TL;DR:

 

Problem: You get out of the shower and have forgotten to wash your hair, shave your legs, or some other vital part of showering.  Or you get to work/school/wherever and realize you’ve forgotten to brush your teeth/brush your hair/shave your face/you name it.

Solution:  Using a dry erase marker, write each distinct step of your shower routine, morning sink routine, and evening sink routine on the shower wall, mirror,  etc.  If you don’t have a glass wall in your shower, a small “fog free unbreakable mirror” is an option, too.

 

Full Story:

 

Yes, I was the girl that had spare deodorant in her desk drawer at work, in each car, in every gym bag, and even in the downstairs bathroom.  I had toothbrushes stashed everywhere for the same reason.  I frequently reached my destination, only to enter the building wondering, “Did I remember to brush my teeth?”  

 

I’d FREQUENTLY, like once a week or more, get out of the shower with my hair still dry!  My showers also ran about 15 minutes, with long stretches of me thinking, “What was I doing? What’s next?”

 

These two ADHD hacks changed everything.  I have to say, this is one idea I’ve never seen anywhere else.  I’ve not read or heard about in any of the books/audiobooks/or blogs I’ve frequented.  And it is a HUGE WIN for me every day.

 

First, figure out what you need to accomplish while you are in the shower, in the correct order.  For me it is:

 

Rinse hair 

Wash hair 

Condition hair 

Shave 

Wash Face 

Soap up body 

Rinse everything

 

Write this in dry erase marker on your shower wall (if you have one), in reverse handwriting on the outside (easier said than done, I realize).  If you are using a fog-free mirror, you’ll want a fine-tipped marker, but otherwise, I feel like the chisel-tipped markers are best.

 

 

Now, I get in the shower and never lose track of where I am in the sequence of what needs to be done.  I never wonder, “What comes next.” I just go to the 

The best part about this is that my shower now taxed about 6-8 minutes…down from 15.

 

Then do the same thing for what you need to accomplish in the morning at the sink.  My morning list looks like this:

 

And my evening list looks like:

 

It’s really that simple.  Since it’s dry erase, just wipe it off and make changes when you add or remove tasks.  For example, I added flossing once I got all the other parts of the routine under my belt.  Easy change.

 

Side note: Don’t bother trying shame me about the messy shower/mirror/etc. This was a huge improvement from where I was, and now I’m even more improved than where I was at that point.  Soon I’ll be even better.  So, feel free to waste your time sending messages or comments about the mess, but it won’t land.