Monday, August 3, 2009

DH claims I have ADHD. I am kind of an expert on the issue, and I don't think so. BUT, I can maybe see where he gets that diagnosis, and I am working on tackling my focus issues. I believe I am not alone.
How many times have you worked at straightening up the house and on the way to somewhere, say with a load of laundry, you notice something out of place. So you move that about, head back for the laundry and get side-tracked by some other duty. I have, on occasion, been very, very busy all day, and at the end of it discovered that it really looks like I got nothing done. Flylady refers to this syndrome as being SHE (side-tracked home executive.) Imagine if aliens were spying on my house -- they would see me busy as a bee but they'd never be able to figure out what my original task/goal was.
I used to pride myself on often doing 2 things at once-- eat breakfast and make the grocery list; answer email and balance cheque book; fold laundry and talk on the phone etc. I thought I was being productive. I think not so much productive as side-tracked and probably less effective (my apologies to those who were on the phone while I focused on a load of whites!)
Solution? I am concentrating on only doing one thing at a time. If I'm loading the dishwasher then I don't wipe down the counter until the dishwasher is loaded. If I'm gathering laundry then I just make a note to come back to the bathroom when the load is in. I've been at my One-thing-at-a-time for about 2 weeks and I really have no idea if anyone else in the house has noticed (or the aliens for that matter) but I have noticed a difference. Less hurried, less stressed, more accomplished off the to-do list and faster.
Yeah me...although I've heard that Ritalin can be a wonder drug....

2 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, KB, that is me, to a "T". Busy all day, and very little is off the list. Of course, this time of year, I get alot of interruptions; "Can you give me a ride/pick me up at Farm A?" or "Can you go get a part for me at Business B?". Currently, that will be my excuse. However, I may try your One Thing at a Time. Otherwise, can we get a bulk discount on the Ritalin??

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  2. That is so me today. If you asked I would tell you that I spent the entire day cleaning but I'm looking around right now and the house still looks like a wreck. In fact, it might actually look worse than it did when I started.

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