I'm Jaren, a neurodivergent Mom of neurodivergent kids going back to school in my 40's. In this series, I'll be posting about things that make my life easier. Kinesthetic Learning I had just turned 42 when I learned what I'm about to share with you. I mean, technically, I've seen bike-desks and walking-desks for years, and have used them myself for work-related things, but I never thought about using movement for the express intent of improving my memory . A friend of mine who sat next to me in my Licensed Practical Nursing course would occasionally get up and walk around the back of the classroom during lectures and, one day, I asked him why. He said it was how he learned best. He was a kid who had difficulty sitting still in class, and instead of his parents trying to change him to fit the school, they fit the schoolwork to him. Each day after school, they'd have hime walk around the house with his school materials. That's how he studied. It paid off, because let me tell you, I have never seen this guy take notes and he's a total whiz. So, in an effort to kill two birds with one stone starting on my 42nd birthday, I decided to take my schoolwork to the gym (yeah, this year I decided to get fit!) and study while I warm up on the treadmill before my weightlifting routine. My, oh my. What a difference. Here's a screenshot showing how I study my nursing notes while I'm warming up at the gym for 20 minutes. 10/10 would recommend! This is the magic of kinesthetic learning. Does it work for everyone? I have no idea. I'm hoping you'll try it out and let me know. Most stairmasters, treadmills and stationary bikes have ledges on them where you can rest your phone. That's where I rest my binder (which I'll be talking about in a future episode for better note-taking). Do I get weird looks? Probably. But I'm getting A's in all my classes, y'all. What do I care? -Jaren

I'm Jaren, a neurodivergent Mom of neurodivergent kids going back to school in my 40's. In this series, I'll be posting about things that make my life easier. Now that I'm in school full-time, I appreciate just how exhausting it is for our kids. Expanding our brains constantly is hard work! To make organization easier, my son and I came up with a two-pocket system for filing classwork because expecting him at (then) 10 years old to be a master at filing and organizing sheets into a binder with tabs was causing all kinds of headaches. So I asked his teachers if we could simplify, and they agreed. Here's how the Folder Method works: Step One: All paperwork for the week, including printouts, notes, you name it, go into the left pocket of the folder, labeled "THIS WEEK". Step Two: On the weekend, after we do a full review, we then stack everything together neatly and staple it (or secure it with a paperclip), write down the week number or the date at the top, then move it over to the right side, labeled "ARCHIVE". Complete! Once the right side gets too full, we remove older weeks of archived work to a folder or notebook at home. I couldn't find an empty folder (kids are at their father's) so I made a mini one out of paper scraps to show you. I hope this helps. Since we started using this method two years ago, my son has graduated to more involved methods of organizing and now confidently files things away the same as his peers. Sometimes we just need to stop and simplify things before we can move forward. :) -Jaren

I'm Jaren, a neurodivergent Mom of neurodivergent kids going back to school in my 40's. In this series, I'll be posting about things that make my life easier. Some of us struggle with getting dressed in the morning. I struggled for ages for all types of reasons, but mostly it came down to these three: 1) I had too many clothes in my closet to choose from This ultimately overwhelmed my system and would lead to stress attacks that affected my entire day. What a way to kick off a Monday. What to choose? Too many options. 2) The clothes I did have were not comfortable I wouldn't wear them even though I adored the way they looked. Pleather? Not in a million years. Too sweaty. 3) I didn't know what my style was I still don't know, because I don't really care. I dress primarily for comfort. But with some help from Pinterest and AI, I was able to curate a few looks I easily repeat with what I do have each week. Without a headache. *I've included my AI prompt at the end of this post. So, how did I streamline getting dressed in the morning? With the help of my kid, actually. I write about it here in my book . To sum it up, I was fighting with my daughter every morning (she was 5 at the time) about what to wear for school. When you fight with kids, you always lose because they don't use logic when making decisions. They use emooooootion. So I got smart one day and invited her to join me in putting laundry away, and boy, did we have fun! This is how we developed the Hanger Method. The Hanger Method We grabbed a hanger (or two, depending on needs) and she chose: A bottom (pant, skirt, short) A top (t-shirt, longsleeve,) A sweater in case And a pair of underwear around the top of the hanger. BOOM! One outfit complete...minus socks (which we keep near the front door - check out day 29 of 30 for details). Pictures of my kids' shared wardrobe back in 2016 using the hanger method My daughter loved choosing what to put together, and I loved that she wasn't fighting me. By the end of our laundry adventure, we'd created seven different outfits, one for each day of the week. Each morning, she would skip over to the closet, grab one of the outfits she "designed" and merrily get dressed. By herself. Hallelujah. Then, I thought, why don't I just do the same thing for myself? Duh. So that's what I do now. I use the hanger method , seen in the video above, but you can also use one of those hanging closet organizers with the 5 or 7 cubbies. They also work, unless you are including bigger outerwear, like heavy jackets. This is not an ad. I'm not getting paid to show this - just linking an easy one I found on Amazon. Every morning, I blindly grab an outfit and that's what I wear for the day. They're all comfortable, so I don't care which one my hand lands on. Just hang a few outfits already assembled and...voila! So there you have it! If you need a prompt for AI, you can use mine and adjust accordingly. "I am in my 40s and need help curating my wardrobe. I care most about comfort, but I would like to be able to wear something appropriate for a workplace setting. I do not wear high heels or tights. I do no carry a purse, and I do not like super feminine clothing, though I do like a femine accent piece. I tend to lean more minimalist in terms of style. I prefer a few timeless pieces over many trendy one. Can you help me curate a capsule wardrobe that will allow me to style 20 different looks using minimal options?" After having checked the list of items from the feedback given by AI, I pick through what I have already and thrift the rest (because I love an excuse to go to Value Village or Good Will). Let me know how it goes and if this post helped! Bonus points if you have other, even better ideas for making mornings more fun and less stressful when getting dressed. I am on this planet to learn. -Jaren

I'm Jaren, a neurodivergent Mom of neurodivergent kids going back to school in my 40's. In this series, I'll be posting about things that make my life easier. Today's particular post might sound a little silly, but it has saved me hours of cleaning, searching, hauling things back and forth, etc. If you have thirsty kids, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about: the water glass. The answer to running out of water glasses during the day is not to buy more water glasses. I know. I've made that mistake more than once. The answer is not even to have a designated spot on the counter for every person't water glass, because they will inevitably get displaced and end up under a teenager's bed next to the eight other water glasses they "forgot" to bring back into the kitchen. No, the answer is to write your name on them in permanent marker. Don't worry, it comes off, so long as the glass isn't textured. This solution does two things really well: ONE: It prevents everyone in the house from mindlessly grabbing an extra glass out of the cupboard because they can't remember where they put the last one (most of the time) TWO: Even more importantly, it keeps the users of those glasses responsible. No more "I didn't put that there!" and "It's not mine!" It has your name on it , homie. It's yours. Did I mention how much space in my dishwasher is saved for other things now? Or how much less time I spend hand washing? Spend your time doing something better, like watching Heated Rivalry. :) Jaren

I'm Jaren, a neurodivergent Mom of neurodivergent kids going back to school in my 40's. In this series, I'll be posting about things that make my life easier.  What can I say? The news is getting to me. All last week I was feeling helpless, and then, as I was going over what to present for the 30 Days of Things That Make My Life Easier , I realized I could use my own tool to pull myself out of feeling hopeless and helpless, so I hit record and walked through the entire process ( 9 steps to transform your thoughts ) in this video right here. I call this process Loop Breaker. Here it is. Btw, you can purchase the paper copy here  if you want to support my small business, but I am also happy to share the digital version here  if you’re more of a digital organizer. It’s quite easy - you just follow the prompts of Loop Breaker working from left to right. Click on the digital version linked above to see a sample. Here are the prompts: Area of Life This could be General, Friendship, Romance, Pet Ownership, Art Creation, Work, etc. What I hear/tell myself. My Loop. This is what I’m hearing over and over again. Either from myself or from others. Things like critical self-talk, something I perceive as criticism, etc. How it makes me feel This is pretty self explanatory. I try to keep it down to one or two emotional descriptors like: angry, sad, worried, anxious, helpless, hopeless, etc. What is the self-limiting belief behind this? These loops don’t just come out of nowhere. There’s almost always a self-limiting belief behind them. Identifying them can be tricky, so sometimes I just ask myself what the most insecure version of myself is feeling in that moment. Do I truly believe it? This is where I get to challenge that insecure version of myself. I get to ask my soul what it really thinks. And let me tell you, it almost always puts its arms around me in a warm hug and lets the insecure side of me know that everything is alright, and that I don’t really need to believe what I think.  Eating Well? Hydrated? Sometimes my blood sugar is low and dehydration prevents me from thinking clearly. Easy fix. Getting good sleep? This is so important. Good sleep can change my mood entirely. Sometimes I just need a damn nap. Anything I can do differently?  This is where I can take responsibility for my thoughts and actions (or inaction). I need to be real here. What can I do to change my outcome? How can I reframe this into a better-feeling thought? Present tense. This is where the magic happens. I’ve walked myself through the process and now I get to partner with my soul to rewrite how I want to think and feel. I write it in present tense as if I already feel that way. After some repetitions, I start to really feel it. And if I forget, it’s easy for me to flip through the pages of the book and reread the column full of all my new thought patterns as a reminder of how I’m choosing to reframe issues in my life. I hope this helps. Really and truly. This tool has helped me so much in the past as I’ve navigated my anxiety. I have an even more advanced version in mind down the road, for those who want to take this method even further. Join the newsletter and I’ll keep you updated. Thanks for sticking around. Take care of yourselves during this chaotic time in the world. -Jaren P.S., I'm adding these AI-styled photos of my book for you to Pin, if you feel so called. :) Thank you #AuDHD #Adhd #trasnformyourself #loopbreaker #savetheworld

I'm Jaren, a neurodivergent Mom of neurodivergent kids going back to school in my 40's. In this series, I'll be posting about things that make my life easier. Today's thing that makes my life easier: earplugs. Today's post rides on the tails of yesterday's in that it has to do with reducing overwhelm. Of course, it has another important benefit - saving my hearing. As a voiceover artist who works with my ears for a living, this is imperative. Here are three kinds of earplugs I use, depending on my needs. Explained below. When I was a kid, I went to a lot of loud spaces with my Dad: concerts, ball games, shows, you name it. We never had earplugs, so we would find napkins or toilet paper somewhere in the facility and make our own by rolling the paper, making sure the plugs were long enough to stick out from the ear so we could remove them easily. Now, I use the store-bought kind. I keep a pair in the kitchen, in my purse, in my car, in my bookbag, and next to my bed. 5 Reasons I wear earplugs: 1) Better self-regulation. They help me self-regulate when those around me (*coughs "my offspring") whine about chores. Whiny frequencies are usually pretty specific, so if I don't hear them as well, it's better for all of us. 2) Better breathing. Somehow, the sound of my own breathing calms me. In meditation, we focus a lot on the breath. I like to focus on how it sounds from inside my head, which then calms my nervous system, and deepens and slows my breathing. 3) Better vision. Hear me out. Has your vision ever been affected by loud noise? Happens to me all the time. This is one of the reasons I don't listen to music, especially while driving. WHAT?! I know. My kids hate being in the car with me unless they have their own music and earbuds. 4) Better Sleep. My kids are allowed to talk to their friends on the phone past my bedtime (I prefer that to texting). But my house is small and everyone can hear everything...ish. My perimenopausal a** doesn't need to make the whole house suffer just because I want to go to bed early every night. A good pair of earplugs = win-win for everyone! 5) Better exam results. Whaaa? Those of us with sound processing sensitivities know the special type of hell that is the sound of pencil tips dragging across papers during exams in lecture halls. Also, the sound of tapping pens, tapping feet, mouth breathing...I could go on but I'm getting irritated just replaying it all in my head. A good pair of earplugs allows me to focus on the exam at hand and not the noises that distract me and turn me into a monster. Look at that little pile of earplugs. Types of earplugs and what I use them for: 1) Professionally molded earplugs (pictured below) I had these made nearly 15 years ago and I don't go anywhere without them because they are great for loud places (like nightclubs) where I still need to converse (with promoters, club owners, managers, etc.). These earplugs have traveled the world with me. They know me better than I know myself. I've named them Tina and Fey and they always have my back. RECOMMENDATION: They're comfortable for longer wear because they're molded to your ear canal, but I would never consider sleeping in them because the material is not a very soft silicone. It's slightly more rigid. They're also very expensive, but if your job depends your ability to hear well, invest. Holding Tina in my left hand. Fey (not pictured) is being covered by my thumb. 2) Silicone earplugs There are so many types. I have the mock Loops (not pictured) and several of these pink, alien-looking things. I bought them because they have this loop piece that fixes on the inside of the ear like a hook, holding them in place a little better than my Loops. They look like they might reach inside your head and tickle your brain, but they don't. They've very comfortable and I'm wearing them right now while I type. RECOMMENDATION: Great for test-taking. Probably great for sleeping, too, depending on your ear shape, because they can't expand and they're soft. I'll explain more about that below with the foam ones. Also, inexpensive. These babies look intimidating, but they've very comfortable. 3) Foam earplugs I have them in pink and orange and blue. I bought them at Home Depot. They're great for working in very loud spaces, but not great for having conversations, in my experience. They are wonderful when they're soft and not dried out (so keep the packaging airtight). I keep a little pill bottle of these (unused) in case someone in my class forgets theirs during an exam. I have given out more than you would imagine. RECOMMENDATION: I used to use these for sleeping, but my ear canal would be sore in the morning from the expansion pressure of the foam, so I switched to soft silicone. Also great for test-taking and they're inexpensive for the quantity when you buy them at Home Depot vs. the regular pharmacy. Or at least it's that way here in Canada. Easy-peasy foam earplugs. Can get them at the pharmacy or hardware store. So, there you have it. Earplugs make my life much more enjoyable. What are your favorites? What do you use? -Jaren For more tips and tricks, be sure to check out the rest of this 30-day series! #earplugs #30days #sanitysaver

I'm Jaren, a neurodivergent Mom of neurodivergent kids going back to school in my 40's. In this series, I'll be posting about things that make my life easier. Today's post is kind of a weird one, but it's helpful to me. Especially during stressful political times. My current Emergency Audio Card The Emergency Audio Card I carry what I have affectionately dubbed The Emergency Audio Card around my neck on a keychain wherever I go. It accompanies my bus pass, my school schedule and school ID. On it, there are 6 QR codes. Each QR code leads directly to a piece of audio I find soothing, depending on the extent of my overwhelm. Here's what I have on it, currently: For frustration - I play this when my system is overwhelmed and on the grumpy side. Like when I'm walking through Costco, where people don't know how to walk faster than .2 mph for some reason. ( Malte Martin and Konstantin Rössler ) For anxiety - I play this when I have general unease and want to feel more safe and grounded. I just listened to this on my sofa while cuddling my dog after freaking out about the news yesterday. ( Chantress Seba ) Study Music - I play binaural beats because I can't study with music or my brain likes to join in and I get distracted. 5-Minute Meditation - I change this one now and again to various 5-minute breathing meditations for a quick fix. 11- Minute Healing Meditation - I just love David Ji. I woke up to one of his meditations on autoplay years ago thinking it was Gob from Arrested Development and laughed my a** off and have been a fan ever since. This Destructive Thoughts Meditation , also from David Ji. Couldn't you just create a Spotify playlist? Sure, whatever floats your boat. (I avoid Spotify because f*ck the CEO who makes 235 million dollars a year while artists make .003 cents per stream.) But having a QR code gives me direct access to what I want when time counts and I need something STAT. When I'm overwhelmed, the last thing I want to do is search for a playlist. If what I need is right in front of me, it becomes a tool. Print your own using Canva and QR.io Want make your own Emergency Audio Card? Easy peasy. Find the audio you want online. Copy the Url Go to QR.io and input the link to your audio file Screenshot your QR code Go to Canva (open a free account) Create a new document (I typed "business card" and found a blank template) Drag and drop the QR code onto the card and label it Repeat these steps for all the QR codes you use Print and put it somewhere you can easily access when you need some help regulating your nervous system There you have it! Day number 2 of 30 of things that make my life easier. My nervous system appreciates all the effort. Let me know what tips and tricks you use to reset your nervous system when you're feeling anxious, frustrated, or overwhelmed. -Jaren

I'm Jaren, a neurodivergent Mom of neurodivergent kids going back to school in my 40's. In this series, I'll be posting about things that make my life easier. Ready for this one? This makes calculating how much water I drink in a day easier. It also increases the chances I'll consume somewhere remotely close to the daily recommended amount because it gamifies water consumption. For me, at least. What is it? A water bottle with time stamps on it. Got an old water bottle lying around? Who doesn't. Got a marker? I prefer the acrylic paint markers, but if you're using a stainless steel water bottle, permanent marker is great, too. Here's what I write down on my water bottle all spaced out. I aim for three bottles per day (mine's not a huge bottle). For my MILITARY TIME friends: 7h/12h/17h 8h/13h/18h 9h/14h/19h 10h/15h/20h 11h/16h/21h For my EVERYONE ELSE friends: 7am/12pm/5pm 8am/1pm/6pm 9am/2pm/7pm 10am/3pm/8pm 11am/4pm/9pm Does this work? You betcha! But not in the way you think. In my case, I am an overachiever. If I have been distracted on a project and noticed that I have missed a couple hours, I will drink those missed hours and two extra, to put myself ahead...and then forget two days in a row, which I will not make up for. But whatever, it mostly works. Do fancy bottles with these numbers on them already exist? Heck yeah. Loads of 'em on Amazon. But I've got school books to pay for. In French . All those extra letters mean extra pages, which means extra moolah. So I'm happy as a clam to stick with my nearly-yellow, used-to-be-clear-ten-years-ago water bottle for now. But when I graduate and start raking in the dough ....well, I won't tell anyone, but there will be signs. Like a fancy, time stamped water bottle. What are your favorite ways to increase water intake? -Jaren #dedication #AuDHD #MomLife #Tips

As always, I endeavor to keep my website and posts as neurofriendly as possible. Photos can be found at the bottom of this post. Look at this organized desk. I could never. Here's a summary of the first 15 days of my last 30-day challenge. Click to read the full posts and leave a comment to let me know which trick resonated with you the most. Day 1 - Time-stamped Water Bottle I show you how you can make your own if you don't want to buy one Day 2 - Emergency Audio Card If you're feeling overwhelmed and need a quick brain break without any distraction, make one of these. I carry mine on a lanyard with my keys. Day 3 - Earplugs I show you three different kinds of earplugs and list their pros and cons. Including custom-molded earplugs. Day 4 - Loop Breaker - 9-step Thought Transformation Tool I created this workbook for myself, and I'm giving you a free digital downloadable version and also showing you the book version. Day 5 - Glass Marker Seriously, this trick helps keep me sane. So simple. Saves me time doing dishes. Day 6 - The Hanger Method I discovered this method with my daughter and it works for kids and adults alike who struggle getting dressed in the morning. Day 7 - The Folder Method - SCHOOL EDITION This trick saved my son in elementary school. Now I'm using it in nursing school. Day 8 - Kinesthetic Learning - SCHOOL EDITION Who knew that studying on the treadmill at the gym would improve my recall? Day 9 - One Item Only How only having one of a certain item means you will take better care of it. Day 10 - Keeping Like Items Together in One Area of the House Instead of keeping arts and crafts in various places all over the house, we keep them in one space and one space only. Can be applied to: Makeup, Scissors, Office Supplies, etc. Day 11 - Home Store My favorite trick for minimizing clutter while maximizing your dollars! Day 12 - Homework Station & Routine We have a dedicated space in the dining room for doing homework with minimal distraction. Day 13 - Online Grocery Shopping This trick alone saves me thousands of dollars per year. Day 14 - Dinner Immediately After School This one is polarizing, but was life-changing when my kids were in elementary. Sometimes we still need this. Day 15 - 5 Sacred Minutes of Sunlight This little daily ritual resets my mind and body in a way that few things can I carry this emergency audio card with QR codes with my keys - Day 2 Pointing to my water bottle with military times - Day 1 A few different types of earplugs I own - Day 3 Loop Breaker! I love this tool. Click on Day 4's post for your free digital copy Marking glass - Day 5 The Hanger Method - for adults & kids Day 6 The Hanger Method - for toddlers and elementary school age kiddos - Day 6 The Folder Method - Day 7 The Homework Station - Day 12 Were any of these tips meaningful or helpful for you? Let me know in the comments. I would love to hear. -J

As always, I endeavor to keep my website and posts as neuro-friendly as possible. Photos can be found at the bottom of this post. Look at this organized desk. I could never. Here's a summary of the last 15 days of my 30-day challenge! Click to read the full posts and leave a comment to let me know which trick resonated with you the most. Day 16 - Labels & Reminders I'm not just talking about labeling where things go. I'm also sharing pill reminders, lunch prep reminders and tools for getting out of the house on time. Day 17 - Mental Health Posters I sometimes need a little bit of science in the form of charts and reminders to help me zoom out when I'm feeling disregulated. These have been a great help. Day 18 - Chicken Little - Stop Losing Your Keys Find yourself the most ridiculous container, something that brings joy, so you stop losing your keys. Day 19 - Assigning A Noise - Memory Trick I assign noises (ones I make with my voice) to remember certain tasks. I don't know why this works for me, but it does. Let your freak flag fly! Day 20 - Easy Meal Prep I'm talking eeeaaassssyyyy. If it has more than eight ingredients, I'm probably not going to make it. Day 21 - Dividing Snacks This started to keep my kids from fighting, but as it turns out, it's also really wonderful for making sure they don't eat all the snacks with 24 hours of buying them. Day 22 - Money Tracker Why is it so many ADHD/AuDHD people have trouble tracking money and budgeting? I tell you what I use. Day 23 - The 24-Hour Rule It's so easy to want to buy anything and everything we want online when the marketing is so good. I wait 24 hours. It's a hard rule, and it saves me thousands. Day 24 - Study Music I can't listen to music with discernible melodies (because I automatically harmonize and sing along), so I use these two types of music only. Day 25 - Red/Yellow/Green - Study Method - SCHOOL EDITION This study method saves me time and headache! I learned it from my kids and let me tell you, it's a great tool! Day 26 - Highlighter Jobs - For School and Life Giving my highlighters jobs makes finding information much easier. I use this technique across calendars, planners, for schoolwork, and even at home. Day 27 - Buying In Bulk I use this method to reduce the amount of snack wrappers in my kids' bedrooms, to save money over the long run, and to reduce my fears of food insecurity. Day 28 - Night Before Lunch Prep Anything to make mornings easier for me and the kids! We have it down to a science at this point. Day 29 - Box Of Socks This one surprises a lot of people, but boy is it effective! I have Jordan Page to thank for this trick. Saves me from headaches! Day 30 - Year-At-A-Glance Calendar For bottom-up processors like me, it's extremely helpful to have a way to step back and see the year all at once. It really helps to put things into a better perspective. Mental Health Posters - Day 17 Highlighter jobs - Day 26 Pill Reminder - Day 16 Labels & Reminders - Day 16 Were any of these tips meaningful or helpful for you? Let me know in the comments. I would love to hear. -J