The importance of timers
In Getting Shit Done with ADHD, I talk about how one of the most important tools in my ADHD toolkit is a smart watch.
I use my watch to set timers for everything.
- Put laundry in the wash? Set a timer to switch it.
- Put food in the oven? Set a timer to take it out.
- Need to leave for an errand in an hour? Set a timer.
- Don’t want to forget to drink, eat, or use the bathroom? Timer.
For example, yesterday, I started a load of laundry because I was literally out of clean clothes to wear.
Siri, set a Laundry timer for 1.5 hours.
After 90 minutes, my watch vibrates repeatedly with a notification labeled “Laundry.”
But… I was in the middle of writing yesterday’s newsletter article, and didn’t want to stop. Instead of just stopping the alert and continuing writing, I took a second to set another timer for 5 minutes.
I finished the article… and completely forgot about my laundry! But because I set a timer, I was reminded to go switch it a minute or two later.