Wow, an entire day dedicated to writing notes to people or yourself?
Yep!
Well I am the QUEEEN of memos!
Why? Probably because I've had to integrate memo taking and leaving notes to myself to help me run my day to day, since being diagnosed with severe Adult ADHD in 2015. Well, that's not 100% true, I've actually been making memos to myself to cope with this since way before 2015, but at least now I have good reason to tell people to leave my memos ALONE!
Shortly after the diagnosis, I opted not to take medication, making things a little trickier for myself, but that also means my phone, home, and car are overflowing with my little lifesavers, my memos! Memos can be written, sent via text or email, or fax… anyone sends many faxes these days? I have a few fave ways to make memos to myself and would love to hear what you like to do if you have a brain like mine…or don’t.
Before 2015, I put memos to myself in list form on mirrors with a dry erase marker to remind myself to pay bills and run errands, and you could find them on bedroom or bathroom mirrors in any apartment I had from my mid 20’s into my early 30’s. I remember the first time I moved in with a roommate, and she played little welcomed little pranks on me the first few days out of the fun. Well, one was wiping the top thing off of my mirror list, and guess what? A few weeks later, I got a notice in the mail saying I hadn’t paid my car payment that month. Oopsie. I hadn't even noticed my list was altered, LOL! Funny, not funny.
Sadly, the first time my husband (at the time boyfriend) found my mirror list after we had moved in together, he made me quit this memo taking method, but he introduced me to my legal pad method. I thought he’d always liked my mirror lists, but I guess not, haha! But legal pads are great, and I already had a love for 3 ring notebooks for note-taking. Yeah, school days were over, but I did and still like to take notes. The only way I can really remember anything or to stay on task is if it is written in my hand and seen…usually on EVERYTHING, which takes me to my most major addiction for memos to myself, and that’s Post-its!
I know my hubby didn’t like this memo method, but sorry Charlie, this will never die! I have them stuck to anything they will adhere to! The walls of my office, my office chair's seat, on my phone (usually to remind me to check something that's ON my phone), on my laptop, my calendar, legal pad, in my car, anything and everything!
Now, of course, all of the above is for when it is convenient. But when I'm out and can’t find pen and paper or when I'm in bed, I am SUPPOSED to be sleeping and NOT thinking…. I text myself. I have a really long text chain to myself with TONS of notes.
"Traci, do this, do that, don’t forget this, and don’t forget that, love Traci."
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
I know, there really is a method to my madness as cliché as it sounds. But my problem is if I can’t see it, I forget about it. And I need a list for everything and a reminder for everything, and honestly, a reminder for every reminder. I have alarms for EVERYTHING! But as soon as that alarm has gone off, in that tiny moment of silence, there has been an opportunity for something else to come into my mind. If anything interrupts me and I cannot get up to do what was originally intended, then I’ve forgotten. And I have to make a memo on a Post-it to remind myself to do what I was supposed to do in the first place and put it on top of whatever I was working on.
I pulled out a few old notes that were filed, and low and behold, and there were a few post-its on one, which is a pretty good example of what I’ll do while I’m working.
Yes, I file my old legal pads and notebooks. I have a touch of OCD, which is hilarious because it is never “in the right places," as I say, LOL! Hence Post-its all over the place, and I know not how OCD works.
But regardless of your memo taking method, I would like to know what works for you. Also, a nice opportunity to remind you that you never know what people are struggling with daily, and yes, a desk covered in post-its may look like a crazy lady works there, but it may just be the sanest way she can cope and get stuff done!
FYI, this is the first thing I’ve written in a while because today is the 24th day since my latest migraine episode began, and I have suffered from some migraine pain for 19 of 24 of these days. So this blog is more flighty and light because I am not 100% quite ready to sit down for a super well-written piece yet. But I did want to let you into my life a little more and share a story or two.
I hope you are all doing well and taking care. Much love to you all!
If you think you may have Adult ADHD, please contact your doctor. Some people have asked me what my symptoms are, and I am fortunate that I don't have any anger issues. The symptoms that are very annoying to me (and others at times) are that I am very fidgety with my hands, feet, and mouth. I have difficulties with focusing and staying on task, my short-term memory (if I can't see it, I forget it), and of course, my holding my attention. I have anxiety but not panic attacks and sleep issues, which I think is related to the anxiety.
FYI- regarding how I deal with my ADHD, I've taught myself that it's ok to thrive on having many projects going at once. As a child through young adulthood, my mom would get angry with me, complaining that I never could finish one thing from start to end. But the way my brain works and how I feel the most comfortable and happiest is by working on many things at once and going back and forth from one thing to another. It may not make sense to everyone, but it does to me. I am not unable or unwilling to do things other ways; this is just how I prefer to do things and do things the easiest, especially since I am not taking any medication to help ease things from that standpoint.
I hope you got the memo to be kind to all!
Traci