🛰️ Mission Briefing: The Move Is Happening
Things have gotten real. In just a couple of short weeks, I will be moving into my new place. Looking around, I get a sense that I have a lot of things to do to prepare for this move. While this can be overwhelming, I have decided not to allow Dr. Anxiety to make his usual appearance. I’ve made a plan!
⚠️ The Villain: Future-Task Overload
It certainly is very easy for anyone to get attacked by Dr. Anxiety while conducting a move. This is especially the case for those of us who happen to fall into the neurodivergent label. Looking at everything, everywhere, all at once (heh-heh) can derail your focus.
For those of us who have ADHD, there can be a tendency to get swept away with all of the things we need to do. You see, my brain tends to prefer time-travel, and focuses on the big picture way too much. This causes the aforementioned overwhelm feeling to come into play, which makes Dr. Anxiety swoop in and tell you it’s pointless to try—everything must be done now!
I see you, Doctor. Not today.
🛠️ The Strategy: Assign the Days, Not the Worry
I started to hear the sinister footsteps of Dr. Anxiety approaching tonight, as I realized I have two weeks left before I move. Instead of listening to his mockery, I decided to do something different: ignore him and focus on what I can do about it.
The plan is to only do the tasks assigned for the day. I don’t want to get swept up in another task that would take focus away from what I should be doing right now. That’s another day’s problem! If it’s not on today’s mission list, SuperMell does not engage!
📅 Mission Structure: How I’m Breaking It Down
I created four new lists in my Chores Reminders app on my iPhone: one for bedroom, one for living room, one for kitchen, and the last one for bathroom. Then I created a bunch of subtasks for each room listing all the things that need to be completed for that room. After that, I decided to figure out what day would work best for each task, or when I would want to tackle a room. Not long after, I had a list of chores to do separated by dates.
After I assigned the tasks dates on the app, I checked out the items due per day, and wrote them down in My Little Book of All the Fucking Things I Need to Remember notebook for the move. I noticed the lists weren’t that long after all! These lists are very doable. There’s no need to feel overwhelmed if I just stick to the schedule for a day. And there is plenty of buffer room in case I have a low-energy day.
🧠 The Rule I’m Following (And Protecting)
I don’t have to be perfect. I don’t have to get everything done tomorrow. The rule is simple: Focus on what needs to be done on this day. Don’t allow future tasks to interfere with today’s. No stacking tomorrow’s stress onto today. Just trust the plan as it is written.
🐾 Diana’s Role in the Mission
As always, Diana is often the most cool/zen person I know. She doesn’t worry about what needs to be done tomorrow. The only worries she has is whether or not there’s food in her bowl. Relax, sweetie, there’s plenty of food left in the bowl… Diana is the definition of staying present. She’s also very unimpressed with future plans. She is noticing the addition of extra boxes though…
🚀 Final Thought: One Day Is Enough
SuperMell has decided to only fight today’s battles. What is the point of worrying about things to come if they haven’t come yet? Progress doesn’t require panic. Dr. Anxiety can take a hike! I don’t need to do everything today. One completed mission at a time still gets you to the final destination.
What’s one task you can assign to today, and what can wait?
