Reply To: So much to do…

[blackdog]

@doublel

I meant to tell you before how much I like your lottery ball words description. I sort of think of it as going through a filing cabinet searching for the right file. But lottery balls describes it better.

As usual, I don’t actually remember what I was going to say when I said I have more to say. Things tend to get lost on the journey from short term to long term in my brain.

I believe your husband thinks that he is helping when he does those things, that he doesn’t mean to criticize and treat you like a child. Have you tried talking to him and telling him how you feel? Just let him know that you appreciate his help and advice but that you feel like he’s treating you like a child sometimes. And explain to him why you do the things you do, like losing track of time.  Knowing the why really makes a difference.

There are things you can do to help too. Using alarms like Larynxa mentioned, for example. Another thing that I do is talk things out with myself. As I am getting ready to go I’ll go over what I have to do step by step- “Okay, first I am going to go to Canadian Tire and then up to Dollarama. Then I am going to go to the pharmacy and pick up my medication….” Of course, my family is used to seeing me talk to myself so I don’t need to worry about looking like I’m losing it.

And I make lists. Lots of lists. I write down what I am going to buy when I go shopping, grouped into categories and listed under the name of the store I am going to buy it at. You can do this even when it’s a last minute thing. As soon as you think “oh, I need to go to Costco for…” stop, get a pen and notepad out and write it down. And make a note of the time and how long you think it will take. Then add at least an extra 15 minutes to that time, ’cause you know you’re going to get derailed somewhere along the way.

The forums are full of tips and strategies that have worked for others. Nothing is ever going to work 100%, but you can get better if you work at it.

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