once unorganized: lists for the reformed list maker

I used to make lists for everything. Compulsively. It was one of the only ways I could get things done, and feel accomplished. As well as a crippling crutch fueling anxiety, because I couldn't do anything without them. Lists are a personal way I have learned to cope with ADD and Anxiety, but they only keep me from learning to think calmly, in a focused manner, by allowing me to hyperfocus on this one thing. I now try to avoid the habit, but not lists all together, because they can be a helpful tool, and more importantly because the point is balance not neurotic avoidance.
As I realised I had a hindering addiction, the questions then became for me How do I go about my day productively without them? and How do I remain focused, through my jumping thoughts?.  I cannot explain the struggle this has been for me, especially in the Home environment where I can seemingly have no end goal, and no one to tell me what to do. There are no daily tracks to follow. I have to make my own. I'm confident that I am succeeding, and here's my list of the answers to those questions:

1.To begin with I keep a calender, which to those calender-keepers may seem obvious, but before I did this, it never occured to me how much I was keeping up there in my head for my thoughts to jumble through. Something I have learned from one of my therapists (our couples therapy) is that if you dont set aside time for things, you will spend more time stressing over finding time for them, than actually doing them.

2. I am aware of what any day should look like. I know I have to make time to walk the dog, eat and get dressed, tidy up, there should be time for play, and time for chores. I let the day be divided in half by our late morning nap, where, depending on how I feel that day, I either sleep with Olive, or I allow myself much cherished personal time. I never do anything I would describe as work while Olive naps. Afterward we go out. Be it a trip to Nana's, a walk, or an appointment. I try to schedule things for the afternoon as opposed to the morning, to help maintain that daily flow. I know if I dont make it home by 5 or 5 30 to make supper, it will not get made. After Olive goes to bed for the night, I try to relax again, to allow my brain a switch from daytime Work-home to nighttime Home-home. Which I think is key for anyone who 'works' in their house, and helps with my sleep troubles.
I think of it all as a daily blueprint, its flexible and always a little different, but the same things get done, and the effect it has on me is unlike any point form list because I do not feel chained to it.

3.In terms of chores, just like my day, I also have a blueprint for the household tasks that keep us  moving. I have to know what has to be done on what kind of regular basis so that I dont run into some kind of pile-up. I have 3 things I try and hope to do everyday; some dishes, some laundry, and sweeping (oh how I ever have to sweep!). They will pile-up if I dont, and they sometimes still pile-up when I do. I know I should try and give the bathroom a clean once a week, and the same goes for mopping. There's also regular baking, which I hesitate in calling a chore, and many other home things like budgeting, gardening, and purging. I've found the important part is that I know how often I need to do things. This tecnique I actually learned from Martha, in the Homekeeping Handbook, where she meticulously lists and divides household tasks into seasonly, monthly, weekly, and daily chores. Of course, I am no Martha.

4. Lastly, I am forgiving when I miss, and forget, and get lazy. Always trying to look ahead not backwards. Nothing about this works perfectly, but I can move freely through the idea of it.

 Funny enough I do still make many lists. Mostly when I am suddenly overwhelmed, or on days when I have many errands, and I feel comfortable with those list. They make sense. There was a time where my lists contained things like eat lunch or shower, things I shouldn't need a list to tell me to do. Now I've got my mental blueprints. ; )