Christmas has come and gone, and with it came a lot of packing. Personally, I’ve always found packing to be something that should be quick and simple – but it never is. I will put one or two things in my suitcase, blink, and the next thing I know I’m scrolling on my phone. Twenty minutes later I suddenly remember that I was meant to be packing. This cycle usually goes on for a couple of hours at least before I am done. But since I am trying to manage things better, I decided to challenge myself this year – and the results surprised me.
First, I put my phone in another room and set an alarm for thirty minutes. Then I told myself I wasn’t allowed to touch my phone until the alarm went off. Honestly, the process was tiring and frustrating. I sat down on my bed more than once. I looked around the room for distractions that weren’t there. But in the end, the results were exactly what I needed.
I’ve said before that my approach to ADHD is the process doesn’t matter as much as the result. And that’s exactly what happened here. I managed to finish packing the main things before the alarm even went off. And once the hardest part was done, the rest didn’t feel nearly as overwhelming. I actually had the whole evening free, which almost never happens when I pack.
It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t effortless. But it worked.
And sometimes, that’s enough.
