Things I can’t live without

Not to be dramatic, but this little timer has been genuinely life changing. It is only very recently that I have heard the term ‘time blindless’. But that’s exactly what I have. It’s very difficult to explain to others exactly what time blindness is, but essentially I have no concept of time moving. I can’t feel the difference between 15 minutes passing and 4 hours passing. As a result, I’ll think I’ve got loads of time to do something, then suddenly that time has disappeared.

This visual timer means that while I still can’t feel time moving, I can see it moving. I use it for absolutely everything, from managing my lunch break to getting ready and dressed after a shower. I cannot put into words what an enormous impact this little box has had on my everyday life.

If it’s not in the diary, it doesn’t exist! But I have to be careful I don’t spend more time organising my diary than actually cracking on with things. The most useful thing I’ve found for that is diaries with time spaces. But not split by the hour. I know full well if I give myself an hour, I will spend the first 45 minutes dithering while I tell myself the task will not take an hour. The result? I don’t complete said task.

These diaries split either into 30 minute blocks or 15 minute blocks. The 15 minute split is my preference. They are both also spiral bound because I have to be able to lie it open flat on the desk.

Weirdly, as beautiful as notebooks are, I don’t actually find them that useful. For starters, I don’t like the restriction of lines. What if I’m not in a line mood? Or I’m in a big handwriting mood which doesn’t fit nicely? Lines are not for me.

Next, why does the paper have to be so thin? Thin paper is not versatile enough for my weird and wonderful. I need the freedom to use sharpie if that’s where my fancy takes me. Plus, the thin paper feels weird when you write on the back and the biro has dented through.

There’s also the whole not liking white paper thing.

Lastly, there is something satisfying about a square.

I use this on the inside of my wardrove door for tights, belts and the array of scrunchies that I seem to have collected. The pockets are small enough that I don’t overfill them and subsequently lose whatever is at the bottom.

I know these are for shoes. But if you’re anything like me, the chances of picking up your shoes and putting them somewhere are zero to none. Afterall, I wouldn’t want to deprive anyone the joy of tripping over my shoes every time they walked through my door!

Waking up is not my friend. I used to say I don’t like mornings, but it is not the time of day I object to, it is the shift between asleep and awake. My sunrise alarm has been genuinely life changing. The gradual increase of both light and sound is actually magic. I feel significantly less spaced out when I wake up, even if I still don’t fancy actually getting up.

I love a pouch! I have pouches for so many different things, but I’ve discovered they have to be clear. Otherwise, I just tip the whole thin upside down, and that’s not helping anyone!

I particularly like pouches in my handbag. Partly because I seem to carry everything and the kitchen sink around with me! Partly because when I suddenly decide I want a different bag, there is a much smaller chance of me forgetting to pack something vital.

This is advertised as perfect for travelling. While I have used it for travelling, I also just use it for life! I like being able to separate different things I need, particularly if I’m out for the day. As far as I’m concerned, a backpack without an external water bottle holder is not worth having - this one has two! It also has a charging point so your phone can be outside and the portable charger inside. This does actually sound like an advert, but I love my back pack!

This is the magic piece of paper which stops the ‘I definitely told you’, ‘you definitely didn’t’ conversations which have a tendency to occur. I’ve found the problem with a traditional wall calendar is we don’t bother adding things for the upcoming months because we can’t see them. Additionally, seeing the whole year stops me putting in too many busy weekends consecutively.

I struggle reading off bright while paper, so this is a must have for me. Plus, the likelihood of me remembering to buy paper is so slim, that buying multiple packs at the same time is a necessity,

I write either in my A3 sketchbook with pen or in a small square scrapbook with pencil. I’d love to say I have a reason why it’s pen in one and pencil in the other. I do not! But these are my favourite pens and pencils to write with. Let’s be honest, we all love a bit of stationary!

This has been an absolute game changer for multiple reasons. Firstly, I need things to be cut right. How I need them to be cut for a particular purpose. Secondly, I am very time-short and I cannot emphasise enough enough how much time this little chopper saves me.