How can I prompt myself to do something for every day?

Post Reply New Topic

For most of my life, I haven't really known what I can do to prompt or force myself to commit to doing one thing every single day, at one specific time of the day, without failing. It's like every day, even if I might "know" that I need to do something, I am at a point where I don't want to interrupt my current activity just to do that one thing. It's pretty frustrating and happens with a lot of things from getting out of bed to other sort of things. I am afraid to talk to my parents about it because they just say that I need to "force" myself from inside.

I am desperate to find what tools I can use that I will successfully solve this issue of mine. For all my life, I was only "moderately" successful at anything and didn't have as much desire for pursuits like singing/dancing/fitness/acting/any hobby that a lot of people seemed to be naturally inclined from an early age. I want to learn how to achieve things and not give up any energy and keep focus on them.

Buy a record/appliance store in Erie.

Then have a kid who becomes a member of the Wonders (originally the One-ders).

You'll accomplish a great deal that way.


Or get many 300 games, like Bob Learn Jr (a bowler from Erie).

Try to develop routines and stick to them as closely as possible. For example, my husband and I both take certain pills at mealtimes. If we didn't keep the pills right there on the table, all counted out by day (which I do on Saturdays for the coming week), we would forget far more often than we currently do.

For a wakeup routine, I find I often don't really feel awake until I wash my face, and I like to brush my teeth then too. For a bedtime routine, I have pills, certain dental chores, washing and moisturizing my face, etc.

When I load stuff into the car, I always place my keys in a certain place, and check that I have them in hand before I shut the trunk. This is not OCD. This is me trying to reduce the possibility that I will forget and lock my keys in the car.

Using routines reduces the number of decisions you need to make, so actions are easier and even somewhat automatic. Could you develop some routines to get yourself doing whatever it is you feel you should be?

Why doing it at one specific time of day? It's difficult - it can go in the way with things you are doing at that time, interrupting them. Can't the planned activity be postponed even for a few minutes?

Set goals "to do everyday", not "to do everyday at 10AM". And do them between activities. Make a habit of looking at the list everytime you are having a break. Putting the list on your room door might be a good idea - if you open them it usually means you are in between activities, for example you stopped using your computer and are going to restroom or for a snack so you can do the planned thing before playing again, as soon as you are done with the restroom/snack.
And if you didn't manage to do it during the day do it in the evening, before going to bed.

Sometimes, I know I need to do something, but I just can't will my body to do what my brain tells it.

Set an alarm clock. You will at least turn it off. Then, add a pleasant chore. Drinking a glass of water is usually a good idea and only a small interruption. My most regular activity is to mark the position of the sun at noon each day.
However, if your work suffers from interruptions, as is common in engineering, or you have "manic" bursts of creativity, you don't want to learn to switch tracks. A set meal time is enough to keep your body inclined to a 24-hr cycle when it isn't too excited.

Someone with autism, and it's equally true for brain injury, can benefit by using aids in the environment to structure some of one's time and activities. These aids can be either internal (hunger, sleepiness) or external (the sun rising, an alarm clock set for the same time every day).

Your own body contains a circadian rhythm, and it can be re-aligned daily to an external cue (sunrise, an alarm clock, a set bed time, set meal times). Then you can also interact with your circadian rhythm to your advantage, for instance noting what time of day you do your best work and scheduling around that.

Why would an autistic person why to use these tricks? Because we need every bit of help we can get! Secondarily, these tricks roughly align with the structures of society (work starting at a set time), so it may actually help our social success if we can keep to a common timetable.

I have always disliked holidays since they upset my routine, I have trouble when Daylight Saving Time starts or ends, and any big changes in schedule require me to think a lot more about what to do next. Using routine and environmental cues makes me as effective as possible and saves my "executive function" for more pressing matters.

Still, I am thinking about going for a walk around my street this evening, and make it at 20 minutes.
Maybe I should cue it with dinner?

Yes, you could. To make it still more likely to happen, "psych" yourself out by pairing the walk with something highly enjoyable - stopping to buy an ice cream cone, for instance. If not ice cream, then maybe a newspaper, a floral bouquet, a beer, or whatever works for you.