INPUT ARTICLE: Article: The first step in being less impulsive is to determine how you want to prioritize your time.Then, before acting impulsively, check and make sure your action reflects the values you’ve written down for yourself.  This might mean writing a  master task list. It might mean creating a business plan. If you're a student, you might want to create a study plan. The important thing is to record your current goals in order to measure them against your impulses. You might think of this written record as a kind of container for your values, intentions, commitments, best practices for yourself, and tasks that support these goals. You can use a notebook, a spreadsheet, or another method that works for you. The main thing is that the framework is accessible and functional. In order to make the most of your organizational system, you’ll need to commit to reviewing how effective your system is in your life, as well as plan out any needed changes.  You might find you need to sit down once a week to consider your actions of the previous week. Did you follow your listed priorities? Note what went well, what you found challenging, and what you might do better. You might find that you need to do this review more often until you find a system that works for you. Doing a brief daily review is recommended; you might also do a more extensive monthly review. If you have lots of unstructured time in your day, you’re more likely to fill it with impulsive acts. Try writing down a daily schedule for yourself, using 30 minute blocks of time. It’s okay if you spend more than one 30-minute block on a task, but don’t leave any blocks empty and unstructured.  If you don’t know how to plan ahead for certain activities, write in a series of choices for yourself. For instance, if you’re not sure yet whether a friend is coming over or not, write: “Friend or ______.” Your daily schedule should include your social time and free time too. A schedule that doesn’t include any downtime will ultimately fail. If you’re the kind of person who’s prone to impulsively changing directions in the middle of a task, using checklists can help you stay focused. Checklists minimize opportunities to act impulsively by ensuring that nothing is forgotten, and that no unnecessary steps are added to a task.  Checklists have been proven to increase attention to the task even for medical professionals. Many surgeons are required to follow checklists when they perform surgery to help them stay on task. Checklists can be used across multiple settings. Use a travel checklist to help you pack more efficiently; a shopping checklist to help you only purchase the intended items; a study checklist to make sure you attend to each part of the assignment. Crossing items off a checklist can provide motivation to complete a task. Keeping a calendar is essential for anyone who struggles with impulsivity. You’ll need to have access to daily, weekly, and monthly calendars in order to prioritize your attention. Using different colors for different categories of activity will help support your use of a calendar.  For example, a student might use red ink for upcoming tests, blue ink for long-term projects, black ink for daily schoolwork and green for fun or social activities. A portable calendar, such as an app on your phone, will help you access your calendar across settings.

SUMMARY: Write down your goals. Set aside time for regular review and planning. Follow a daily schedule. Write checklists for yourself. Color-code your calendar.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Take out everything that you brought into the house or apartment, including wall-mounted decorations and shelving units. Remove pictures, posters and decals from the walls. Check the closets and cabinets to make sure you haven’t left anything behind. Check your walls carefully and remove any tape, nails, picture hangers, or poster gum. Check for dirt, marks and smudges, especially if you have small children in the house. Use a duster to remove cobwebs. Scrub dirty areas with a gentle cleanser and a rag or soft sponge.  On latex paints, use a solution of water with a few drops of dish detergent, or a gallon (3.8 liters) of water mixed with 3-4 tablespoons (45-60 ml) of white vinegar. On tougher oil-based paints, like those used in kitchens, you can use a gentle degreaser. Use caution when cleaning around electrical fixtures, like light switches and outlet covers. Wring your sponge out carefully before attempting to clean these surfaces. You may wish to switch off your electricity at the circuit breaker before cleaning a dirty outlet cover. Use an all-purpose cleaner (like Formula 409) or specialized kitchen cleanser (like Bar Keepers Friend) and a gentle sponge or Magic Eraser to scrub your stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher (if you have one). If you can, remove bins and racks from your fridge and oven and wash them in the sink with a gentle detergent or a solution of warm water and baking soda. Take special care to clean your bathtub, shower, toilet, and sinks. Use Comet or a similar cleanser for plumbing fixtures, along with a gentle scrubber or magic eraser, to clean off soap scum, stains, and hard water deposits. For especially stubborn stains or deposits, you may need to let the cleanser sit for several minutes before you start scrubbing. A little bit of white vinegar mixed with water is also excellent for removing lime and soap scum. Wipe down your counters and the exteriors of your cabinets with a gentle cleanser and a rag or sponge. Areas around the handles of cabinets are especially prone to getting smudged and grimy. Don’t forget to clean out the insides of your cabinets, as well. For tough spots, use a mildly abrasive mixture of baking soda and water, and scrub with a soft brush. Spray your mirrors and windows with a glass cleaner (like Windex) and wipe them clean with a rag or sponge, making sure not to leave behind streaks or lint. You can also clean glass surfaces with a mixture of white vinegar and hot water. You may wish to save cleaning your floors for last, since cleaning walls and other surfaces can create a mess on the floor. Once you are ready, wipe up any wet spots on the floors. Sweep hard floor surfaces clean with a broom and dustpan. Vacuum any carpeted surfaces. Once you have swept, mop any hard floor surfaces with a traditional push mop or a steam mop. In areas that are especially prone to messy floors, like kitchens and bathrooms, you may wish to go over the floor more than once. Scrub any extra stubborn spots with a scrub brush and detergent. Take extra care when cleaning hardwood floors. Ask your landlord or property manager what type of finish is on your floor and get appropriate cleansers before attempting to clean it thoroughly.

SUMMARY:
Remove all your property from the unit. Clean your walls. Clean your appliances. Clean your plumbing fixtures. Clean your counters and cabinets. Wipe down your mirrors and windows. Sweep and vacuum your floors. Mop your floors.