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lunafaer (she/they)'s avatar

my life is a little better each day because of the tips and knowledge you’ve shared in this blog. 🫶

my small win: i’ve been unemployed since covid and the only income i’ve had the opportunity to earn is as a poll worker. i’ve recently been asked to take a role with more responsibilities in the upcoming midterm u.s. elections. i’m extremely nervous for a number of reasons and was avoiding/procrastinating on the additional mandatory online training. i started by firing up my notoriously pesty laptop and acquiring access to the SOE website- both stressful steps that make it hard to start. then i told myself i could just finish one module of the training and stop if i got overwhelmed. i was up pretty late and finished the entire two hour training on completely new tasks.

i should feel proud but i just feel like a failure who wants a cookie for doing the bare minimum. that’s the effect of decades of being told i’m doing everything wrong.

adhd wisdom tools's avatar

It's a 👍 good start, keep going and get rid of that belief feeling like a failure . It's not true, it's your perspective. I'd suggest go back and read the article on SPARK. It will help you to analyze your thoughts and put them into a more realistic perspective.

Tiny steps lead to tiny wins, more confidence and less overwhelm. And as such, more results in the long run. Take it step by step. 2 steps at a time, not to get stuck on between steps.

CaptionedInCaffeine's avatar

Yep. Totally get this. So much so I added a task manager into my Squirrel Tamer Toolkit to help me deal with my ADHD.

Anything to help get the wins. No matter how small.

adhd wisdom tools's avatar

That's 👍 great!

Can you share with us what you mean with 'Squirrel tamer toolkit task manager'. Sounds really interesting 🤔 and could help so many of us dealing with ADHD.

Thx for sharing this 🙏

CaptionedInCaffeine's avatar

The Squirrel Tamer Toolkit is a series of AI prompts I wrote a while back to help me out. I have a shortcut to it on my phone and use it to launch one of eight modules.

Since I can't attach an image this is the text menu it displays. All menu based and only ever asks 1 question at a time.

---------

WELCOME TO THE SQUIRREL TAMER TOOLKIT.

Select a tool number to begin:

​1. The Panic Button (Triage Mode)

For when you are overwhelmed, paralysed, and everything feels urgent.

​2. Spro Mode (The Task Decomposer)

For when a task feels too big, scary, or vague.

​3. The Reality Check (Time Planner)

For when your to-do list is a mile long and time blindness is kicking in.

​4. The Rhythm Keeper (Focus & Break Manager)

For when you need to start a work session or forget to take breaks.

​5. The Inbox Bouncer

For when you are staring at a message and overthinking the reply.

​6. The Inversion Shield (Reverse Psychology)

For when fear of failure is causing procrastination.

​7. The Parking Lot (Daily Reset)

For the end of the day when you feel guilty about unfinished tasks.

​8. The Victory Lap (End Session)

For when you are done for now and ready to return to the wild.

​🔴 SPRO RESCUE (Emergency Exit)

Type "SPRO" at any time to stop, breathe, and reset.