The 12 Days of Chaos 2: Embracing Imperfect Progress

12 Days of Chaos, Day 2: Give Yourself Credit for the Day That Went Sideways

Day two, and true to form, today itself turned into a small case study in chaos. I’d planned to post this in the morning, and instead it’s late afternoon, because the day spiraled in ways I hadn’t accounted for. That’s okay. Days will do this. Instead of getting frazzled and giving up, which could easily become the theme of this whole series, I’m pushing through, because imperfect action still counts as progress in the right direction.

Today’s task: two fluffy pillows

Following the 12 Days of Christmas song, day two is “two fluffy pillows,” which really means making your bed. If you haven’t done it yet today, go do it now, even if you’re reading this at 8 p.m. Making it right before you climb in still feels better than not making it at all. If your bed’s already made, go make a kid’s bed instead and surprise them, or just fluff the pillows on the couch, anything that gives you a small, tangible sense of having taken action today.

Then check your schedule, and give yourself credit for what actually happened

Go back to your calendar or schedule one more time. Today, mine held two unplanned round trips, over half an hour each way, driving my daughter back for wisdom-teeth follow-ups after a post-surgery issue nobody could diagnose on the first visit, only for the real problem to surface an hour after we got home, meaning another procedure is now ahead of us. None of that was on my calendar this morning. I’m going back in now and writing both trips in anyway, as if I’d planned them, because I want credit for what actually happened today.

This is exactly why I love tackled lists more than to-do lists, and pending lists that let you record decisions even after the fact rather than only checking off what you predicted in advance. Part of what makes ADHD brains feel exhausted at the end of a day we swear we “got nothing done” is that we genuinely don’t remember everything that happened. Writing it down after the fact, even retroactively, lets you actually see the day you lived instead of just the day you’d planned.

Your practical, actionable step

Make your bed right now, whatever time it is. Then open your calendar and write in anything unplanned that happened today, even hours later, so you get real credit for the day you actually had.

Until next time, continue to choose joy.