Transcribed by https://otter.ai - 1 - Step 3 - The Simple Evening Routine SUMMARY KEYWORDS bag, pack, list, calendar, phone, executive function, morning, leaving, creates, moms, adhd, note, panic, step, stuck, halfway, feel, episode, easier, door SPEAKERS Patricia Sung Patricia Sung 00:02 Welcome back to the disorganized moms guide to a peaceful morning. We are on step number three today, and hey, they're successful Mama, I'm your friend Patricia Sung. I help disorganized moms get their act together one step at a time so that they can feel confident running their family lives, I am so glad that you are here and that you are making your sanity a priority. Today's video is all about packing our bags, we've already overcome some of the common hurdles that we faced in the past and the feelings we were letting go of and the feelings we were bringing in and figuring out where we're going by taking a look at our calendars. Patricia Sung 00:39 If you are feeling stuck, or unmotivated, or whatever negative stuff is starting to bubble up, remind yourself why you're doing this for you, for your kids, or whatever that looks like for you. And when we stay focused on that important goal, then we'll make some changes. Just like going on vacation, we have to pack our suitcase because we'd be super grumpy if you get there. And you can't get in the pool because you packed a parka. Knowing where you're going on this trip tomorrow will help you plan ahead because you already looked at your calendar, you know where you're going, and you know what to pack. Patricia Sung 01:13 So what do you need for tomorrow, I want you to first grab your bag, do you need your purse, your work bag, your backpack, briefcase, diaper bag, gym bag, whatever it is that needs to go with you. And in that container, we are going to put all of the things that you need. Now as you're putting all the things in the bag, you are writing down on a list of the things that you were actually putting in there. Preferably in your phone, that way you can pull it out super easy. Things like your keys, wallet, phone, diapers and wipes. You don't need 53 boycotts just one or two will do. And there's always a store or another mom that you can borrow stuff from, you don't have to pack 100 million things, you might want to take your sunglasses, sneakers, piano book baseball equipment, depending on your personality, you might take this list as detailed as your travel pack of tissues. Or you might just write down the essentials. And you're good with that. Patricia Sung 02:10 

Transcribed by https://otter.ai - 2 - You're gonna use this list over and over again, you're gonna do the work once and benefit forever. The great part is you can add as you go. So you don't have to think of every single thing right now. And I like to keep a Monday list or Tuesday list, in addition to my main list of like things that always have to go. But then things like Monday is soccer. So I only need soccer stuff on Monday. So have these little mini lists. That's another option. If that fits your personality, I really like to use the Google Keep notes feature. If you have that. You can set a reminder on location or on time to remind you to do those things. And so you schedule this on your calendar of when you're going to pack your bag today. And if it's super late night, tomorrow, the question I want you to ask is, what can you match this up with something that you're already doing regularly. Maybe you do this right after the kids go to bed, this is the first thing you do. Maybe you do this right when you get home, you take out all the stuff you don't need and then put it all the stuff that you do need. Patricia Sung 03:13 Find a Time you're already doing something regularly and put this in with it match it up, it's a lot easier to add on to an existing habit than try to start a new one. So find a buddy habit that this can go with. And it'll make it a lot easier to get it done. So that's your one step for today is put everything in the bag, and then write down what you actually stuck in the bag. Bonus if you can throw away all the trash that's floating around in your bag, remove any oddities and random things that have showed up that are lurking around in there. And put your bag by the door from which you exit when you go to the car or bus or wherever you're leaving the house. Put it there right by the door. Patricia Sung 03:55 If you feel comfortable with leaving things in your car, you can also load some of these items into your car the night before because then it's already debt. Anything that's a last minute item, write on a post it note and attach it either to the bag itself or to the door where you'll see it. Personally, I don't put reminders for myself on my phone in the mornings because usually I'm so busy getting everybody out the door that I don't actually check my phone when I'm leaving because I'm in a more stressed state. And it's not until I'm already halfway there. My phone chirps I'm like Oh, I did not bring that thing. So I just use a note stuck on the bag or on the door. Patricia Sung 04:34 So why is this step so helpful? When we take time to think ahead and remember the stuff that needs to happen? Like maybe we need to meal package or return some library books. When we have that space to think about it. It's not that we're already driving past the library when we remember the books it's that we had a chance to think about it ahead of time and get them into the car with us. Also it creates more peace in the morning. because when we can't find something, we run around in a panic trying to find the thing. And let's be honest, we don't look that well when we're in a hurry. So if we're looking for it the night before, we're looking with less panic and a clearer mind, and we'll actually find the thing that we needed in a much shorter amount of time. This also creates efficiency, you can save time. Patricia Sung 05:22 So if you're trying to mill that package, you can do it on the way to a playdate, because that's where the post office is, instead of making a separate trip later on when you realize, oh, I didn't map that baggage. And then when you do something ahead of time, it leaves you just more breathing room in the morning, 

Transcribed by https://otter.ai - 3 - you're lightening your load. And we tend to pack in this many things in this amount of time. So there's always that rush to it. Whereas if we have less things on our plate, and we still give ourselves the same amount of time to get ready in the morning, then we have an easier spirit about us because we're not in hustle mode from the moment we open our eyes. So your one step for today is to decide now and schedule on your calendar or in your note app. Patricia Sung 06:07 When is this going to happen either when you get home, before you go to bed, pack the bag, set the reminder, make the list when you put all the stuff in the bag. We're already halfway done. Look at you being the boss of your day. I love to see how this is working for you. So posting pictures on Instagram or Facebook or in the Facebook group and tag me at motherhood in ADHD with hashtag peaceful mama morning. And that way I can see your progress always makes me happy. Patricia Sung 06:41 Now if you want more info on an arriving home routine, you can listen to episode eight. But don't do that if it's going to overwhelm you. We are going to talk again in two days. So stay tuned for the ADHD moment. All right, for today's ADHD moment, we are talking about planning and planning as part of your executive function. If you're not familiar with executive function, it's basically the CEO of your brain, it coordinates all of the things it's like the conductor of the orchestra, and are so little bit out of sync. So this is us setting up an external system to get things done and plan ahead because our brain doesn't do it on its own. We're bumper padding our weaknesses. Patricia Sung 07:26 Now I love to focus on our strengths. But we can't ignore where we get knocked on our rear repeatedly over and over again because then we don't feel successful. But when we create a bumper pad to keep us from falling off the rails in that area, we feel a lot more successful and a lot more competent. So if you want more information on planning, that's episode 64 of the podcast and an overview of executive function is episode 53. I will see you soon