All my life I’ve had problems with distraction, forgetting, losing stuff, getting the right time joined with the right date so I show up at 2pm on Wednesday instead of Thursday. Creatives can often fall into that trouble, so I always blamed it on my singer/songwriter nature.
[Insert here long paragraph about trying to solve this problem. Therapy; day books; notes up on the fridge, bathroom mirror, steering wheel of car; accountability buddies; self-improvement workshops, retreats, etc.; meditation; yoga; apps, oh my God, apps. Up the yazoo.] It’s not that none of those things worked. All of those attempts show you I was doing the best I could at the time. Hurling myself at the problem, over and over. Workin’ it. Never giving up.
But if you’re lucky, you will come across what you need, exactly when you need it; and that’s what happened when my daughter, who suffers from pretty intense ADD, called me and said, “Mom. You have to try Centered. It’s helped me so much. Please. Just try it.”
I did. I downloaded the program (hate calling it an app, because it falls into such an infinitude of meaningless time sucks, and this is the opposite). Right away I could feel the difference, even before using it. Because you can only use it on your laptop. It doesn’t go on your phone. This keeps you off your phone, and for many of us — that solves a big chunk of the problem.
Anyway, I started using Centered to get my writing done, to get my bills paid, to get the taxes figured out, etc., and it’s absolutely head and shoulders above anything else I’ve tried. Why? Because it’s fun. I’m not talking Disney fun. I’m talking — just — fun. You get scores at the end of each session you set up. And, if you subscribe to the paid version of Centered (which is $10 a month, but way less if you pay all at once), you can dig down into your productivity scores and get a true understanding of what you can improve and how.
Once I got to know the parameters and how it works (and btw, the creators are extremely responsive to any questions you might have), I started just having fun competing with my daughter. She’s in L.A. and I’m in New York, and we take no prisoners. But that’s just the fun part.
The serious part is: I am much more productive. I am so much more efficient. My time doesn’t slither away through the black hole of my social media ventures anymore. And I’m writing this hoping to get through to as many people as I can.
You might need this:
If you have trouble staying focussed, getting things done…
If you’ve found yourself caught in the downward spiral of meaningless activity, with nothing to show for it at the end of the day…
If you have ADD and haven’t yet found what helps…
It bears mentioning that this is currently gears toward those of us who need to get our work done (and stay focused) on our computers. So, things like the novel I'm trying to write, the one I'm editing, or doing my taxes, or writing reports, etc. If what you're trying to accomplish is housework, or reorganizing a closet, this is not really the app for you (yet).
Just click on this link to learn more about Centered.
Afterward, cough up the pittance they’re asking for. Just do it. It’s two lattes — one, if it takes longer than ten seconds for you to describe to the barista how you want it. It’s the best $10 a month (or less) that you’ll ever spend.
These guys are for real. It’s not just another app.
It’s a game changer. Do it.
(FYI: I don’t get paid in any way by Centered for this. I just really want to share what has worked so well for me.)