It all started when I had so many tasks to do at work, and always avoided the hardest of the tasks as the easier ones provided that serotonin dump I needed to keep going. I tried making ‘to-do’ lists and tried to best organize it, however, those lists kept growing and list upon lists were created which became overwhelming which caused the system to fail. This was pre-medication for the ADHD, which I saw the neuro-typical peers be able to prioritize tasks and complete them without issue. I thought I must be working 10 times as hard as look at the amount of stuff I had to do. Looking back, it was a simple as they were more organized (even the less organized neuro-typical were better organized than I was) and were able to prioritize efficiently.
I tried many apps in hopes of finding that magic app that will fix all my organizational problems. After many trials of apps, I found the one that I am still using 4 years later. It is an app that is designed for teachers to list their students and be able to randomly select them (I presume to avoid the allegations of favoritism etc…). The magic app is called ‘Popsicle Sticks’, so I started listing all my tasks into that app and would hit the button which randomly gave me a task out of the list I made. I would devote an hour (I would set an alarm on my watch) to the listed item which forced me to work on the more challenging or tedious tasks for an hour. I became dependent on this ‘system’ as for the first time I felt I was in control, which really the app was. The idea is that I don’t spend time trying to decide what I need to do, and just relied on the app to tell me what to do.
This app helped when I became a supervisor and needed to assign projects, as I entered the names and randomly selected who would get the assigned the task, which alleviated the allegation of favoritism, as I explained to them how their names would be selected so they couldn’t argue, which they never did. They did blame the app for favoritism for keep picking their name, but that in the end all the tasks seemed evenly spread out.
I used this app for a lot of things in my life and still do today. I no longer use it for work to the extent as I did, as it helped me move forward to the point where I no longer had to rely on it. I use it for determining what I would put on the smoker, I would list all the categories within the app and hit the button which would push me out of my comfort zone of just doing the traditional recipes. Once I get the categories of the type of meat I was going put on the Traeger (now Pit Boss), I would go to the Traeger app and make the first recipe listed, and of course the rule I made was, if the first recipe was already made then I’d move on to the 2nd and 3rd etc…, again to push me to do things I wouldn’t normally consider doing.
The Popsicle Sticks is how I pick what hobby (Video Game, Books, Movies or Hobby) is next to do. I have two lists to address this. Have you ever scrolled through Netflix as you wanted to watch something then eventually you pick something you’ve see a million times (after a half hour of looking), you picked that familiar selection because that is what’s “safe” and you don’t need to invest anything into it. By picking that safe selection, you are missing out on so much more that you may never experience.
As I mentioned my two lists are:
1. Next Thing To Do (NTTD)
2. Next To Add To NTTD
The NTTD list comprises of 20 things and I limit the number to 20 as it provides enough variety that I don’t get bored with the selections and that its a low enough number that the activity gets selected enough times. This wasn’t always the case, as I was adding to this list which put me all over the map, so I capped it at 20. This is where the other list comes in, when I come across things I want to do or watch, I put it on the Next To Add list, so I don’t forget it.
As I mentioned before, I made my own rules that govern these lists which I have found is key to making them successful and fun. I will explain those rules in the next post and give you my current list so you can see how my list has evolved and how they help me experience things from the past, as well as things from today.
Until next post, take care and be safe!