Following me around the house on any typical day and you will see that I bounce from one thing to the next.

I always thought this was just a normal mom thing because everywhere you look there is something that needs my attention.

But recently I realized that I likely have ADHD and that is likely more the reason than just motherhood.

I have pinball brain. Hamster wheel brain.

I got home from work and there is soooo much that needs my attention but after about 1.5 hours I have not got much completed. I have started things but not finished. In all fairness this is motherhood because often our time is not our own. “MOM, where’s my googles?” “Mom, can you take me to theater?” “Mom, can you make me a smoothie?” Then add in our digital life. Ding. Hmmm…. I wonder who just texted me. Oh let me respond real quick. Did I reply to the teacher’s email? Oh man, I gotta check the beef in the garage fridge and see what the expiration date is. WHAT IS THAT SMELL?!? Shut the door, you’re letting in flies!!! (for literally the 7th time today). Good Lord, another hot flash, when is Walgreens going to get my estrogen patch in? Oh those bananas look uber ripe. I gotta freeze them. Good night, my purse is so overdue to be cleaned out. I need to wipe down the island. I need to clear that counter. I need to clear off the clutter on both of the living room shelves. Eww… the bottom of the recycling bin is gross. I am going to wash that out. Oh, my friend is calling. I better answer since no one calls anyone. Hmm… should I be writing right now when I have a ton to do but writing brings me joy. Why is my dog barking nonstop at the kids in the pool?

Seeing how scattered I have been, I realized I needed to write a quick to do list of the 4 most important things to focus on. Writing was not on my to do list yet here I am but when inspiration comes, I gotta roll with it. I will get to the other stuff.

This quick list on my dry erase calendar on my fridge helps me to focus. Kimi, lock in, you’re busily moving around but you want to get the most important done because it is too easy to do random crap like wipe down your fridge. The other day I texted a photo of my spotless fridge to my siblings and said, “you may have ADHD when you know you have 3 loads of laundry to put away and a sink full of dishes you are avoiding but you choose to declutter your fridge photos and organize your magnets. My sister said something helpful, “Sometimes that is the best. To do what feels good vs what needs to be done. I love a good organizational sess- feels good to me.” So true but I can live in that space and not get to what I dread.

I find that if tell myself I can do that more fun task after the dreaded task it helps me to just tackle it.

2 of my kids also have ADHD so when they say they will do it later- no they won’t. So trying to tackle my own task avoidance while managing theirs is a pain in the butt.

I did end up completing my top 4 essential things. I think I need to do this more to help me focus.