ADD + OCD And What 5 Minutes Can Do For You

A few months ago I realized I was a mess! My OCD and ADD were overtaking my life! I wasn't getting anything done because I wanted everything to be perfect but while perfecting that oh so important thing (whatever it was at the moment) I would have an ADD moment. I would flitter off over to whatever that shinny thing out the window was. Then I wouldn't return back to that oh so important thing. In a nut shell, everything was half done. Never to be finished.

My house was a mess.

I was a mess.

Then I thought of something so simple. So silly, that it might just be my Saving Grace! I set a timer. Yup, I set a timer. When I hop on my computer, I just turn my timer on for either 5 or 6 min. (It is either 5 or 6 min because the OCD part of me would like the 5 min to happen at 9:00, 9:05, 9:10, 9:15, ect. The 6 min come on, you guessed it, 9:06, 9:12, 9:18, 9:24. And by the way, if you are wondering, there are ten 6 minutes in an hour. That makes it MUCH more even than twelve 5 minutes in an hour!)

Each time the timer goes off, I clean up that number of things. 5 min timer set = 5 things. 6 min timer set = 6 things. This might mean I fold 5 pieces of laundry, or put 5 spoons in the dishwasher then I go to something else for the rest of the time (read e-mails, crochet, or play a game with Caleb) Or if I have something like bills to do or vacuuming I do that activity for the full 5 min. Then relax the next 5 minutes. This means I am cleaning up 60 things in an hour or getting a small project done. 5 things every 5 mins seems so much less scary than 60 things all at once. This way I am not getting distracted either!

I have bookmarked the bomb timer. My kiddos love this bomb timer and have even started cleaning up a few things in their room each time it goes off!

Times that I set my timer:

- Anytime I am on the computer! (I have had my timer go off several times while writing this post)
- While doing a hobby or project
- While watching TV
- While chatting on the phone
- At 3:30 pm when I know I should be starting dinner (I might look up the recipe, then get all items out, then start water, then put ingredients together, then mix them together. So that by the time it needs to go in, all I need to do is get it in and it doesn't feel like I have been just slaving over the stove!)
- So many other times you could use this!

My house has had a dramatic change since starting this a few months ago! We are actually able to invite people over with out having to be embarrassed . We are able to walk around our house with out constantly tripping over something. We are able to take cute photos on the spot AND post them on facebook for friends and family to see (something I wouldn't and didn't do last year because I didn't want anyone to see out mess).


Are you ADD or OCD?? Have you tried a simple, silly 6 minute timer? If not, I encourage you to try it out sometime! Please leave a comment below if you have tried this or have other methods that you have found work.

25 Disney Movie Reward Points

Disney sent out some Boo-nus points today! You will get 5 points for each word you enter for a total of 25 Disney Movie Rewards Points

skully
kitty
clown
felix
mummy

Goals

This week I would really like to establish a routine! Or maybe a list of things I need to get done each day. Something like that.

Also, I have been looking into Money Saving Mom's 31 ways to earn extra cash before Christmas posts and really think these are valid options for me :)

This Weeks Goals :

1. Do all budgeting on Friday
2. 1 load of laundry each day from start to finish
3. All dishes in the dish washer each night
4. Continue to check out Crystal's extra cash before Christmas series and do each to the fullest
5. Keep up on meals and times for child care business
6. Meal Plan
7. Work out 4 days
8. Finish Karen Kingsbury's book Take 3
9. Make Banana Bread
10. Volunteer at Caleb's school
11. Make a list of TTD each day

Hopefully I can get a few of these done this week. It really has helped to have my goals written down for the world to see.

10 Goals This Week

Alright, so I haven't posted my goals in quite a while and I can tell that I have been lacking in motivation. So here I am back at it again. Posting my goals so that maybe I can get something done this week :)

1. Mow the lawn
2. Weed the flower bed and pull out all the dead flowers
3. Put in meals and times DAILY for my business (I have been getting about a week behind)
4. 8 glasses of water each day
5. Go to the gym 5 times and bike for at least 20 minutes of my time there
6. Start dinner by 4:00pm daily
7. Find a way to use up 14 huge zucchini, 30 tomatoes, 4 heads of lettuce, 4 lbs of hamburger, 7 lbs of ham, and 20 lbs of potatoes.
8. Try a new recipe to try and get rid of some of that food!
9. Discharge a few of kids from child care
10. Go to the park (It's starting to get chilly around here and I want to enjoy the park a few more times before summer is over)

Now that I have those listed, I hope this will give me some extra motivation that I need!

Caleb Starts T-ball!

Caleb Started T-ball a few weeks back and loves it! My camera has been missing for roughly those same weeks so I haven't been able to take pictures. The lost has now been found and I am able to share these moments again :)

Caleb has a great support team! Below is a photo of Joel and my mom. Visitors who were not captured in pictures include Jimmy and I obviously, other grandparents, great grandparents, cousins, teachers and friends! :

It was chilly on our first day of practice :

They had them practice swinging at the ball. They had the fence catch all the balls. :

Throwing during practice :

And Learning how to catch as well :

GO TEAM! Caleb is on the Java Cone team this year :

Running Home! :

Caleb is playing pitcher. This is his second time playing pitcher.:

Happy he made it home :

Team Photo :

Caleb and his friend Izzy from our church :

Caleb playing at 1st base. Out At First! Good Job Caleb! :

2012 Goals update - April

1) Finish my house so it can be rented out - We are so close to this. I think with just a few more weeks, we could have the house finished!

2) Pay off Lowe's credit card - Paying off has been a slow process but we are certainly paying extra each month :)

3) See family in Pennsylvania - Saw them in March! It was a blast. Maybe I should right a post about that....

4) Pay off Jimmy's student loans - Still trucking a way at this. Money has been super tight lately.

5) Clean out the down stairs - I have been progressing with this as well! I gave away a lot of baby items to a friend in need. Donated a bunch of dishes to my mom's church who help people in need. And have been giving to Goodwill.

6) Save $2,000 emergency fund - We have officially got $1,000 in our emergency fund.

7) Develop 12 new habits - Um... well... about this....

8) Read 1 book each month - I haven't found my kindle as easy to access as I originally thought. Book from the library are slim picking. And that was going to be my main source of reading material.

9) Exercise increasingly - So up until now, exercise has been pretty on and off. However, I just joined my mom's gym and I am hoping to make the most of it! Today I did 2 miles!

10) Freezer meals once a month - Freezer meals? Not quite. But we did get a ton of carrots at the food truck and I shred those up and put them in the freezer.

11) Make cleaning the house more of a priority - I have been trying this. The living room has stayed pretty clean for the most part and I have been working on folding laundry as soon as it comes out of the dryer.

12) Date night 1 time per month - We went to Chicago in April for a 30 hour date night! We had a great time and a much needed get away from reality. 

13) Record meal and times daily - Well My food lady will be here sometime soon. Although still not daily, I have been keeping up with this pretty well.

14) Plant and maintain garden during summer - Still waiting for it to warm up.

15) Devote 1 night to family game night - We strayed off track with this one. Glad to be looking at my goals today as a refresher for what needs to be done.

16) Get together with friends 1 time per month - While we were in Chicago, we were able to see an old friend!

17) Write down birthdays and send cards - Wow. What a complete fail this has been!

18) Blog increasingly more - Although this was originally one of my goals for this year, I have found this to be put on the back burner these last few months and I have been spending more family time. I think that was a wise trade off.

19) Read with kids at least 3 times per week - We read almost daily in the car before school!

20) Make and keep budget - Jimmy and I just talked about this again last night. We really need to get this going!

21) Learn to knit and FINISH a project - I made a dish cloth!

22) Lose some weight - I forgot to check my weight today. But I don't think I have lost any yet.

That's where I am for the month of April. How have you been doing on your 2012 goals so far? I would love to hear!

MSM's 4 weeks to a more organized home - Day 2

Money Saving Mom has put up an April Challenge to get a more organized home. Although quite pokey, I am getting some stuff done! Day 2 (AKA April 19th lol) Was cleaning out the fridge.

I took this picture 2 days and decided that we had better eat some of that before I even attempt to clean it out! I sure am glad we did waited :) After using most of it and tossing a few things, here is what our fridge looks like today.

Also got rid of another 7 items :)