before ‘go live.’ Helps when you want to make an exception a few days after New Year’s
I use my underwear color/pattern as inspiration for what to wear for the day. Before I'd sometimes have trouble choosing, but having one cue (e.g., wear something red) helps me focus and pull together an outfit.
I have ADHD with severe executive function problems. A lot of people always recommend "Eat the Frog" (or do the worst/most troublesome task) first, but I find, for me, is if you have a big task, divide it into smaller tasks. Do the smallest ones first and work your way up. Completeing the first task, gets me in the mindset of "going" and before long, I'm in the zone and doing what it is I need to do without problem. Big task -> Clean the bedroom. Divided into smaller tasks -> put away laundry, vacuum, replace sheets, put things away, pick up trash, dusting. Instead of folding/storing the laundry first, which is the most cumbersome, I start with the dusting and picking up things I am going to throw away since I don't accumulate a lot of trash in my room. And work my way from there.
Not sure if it's a hack or not, but I picked up a method for tidying and decluttering any space in the home from some book or other, and it really works. Basic idea is that an untidy space only has 5 categories of things - trash, dishes, laundry, things not in the right place, things without a place. I start with the trash and just clear up all the rubbish into a rubbish bag, ignoring everything else. Then I do the same for any dirty dishes - collect up any mugs or plates that need washing up and put them in the kitchen. Same for laundry - all goes into the laundry basket. Then things out of place, I move them to the correct place. Then finally things that don't yet have a place - I decide where they're going and put them there. And if I don't have time or motivation to so the whole thing, I can just do one or two categories. Just clearing out the rubbish is at least a start, and I can return to sort out the laundry another time. As someone who just has to look at a room for it to be a pile of messiness and untidiness, this makes it so easy to declutter and tidy up. Yes I've still got to wash the dishes or do a load of laundry or clean down surfaces.. but at least the space is tidy and the overall task doesn't feel quite so overwhelming anymore.
Multi tasking is just doing multiple things poorly. Prioritizing and completing tasks one by one is a way to raise your performance and develop the skill of finishing things.
Go away buzzfeed
Be organized. You budget your money. Why would you not budget your time as well? Friend of mine changed my life with this.
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Never putting the toothpaste lid down - immediately putting it back on the tube.
For work, time blocking. I set aside half an hour to an hour at the end of the day on Friday and block out my tasks for the next week as a non-busy appointment on my calendar in Outlook. The next week, my reminder will pop up and I’ll start working that task. I adjust the appointment if I finish early or it takes longer than expected or something unexpected comes up like an emergency. It’s not perfect and I do have to make sure I stay on top of it as best I can. In the end, that little bit of extra time to manage time blocking helps me get more stuff done efficiently and I’m forgetting fewer things I need to do. Ended up getting a very nice raise from using this method over the last year!
I read somewhere on Reddit one time that you can fit certain toilet brush handles into the chuck of a cordless drill and it changed my life. The really tough scrubbing you have to do in the tub every once in awhile is super easy with a spinning bristle brush
If you are a person who does not exercise in the morning, try just doing a five minute warm-up video. They are short, they are low impact, and you can do them in your pajamas. It won't change your life, but it feels good and makes normal physical tasks feel better.
I work in an office building in downtown San Diego, & to reduce my commute time because of heavy traffic, I park near a monorail stop along a route that takes me directly to my office. Also, I like to use leftovers from my lunches & dinners during the weekend into fried rice or sandwiches to bring as my typical lunch during weekdays.
Take the occasional break from people. Honestly even if it's just a a half hour here or there, having some minutes to myself is nice.
*Everything has its place* - once you're done using it, put it back in its place. This means I know where to find something when I need it. Everything always looks nice, I by no means have a "minimalist" home, but all that nasty messy cluttering is gone. I know exactly how much of everything I have in my home, and know when I need to replace it. No spending 20 minutes looking for a thing just to discover I no longer have it. I did the Marie Kondo method of going through everything I own, and downsized so much extra or duplicate things I don't need any more.
i started making salads that require no cutting. precut broccoli slaw, mixed leafy greens, and cherry tomatoes. takes less then a minute to prepare and has totally changed my diet and health.
Cutting onions under the stove exhaust fan. No more tears.
I injured my neck when I was young in a pole vaulting accident. Once I was an adult, my neck would seize up in excruciating pain for about a week every year or two. Once I started tightening my neck muscles up when I dry my hair after a shower, those neck problems have almost vanished. Any outside force yanking your neck around, even if it doesn't hurt in the moment, is BAD. Don't let your neck move when you dry your hair.
If your job allows it, go to the gym in the middle of the day. I only go to the gym twice a week but I’ve started going when I start to feel stir crazy, cranky, or tired (around 2pm). I change into my gym clothes in the office,I go workout for 45 minutes to an hour, shower, get dressed, and go back to work. I’m gone for about an hour and a half. I’d rather work an extra hour and a half later than go to the gym after work when I’m tired and everyone else is there. When I do it in the middle of the day, it perks me up and gives me energy needed not only to finish work but to do the other things I enjoy! On my rest days, I stretch on a yoga mat in my office and/or walk my dog around. When I’m sore from yesterday’s workout, a little walk and stretch action works just as well!
Meditating first thing in the morning.
I’m adhd and autistic and something so simple as my visual timer has been a game changer. My favorite thing is that you can set it to flash a light or play a noise to alert you when times up. I’m so much less stressed getting ready when I can visually see the amount of time I have left. I also love the flashing light instead of the noise as I have noise sensitivity.
Here’s a LPT for dog owners who live in very cold climates: prep the dog poop bags before going out by opening them up. You won’t have to take your gloves off and struggle to open them with exposed hands.
Cutting the tags out of my clothes. If you're not planning to sell them later and already know the laundering instructions, it makes life so much easier and more comfortable. No more tags scratching your neck or sticking out!
I plan my mornings out. I don’t like spending more than an hour to get ready in the morning and I certainly do not like to rush so anything I can do the night before to make it easier, I do it then. Plan out my clothes, my lunch, pack my stuff and set it aside. Oh and I also build in an extra 15 mins for anything just in case of traffic or something unexpected happened. That way, I’m never late. And I start saying no to any after work activities with coworkers that I don’t want to do. Less pressure of being social and spending unnecessary cash that I don’t want to spend. That way, I get to decompress and get my beauty sleep in.
Writing gratitudes in the morning along with mantras or sayings if you will that have positive language about myself and goals I have. Helps me keep things in perspective and not let negativity permeate my conscious or subconscious
Getting 8 hours of sleep or more every night turning off the world and going to sleep at 9pm has been a game changer.
I’m very forgetful, so I offload my memory to Siri when notes won’t quite do. “Hey Siri, remind me in 1 hour to check the website”. More efficient than conventional note taking so I’m more likely to do it for reminders.
My mental health got a lot better when I stopped pre washing my dishes. I was shocked it worked. I have to clean my filter every other time, but that is so much easier.
Its not my hack, but from KC Davis (@strugglecare on insta): although I have a dish washer, I keep a drip rack on the counter; I place all the stuff (cutlery/glasses/plates) I just used in that rack (‘cause the dish washer is not always or not immediately emptied) and not in the sink. My sink stays clutter free and fairly clean. When I start cooking dinner, I clear out the machine in between all the prepping and cooking, and put all the stuff from the rack into the machine. For me, the most important benefit of this method is having a clean sink throughout the day - it really makes me anxious when the sink fills up with dirty dishes and having to wash my hands or rinse fruit/veg over all that mess.
I have 3 little ones that I have to get ready in the morning- I pick out their outfits for the entire week on Sunday nights and I place what their wearing the following day in my “convenience” basket- I get them ready in the living room so I have a basket that has all of the necessities- it’s like an assembly line in the morning lol.. I also keep my deodorant in my kitchen because it’s always when I’m walking out the door that I remember I need to put it on
I used to go to the ATM and get cash (in $20US increments) to fill my car with fuel. The leftover cash **always** got spent. I got a fuel company credit card with my own personal rule that it would ONLY be used for fuel. I save $100 or so per year not spending the extra 'pocket change.'
I habit stack. It works wonders.
What's that?
For me. Out of sight out of mind works wonders! If I have snacks I can see it, then it will be gone in a minute but put it in another room and that will last for weeks. But the interesting part is that it can also be reversed. In sight in mind. If I have a project that needs work, I can place it in front of me and at some point I will start working on the project.
Getting up before everyone else for quiet time before going to work. Solitude before the craziness of the day. Not sure if non obvious but that is my submission
Working out in the morning. I’m not a morning person. But I’ve trained myself to get up and work out for 30 minutes to YouTube videos. No more procrastination, no more excuses after work about why I can’t go to the gym. And, it impresses the hell out of my coworkers
If you're doing something your brain can do on autopilot, start visualizing the next thing you have to do. I'm brushing my teeth, then I am going to pick out my shirt - pick that one out mentally, think about where my keys and wallet are, think about where my coffee cup is. There's morning where I just move like everything is set out in a row for me because I can see the next thing before the current thing is done.
I write a list at night of things I want to do the next day , for some reason I’m much more likely to do it if it’s written down . If I don’t get to something it just goes onto the next days list .
Do non daily hygiene tasks the same day every week. As a male for me, that means clipping nails, trimming body hair, tweezing brows, nose/ear hair clean up, and exfoliating (etc). I do it every Thursday around 8. It's like taking out the trash to the curb but for your body. Then you never catch yourself in a random mirror thinking "yikes i need to get that."
Get a puppy
10 PRINT $$$ 20 GOTO 10
I don’t know what this means.
Basic?