Sometimes when I have a moment of unscheduled time, I experience “Time Anxiety”—the disquiet that arises from wondering if I’ve made the absolute best decision of what to do with my time.

This sensation is familiar to people with ADHD. We’re so worried about being hyperfocused (a state that, paradoxically, we aspire to live in!) that we constantly feel uneasy—there’s no way we haven’t forgotten something really important.

And while that is a real feeling, I’ve noticed that there is also an aspect of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) that rounds out time anxiety for me. Until recently, I only thought of OCD in the stereotypical way, which is actually just one subtype: Contamination OCD (e.g., Mr. Monk). Anyone who knows me, knows that I am the farthest thing from germaphobic. 🤣

Rather than needing to repeat actions (such as handwashing or counting), I get caught in mental loops, a trait of Perfectionism OCD, sometimes called “Just Right” OCD (where things have to be/feel “just right”).

My friend, Aly Prades, has illuminated the subject of OCD so well, and it’s her resources that have helped me recognize and begin to heal from this menacing disorder.

Just last week she sent a screenshot of her phone calendar to our mastermind group. Two years ago, she and her husband made the HUGE decision to move their family from San Diego to Coeur d’Alene. At the time of her move—as a part of her OCD recovery—she set a 2-year “alarm” to assess if this big decision was a good one or not.

How brilliant and freeing to decide that she wouldn’t get to or have to worry about something for two whole years!

(Spoiler alert: the move turned out to be a FANTASTIC choice.)

Inspired by this, as well as the therapeutic strategy “Worry Time”, I recently experimented with setting a “Worry Timer”. But my timer was not going to be for two years; rather, it’d be very short, for only one minute.

I was feeling restless and anxious one lazy Sunday afternoon. I couldn’t relax because I knew I wanted to do something, but I also couldn’t settle into anything because any choice felt like I was then neglecting something else that might be more important (or more fulfilling!).

Instead of getting stuck in the usual spiral of deciding what to do and then deciding whether what I decided was the best thing to decide/do, I recognized The Loop and faced it head on with exposure therapy.

Because I only had one minute to do something before it was time to worry, I quickly (!) pulled out a folding chair from the shed and sketched the tulips in front of me. If I hadn’t set a Worry Timer, I would have spent many more minutes (or hours!) obsessing over whether the tulips were the best choice of subject, or about if pastels were the best choice of medium.

And I probably wouldn’t have done anything at all.

When the timer rang, I noticed I was feeling in the groove: peaceful, happy about the result, and ready to take on more. I set a 3-minute Worry Timer and did more sketching. Then I set a 5-minute Worry Timer and this time tidied up the shed.

After that I don’t remember, but I know I wasn’t feeling anxious any more.

Leave a comment

Disclaimer: The information in this post including, but not limited to, text, graphics, and images are for informational purposes only. No material in this publication is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Hi! I’m popping in to share a quick hack I came up with a couple of days ago to direct my focus towards tasks I either want to or need to do.

Why I’m not doing the thing I’m supposed to be doing

1. I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing, because I haven’t made a list yet.

2. I don’t know what I should be doing first, because I haven’t taken the time to prioritize the list.

3. I don’t want to do the thing I’m supposed to be doing.

4. I feel overwhelmed by how many things I could/should do and just can’t get started.

5. I’m hungry.

   

I’m a big fan of analog productivity tools and have been using some version of a paper planner since the 6th grade… so about 30 years.

I don’t think that will change any time soon, but neither will phones go away any time soon. So, last week, I experimented with using my phone to amplify my efforts to stay focused.

I created phone wallpapers for my lock screen to visually invite myself into action. It’s a little bit like a mash-up of a visual schedule and a mood board.

I made the collages include some (a) fun things I was looking forward to; (b) “must do” tasks I needed to attend to; (c) ideas for breaks; and (d) treats to enjoy while going about the day

Why visuals work so well

1. My demand-avoidant brain can’t really say “no” to a picture because a picture isn’t even talking to me.

2. Visuals are exponentially more inviting than other triggers which are likely to catch my eye: the stray crumbs on the counter, a scrap of plastic packaging that needs to picked up by the baseboard, the full sink of dishes. We’re trying to make the high effort, high reward items more appealing and attractive than the low effort, low reward items.

3. A picture shows the completed state, not the tiresome steps along the way—that I definitely have no interest in doing—to get to where I want to be.

4. A picture expresses a lot (a thousand words, some have said): when I see a picture, my brain can digest and metabolize the concept more deeply.

I’m optimistic that a visual menu for the day (or week or month!) will help me slog through the rest of mid-winter, when nature provides few visual clues as to what I should be doing. There are no weeds to pick, no lake calling my name (other than for the occasional cold dip), no vegetables to harvest or leaves to rake.

Have you ever used your lock screen to remind you about anything?

Closing randomness

These high protein biscuits. They are the perfect thing to make on a Saturday morning to supplement everyone with snacks throughout the day. I made them gluten-free and they turned out fantastic.

I asked my friend Sam to make me a Classical music playlist to help me focus, because none of the ones I found on Spotify were working for me—there were too many cliched pieces and also, every once in a while something too loud/dramatic/contemporary would startle me. Enjoy!

I’ve started sketching human people!

Read more

Are you ready to never have to pick up the same toy off the floor twice in the same day?

Allow me to introduce you to Toy Jail.

I created1 Toy Jail a few years ago: it’s a basket on top of the fridge where (offending/offensive) toys go if I see them on the floor in our main living area.

I don’t send toys that are regularly played with: loveys and Legos are mostly exempt. Instead, I target toys I think are dumb, or toys I think my kids don’t even find precious.

Toy Jail serves four main purposes:

1. It helps me “hide” clutter by moving it from the ground to a place above eye level.

2. It teaches my children that there are consequences for not putting their things away.

3. It reduces the amount of nagging.

4. It reveals which toys we actually care about.

Mostly, it helps me feel less resentful towards my children for not always putting away their stuff.

In order to retrieve a toy from Toy Jail (let’s call this Toy Bail ;)), my kids have to pay tokens. If they can request the missing toy by name, it costs two tokens to bail it out. If they don’t even know what they are looking for, it costs two tokens just to see what’s missing, and 1-2 subsequent tokens for each toy.

How we earn tokens is a topic for another post, but if you want to implement Toy Jail and don’t already have a token system in place, you could, for example, ask your child to put away 10 things in the house to bail out one toy from jail.

Toy Jail also helps us determine toys that are not as well loved, which helps support us when it’s time to declutter. When my kids want to buy something new (or new to them), I have them get rid of 10 things for each new item they want. Toy Jail provides a great place to search for things that are ready to go.

Do you have a system like Toy Jail? How do you deal with kids who have difficulty putting their toys away? I’d love to hear about it!

Leave a comment

Junk Drawer (formerly “Closing Randomness”)

I love reading any time of the day, but it’s been a particular balm to my soul, of late, to tuck away in my green chair for a few minutes after putting the kids down, and before watching any shows with David, or finishing the dishes.

I’m still in my fluffy era, but some heartier books I’ve read lately: Viewfinder, What My Bones Know, Divergent Mind, The Electricity of Every Living Thing.

2. Stath Lets Flats

David and I are OBSESSED with this British comedy. It’s super off-beat and definitely not for everyone, but it makes us spit out our tea from laughing and also sometimes we get tears that are not from laughing.

3. Cleaning the shower liner without removing it from the hooks

Who has energy to take off, wash, and re-hang the shower liner??? Since it’s really the bottom edge that regularly gets gross, I came up with a quick hack as a stop-gap measure: leaving the liner on the rod, I fill a small tub or pail with bleach water, gather up the liner and soak the bottom for a couple minutes. Then I just rinse it off in the tub and it’s done!

You’re welcome.

4. Starting each of my kids their own bullet journals

One thing I’ve been pondering for a while is the problem that is perpetuated by the standard central family calendar that holds everyone’s schedules. Usually, one parent owns and manages The Google Calendar (to rule all the calendars…). Each family member’s things live within that calendar.

I’m the organized partner in our marriage, and even I don’t like this system, on a philosophical level.

Any person who looks at the centralized calendar (if they even bother to look at the calendar) has to wade through everyone else’s stuff. It prioritizes the view of one manager and isn’t really practical for any individual person.

Separate bullet journals makes this information relevant to the person whose life it reflects. Being able to visualize each person’s schedule separately improves my comprehension and memory retention.

It is more work for me to redivide every one’s schedules, but I believe the extra work in the short-term will pay off. I am making the invisible work visible, so that my kids can learn what looks like to plan, set goals, remember appointments, log information. It also serves as a great landing page for any requests, contracts, etc.

My three youngest are still quite young—6, 9, 11—but I don’t think it’s too young to start having them have a dedicated place for their thoughts, whether they are writing by themselves, or with help.

The kids’ separate bullet journals—which live in the living room and can be accessed by the children, my husband, and me—have really supported my ADHD brain and my empath heart. It helps me to see their needs and goals as separate than mine. I also hope this scaffolding helps them gradually take over.

My child who doesn’t like to write things down asks me from time to time, “Mama, can you please write down _____ in my bullet journal?” They know that it is the place for things that need to be memorialized, and I love how they are adopting something they wouldn’t otherwise participate in if I made them do it themselves.

5. Writing (and/or drawing) Morning Pages again

Morning Pages are a pain in the butt: three pages written longhand, every morning (as much as possible). But they are also my saving grace, and doing them almost guarantees I will have a good day.

Sometimes I end up creating my plan for the day, or I come up with ideas of what to write about. Sometimes I interrupt my own train of thought and start jotting down disparate thoughts at the bottom of the page. (Does anyone else do this?)

Other times, I solve problems, or draft layouts for rearranging the furniture in the house. And lately, since sketching is one of my major assignments right now, I’m getting looser about letting my pen flow in a sketchy direction and letting that count.

6. Having a place to put those darn produce stickers that are non-compostable.

My friend spotted this on Substack Notes and immediately shared it to our mastermind Voxer thread (where some of us—who shall remain nameless—have questioned if the crime of spouses leaving these on the counter might be grounds for divorce).

I reached out to the original poster, , who gave me permission to share her image with you here.

It’s genius, and seriously turns lemons into lemonade. (Those things used to be the bane of my existence, and now I look forward to peeling them off the onions and bananas, etc. How is this possible?!?!?)

What’s saving your life lately?

Leave a comment below to share your hacks, little luxuries, favorite shows, etc.

Leave a comment

Finally, a shameless but timely plug for my printable calendars. I’ve added a summer-only calendar (June, July, August) for those who want to try it out and/or just need a spot for all the summer craziness/fun. I’m running a small sale until June 14.

Is anyone else feeling that spring energy, like I CAN DO ANYTHING and GIVE ME ALL THE NEW HOBBIES?

Spring is the perfect time to think about new starts. I dare say it’s even better than resolutions made with January energy.

One thing that helps me rein in my varied passions (and squirrel brain) without totally squelching all that energy is planning my life in terms of college credits.

When I intentionally commit to learning something at a deeper level for a sustained period of time, I can get more satisfaction than the quick hit of excitement I get just from starting something new.

I have found that the equivalent of 2-3 “classes”—in addition to my full-time job as a parent—adds up to more than a full load.

My Spring 2025 Schedule

Writing (4) | MW 9-10:30 a.m.
Morning pages, Substack (so meta right now)

Visual Art II (2) 
Watercolor, doodling, carrying a sketchbook with me always

Exploratory Media I (2) | WTh
Junk journaling, graphic design, acrylic, video editing, embroidery

Homemaking (8)
Dishes, laundry, picking up the same things off the floor erryday, keeping track of where so and so's favorite sweatshirt is, keeping children alive blah blah blah

Gardening (2)
Cleaning out debris from last fall, planning, pruning, planting [not a metaphor, even though it’s super ripe for one (see what I did there?)]

PE (0.5) | TuF 10:15-11:15 a.m.
Cardio and weight-lifting

18.5 units is kind of a heavy load, which is why I’ve decided to take all my classes pass/fail this term. Also, this shows me that I just can’t learn sewing right now, despite all my dreams and visions that I can make all my own clothes.

Seeing my life as a college semester course load helps me see that every choice of how to use my time means I’m giving up time for writing, drawing, or sleeping.

In college, you’re allowed to pop your head into other lecture halls, but if you plan to pass the ones in which you’re enrolled, you’ll need to manage your time carefully.

Write your own syllabi

The cool thing about the College of Life is that you’re in charge.

As the professor, you get to decide the course objectives, reading lists, and final projects. Will there be any field trips (cf. Julia Cameron’s artist dates)?

If you’re resonating with my metaphor of turning your life into an infinite series of college terms, I encourage you to brainstorm what classes (3-4) you’re in (or want to be in).

I highly recommend including required films on your syllabi. :D

What classes are you taking?

I want to know your class schedule. Bonus points if you send me your syllabi!

Leave a comment

I even created some printable templates for you to pick your classes and create your syllabi.

Syllabus

291KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

Course Registration Form

17.7KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

The adage “a home for everything and everything in its home” is supposed to help my family stay tidy, but sometimes it’s hard to decide on where those homes should be.

Do we store things with other like items, even though that location is far away from where we use this item? Do we need multiples of this item in various locations? What if I put something away in its supposed home, but then I forget about it because it’s hidden in a cabinet?

As a creative person, I’m able to see connections between seemingly disparate things, which can make it challenging to define discrete categories.

I can also be slow to commit to a label. What if I want to change it later? What if the labels leave a residue when I try to remove them?

It feels like too much decision fatigue. Not to mention, what if it looks ugly and overdone after I label things?

However, I have noticed that when I have made small, reversible attempts to decide on a location and label stuff, my family and I naturally put more things away.

Why Label Things (Also, It Doesn’t Have To Be Forever)

Labels are non-verbal instructions, providing direction without inflaming those who struggle with demand avoidance. Labels also provide reassurance and validation.

Even if you haven’t fully decluttered1 your house—and even if you’re not convinced that labels will work—you can try this idea for no cost (besides time) right now.

I know that one of my big hang-ups was that I didn’t know where things should live, and things are constantly evolving and changing with kids.2

I started by labeling only one thing in my house: the headlamps (shown in the image gallery above). And then people started dropping their headlamps in there without me saying anything. This inspired me to keep going, one label at a time.

How to Get Started with Labelling

1. Pick one thing to label. I recommend starting with something that really bothers you. Common culprits: dirty socks, school papers, tech charging cables.

2. Find a container. It can be a cardboard box, a basket, a drawer.

3. Define the category, as broadly as possible.3 It can be fun to imagine you are playing the game Connections, trying to figure out the commonality between different-ish items.

4. Add a temporary label. With scratch paper taped with masking tape, or a nicer label.

5. Put the newly labeled container in the place you most often see those things dumped, and see if your family puts things away without you having to say anything.4

You can upgrade the container and/or label when you feel good about the solution.

Don’t worry about getting the labels “just right.” “Papers I don’t know what to do with” is a perfectly acceptable category.

My Favorite Supplies for Labelling

• Post-Its Notes: These work well as temporary labels, when you’re figuring things out and may want to switch things around. (I rely on these knock-offs.) We are also a huge fan of sticky note tape from Daiso.

• Index cards: I use shipping tape to “laminate” the cards.

• Removable labels: We’ve used these labels for Tupperware in the fridge (they stay on through the dishwasher, and yet are easy to take off). These make a good semi-permanent solution for most small tubs.

• Black painter’s tape: This is another great residue-free option; I like to use it with a chalk pen/crayon.

• Paper tags and twine: These can be used to attach labels to woven baskets.

• Dymo labeler: I like this one rather than the fancier bigger QWERTY labelers because those ones seem to waste excessive tape on either side of the label. But I understand why people like those, for the various types of tape, including greater levels of waterproofing.

If you’re hesitant to label but know this is the next right step for you, this printable tracker might help you get some momentum.

Label 100 Things Tracker

26.6KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

Subscribe now

Closing Randomness

📅 25% off sale on my printable calendars. They print well as 11 x 17, in addition to standard letter size.

▶️ Rebel With a Plan: “junk journal for my brain” and using up hoarded planner supplies

📺 Get ready to have all your productivity go down the drain: Miss Scarlet and the Duke (HT: ) [My apologies—since drafting this post, the series has left Prime, but it’s still a worthy recommendation. If you have old-school TV like my dad and watch PBS with bunny ears, I believe you can view it for free when you following the schedule! ;P]

❄️ My girl has got you covered when it comes to Winter Comfort

▶️ 5 Signs You Have ADHD and Autism

🟧 Andrew Knott : ✏️ a funny recent essay and 🎧 a recording of an older funny essay

🌊I did my first (and second!) winter polar plunge, thanks to inspiration from my friend Aly. I understand the craze now.

Leave a comment

This is a pep talk for anyone feeling paralyzed in the middle of December, having hit the point of no return, facing that impossible pile of Amazon parcels.

You can lower the bar, be the world’s most okayest mom, and yet still feel like you’re drowning.

If you feel like you just can’t cross the finish line, like you can neither meet your expectations, nor let go of your expectations—you’re not alone.

While other neurotypical moms are volunteering in classrooms (on Gingerbread House day, in the echoey cafeteria, of all the places!), baking (and decorating!) cookies, actually wrapping presents, driving around their willing children to see Christmas lights, know that you are allowed to live a different life.

If you are feeling more stress and guilt than joy and peace right now about this particular Christmas season, I invite you to declare Christmas Bankruptcy.

What is Christmas Bankruptcy, you ask?

Christmas Bankruptcy is a lot like Email Bankruptcy, which is when you’re hopelessly behind on your inbox, and instead of expecting yourself to catch up, you delete ALL your unread emails. You then send a message to your contacts to inform them that you are starting fresh, and to request them to resend any important messages.

If you’re afraid of your to-dos, or haven’t even written a list because you’re afraid of how long it will be, I encourage you to consider Christmas Bankruptcy.

Turn on this cozy fireplace, and toss all your imaginary inspired lists into it.

Then, grab a fresh piece of paper, and write down what you think is realistic for you at this point—given your brain, your capacity, and what brings you joy. Look over it, and still cross off a couple more things.

If needed, tell the relevant people in your life about the things you can’t be expected to do this year.

You’ve got this.

And Now, for Something Way Less Fun/Dramatic, But Equally Important

I dunno about you, but as someone with ADHD, I’m not regularly opening and dealing with mail, putting away clean laundry, or unloading the dishwasher.

And yet, these regular human tasks don’t go on pause during the holiday season; they actually multiply.

I come in guns blazing in October every year telling myself Things Are Going To Be Different Around Here (i.e., I have Christmas handled), but really what I need to be telling myself is, Things are Always Going to be the Same but Maybe I Can Put in at Least the Same Effort into the Basics as is Needed During All the Other Times of the Year?

You can burn down Christmas expectations all you want, but there will still be laundry—or some other boring household task—to do.

Laundry is a small big thing. It’s monotonous, it’s the biggest insult to an educated woman, and yet when it’s undone, IT. IS. THE. WORST.

If you can afford the common advice of outsourcing and delegating, of course do that. But for most of us, it’s on us.

I want you to know that I see you, doing all that visible and invisible labor, over and over and over again. Know that these menial things are a tremendous gift to your family, even if they don’t always recognize it as such.

In a world where things are thankfully shifting to more equitable divisions of labor in the home1, it can sometimes feel even more unfair that in most households women are the default person responsible for the literal and metaphorical laundry. It feels regressive to focus on laundry as a way of getting a handle on the holiday hecticness, but perhaps accepting what is, can actually be more productive than trying to make big changes during a crazy time of the year.

So, if you’re feeling SO. OVER. EVERTHING, take a couple of 4-2-6 breaths, and maybe consider:

• putting away a load of clean clothes?

• finding and returning the 74 library books you’ve borrowed so that your house can be just a tiny bit calmer? (Fine, and paying those overdue fees, too.)

• taking out all trash? Better yet, set out more trash cans around the house so your neurospicy family can throw the trash away themselves because you’ve made it a lot easier.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that the small, every day things matter. Yes, we want Christmas magic for our families, but also know that simply being you is magic.

You are doing a lot and you are enough.

Some other resources on this topic

🎧 Robyn Gobbel’s podcast episode on Low-Demand Holidays

✏️ Cara Stolen’s essay, World’s Okayest Christmas

📺 I’ve been enjoying this Cozy Christmas Cafe on the big TV

🎵 My mellow Christmas playlist

Leave a comment

Closing Randomness

🪥 Knock-off Sonicare toothbrush head replacements - I don’t have a verdict from my dentist yet, but at less than $2 a head, I feel like this is a good gamble.

Subscribe now

When I was first worked with a psychiatrist to try medications for ADHD and SAD, I wanted a tracker to note how the various medications affected me. Some meds helped me complete tasks, but then made me anxious. Or, I would notice a med helping me, but then wear off after a few days.

A Google search yielded many trackers to record if I took a medication, but very little in the way of tracking how effective the medications are.

So, I created this chart to help monitor the benefits and side effects of various medications. Having good notes helped me communicate what was working and advocate for myself.

You can list multiple medications that are tried concurrently, or in sequence; and you can adjust the dosages as you titrate up or down. You get to define which symptoms you want to track, and also note any relevant side effects.

How to use the tracker

Here’s an example of how to fill in the tracker.

Free download

Medication Symptom Tracker

344KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

If you find my work helpful, please consider buying me a coffee.

Buy me a coffee

A few of you have been curious about what’s inside my holiday notebook. It’s not pretty inside; I wish it looked more organized, but the lack of apparent organization is precisely what makes this notebook work. 

I don’t follow the same plan or traditions each year; instead, I’m trying to notice what matters to me in each new season and align my intentions accordingly.

I started this notebook after experiencing a huge mental breakdown from anxiety and undiagnosed ADHD during the holiday season of 2021. Initially, I used it to make notes about what didn’t work and what to incorporate the following year. The next fall, I used those reflections to inform the shape of the upcoming season’s plans.

The fact that it is my notebook and not someone else’s system keeps me focused in an era where it’s ever-increasingly easy to get distracted and derailed.

The following low-budget YouTube video is a tour through my notebook. Feel free to listen at 2x speed, and maybe grab a notebook during the lengthy preamble. I hope it inspires you to find a creative way to support yourself through this fun yet fraught season.

HOLIDAY NOTEBOOK IDEAS

• tape in favorite recipes

• track completed tasks

• make a list of cozy holiday movies to watch while wrapping presents

• have your kids cut-and-paste their wish list items

• start a “Consider for next year” page

• draft your holiday budget

• print and tape monthly calendars for visualizing the season

PRO TIPS FOR THIS PARTICULAR YEAR

Have you noticed how the calendar changes every year and that affects the feel around the holidays? Things to note for this year:

• Thanksgiving falls very late in November this year, which reduces the number of days between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

• If you have school-aged children, your winter break might be December 23-Jan 3, which means that break is front-loaded with Christmas and then followed by A LOT of days during which post-Christmas doldrums may hit your household.

CLOSING RANDOMNESS

Having trouble getting started on tasks? Try my 5-10-15 modification to the Pomodoro method.

Super inspirational studio tour.

“With emotional and spiritual work, we’re moving toward a future so unfamiliar we’re not entirely sure it exists.”

“What doesn’t help me sleep”: a poem

The Post-it tabs I use in my planners (and the above holiday notebook) - white | solid colors | bright colors

Have you ever heard of a zombie schedule? I was first introduced to the concept of “zombie mode” in a blog post on the official Bullet Journal website.

Here’s an picture of the author’s zombie schedule:

I have found this concept surprisingly helpful. As a rebel1 with ADHD, I don’t exactly like to be told what to do. But there are definitely days (and seasons) when I’ve found it hard to do anything, and because I have a family, I can’t actually do nothing.

When you’re a parent—especially of young children—there are things in life you just have to do, whether it be nursing or feeding a baby, changing diapers, making them breakfast (and lunch and dinner and snacks, so many snacks), putting them to bed, etc. I was in the thick of it for at least ten consecutive years, and the zombie schedule (I used the strategy before knowing what it’s called) helped me survive. 

The following example is from almost three years ago, when my littles were 3, 6, & 8). You’ll see that I went into insane detail of the morning routine because it’s a time of the day when I’m easily derailed by my children’s various needs/questions. The schedule gives me an external principle for why I’m doing what I’m doing, which can be hard to remember in the face of some insistent whining/complaining/“brilliant ideas”.

I relied heavily on this kind of detailed schedule in the early days of my ADHD diagnosis. Now, it’s not an every day thing. I hadn’t actually used it for a couple years. But a couple of weeks ago when I felt the weather shift affecting my mood, I thought about zombie schedules again, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that it lined up around Halloween.

A zombie schedule gives me a must-do2 list, guiding me to exactly what I should be I doing at that moment, so I don’t have to tax my decision-making muscles, or even address my emotions.3

I prefer an analog version because I easily get distracted on my phone (plus it gives me anxiety), but I could see digital versions working for many people.

I drafted up these examples on my phone for you:

tl;dr

A zombie schedule:

• is a schedule you write yourself that tells you what you should be doing

• can help with ADHD paralysis/anxiety

• can help parents with ADHD manage multiple kids’ schedules

• serves you on days when you’re feeling in a funk or “out of it”

• could be useful when you’re on vacation or otherwise off-routine and it’s hard to remember what you’re supposed to do because you don’t have your usual triggers/prompts

• may need to be modified for different types of days4

A zombie schedule works because:

• you are making decisions ahead of time, outside of the heat of the moment

• checking things off a list provides a dopamine hit

• when everything crucial is written down and you do those things, you are FREE to do other things without worrying the house will burn down, your children will starve, you’ll lose your job, you’ll forget to pick up your children from school, etc. 

What do you think?

I’m not sure if this strategy will resonate with everyone, but I can say that why it works for me is because I write these lists myself. And I’m also allowed to ignore them.

What about you? Have you ever used a zombie schedule? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Leave a comment

Closing randomness

🏠 Recent Clutterbug podcast episodes I’ve found helpful: #242 on the concept of zoning your home; #244 on motivation

🍸 Smart Money Happy Hour: fun money podcast with Rachel Cruze (Dave Ramsey’s daughter) and George Kamel

🗓️ Shameless plug for my quarterly planning calendar printable on Etsy! (The link includes a 20% off for readers with the promo code LISADHD.)

💿 I forget how much I love this album.

🌳 Does anyone else do food prep in the great outdoors? I have been tooling around with treating my back deck as a “wet kitchen” (I think this is an Asian concept) to get away from the noise and to get fresh air. I made IP white chicken chili entirely outside one day!

🗳️ “For us, lots of executive dysfunctions stand between us and a completed ballot.”

🎧 A Spotify playlist I made for when I’m sketching or doing watercolor:

“Happiness is a state that evolves from actualizing what matters most to us.”

—either Kate Northup in Do Less, or Tiffany Dufu in Drop the Ball; I made terrible notes about which book this was from, but the fact that I wrote longhand notes on both these books tells you they’re each worth reading!

Do you ever leave bills out on your desk (or kitchen counter, or other main workspace) because you’re afraid that if you file it away, you’ll forget to pay it? I call these “triggers”—physical reminders of things I need to get done.

If things are hidden, I forget about them. But I also struggle with focus, task initiation, and motivation (among other traits, ha!), so it can be: (a) distracting to have all these triggers all around me; and (b) discouraging to see how behind I am on things.

Utilizing triggers can be strategic or even necessary, but I find it helpful to manage or leverage them to our advantage.

Before I get into today’s strategy, here’s a few more examples of triggers in case you’re someone who’s on top of their bills and have no idea what I’m talking about:

• a basket of clean laundry that needs to be put away

• obsolete technology you don’t know what to do with

• dirty dishes in the sink

• a DOOM pile (Didn’t Organize, Only Moved)

My offering today is that we turn triggers into prompts or “breadcrumbs”.

To turn a trigger into a prompt, we take something that is visual and in-our-face, and tuck it away—but in such a way that we will find it when we’re looking for it, and/or have the time to deal with it.

I propose we transform triggers into prompts by taking tiny steps towards putting triggers in their correct context.

A super meta example

When the idea to write this post first flitted through my mind, I wrote it on a Post-it note, an excellent trigger to not forget this great idea.

I didn’t have the time to work on this post immediately, so the note remained on my desk, and then migrated, week after week, onto my next week’s planner spread.

How could I take away the emotional edge of the trigger without losing the benefit I get from dealing with the trigger? I turned it into a prompt.

I have a page in my planner that has a tab labeled “SUBSTACK.” When I realized I was being taunted—rather than inspired—by the unaddressed project, I simply transferred the sticky note from my desk to my planner. My workspace is neater, and my prompts are lined up for when I sit down to write.

A couple of other examples

1. A bill you leave on your desk so you won’t forget to pay it

Add it to your todo list, write down the amount, invoice number, and due date (and phone numbers, etc., if you’re going to call it in) and then tuck away the paper (e.g., put it in your files, shred it, or, lbh, add it to the stack of papers under your desk that are unfiled, but at least somewhat out of sight. 😬)

Then when you’re in a planning mindset, you can assess how urgent it is and assign a time for it or deal with it right away.

2. A laundry basket of clean clothes that you keep passing by when you’re trying to cook a meal or do something else more urgent and/or important than laundry.

Because I personally despise putting away laundry, I have a pretty wicker basket into which only clean clothes go. That way, even if I don’t tend to the laundry, there are still places for us to put dirty laundry (i.e., the plasticky ones). I generally leave the clean basket on top of the dryer and try to address it before I start a new load of clothes.

(The pretty basket helps if I do happen to bring it out into the house because it looks like we live in the early 20th century and life is a party.)

To actually turn a basket of clean laundry into a prompt is to place it front of the TV. Boom. It’s now an exciting date with your laundry basket and your favorite show. Set an alarm or create a calendar event, if desired.

3. Random school papers

Get a basket or a dollar store dishpan, label it “School” and have your kids dump all their school papers in there: both the art projects AND the important forms. I know some of you are shuddering at the fact that here we are mixing important action item papers with scribbles. If this is you, you probably don’t even need this example. Move along.

For the rest of us: we need it easy. Honestly, our kids need it easy, too. Everything is in one place: you can pilfer through when you have a moment, tossing stuff once you’ve seen it, leaving other stuff for reference.

And, if it bothers your co-parent that it’s just a gigantic tangle, well then, they can help manage the triggers since they’re so good at this stuff. :D

A recent example from my life: I didn’t want to deal with picture day orders until the last minute because BO-RING! Neither did I want it on my desk taunting me. I tossed all three forms in the school tub knowing that surely my kids would remind me closer to the date. When they did, I wrote the task on my todo list. I took care of it two days before it was due and put them in their folders, so there wasn’t much chance for them to lose them either.

Whenever you feel like addressing the tub, you can deal with a whole bunch at once (a form of batch-processing). Recycle things you don’t need any more, and file aways the memories.

Pro tip: I hardly went through this tub for an entire year last year, and even left it untouched during the summer. (We are so lucky we didn’t find any rotten bananas at the bottom of backpacks that had been sitting since June.) At the end of August, I used getting to go back-to-school shopping as an incentive to finish processing the tub. Most of the stuff was less precious by then, so a lot of it easily made it into the recycling bin.

Pro tip #2: I have one latching filing box for each of my kids where I keep their memories by grade. A few things go in there each year, as well as a copy of their school picture. Along the lines of this whole example, I have a much easier time dealing with this only once a school year, rather than on a more frequent basis.

4. An Amazon return laying on your bedroom floor

Take one minute and put it in your car’s passenger seat. The next time you’re out, you’re prompted by it, at a time that you can actually do something about it!

Optional: Take a moment to look at your schedule and see when it’s convenient to drop it off. Perhaps create a calendar event to give yourself a reminder. 

5. A box with a new piece of furniture you ordered online and that “greets” you every time you enter the house

Tuck it away in the garage or somewhere you don’t have to see it, and then schedule it in your planner. For this one, you might also consider delegating it and/or asking for help.

6. A random post-it note with a gift idea for someone for Christmas

On Instagram, I mentioned a Holiday Notebook that I use year after year to gather my holiday thoughts and reflections. You can literally transfer your sticky notes into this thing, or use washi tape to adhere notes written on scraps of paper. Ultimately, it just gets your stuff in the right context.

It’s kind of like having different notebooks in school. I recently started notebooks for home organization and garden design. It’s not very helpful to have the periodic table in your history notebook or the color wheel in your biology notebook. Do the same with your grown-up stuff, thereby creating prompts for yourself. (But also feel free to not lose the junior high essence of mod-podging a collage of magazine cutouts on the cover of these notebooks.)

Now it’s your turn!

Triggers can be useful, but it can be even better if we can reduce the shame and annoyance factors by turning them into prompts.

If you’re ready to apply this to your space, set a 10 minute timer and see how many triggers you can put in the right contexts to be prompts for later.

Comment below with what you do and I’ll give you a virtual high five!

Closing randomness

Have you heard about junk journaling? It’s basically a cross between a scrapbook and a bullet journal. I am so here for lowering the activation energy for doing creative things with our hands.

I really appreciated this podcast episode, Old School Parenting in a Tech World. I’m still going through The Anxious Generation, but I think this podcast encapsulated most of what I want to apply going forward. HT: Krista Steele

About five years ago I read Dr. Tsabary’s book, The Awakened Family, and I continue to apply her insight to my parenting (really, parenting myself). I listened to her recently on The Brave Writer podcast and enjoyed the conversation very much. HT: Leslie Banks

So grateful for my friend Krista’s Sad Christian Girl music era because it led me to discovering some fresh tunes. (Why does saying “fresh tunes” make me sound like a 68 year-old man gym teacher??)

I’d read Essentialism multiple times, but only just discovered that McKeown has been hosting a podcast since 2020. Episode one is with his wife and it’s just so adorable.

I Wore Uncomfortable Underwear for Years to Fit In and Now Kids Wear Socks with Crocs??, a funny essay by Andrew Knott

Yes, I recognize I am calling six out of the twelve months of the year hard. Welcome to my life in the Pacific Northwest. It really can be that gray for that long.

So, yeah, while I love pumpkin spice as much as the next girl, the onset of fall means the inevitable loss of sunshine and the fact that we are now only one season away from winter. (Are you sensing a theme yet?)

These next two seasons are collectively challenging for me for two primary reasons: the holidays, and changes in weather and light. The holidays are stressful for everyone; I’d argue they are extra taxing for people with executive dysfunctions: it takes a lot of planning, decision making, navigating social situations, etc.

Also, I have read that people with ADHD are more susceptible to SAD, which makes sense to me, since we react more quickly to triggers in our environment.

Since I have begun to understand the ways in which these busier and darker seasons trigger my anxiety and depression, I’m able to be more intentional about planning for fall and winter. The rhythm of the seasons and the holidays come predictably every year. But one thing that happens to people with ADHD is that we forget the strategies that help us. Haha.

So I thought I would share some of my fall strategies as a way of both reminding myself and hopefully supporting you. And while you work on these things, I’ll go back through my notes and do a round-up of tips for holiday prep and share them soon.

Suggestions for a gentler transition into fall

1. If you took a break from your planner during the summer, and/or if you’re tired of the system you last used, this is a good time for a planner reset. I like an academic planner that starts in August or September. This way you don’t have to worry about being “in between planners” around the very hectic and often emotional time between Christmas and New Year’s.

2. Likewise, if you use a household calendar for your family, go ahead and get next year’s calendar now, for the same reasons as above. They often include Aug-Dec of the previous year, plus the next 12 months. My favorite is Amy Knapp’s big grid family calendar. I love how there’s a spot to write what’s for dinner–sometimes I’ll write it down after the fact so I can look back for ideas of what we’ve been eating or what we haven’t had in a long time.

   

   I also sell a zoomed-out calendar of the whole year on four pages in my Etsy store.

3. Give yourself lots of grace as you calibrate to what this season feels like. It takes time—way more time than we want it to—to adjust to new routines. For our family, one of the hardest shifts is going back to a regular dinner time after all the evenings of taking hot dogs to the lake. 

   

4. Recognize that it takes time for the inside of your house to adjust to the seasonal change. Transitions are hard because of new routines, but also because of ALL THE STUFF! Still laying around my house at this time of year are goggles and swimsuits and sand (so much sand). But then there will be one cold morning, and no one remembers if we own any jackets. And also we can’t put away the warm weather clothes yet.

5. Do a brain dump. My brain feels really full at this time of year: I’ve got lots of inspiration from summer, and I also have a lot of adulting that I need to catch up on because I deferred things in order to play. 

   My favorite place to do a brain dump is on the big whiteboard in the study room in the library. Something about it being dry-erase makes me feel way less judgy about what’s in my brain. But really, any blank paper will do. If you’re weird and it feels like too much pressure, try using scratch paper.

   

   Usually after I see everything, I am calmer because: (1) it’s not as bad as I thought; (2) now I won’t forget things because I can take a picture of all this on my phone; (3) I can start to categorize and group things, and see what is most time sensitive.

   ADHD brains struggle with “now or never” thinking because ideas are always flitting in and out. Writing things down reduces the anxiety that we will lose a good idea if we can’t work on it right now.

I hope some of these ideas help. I’m really looking forward to sharing more of my holiday planning survival tips, but I’m trying to stay cool.

Until then, if you want to read more, I’ve written about some of my favorite supportive strategies for SAD here.

Finally, two other good memes that I couldn’t incorporate but that were too good to not share.

I’m writing today to share my store because I hadn’t even advertised it here. But I also want to share what held me back from trying this earlier, and encourage those of you who, like me, tend to choose inaction for fear of doing things “the wrong way.”

My ADHD brain comes up with random ideas on the regular. Not all ideas should be acted on, of course, but one of my growing edges is to mellow out on the over-analyzing of the possibly good ideas, and take some action.

The vague notion of trying out an Etsy store to sell disparate things—digital printables, some of my sketches, my “famous granola” (as my niece calls it), or the fragrance-free dishwasher detergent we make at home—had been rolling around in my brain for more than a year, but it wasn’t a clear goal of mine, because I didn’t know if it was a good idea.

I’m so thankful for my creative communities of late (most especially Exhale, and my mastermind group) for regularly encouraging me to simply try things out. (My mastermind group is full of neurospicies who share my idea-churning sensibilities.)

I can be easily swayed by what is the “best” way to do something, and I’m especially influenced by other people’s opinions. A small-business coach had recently dissuaded me from Etsy since it can be an oversaturated market.

I looked into Shopify, but it felt too serious for me right now. Etsy has a comparatively easy entry-point: it cost me $15 to open my store and $0.20 to list my first (and currently, only) product. For a hesitant, Hamlet-like artist like me, that low cost was a sure sign that I should jump in.

Even if I don’t make another sale out of the store, it’s been worthwhile for the discovery that the water’s not so cold out here. I have the immense privilege of being able to play and work in ways that feel right to me. I don’t have to make any money from my art, or work a set number of hours a week on my craft.

People with ADHD and/or are Enneagram 6s can probably relate to feeling like a bundle of contradictions. I covet people who have jobs that make sense to outsiders, but I know I would totally hate it if I had a career like that.

I’m glad it’s not my full-time job to be an artist, though. The very notion of creating something from nothing is ABSURD and terrifying. And yet I—and all artists—feel this pull. We can’t not make things. We feel itchy or depressed when we’re not creating. We feel revived and restored when we are.

For some months, I’ve been mulling over how rarely we see the beginning stages of people’s careers. I don’t know if it makes any sense, but I’m very interested in documenting my weird personal journey of figuring out who I am (maybe more “what I do” because it kind of sucks that in the 21st century I’m not always confident answering "stay-at-home mom” even though it’s an incrediblyvaluablethoughunderpaidjobblahblahblah) because I don’t think enough people share from the unknown beginnings or messy middles.

As someone who’s never thought she had a clear calling, I’ve struggled to feel confident I’m on the right path. But in this last year, I’ve at least felt like I’m on a path.

There’s an endless amount of putting one foot in front of the other. I’m not very good at taking the next step when I don’t see where it’s leading, but I’ve been practicing taking the tiniest step of action even when I’m uncertain of the outcome.

So, no, I don’t know if any of my current or future efforts will amount to anything worth writing about (but I’m writing about it anyway! and that makes me a writer!), but I still think it’s worth making these efforts.

—-

In Mo Willems’ I’m a Frog!, Gerald (the elephant) is very confused by Piggie’s ability to just pretend to be a frog. “You can just go out and pretend to be something you are not!?” Piggie responds, “Sure. Everyone pretends.” Gerald, uncertain, asks, “Even grown-up people?”

Piggie’s reply? “All the time.”

The paradox is that adults pretend to be something they are not all the time, but often in ways we quietly criticize or give the side-eye to.

I have pretended to be a writer and an artist for the better part of a year now, something I didn’t have courage to do when I was 16, or 22, or even 35. (I have Beth Pickens’ book Make Your Art No Matter What to thank for learning to claim that my art doesn’t have to make money for me in order for me to call myself an artist.)

In the last year especially, I’ve been showing up for myself (with the support of my friends, and you readers!)—following whims, taking risks to put myself out there—but keeping as authentic to myself as possible.

There are so many ways to work for recognition and/or compensation; however, I would rather have obscurity and peace than fame with a fractured sense of self. I’m finding little ways to “act as if” while still maintaining my integrity.

It feels so “pretendy” to send an article to a magazine for publication. But I did it! And they published it!

It feels so “pretendy” to call myself an artist. But I’ve produced 91 sketches in the last 6 months and a lot of them are pretty darn good.

It feels so “pretendy” to open up an Etsy store with only one product. But I did it, and one person has already purchased a copy. (And it’s not my mom!)

Starting small doesn’t mean it has to grow. I don’t have to now publish a book, or sell a painting, or make a thousand dollars in sales in order to validate these small steps. They’ve been worth it in their own right.

Small steps matter too.

Is there something you want to play pretend at? Being a(n):

• artist?

• teacher?

• children’s book author / illustrator?

• memoirist?

• hiker / backpacker?

• full-time line dance instructor?

• novelist?

• stay-at-home mom?

• poet?

• CEO or president?

• journalist?

• doctor?

• TikTokker?

• small-business owner?

This is your permission slip to take the teeniest step in that direction. It doesn’t have to become a goal or part of a 5-year plan.

It can just be pretend.

—

With that said, allow me—brand new store owner [with a flourish]—to show you what I made!

I designed a four-page quarterly (digital printable) calendar to help me see the big picture. As an ADHDer who is very prone to OOSOOM (out of sight, out of mind) syndrome, regular monthly calendars fail me. My anxiety rises as I get to the end of the month because I have *no idea* what’s going to surprise me when I turn the page.

I love a calendar that flows right into the next week at the end of the month. Now I don’t have to be surprised about something on a Wednesday or Monday just because it’s the first of a new month.

I use this in my analog planner for one-off appointments rather than regular or recurring events. It gives me a zoomed-out lens on my schedule, and helps me see busier seasons and prepare for them ahead of time.

The first quarter starts with September, October, and November. This will likely work well for families whose school year doesn’t start until September (like mine), but may be unaligned with other schedules. (I primarily did this because I have kiddo birthdays on January 2 and 6 and need to not be surprised.) Please reach out to me if you’d like me to make a custom calendar for you.

If you want to test the calendar out before purchasing, I’ve listed the summer quarter printable on my Substack for free.

Paid subscribers have free access to the full calendar.

Subscribe now

If you’re not a paid subscriber and you’d like to purchase the printable calendar, you can do so at my Etsy store for $3.25. I’m running a 20% off promotion for readers with the code LISADHD20 until July 15, 2024.

Check out my Etsy store

I opened an Etsy store where this printable calendar is listed for sale. However, for my paid subscribers (you!), I’d like to offer this to you for free. I’ll be sharing more about this download on a public post soon.

If you’d like a different month start, please let me know and I’ll see …

Read more

I have zero clue how it’s already mid-May. I know there are parts of the country where school is already out or about to be out, but since we don’t end until June 20, summer hasn’t really been on my radar.

Nonetheless, it will be upon us soon. I’m popping into your inboxes today with a free printable to help with summer planning. It’s a pdf that has three months on one 8.5” x 11” page.

I created these quarterly calendars because I do better when I can see many weeks at a time without the division of months. I explain in this post why the quarters are divided in a less traditional way. It basically revolves around my need to have a calendar never end on December 31st. ;)

//

I can’t believe I’ve used this tool for almost a year, and that it’s time to work on the next one already. I plan to share that resource here for paid subscribers and/or in an Etsy store.

For now, enjoy this free printable and tell me all your summer dreams/plans/hacks!

Summer Calendar 2024

100KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

“Inconsistent performance” is a trait that exhibits itself in people with ADHD1 that refers to day-to-day variability in a person’s ability to meet external and/or internal expectations. 

There are days when a person who struggles with inconsistent performance will be able to follow routines, be on time, and not lose their keys. And then all of a sudden that same person will encounter a day where they are unable to summon the willpower to complete their tasks, routine or otherwise. 

If you struggle with this, you’ll notice that inconsistency can affect even the habits you’ve had established for a while, or the activities that you enjoy doing.

It happened to me this morning: I had been on a roll with productivity, being kind to my kids, setting aside time for creative pursuits and reading, AND managing to also take showers, work out, and make creative meals. (I can’t, however, speak to the laundry situation.)

And then I woke up today, not feeling particularly grumpy (that would have been a helpful clue, haha), yet proceeded to yell at my kids and be exceptionally impatient with them during breakfast.

After sending my two middles off to school feeling like a complete failure, I started spiraling, thinking about the long day ahead. I especially worried about being able to prepare dinner, since I knew I had a volunteering event in the evening which would require me to prepare dinner for my family earlier than normal.

What helped me find my way out of this tailspin was recalling this concept: the proclivity of folks with ADHD to keep up consistent performance.

Perhaps this morning I was just having an “off-day.” What if it was ADHD making me not at my best? Even if I had been doing great the day before, goofing up today did not automatically make me a failure. Instead of blaming myself and furthering the shame spiral, I could acknowledge my ADHD instead. 

Recognizing that it is normal to have an off-day—and more importantly, that it is neither my fault nor caused by me—allowed me to release some of the expectations I had of myself.

I’m all for “we can do hard things” but there are some situations in which “resistance is futile.” Maybe it’s not so much that we succumb to the assumption that we aren’t going to get ANYTHING done today, but that we remind ourselves we aren’t garbage people even if that does happen.

I had wrongly assumed I needed to complete everything on my to-do list. When I paused, I recognized that it would not be the end of the world if I didn’t make dinner. Leftovers would do, and Burger King does not mean I am a failure. And maybe I might still find the time and energy to prepare something

Instead of interrogating my brain about why it couldn’t perform as well as it had been, I tried a different way. I shifted from resistance to acceptance, to use mindfulness language.

I made progress in a very real way that morning, by practicing awareness and kindness towards myself in a moment of fragility.

//

I’m not sure if the experts have a reason for why people with ADHD struggle with inconsistent performance. I wonder if it’s a result of, or exacerbated by, having a consistent routine/schedule—which, paradoxically, is one of the keys to success for all people, ADHD or not. 

Perhaps the dopamine-seeking part of our brain rebels against the consistent expectations (e.g., currently, I am bored to tears making the same brainless crowd pleasers for dinner I know my family will eat). 

Maybe this morning my body was telling me it needed some novelty—not necessarily in the form of sugar or TikTok; rather, it was in some way rebelling against routine.

I realized that many of the things I think I should do during my 2.5 hours of child-free time (i.e, laundry, dishes, dinner prep) can easily be done with my preschooler around. So I asked myself what I truly could not do with a kiddo around. One of the answers was clear: attend to my writing practice. 

So with that clarity, I returned home, did a 10-Minute Putter around the house, a 5-10-15 on my side job, and a few minutes of online shopping as a reward for doing “work.” Now I’m here, sitting down to tell you about inconsistent performance.

I hope this helps you the next time you are having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

P.S. My friend shared ‘s recent post on how she modulates her creative practice based on energy levels. I thought I’d pass this along in case you are looking for practical and gracious examples on this topic.

As a self-taught amateur artist I had never sketched in pen before, because MISTAKES. But two months ago, I stumbled upon Peggy Dean’s book Mindful Sketching in the Libby app. Dean makes the case that using pen forces you to embrace imperfection. My brain read that and thought, sketching seems like a way more fun way to work on yourself than therapy!

Feeling like I had discovered an untapped area of creativity and learning, I decided to capitalize on this opportunity and begin a 100-day-project of pen sketching. (Don’t worry, I didn’t quit actual therapy.)

I knew this would be a big investment of my time and that I would feel like quitting multiple times. It would be the artist’s equivalent of a marathon.

In the early days, all of the lovely feedback from my friends gave me a boost, but by Day 4 or 5, I definitely felt the “what-did-I-sign-myself-up-for dread?” As a mature adult, however, I had predicted this would happen–though not quite so soon–and tried to accept the thought and move forward anyway. Over the next couple of weeks, I had days when it came easy, and days when it was really difficult.

Then, there was the night I got sucked into Instagram looking at other artists’ work. Of course, I was there for “inspiration.” The next day, though, it was noticably harder to sit down for my practice. My brain continually played a loop telling me that I couldn’t possibly measure up, so why even try. Needless to say, I was not engaging in “Mindful Sketching.”

Thankfully, I quickly recognized what happened and reset. (Thank you, therapy!) 

WHAT MY CURRENT PRACTICE LOOKS LIKE

I try to do (or at least start) a sketch first thing in the morning (with my happy light) before everyone is awake. The breakfast-and-school rush sets off a series of dominoes such that if I don’t start before then, the assignment will nag at me the rest of the day. 

Deciding what to draw is definitely the hardest part of the process. Sometimes I’m lucky and I’ve already taken a picture or screenshot of what I want to draw the day before. I also write ideas on post-it notes and tuck them into my sketchbook (an example of breadcrumbs!).

I really like the #sketchyourlife style, but it does come with challenges. Sketching from real life is a LOT harder than sketching from pictures because I have to render what I see into 2D as I bring it to the page.

Sketches take me anywhere from 30 to 120 minutes depending on the complexity, my interest in the subject, how I feel like it’s going, how early I’ve woken up, how invested I am in the outcome. Most of the time, I’m not going much beyond an hour.

I’ve made the mistake a few times of adding too much detail before I’ve finished the major sections of the sketch. I’m learning that it’s better to start with less detail and build up in layers. Still, it can be easy to get carried away, and who doesn’t want to put ALL THOSE BOOKS on those glorious bookshelves??

WHAT ABOUT MISTAKES?

So far I’ve only scrapped a sketch and started over once (a ballerina). I’ve tried to work within the parameters of the medium. If I make a mistake, I keep going, adding a few wobbly lines to make it seem like I meant to do that. ;)

Not being able to erase actually makes pen drawing a lot faster and more efficacious than using a pencil. I have abandoned so many past watercolor projects because the sketching took way too long. So, I’m pretty happy with these imperfect pen drawings that actually get completed.

WHAT IF I MISS A DAY?

From the outset, I told myself that I wasn’t worried about a streak. Rather, I am interested in building up a practice and a portfolio. Putting a rough time frame of 100 days allows me to accelerate my learning and keeps me from giving up before giving myself a fair chance. The project has already pushed me past my previously accepted limits.

I suspect I miss about one sketch every 8-9 days. I just make the call based on other things I’m juggling, usually family stuff, or how my mental health and energy levels are doing.

CREATIVITY BEGETS CREATIVITY

Starting this project has lit a fire under me to pursue other creative projects. Since starting in late-January, I’ve joined an Organizing Specialist Certification class, started sharing more on Instagram (obvs), and submitted an article to ADDitude magazine (my first query letter ever!). 

I also jumped on the bandwagon and ordered myself PowerSheets, a goal planner my mastermind group is obsessed with. (My thrifty self loves that I got it for 50% at the end of February because I don’t need January energy anyway.)

A NOTE ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA AND ADHD

I am primarily an “abstainer”–to use Gretchen Rubin’s language–from Facebook, Instagram, and most other forms of social media because I have an extra hard time not going down rabbit trails and trying to find out EVERYTHING. (One of my Strengths is “input.”) Moderators are able to do things in moderation. That is not me, hence my modus operandi. 

Since recognizing and acknowledging my ADHD, I’m more aware of harnessing and modulating my attention, and keeping track of the time I let my mind wander. As needed, I dip into social media sites, but I always have alarm bells ringing in my head that say THIS IS A VERY BAD IDEA.1

Despite this, doing #the100dayproject has been a great use of Instagram for me. It’s a big step for me to share my art, and to do so using social media.

I have been wondering about having a public account because I really want to tag/reference the people who have inspired me, but I am nervous. (Anyone have any thoughts on this?)

As a practice, I don’t allow myself to open the Instagram app on my phone until I have my next sketch ready to post. The reward for finishing my next sketch is the possibility of seeing hearts/likes on my previous post.

FOLLLOW ALONG

You can find my work—and watch the rest of the project unfold—on my Instagram account. I also welcome ideas/prompts for sketches. Thank you for your support!

I meant to do this about a month-and-a-half ago, in the dead of winter, when you really need to laugh. But life happened, and here we are, a week away from spring. Alas, we can always use a laugh, right?

So without further ado, here are my five favorite stand-up episodes from the last five years, in no particular order.

ONE. Naomi Ekperigin in The Standups 3.2

TWO. Sheng Wang’s Sweet and Juicy

THREE + FOUR. Mike Birbiglia’s The Old Man and the Pool and Thank God for Jokes

FIVE. Jimmy O Yang’s Guess How Much?

With the exception of Thank God for Jokes, all of these were performed (and presumably written) during, or after, 2020, and I think that’s a huge part of why I appreciate them so much. Jimmy O Yang’s piece especially addresses how COVID-19 affected him, turning him into “an old Chinese man.” (I can relate.)

I really hope you enjoy these, especially if you haven’t seen them before. And please let me know your favorite comedy shows in the comments below!