nachomama avatar
nachomama
5
1 year ago

Tasks & Calendar- electronic &/or physical AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!

I feel like I will never figure this out!!!! For my calendar/planner- -I make my own bullet journal of sorts…. I call it my brain. -I use frixion pens so I can color coordinate and not panic when plans change. -I use the planner for appointments and tasks as well as memory keeping and cleaning tracking. *Problem is- if I forget it (like every day) and perhaps even more critical, don’t get to look at it because someone somewhere needs something from me….. I feel defeated! It’s not a big deal until it’s every FREAKIN DAY and then I just feel crappy and like a crappy person. -Neurotypical (hubs) in my life doesn’t get why I get so upset when I’m interrupted during my morning attempt at a routine. For routine being, “don’t leave the bathroom until I get myself ready for the day, teeth, meds, face, clothes, sunscreen…. And then I like to have caffeine and look through my day. The dog always interrupts like he’s a dog or something and next thing I know it’s dark out and I’ve been doing stuff all day but not my preplanned routines nor anything else I needed to do. IT IS EXHAUSTING!!!! I mean, I’m 43 yo woman, empty nesting for the first time and a hubs who travels weeks at a time, sometimes months at a time….. when am I going to figure this crap out?!?!?? 😭 Thought I would vent to people whom I think may get it. Looking for encouragement I suppose.

elistar avatar
elistar
1y

For the first part: do you usually take your phone with you? If so, how about you take a photo of the current daily page in the morning (or the night before) - I know, this would be a new routine to learn so yayyy 😅 - but that’s what came to my mind so maybe it is an option. As for the „being interrupted“ part: I feel you! It upsets me soooo much, too! My take on this would be quite radical 😁: lock the door and/or turn on some music, maybe even wear headphones so you CANNOT be interrupted. Plus, what always helps me is to think (and also explain to my loved ones): nobody needs to UNDERSTAND why you don’t want to / can’t be interrupted for, I don’t know, like half an hour for your morning routine? - they just have to ACCEPT it. It’s a personal boundary and shouldn’t be too much to ask. Plus, if having this time to yourself helps you feel better, it will benefit your husband (and pretty much everyone around you), too, in the end! All the best to you 🤗

queenofskwrls avatar
queenofskwrls
1y

I’m also trying to figure out the time and task management, and I’m 45. Nothing to add but solidarity on that front. On the planner system and forgetting it- if you’re already using frixion pens, have you seen the Rocketbook reusable notebooks? I LOVE them. There is a planner notebook option, but I found I didn’t use it well and prefer to use a plain notebook. They have a free app that will scan the notebook pages and save them in the app and email them anywhere you want or to other apps like OneNote or Dropbox. I use my Rocketbook for random notes and meetings/research, too. The ability to hand write and then immediately scan pages so I don’t lose them is the best of both worlds for me.

nachomama avatar
nachomama
1y

Thanks for replying! Yes I actually have every size of the Rocketbook…. 🤦🏼‍♀️ the electronic portion is the part that kills me. It’s like a black hole 🕳️ where everything goes to die. There is a weird disconnect for me when stuff becomes digital…. I do like that I can search for notes which is nice. It’s kinda annoying that when I go to search for things and suddenly cannot remember any words. Like suddenly I cannot remember my name or what word I used to describe a car… like seriously?!?!? 😒🤣

Slinger avatar
Slinger
1y

It’s never easy, at least for me; but here is something that seems to help me, most of the time: I used to place something near me at all times, that I could jot down notes/tasks into, sticky notes, small notes books, a sketchbook book, physical calendar, digital calendar, and notes app, to name a few. This helped to brain dump, which was nice, but not great for recalling important information. I realized I function best when everything is out where I can see it, and not scattered in too many locations. Currently, I have a large whiteboard in my studio/office, right by the spot I pass by often, I use my notes app, but do my best to create a clear note title so information is easy to find. At the end of each day I look at my notes app and check the whiteboard for dates/deadlines. When I leave the house I can take a photo of the whiteboard. I still carry a daily planner for hard and fast dates and as a place I can a few pieces of information I might need regularly, like work long in username, etc. Emails are another big challenge for me; I pay for Hey.com to use as my email platform, because it has better systems for grouping, blocking, saving and screening, but to be honest, email is always difficult for me to manage. I hope this is helpful in some small way. Good luck

nachomama avatar
nachomama
1y

Thank you for sharing! Emails are evil!!!! I will check into hey.com to see if I can get a little traction with emails.

marsie avatar
marsie
1y

I, too, need to write things down physically then I do my best to keep it in my big-ass bag that goes everywhere with me. If, somehow, my big-ass bag and/or my planner and notebook are far away, I write on anything I can then paste/tape it into my planner when I get it back. I use pretty washi tape so it's a reward for keeping things in place. I'm always in need of opportunities and resources for brain dumping. As for the neurotypical in your life, I used to stick post-it notes around (mostly on mirrors and the fridge) to help both of us quantify the things that make my routine work, especially because nothing made sense to him. The hard thing was balancing when I needed help from him to pay attention to a post-it and when I didn't. It was a hard balance and we didn't always succeed. I also came up with a script we could use, sort of like safe words, to use to check in on each other during the time when my treatment plans were in flux. Some were based on inside jokes or were quotes from movies or shows. I hope this co-venting and encouragement helps?

nachomama avatar
nachomama
1y

I’m totally a big-ass bag lady! For some reason I try to not be…. Not sure why I would stop cuz it helps. I love to be creative and especially use up my 5000 rolls of washi. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I’m going to get curious as to ways for the neuro typical and I to work together. When he’s home, like now he’s home for 10 days, I schedule NOTHING! All my plants die and nothing gets done! Luckily I trained my dog to use buttons to speak so he reminds me to feed him. 😂🤣 And alarms to remind me to take my meds.

martinipug avatar
martinipug
1y

I get very frustrated when I’m interrupted and trying to figure something out (my husband gets the brunt of this because I can be myself around him), I found being direct with him helps and this is usually enough (although he’s neurodivergent too so I might just be lucky). It sounds like you’re putting a lot of pressure on yourself, maybe aim for less and go from there? I find when I’m overwhelmed I find it hard to do anything, but I’m usually overwhelmed because I’m trying to do too much. Don’t know if any of this helps but I have a feeling a lot of people here will relate to what you’re saying and can help.

nachomama avatar
nachomama
1y

Thank you so much!!!! I definitely put a lot of pressure on myself and feel I live in the land of overwhelm. I know I don’t function like others. I have never met anyone else like me in person. “Normal” people are always sharing what works for them and are delighted to give their recommendations which is so kind of them but they don’t get it.

Add comment