Time Flies

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Do you ever get to the end of the day and wonder where it went? You feel like you’re busy all day long and yet you don’t seem to have anything to show for it?

I feel that way a lot, especially now. I’m taking occupational therapy for my arm and on the days I have an appointment, it seems like nothing else gets done. It’s only a few hours out of my day. What happened to the rest of it?

I’m not sure I have a one size fits all solution for you, but here are some things that might help:

    Shower and get dressed as soon as you get out of bed. Staying in your PJ’s signals lazing around to your brain.

    Make habits out of as many chores as you can think of. For instance, unloading the dishwasher first thing is one of my habits. On the rare occasion that I can’t do it right away, my whole day feels off.

    Make a list of what you actually got accomplished during the day. It might be more than you think. Even better – make that list every hour. That will get you off Facebook sooner!

    There are all kinds of programs and apps out there that will sort of keep track of time for you. Some will alarm at intervals you set as a reminder to get back on task. Others can be used when you’re on the computer that will actually keep track of what you’re doing, such as working on a document, emailing or Facebooking.

    Each evening write down 2 or 3 things that you want to accomplish the next day. Make those things your priority before you spend time watching TV, on the computer, or on the phone.

    Readjust your expectations. My husband is great for scheduling an entire week’s worth of chores and errands into Sunday afternoon. He seems to have no idea how long any of them will take; he just knows he wants to get them done. Maybe you should include a time estimate for what you’re trying to get done and see if it’s realistic. (And while you’re at it, take that estimate and double it.)

    Be honest with yourself. Lots of the things we need to do are boring or repetitive or just no fun. But we’re Big Girls and we need to do them. If your days include nap time and you don’t have any babies or toddlers around (guilty), maybe you should think about that. If you really need the rest – why? Are you sleeping well at night or staying up too late instead of going to bed? Is there a health issue? Maybe you should check. (I’m serious about this. I just had blood work done and found out my thyroid is sluggish. It explains all kinds of things.)

Part of our trouble with time has to do with our ADHD and Executive Functioning. We have to find ways to work around it.

But part too, is our tendency to get bored easily and get distracted. Also ADHD.

The point is, it’s kind of part of who we are. Do the best you can, be a Big Girl and do what has to be done, and then ease up on yourself. You have all sorts of gifts to offer the world that have nothing to do with productivity and efficiency. Spend some time on those too.

Lacy Estelle

Lacy Estelle

Lacy Estelle is the writer of Lacyestelle.com and the Podcast host for An ADD Woman.

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