October 21, 2025 • 23 mins
Life is messy — between burnout, stress, clutter, and emotional overload, most of us are just trying to hold it together. But you don’t have to stay stuck in survival mode. In this episode of This Is It! by Thriving Yinzers, we’re redding up the chaos — starting with what’s actually in our control: our daily habits, routines, and physical environment.
We break down why chaos overwhelms your brain, how it hijacks executive function, and why it keeps you stuck in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. Then, we’re giving you practical tools to restore order — even if life feels like a mess n’at.
In this episode:
- Why your brain craves order
- The connection between clutter and overwhelm
- Executive function explained
- Survival mode vs. intentional living
- Simple routines that reduce stress fast
- The Pomodoro Technique + small system wins
- How to start redding up anything (mind, home, or schedule)
This episode is real and full of tools to take back control — one small step at a time.
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👉 Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl (paid link)
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👉Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck (paid link)
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Sherry (00:00):
Hi, welcome back to This Is It ! by Thriving Yinzers.
Lately, we've talked about somepretty heavy things.
The challenges that life throwsat us individually; the
heartbreaks, the uncertainty inour world, and the chaos that
seems to be everywhere you turn.
When so much feels out ofcontrol, it helps to focus on
(00:21):
what is within our control.
Things like our own space, ourroutines, our peace of mind.
We're talking about somethingour brains naturally crave:
order.
Our minds thrive on it.
Without it, we slip intosurvival mode.
We end up reacting instead ofliving and getting stuck in that
(00:41):
cycle of fight, flight, freeze,or fawn.
Jodi (00:44):
We'll talk about how chaos affects us and practical ways
to create stability in oureveryday lives.
Let's get into it.
Sherry (00:51):
So in our first segment, we're going to talk about order
versus chaos.
We aren't psychologists, butthe way that I understand the
psychology behind this thoughtis that our brains are naturally
designed to identify patternsand create structure.
I did learn it through mytherapist when it was like an
AHA moment for me.
She gave me a handout that I'vekept ever since.
(01:12):
It's a single page that startswith the word chaos and
gradually transforms into theword order.
And when she gave it to me, ithit me that that was my life.
I was stuck in chaos andseeking order in my life.
So we crave order.
It's how we functionefficiently.
And without it, our nervoussystem settles into fight,
(01:35):
flight, freeze, or fawn.
Yeah.
Life is life.
It's unpredictable.
And it's happening in ways thatare planned, but it's also full
of surprises.
For me, it was a series ofunexpected life events that were
difficult and traumatic, andone after another after another.
And with each new layer came adeeper level of chaos, which
(02:00):
continued to grow until I wasmedically put on pause.
My life was put on pause and Ididn't have a choice.
I had to take inventory of myown chaos.
And I realized that I wasreally stuck in survival mode
for a pretty long time.
But at the time, I thought,well, that's just life.
I just kept trying to ignorethings and constantly rearrange
(02:21):
my priorities and shove stuffaside.
And that meant shoving thingsin closets, drawers, or anywhere
just to get it out of my way sothat I could put out the next
fire, handle the nextcatastrophe.
Jodi (02:33):
Just keep moving.
Sherry (02:34):
Out of sight, out of mind.
Yeah.
So get it out of the way andjust keep moving.
That's exactly it.
When I was in the classroom,that wasn't going to work.
With a passion for teaching,also comes tons of ideas,
materials, and papers.
And I had to keep much of it inplain sight.
So while the main classroomwhere the students were was
(02:58):
neat, there was a certain pointin the classroom where order
turned to what I calledorganized chaos.
The closer you got to my desk,the neatness gave way to the
towering piles of paper,scattered notes, a controlled
chaos.
And that was because returningto school after a particularly
(03:20):
rough concussion.
It was my fifth or sixthconcussion, and I was terrified
of forgetting everything.
So keeping everything visiblebecame my safety net.
And funny enough, one of my oldadministrators would definitely
be shocked to know that I'm ahome organizer now.
I'm sure he would remind me ofall that paper.
(03:41):
But that chaos taught mesomething.
I realized I wasn't justdisorganized, I was missing
systems.
And once I learned to buildthem, I found peace.
And now helping others to findthat same calm through a
structure brings me joy becauseI lived it.
Jodi (04:00):
Yeah! I always say that the people that are the best
helpers is somebody who wentthrough something tough.
Or you know, you have a livedexperience, you learn your way
out of it.
And then you want to share thatknowledge. p
Yeah, there are some things that give you perspective andonce you have that perspective,
you want to use it to helpother people.
But there's a lot to be saidabout having structure and
(04:24):
systems.
Yes.
When we have structure inplace, it does reduce our
cognitive load.
Instead of wasting mentalenergy making small repetitive
decisions, we free up that brainpower for creative space,
problem solving, and justoverall better decision making.
I know myself, when I don'thave structures in place and I
(04:44):
feel like I'm just bouncing fromone thing to the next, I start
getting irritable.
And quite frankly, I'm just nota nice person to be around when
that's how I'm moving throughmy life.
I'm really not, because I'm notgiving myself the headspace
that I need to, you know, freeup that time to do the things
that I actually enjoy doing.
I want to have that time andthat space to do what I want to
(05:07):
do.
And when I'm just bouncing, itjust doesn't happen.
I guess it's part of thatfreeze thing, right?
I'm so busy trying to justcomplete tasks that aren't
organized that then I'm justpetered out by the end of the
night.
Sherry (05:21):
Right.
Think about a messy desk versusa clean desk, an organized
workspace.
When you sit down at acluttered desk, it's almost as
if your brain feels clutteredbefore you even start working.
Your brain is tired beforeyou've even gotten going.
Right.
And there's a lot of researchon that, especially for people
recovering from brain injuriesor things like ADHD or chronic
(05:43):
stress.
I found a lot of it through myown head injuries and other life
speed bumps, potholes, whateveryou want to call it.
There was a point where Iliterally had to write every
step of my morning routine on anote card.
I'm talking about the simplethings like brush your teeth,
wash your face, get dressed, allthe things.
And it feels a littleembarrassing looking back at it,
(06:06):
but that's what helped merebuild function after having a
series of cerebellar strokes ontop of the history of multiple
concussions and on top of otherfactors.
I could not remember thenecessary parts of my routine,
even though I'd been doing themfor years and years.
It's things that we take forgranted.
You never really think aboutwhat's in your morning.
(06:26):
It was like fast forwardinginto a future era, into our
later years.
And that's when I really becamemore interested in
understanding executive functionand how our brains manage time,
memory, planning, and emotion,because those are the things
that I really had to workthrough in my situation.
(06:49):
It's really important to havethe structure, routine, and
order.
Those are the foundationsnecessary.
For anyone struggling withexecutive function concerns,
regardless of the cause, is whatI'm trying to say.
I gained the perspectivethrough my particular situation,
but there are a lot of reasonswhere executive functions need
(07:09):
support.
And you do that by gettingstructure, routine, and order.
Jodi (07:14):
Right.
On the flip side, when we'restuck in chaos, whether it's
unpredictable work schedule,cluttered home, unresolved
emotions, it creates stress.
And your mind's constantlytrying to make sense of the
mess.
And it puts you in that stateof overwhelm.
Your nervous system into freezemode, and the result is feeling
stuck.
When you're in that state,you're gonna have trouble with
(07:34):
executive functioning.
And I think that there'sdifferent levels and layers to
that, isn't there?
Y
Sherry (07:39):
Yep! So, like, but that's really what is executive
functioning?
The way that I look at it, it'slike the manager of your brain.
It helps you stay organized, ithelps you plan ahead, remember
important things, and helpscontrol impulses.
And it's what allows you tostart and finish tasks, manage
your time, and make decisions.
(08:01):
And when it isn't working well,it can feel like your brain is
constantly overwhelmed or out ofsync.
And as I mentioned brieflybefore, it can happen due to
medical instances such as braininjuries like concussions or
strokes, ADHD or otherneurological conditions, chronic
stress or anxiety, and evenlack of sleep or exhaustion.
(08:24):
Which there are many people formany reasons feeling
overwhelmed or out of sync rightnow.
Jodi (08:31):
And we're gonna get into exactly why that happens and
what we can do about it.
Sherry (08:35):
Yeah.
In this segment, we're talkingabout how chaos disrupts our
well-being.
So let's talk about the realimpact of chaos on our
well-being.
Chaos doesn't just make us feeloverwhelmed, it actually does
activate our fight, flight, orfreeze response.
Jodi (08:51):
And it keeps us in that state of heightened stress,
making it difficult to plan,stay motivated, and feel in
control.
Instead of being productive,we're just reacting to
everything around us.
Sherry (09:02):
And it's that reaction mode, that's survival mode.
We're not making intentionaldecisions, we're just putting
out fires as they come up, likeI'm always saying, playing
whack-a-mole.
Jodi (09:12):
So think about that morning routine again.
If it's unpredictable, maybesome days you skip breakfast and
rush out the door, forgetthings, and your day starts on a
stressful note.
But when you have a consistentroutine, it brings a sense of
control and calm.
I myself am a very slow movingmorning person.
I spent a lot of years beatingmyself up over it before finally
(09:34):
just deciding to accept who Iam and understand that that's
me.
I've never been able to justget up and get moving and I'm
not ever going to join the 5a.m.
club.
So knowing that I'm a slowmorning person, I know that I
have to stay ahead of the game.
So I have to make sure that allmy shit is ready to go so that
when I wake up in the morning, Ireally don't have to think
(09:56):
about it.
I keep a separate bag for myday job, and everything that I
need for that job has to be inthat bag at all times.
So as soon as I'm done work,everything goes in that bag.
It stays there.
So in the morning, I don't evenhave to worry about if I have
all the things that I needbecause I know it's already
there.
Because as soon as I finishedmy work day, it all went back
(10:17):
into the same place.
And I make sure that my lunchis packed before I go to bed, my
clothes are set out.
And when I do this, I am ahundred percent more productive.
I am less bitchy.
I get shit done.
I'm just a nicer person.
And honestly, I don't alwayswant to because I don't want to
(10:37):
think about the next day in theevening.
I really don't.
And it took me a long time toget over that too, because at
the end of the day, I'm like, Idon't want to think about all
this other shit.
I don't want to think about thenext day.
But it really only takes 10 or15 minutes to get your shit
together the night before whenyou go to bed.
Sherry (10:55):
Yeah.
And that's reminding me of whatMatt Plutko said when we had
him on with the self-masteryabout the beginning and the ends
of your day, which are soimportant.
And that your morning routinestarts the night before.
Jodi (11:07):
It really does.
It really does.
And it makes such a difference.
Because then like I am able todo those things.
I get up in the morning now,and because I don't have to
worry about if I have all mythings that I need for the day,
I can get up slowly, I canstretch, I can meditate, I can
have a cup of tea and not befrazzled and worried.
Yeah, you're not scramblingaround to find my car keys.
(11:30):
They're already in the bag.
Sherry (11:34):
So you're setting the tone for the next day by how
you're ending the previous one.
That's why those small habitsand routines make such a huge
difference.
Because you're not spendingyour brain power, like you said,
looking for your car keys orwhatever.
You have everything ready thenight before, and then you can
spend the morning with the smallhabits that are gonna help set
(11:57):
you up for of a day.
Jodi (12:00):
Right.
And bring the space in forother things.
Because I think for me that wasthe most important part of
reducing that cognitive overloadso that I it freed up time for
me to be able to work on writingat the end of the day or just
doing things that I enjoyeddoing because I did get to a
point where all of a sudden I'mlike, I swear I used to be fun.
(12:23):
I used to do cool shit.
Where did that go?
Why am I only working?
I don't even have kids at homeanymore.
It's not like I have to haveanybody anywhere after school.
I now have all the time in theworld, but for some strange
reason it just didn't feel likethat.
And that is because I wasn'torganized.
Now that I'm organized, I'veI'm getting more done.
(12:43):
I'm getting more out of my timeand realizing how much time I
really do truly have.
Because I think we all havemore time than we think we have,
don't we?
We just don't know it becausewe're so busy with shit that we
shouldn't be busy with.
Okay.
So let's get into how we canbring more of that into our
lives.
Sherry (13:02):
If executive functioning is a challenge, I'm gonna talk
about some simple strategiesthat helped me.
And we know that what works forone person is not necessarily
the right path for someone else.
These are just some things thathelped get me on the right
track, so maybe it might helpsomeone else.
So I'll share them.
The biggest thing is somethingthat my dad constantly would say
(13:25):
when he had brain cancer andhis memory wasn't great.
He was always telling us, writethings down, write things down.
And it seems like a basicthing, but a lot of people
don't.
And I didn't.
I was just trying to keep trackof it all in my head.
And things pop up in your lifethat will interrupt, even if you
are good at remembering thingsand or don't think you always
need to write things down.
(13:46):
Things pop up in life thathijack your routines.
So not relying on memory, usingchecklists, planners, or apps.
Some people prefer digitalplanners and some a traditional
paper one.
For me personally, because I'man out-of-sight, out-of-mind
girl, I am a paper planner allthe way.
I'm working my way back intousing some of the digital stuff
(14:09):
now, but I have to write it downon paper.
Jodi (14:12):
If you write something down, you're gonna retain it.
When you see something onpaper, your brain retains it
better than it does when you doit digitally.
Sherry (14:21):
Yeah, maybe.
All I know is when I was in thespeech therapy for the brain
injuries, I had a binder and Ihad to write down like the
simplest things I had to keep inthis binder.
And I was instructed to everyday start my day looking in the
binder.
So there's a reason for it.
Yeah.
But you have to explore untilyou find one that works for you.
(14:43):
So writing things down is thefirst thing.
The second thing is breakingtasks into small steps.
Just like when you're teachingkids how to take care of a home,
you really have to spell outevery step.
Every step, even the ones thatyou think are common sense.
Jodi (15:00):
My kids eat differently to me.
Sherry (15:02):
If I'm teaching them how to do something, there's a
laminated paper in the bathroomthat says how to clean the
bathroom.
And it is every single stepthat I do when I clean the
bathroom.
Because otherwise, you ask themto clean the bathroom and they
might take a Clorox wipe andwipe the counter off, and then
that's right.
Jodi (15:19):
And keep it small because I know like my kids would say,
You overwhelm me because I givethem too many things to do all
at once.
Sherry (15:28):
Well, right, but there's also certain things that must
occur for the bathroom to beclean, right?
Regardless.
But you're breaking it down onestep at a time.
So if there's any type of ADHDor any type of executive
functioning hurdles, instead ofclean the house or clean the
bathroom, try, like you said,wash the dishes.
(15:48):
And then when that's completed,wipe the counter.
One thing at a time.
Jodi (15:53):
And for adults, it would look different.
My mom used to say to me allthe time, like when it came to
keeping your house together, shenoticed that I would just go
from room to room doing a bunchof different things.
And she's like, do one completeroom at a time.
When you're through that oneroom, then move to the next
room.
Sherry (16:11):
Yeah.
Now having two kids going offto college.
I was getting very overwhelmedwith that.
And so I did two things.
I brain dumped, and I usuallybrain dump into my planner, but
this time I brain dumped and putit on the refrigerator because
a lot of the tasks were not justfor me.
Handling one aspect of sendingkids off to college at a time.
(16:32):
You know, handling everythingwe needed for the dorm
separately from handling thethings that needed to be taken
care of for the car in order togo to college and handling
finances, not trying to do itall at once.
Yeah.
One small step at a time.
So and the other thing thathelps with whatever the task is
was setting timers or remindersbecause alarms can keep you on
(16:57):
track and prevent time fromslipping away.
Because it's like, where didthe time go?
I really love this one and Iuse it often.
You might have heard of thePomodoro technique, which is a
time management method thathelps you stay focused and
productive.
It works by breaking your workinto 25-minute focused sessions
(17:17):
called Pomodoros.
And then you follow that with afive-minute break.
And then after four Pomodoros,you take a longer break, which
could be 15 to 30 minutes.
That method helps preventburnout and improves your
concentration.
It makes big tasks feel moremanageable because you're
tackling them in short, focusedbursts, and you're also then
(17:40):
stacking up small wins at a timebecause each 25 minutes you
accomplish something, and thennow you have some wins to build
upon.
And you know what?
If you just want to do one25-minute session, you're
accomplishing something.
We avoid doing things becauseit just feels so overwhelming.
But if you just set your timefor 25 minutes and get started,
you can then decide that you'redone after that 25 minutes.
(18:03):
But most of the time, you'rethen motivated to do more
because the hardest part is justgetting started.
A real.
The Pomodoro technique wasdeveloped in the 1980s by
Francesco Sorillo, and he namedit after the tomato-shaped
(18:23):
kitchen timer, which was aroundat the time.
Jodi (18:32):
I love it.
I did not know that.
Sherry (18:36):
Me neither.
But that's what he used totrack his work sessions.
So that's where it came from.
So I thought it was like kindof cool.
I hadn't heard of it until myrecovery process, but it really
is a game changer and it ismassively helpful for getting
kids to clean their room orwhatever it is that they're
reluctant to do.
(18:56):
And you know what?
It works for adults too.
So you just set the timer andit's ready, set, go.
And whether you're doing itwith kids or maybe even for
yourself, it makes it like agame and you get more done.
And on the flip side of that isyou don't have to be in a
constant state of productivity.
You gotta be mindful to alsotake intentional breaks because
(19:18):
overloading your brain makesthings worse.
That's why whenever I braindumped all those things
yesterday, it really helped meto refocus.
Short resets can really helpyou refocus.
And then, as we talked aboutearlier, is creating routines.
Because having that consistentstructure, like you said,
(19:38):
reduces decision fatigue,especially those morning and
evening routines.
They are so important.
So having a structured startand end to your day can make
everything in between feel moremanageable.
Jodi (19:50):
Absolutely.
Decluttering your space istruly a game changer.
That physical clutter, it leadsto mental clutter.
And I just felt it becausewe're selling a house and I've
been getting rid of a lot ofstuff.
And I feel so much better whenI'm there and I'm in that space
and there's not shit everywhere.
I just physically feel lighterwhen I sit in a room that's not
(20:14):
cluttered.
And let's not forget aboutmindfulness.
So whether it's journaling,meditation, taking a few
breaths, inner order is just asimportant as external order.
For me personally, it's huge.
When everything starts to feelloud, seriously just sitting in
a very quiet room and havingeverything turned completely
off, sort of that inner reset ofclutter is really big.
Sherry (20:39):
And it's it's easier to allow yourself to do that when
you don't have clutter aroundyou as well.
So here's a little challengefor listeners.
Identify just one area of yourlife that feels chaotic.
It might be your schedule, yourhome, your meals, whatever it
is.
And this week, implement onesmall system to bring more order
(21:01):
to that area.
Jodi (21:02):
Maybe that's setting a bedtime routine, organizing your
workspace, or planning a mealahead of time.
Sherry (21:08):
Yeah.
Give the Pomodoro technique atry, set a timer, and go do that
thing that you've been puttingoff.
The key takeaway here is thatorder doesn't mean rigidity.
It's creating a foundation thatmoves you toward thriving.
When we prioritize structure insmall intentional ways, we are
freeing up mental space to focuson the things that really
(21:31):
mattered to us.
Jodi (21:32):
If this episode resonated with you, share it with a
friend.
Let's keep the conversationgoing.
And remember, this is it.
Keep going and growing.
Sherry (21:40):
Thanks for listening.
And since you listened all theway to the end of this episode,
we do have a special offer justfor you.
If you could use some helpgetting organized, mention
hashtag chaos to order for 20%off any service booked before
December 1st, 2025.
Fill out the contact format thrivingyinzers.com to get
(22:01):
started.
This podcast is a product ofThriving Yinzers LLC.
We conquer overwhelm bytackling your to-do list with
services like organizationalcoaching, home decluttering,
in-home laundry service, andpersonalized lifestyle
assistance.
To learn more, visit us atthrivingyinzers.com.
If you or someone you know is incrisis, please reach out to a
trusted professional or crisishotline in your area.
(22:23):
Help is available 24-7nationwide at the 988 Suicide
and Crisis Lifeline.
Dial 988 to connect with theTrained Crisis Counselor for
free and confidential support.
If you are local to thePittsburgh area, Resolve Crisis
Services offer 24-7 CrisisIntervention and Stabilization
Services to all Allegheny Countyresidents.
You can reach them by calling1-888-796-8226.
(22:47):
Okay, here comes the legalese,the oopsies, and the Yinzerese.
This podcast is forinformational and entertainment
purposes only.
Nothing shared on this podcastshould be considered
professional advice.
Thriving Yinzers LLC, itshosts, or any associated parties
are not liable for any actionstaken or consequences arising
from the information provided.
Today's Yinzerese lesson.
If you grew up in da Burgh, youmight remember grandma telling
(23:09):
you to redd up.
In Pittsburgh, we roll up oursleaves, clear out the clutter,
and take care of our shit andeach other.
And at Thriving Yinzers, webelieve redding up goes far
beyond your house.
It's getting your mind,routines, and priorities in
order so you can keep going andgrowing one small step at a
time.
Because when you redd up yourlife, you make room to thrive.
Jodi (23:33):
Another one on the books.
It went 3 2 1.
You missed it.
Oh, okay.
I was probably drinking.
Okay, let's just go.
I thought I need to go.
Started doing really good.
What the hell?
Oh.
Hi, welcome back to This Is It ! by Thriving Yinzers.
Lately, we've talked about somepretty heavy things.
The challenges that life throwsat us individually; the
heartbreaks, the uncertainty inour world, and the chaos that
seems to be everywhere you turn.
When so much feels out ofcontrol, it helps to focus on
(00:21):
what is within our control.
Things like our own space, ourroutines, our peace of mind.
We're talking about somethingour brains naturally crave:
order.
Our minds thrive on it.
Without it, we slip intosurvival mode.
We end up reacting instead ofliving and getting stuck in that
(00:41):
cycle of fight, flight, freeze,or fawn.
Jodi (00:44):
We'll talk about how chaos affects us and practical ways
to create stability in oureveryday lives.
Let's get into it.
Sherry (00:51):
So in our first segment, we're going to talk about order
versus chaos.
We aren't psychologists, butthe way that I understand the
psychology behind this thoughtis that our brains are naturally
designed to identify patternsand create structure.
I did learn it through mytherapist when it was like an
AHA moment for me.
She gave me a handout that I'vekept ever since.
(01:12):
It's a single page that startswith the word chaos and
gradually transforms into theword order.
And when she gave it to me, ithit me that that was my life.
I was stuck in chaos andseeking order in my life.
So we crave order.
It's how we functionefficiently.
And without it, our nervoussystem settles into fight,
(01:35):
flight, freeze, or fawn.
Yeah.
Life is life.
It's unpredictable.
And it's happening in ways thatare planned, but it's also full
of surprises.
For me, it was a series ofunexpected life events that were
difficult and traumatic, andone after another after another.
And with each new layer came adeeper level of chaos, which
(02:00):
continued to grow until I wasmedically put on pause.
My life was put on pause and Ididn't have a choice.
I had to take inventory of myown chaos.
And I realized that I wasreally stuck in survival mode
for a pretty long time.
But at the time, I thought,well, that's just life.
I just kept trying to ignorethings and constantly rearrange
(02:21):
my priorities and shove stuffaside.
And that meant shoving thingsin closets, drawers, or anywhere
just to get it out of my way sothat I could put out the next
fire, handle the nextcatastrophe.
Jodi (02:33):
Just keep moving.
Sherry (02:34):
Out of sight, out of mind.
Yeah.
So get it out of the way andjust keep moving.
That's exactly it.
When I was in the classroom,that wasn't going to work.
With a passion for teaching,also comes tons of ideas,
materials, and papers.
And I had to keep much of it inplain sight.
So while the main classroomwhere the students were was
(02:58):
neat, there was a certain pointin the classroom where order
turned to what I calledorganized chaos.
The closer you got to my desk,the neatness gave way to the
towering piles of paper,scattered notes, a controlled
chaos.
And that was because returningto school after a particularly
(03:20):
rough concussion.
It was my fifth or sixthconcussion, and I was terrified
of forgetting everything.
So keeping everything visiblebecame my safety net.
And funny enough, one of my oldadministrators would definitely
be shocked to know that I'm ahome organizer now.
I'm sure he would remind me ofall that paper.
(03:41):
But that chaos taught mesomething.
I realized I wasn't justdisorganized, I was missing
systems.
And once I learned to buildthem, I found peace.
And now helping others to findthat same calm through a
structure brings me joy becauseI lived it.
Jodi (04:00):
Yeah! I always say that the people that are the best
helpers is somebody who wentthrough something tough.
Or you know, you have a livedexperience, you learn your way
out of it.
And then you want to share thatknowledge. p
Yeah, there are some things that give you perspective andonce you have that perspective,
you want to use it to helpother people.
But there's a lot to be saidabout having structure and
(04:24):
systems.
Yes.
When we have structure inplace, it does reduce our
cognitive load.
Instead of wasting mentalenergy making small repetitive
decisions, we free up that brainpower for creative space,
problem solving, and justoverall better decision making.
I know myself, when I don'thave structures in place and I
(04:44):
feel like I'm just bouncing fromone thing to the next, I start
getting irritable.
And quite frankly, I'm just nota nice person to be around when
that's how I'm moving throughmy life.
I'm really not, because I'm notgiving myself the headspace
that I need to, you know, freeup that time to do the things
that I actually enjoy doing.
I want to have that time andthat space to do what I want to
(05:07):
do.
And when I'm just bouncing, itjust doesn't happen.
I guess it's part of thatfreeze thing, right?
I'm so busy trying to justcomplete tasks that aren't
organized that then I'm justpetered out by the end of the
night.
Sherry (05:21):
Right.
Think about a messy desk versusa clean desk, an organized
workspace.
When you sit down at acluttered desk, it's almost as
if your brain feels clutteredbefore you even start working.
Your brain is tired beforeyou've even gotten going.
Right.
And there's a lot of researchon that, especially for people
recovering from brain injuriesor things like ADHD or chronic
(05:43):
stress.
I found a lot of it through myown head injuries and other life
speed bumps, potholes, whateveryou want to call it.
There was a point where Iliterally had to write every
step of my morning routine on anote card.
I'm talking about the simplethings like brush your teeth,
wash your face, get dressed, allthe things.
And it feels a littleembarrassing looking back at it,
(06:06):
but that's what helped merebuild function after having a
series of cerebellar strokes ontop of the history of multiple
concussions and on top of otherfactors.
I could not remember thenecessary parts of my routine,
even though I'd been doing themfor years and years.
It's things that we take forgranted.
You never really think aboutwhat's in your morning.
(06:26):
It was like fast forwardinginto a future era, into our
later years.
And that's when I really becamemore interested in
understanding executive functionand how our brains manage time,
memory, planning, and emotion,because those are the things
that I really had to workthrough in my situation.
(06:49):
It's really important to havethe structure, routine, and
order.
Those are the foundationsnecessary.
For anyone struggling withexecutive function concerns,
regardless of the cause, is whatI'm trying to say.
I gained the perspectivethrough my particular situation,
but there are a lot of reasonswhere executive functions need
(07:09):
support.
And you do that by gettingstructure, routine, and order.
Jodi (07:14):
Right.
On the flip side, when we'restuck in chaos, whether it's
unpredictable work schedule,cluttered home, unresolved
emotions, it creates stress.
And your mind's constantlytrying to make sense of the
mess.
And it puts you in that stateof overwhelm.
Your nervous system into freezemode, and the result is feeling
stuck.
When you're in that state,you're gonna have trouble with
(07:34):
executive functioning.
And I think that there'sdifferent levels and layers to
that, isn't there?
Y
Sherry (07:39):
Yep! So, like, but that's really what is executive
functioning?
The way that I look at it, it'slike the manager of your brain.
It helps you stay organized, ithelps you plan ahead, remember
important things, and helpscontrol impulses.
And it's what allows you tostart and finish tasks, manage
your time, and make decisions.
(08:01):
And when it isn't working well,it can feel like your brain is
constantly overwhelmed or out ofsync.
And as I mentioned brieflybefore, it can happen due to
medical instances such as braininjuries like concussions or
strokes, ADHD or otherneurological conditions, chronic
stress or anxiety, and evenlack of sleep or exhaustion.
(08:24):
Which there are many people formany reasons feeling
overwhelmed or out of sync rightnow.
Jodi (08:31):
And we're gonna get into exactly why that happens and
what we can do about it.
Sherry (08:35):
Yeah.
In this segment, we're talkingabout how chaos disrupts our
well-being.
So let's talk about the realimpact of chaos on our
well-being.
Chaos doesn't just make us feeloverwhelmed, it actually does
activate our fight, flight, orfreeze response.
Jodi (08:51):
And it keeps us in that state of heightened stress,
making it difficult to plan,stay motivated, and feel in
control.
Instead of being productive,we're just reacting to
everything around us.
Sherry (09:02):
And it's that reaction mode, that's survival mode.
We're not making intentionaldecisions, we're just putting
out fires as they come up, likeI'm always saying, playing
whack-a-mole.
Jodi (09:12):
So think about that morning routine again.
If it's unpredictable, maybesome days you skip breakfast and
rush out the door, forgetthings, and your day starts on a
stressful note.
But when you have a consistentroutine, it brings a sense of
control and calm.
I myself am a very slow movingmorning person.
I spent a lot of years beatingmyself up over it before finally
(09:34):
just deciding to accept who Iam and understand that that's
me.
I've never been able to justget up and get moving and I'm
not ever going to join the 5a.m.
club.
So knowing that I'm a slowmorning person, I know that I
have to stay ahead of the game.
So I have to make sure that allmy shit is ready to go so that
when I wake up in the morning, Ireally don't have to think
(09:56):
about it.
I keep a separate bag for myday job, and everything that I
need for that job has to be inthat bag at all times.
So as soon as I'm done work,everything goes in that bag.
It stays there.
So in the morning, I don't evenhave to worry about if I have
all the things that I needbecause I know it's already
there.
Because as soon as I finishedmy work day, it all went back
(10:17):
into the same place.
And I make sure that my lunchis packed before I go to bed, my
clothes are set out.
And when I do this, I am ahundred percent more productive.
I am less bitchy.
I get shit done.
I'm just a nicer person.
And honestly, I don't alwayswant to because I don't want to
(10:37):
think about the next day in theevening.
I really don't.
And it took me a long time toget over that too, because at
the end of the day, I'm like, Idon't want to think about all
this other shit.
I don't want to think about thenext day.
But it really only takes 10 or15 minutes to get your shit
together the night before whenyou go to bed.
Sherry (10:55):
Yeah.
And that's reminding me of whatMatt Plutko said when we had
him on with the self-masteryabout the beginning and the ends
of your day, which are soimportant.
And that your morning routinestarts the night before.
Jodi (11:07):
It really does.
It really does.
And it makes such a difference.
Because then like I am able todo those things.
I get up in the morning now,and because I don't have to
worry about if I have all mythings that I need for the day,
I can get up slowly, I canstretch, I can meditate, I can
have a cup of tea and not befrazzled and worried.
Yeah, you're not scramblingaround to find my car keys.
(11:30):
They're already in the bag.
Sherry (11:34):
So you're setting the tone for the next day by how
you're ending the previous one.
That's why those small habitsand routines make such a huge
difference.
Because you're not spendingyour brain power, like you said,
looking for your car keys orwhatever.
You have everything ready thenight before, and then you can
spend the morning with the smallhabits that are gonna help set
(11:57):
you up for of a day.
Jodi (12:00):
Right.
And bring the space in forother things.
Because I think for me that wasthe most important part of
reducing that cognitive overloadso that I it freed up time for
me to be able to work on writingat the end of the day or just
doing things that I enjoyeddoing because I did get to a
point where all of a sudden I'mlike, I swear I used to be fun.
(12:23):
I used to do cool shit.
Where did that go?
Why am I only working?
I don't even have kids at homeanymore.
It's not like I have to haveanybody anywhere after school.
I now have all the time in theworld, but for some strange
reason it just didn't feel likethat.
And that is because I wasn'torganized.
Now that I'm organized, I'veI'm getting more done.
(12:43):
I'm getting more out of my timeand realizing how much time I
really do truly have.
Because I think we all havemore time than we think we have,
don't we?
We just don't know it becausewe're so busy with shit that we
shouldn't be busy with.
Okay.
So let's get into how we canbring more of that into our
lives.
Sherry (13:02):
If executive functioning is a challenge, I'm gonna talk
about some simple strategiesthat helped me.
And we know that what works forone person is not necessarily
the right path for someone else.
These are just some things thathelped get me on the right
track, so maybe it might helpsomeone else.
So I'll share them.
The biggest thing is somethingthat my dad constantly would say
(13:25):
when he had brain cancer andhis memory wasn't great.
He was always telling us, writethings down, write things down.
And it seems like a basicthing, but a lot of people
don't.
And I didn't.
I was just trying to keep trackof it all in my head.
And things pop up in your lifethat will interrupt, even if you
are good at remembering thingsand or don't think you always
need to write things down.
(13:46):
Things pop up in life thathijack your routines.
So not relying on memory, usingchecklists, planners, or apps.
Some people prefer digitalplanners and some a traditional
paper one.
For me personally, because I'man out-of-sight, out-of-mind
girl, I am a paper planner allthe way.
I'm working my way back intousing some of the digital stuff
(14:09):
now, but I have to write it downon paper.
Jodi (14:12):
If you write something down, you're gonna retain it.
When you see something onpaper, your brain retains it
better than it does when you doit digitally.
Sherry (14:21):
Yeah, maybe.
All I know is when I was in thespeech therapy for the brain
injuries, I had a binder and Ihad to write down like the
simplest things I had to keep inthis binder.
And I was instructed to everyday start my day looking in the
binder.
So there's a reason for it.
Yeah.
But you have to explore untilyou find one that works for you.
(14:43):
So writing things down is thefirst thing.
The second thing is breakingtasks into small steps.
Just like when you're teachingkids how to take care of a home,
you really have to spell outevery step.
Every step, even the ones thatyou think are common sense.
Jodi (15:00):
My kids eat differently to me.
Sherry (15:02):
If I'm teaching them how to do something, there's a
laminated paper in the bathroomthat says how to clean the
bathroom.
And it is every single stepthat I do when I clean the
bathroom.
Because otherwise, you ask themto clean the bathroom and they
might take a Clorox wipe andwipe the counter off, and then
that's right.
Jodi (15:19):
And keep it small because I know like my kids would say,
You overwhelm me because I givethem too many things to do all
at once.
Sherry (15:28):
Well, right, but there's also certain things that must
occur for the bathroom to beclean, right?
Regardless.
But you're breaking it down onestep at a time.
So if there's any type of ADHDor any type of executive
functioning hurdles, instead ofclean the house or clean the
bathroom, try, like you said,wash the dishes.
(15:48):
And then when that's completed,wipe the counter.
One thing at a time.
Jodi (15:53):
And for adults, it would look different.
My mom used to say to me allthe time, like when it came to
keeping your house together, shenoticed that I would just go
from room to room doing a bunchof different things.
And she's like, do one completeroom at a time.
When you're through that oneroom, then move to the next
room.
Sherry (16:11):
Yeah.
Now having two kids going offto college.
I was getting very overwhelmedwith that.
And so I did two things.
I brain dumped, and I usuallybrain dump into my planner, but
this time I brain dumped and putit on the refrigerator because
a lot of the tasks were not justfor me.
Handling one aspect of sendingkids off to college at a time.
(16:32):
You know, handling everythingwe needed for the dorm
separately from handling thethings that needed to be taken
care of for the car in order togo to college and handling
finances, not trying to do itall at once.
Yeah.
One small step at a time.
So and the other thing thathelps with whatever the task is
was setting timers or remindersbecause alarms can keep you on
(16:57):
track and prevent time fromslipping away.
Because it's like, where didthe time go?
I really love this one and Iuse it often.
You might have heard of thePomodoro technique, which is a
time management method thathelps you stay focused and
productive.
It works by breaking your workinto 25-minute focused sessions
(17:17):
called Pomodoros.
And then you follow that with afive-minute break.
And then after four Pomodoros,you take a longer break, which
could be 15 to 30 minutes.
That method helps preventburnout and improves your
concentration.
It makes big tasks feel moremanageable because you're
tackling them in short, focusedbursts, and you're also then
(17:40):
stacking up small wins at a timebecause each 25 minutes you
accomplish something, and thennow you have some wins to build
upon.
And you know what?
If you just want to do one25-minute session, you're
accomplishing something.
We avoid doing things becauseit just feels so overwhelming.
But if you just set your timefor 25 minutes and get started,
you can then decide that you'redone after that 25 minutes.
(18:03):
But most of the time, you'rethen motivated to do more
because the hardest part is justgetting started.
A real.
The Pomodoro technique wasdeveloped in the 1980s by
Francesco Sorillo, and he namedit after the tomato-shaped
(18:23):
kitchen timer, which was aroundat the time.
Jodi (18:32):
I love it.
I did not know that.
Sherry (18:36):
Me neither.
But that's what he used totrack his work sessions.
So that's where it came from.
So I thought it was like kindof cool.
I hadn't heard of it until myrecovery process, but it really
is a game changer and it ismassively helpful for getting
kids to clean their room orwhatever it is that they're
reluctant to do.
(18:56):
And you know what?
It works for adults too.
So you just set the timer andit's ready, set, go.
And whether you're doing itwith kids or maybe even for
yourself, it makes it like agame and you get more done.
And on the flip side of that isyou don't have to be in a
constant state of productivity.
You gotta be mindful to alsotake intentional breaks because
(19:18):
overloading your brain makesthings worse.
That's why whenever I braindumped all those things
yesterday, it really helped meto refocus.
Short resets can really helpyou refocus.
And then, as we talked aboutearlier, is creating routines.
Because having that consistentstructure, like you said,
(19:38):
reduces decision fatigue,especially those morning and
evening routines.
They are so important.
So having a structured startand end to your day can make
everything in between feel moremanageable.
Jodi (19:50):
Absolutely.
Decluttering your space istruly a game changer.
That physical clutter, it leadsto mental clutter.
And I just felt it becausewe're selling a house and I've
been getting rid of a lot ofstuff.
And I feel so much better whenI'm there and I'm in that space
and there's not shit everywhere.
I just physically feel lighterwhen I sit in a room that's not
(20:14):
cluttered.
And let's not forget aboutmindfulness.
So whether it's journaling,meditation, taking a few
breaths, inner order is just asimportant as external order.
For me personally, it's huge.
When everything starts to feelloud, seriously just sitting in
a very quiet room and havingeverything turned completely
off, sort of that inner reset ofclutter is really big.
Sherry (20:39):
And it's it's easier to allow yourself to do that when
you don't have clutter aroundyou as well.
So here's a little challengefor listeners.
Identify just one area of yourlife that feels chaotic.
It might be your schedule, yourhome, your meals, whatever it
is.
And this week, implement onesmall system to bring more order
(21:01):
to that area.
Jodi (21:02):
Maybe that's setting a bedtime routine, organizing your
workspace, or planning a mealahead of time.
Sherry (21:08):
Yeah.
Give the Pomodoro technique atry, set a timer, and go do that
thing that you've been puttingoff.
The key takeaway here is thatorder doesn't mean rigidity.
It's creating a foundation thatmoves you toward thriving.
When we prioritize structure insmall intentional ways, we are
freeing up mental space to focuson the things that really
(21:31):
mattered to us.
Jodi (21:32):
If this episode resonated with you, share it with a
friend.
Let's keep the conversationgoing.
And remember, this is it.
Keep going and growing.
Sherry (21:40):
Thanks for listening.
And since you listened all theway to the end of this episode,
we do have a special offer justfor you.
If you could use some helpgetting organized, mention
hashtag chaos to order for 20%off any service booked before
December 1st, 2025.
Fill out the contact format thrivingyinzers.com to get
(22:01):
started.
This podcast is a product ofThriving Yinzers LLC.
We conquer overwhelm bytackling your to-do list with
services like organizationalcoaching, home decluttering,
in-home laundry service, andpersonalized lifestyle
assistance.
To learn more, visit us atthrivingyinzers.com.
If you or someone you know is incrisis, please reach out to a
trusted professional or crisishotline in your area.
(22:23):
Help is available 24-7nationwide at the 988 Suicide
and Crisis Lifeline.
Dial 988 to connect with theTrained Crisis Counselor for
free and confidential support.
If you are local to thePittsburgh area, Resolve Crisis
Services offer 24-7 CrisisIntervention and Stabilization
Services to all Allegheny Countyresidents.
You can reach them by calling1-888-796-8226.
(22:47):
Okay, here comes the legalese,the oopsies, and the Yinzerese.
This podcast is forinformational and entertainment
purposes only.
Nothing shared on this podcastshould be considered
professional advice.
Thriving Yinzers LLC, itshosts, or any associated parties
are not liable for any actionstaken or consequences arising
from the information provided.
Today's Yinzerese lesson.
If you grew up in da Burgh, youmight remember grandma telling
(23:09):
you to redd up.
In Pittsburgh, we roll up oursleaves, clear out the clutter,
and take care of our shit andeach other.
And at Thriving Yinzers, webelieve redding up goes far
beyond your house.
It's getting your mind,routines, and priorities in
order so you can keep going andgrowing one small step at a
time.
Because when you redd up yourlife, you make room to thrive.
Jodi (23:33):
Another one on the books.
It went 3 2 1.
You missed it.
Oh, okay.
I was probably drinking.
Okay, let's just go.
I thought I need to go.
Started doing really good.
What the hell?
Oh.
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