This is an admission of sorts. The kind of thing that I am owning up to in the hopes that someone else can benefit from my honesty.

It’s no secret that I am struggling this winter with Seasonal Affective Disorder. One component of it that is driving me completely crazy is my inability to focus. It is something that plagues me at times, but this is a whole new level of it. Mornings are the worst. When the morning goes wrong, the whole day heads south – where I wish I was.

On and off, for many years I have turned to Flylady.net and Side Tracked Home Executives for tools, tips & resources to manage my day – and my life. There were times when I adhered to their advice and models very strictly and these things saved my life. I have learned habits and behaviors that have stuck with me and carried me through some very rough patches. Lately, I’ve reinstated many routines and I have begun using a very basic list.

My list is the same every morning. It is laminated and I use a dry erase marker to cross off my tasks. Sitting in front of my therapy light, re-starting the laundry, unloading the dishwasher, getting some form of exercise and getting dressed to my shoes are all on my list. There are others. Some are too pathetic to mention – but they need to get done. These tasks are things, that through trial and error, I have identified as tasks that start the ball rolling in the right direction and I seem to be able to gain some momentum.

If you can do the basics easily and as a matter of habit – good for you! If you are someone who finds yourself in your pjs at noon with not a whole lot crossed of your ‘to-do-list’ – AND YOU LIKE IT THAT WAY – carry on 🙂 But, if you are in my boat – and I know I am not alone – and you could use a little hand holding to pull you through the mundane mornings of life – make yourself a list and cross things off it like your life depends on it.

Because sometimes it does.