This week's episode starts, as most weeks do, with a confession: Alisha has spent all day on "productive procrastination" instead of launching her new membership beta, and Rhiannon decided the most urgent task in her life was mounting a wood pelmet above her window without drilling into concrete. From there, the hosts get into the real theme of the episode: as spring rolls around, can they finally become the kind of people who finish projects instead of just starting them? Enter the index card planning system — a low-tech, endlessly forgiving ADHD organisation method they've both been eyeing on TikTok, complete with daily cards, dividers for "someday," "waiting on" and quarterly tasks, and zero pressure to get it perfect (it's a note card, not a $40 notebook you've ruined on page one). They also run through the seasonal cleaning jobs nobody tells you about — air-con filters, dryer vents, vacuum filters, mattress deep-cleans — while being brutally honest about the stuff that's been sitting untouched for months: the seven doom boxes, the empty photo frames, the baby book that's still only half-filled in. It's a funny, chaotic, very relatable episode about trying to build systems that actually work for brains that don't do "set and forget." What We Talk About in This Episode Alisha's "productive procrastination" while avoiding launching her new membership beta offer The wall of doom: Rhiannonn's DIY pelmet project, a staple gun mishap, and a hole in the wall she still hasn't fixed Alisha's $1,000+ Ikea bookcase build-out gone sideways, and missing her dad's DIY skills New season, new us? Deciding to commit to finishing projects rather than trying to become different people Pitching public accountability and a decluttering community for spring Alisha's seven doom boxes, working late into the night for work calls, and wanting a real sleep routine Building an actual wind-down routine instead of just intending to have one Why a flexible routine works better than a rigid schedule for ADHD brains Introducing the index card ("Sparkle Box") planning system: daily cards, dividers, colour-coding, and why simple beats perfect How the cards physically move through the week — pull them out, do the task, move it to next week if you don't Seasonal cleaning tasks neither of them knew they had to do: air-con filters, dishwasher and washing machine maintenance, dryer vent cleaning, vacuum filter washing Carpet vs floorboards when you live with anxious pets (and a French bulldog leaving slobber marks on the walls) Quick wins for spring: the five-minute bathroom declutter, cleaning mirrors, wiping down skirting boards Mattress deep-cleans, flipping mattresses, and knowing when to just buy a new one The dreaded photo-sorting task, empty photo frames, and a still-unfinished baby book Monthly wardrobe resets and prepping outfits for the week ahead "Autistic brains love routine, ADHD brains hate it" — and why the system needs to survive being ignored for a week Digital filing chaos, letting go of old files, and new-phone anxiety Naming the system "The Sparkle Box" and inviting listeners to join in for spring Key Takeaways A system only works for ADHD brains if falling off it for a week doesn't ruin it — index cards can be picked back up anytime, unlike a notebook where one skipped page feels like the whole thing is "ruined." "Out of sight, out of mind" is a real barrier, not a character flaw — having a tangible, visible reminder (a card, not just a digital list) can be the difference between remembering a task and forgetting it existed. Committing to finish what you start is a more realistic goal than trying to stop starting new projects altogether — the impulse to dive in isn't the problem, the follow-through is. Seasonal maintenance tasks (air-con filters, dryer vents, vacuum filters) are rarely taught to anyone — not doing them isn't a personal failing, it's a knowledge gap. Public or shared accountability — a friend, a community, even an Instagram audience — can be the missing piece that turns "I should really do that" into "I actually did that." A Quick Explainer: What Is the Index Card ("Sparkle Box") Planning System? It's a low-tech ADHD planning method built around a simple box of index cards instead of a notebook or app. Each card holds one task or routine — a day of the week, a recurring chore, a "someday" idea — sorted behind dividers (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, waiting-on, someday). As you complete a task, you move its card to the back or file it under the next relevant day; if you don't get to it, it just waits until you're ready. Because nothing is permanent or handwritten into a bound page, there's no "ruined" system to abandon — you can drop it for a week and pick it back up without starting over, which is what makes it worth trying for brains that struggle with rigid digital planners and all-or-nothing habit trackers. Who This Episode Is For Anyone with a pile of half-finished home projects, a "doom box" they've been avoiding since last winter, or a graveyard of failed productivity apps on their phone. Also for anyone who has ever paid someone else to do a job, watched them do it wrong, and thought "I could have done that myself" — and anyone about to attempt spring cleaning with an ADHD brain that needs the system to be genuinely, forgivingly simple. A Message From This Episode You don't need the perfect system — you need one that survives you ignoring it for a week. Progress doesn't have to look like a finished, streamlined house; it can just look like a pile of index cards, a doom box you've finally consolidated into one place, and permission to pick it back up whenever you're ready. Follow & Connect Instagram: @motherhoodunmaskedunfiltered Subscribe & Follow New episodes every Thursday. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen, and follow @motherhoodunmaskedunfiltered on Instagram for clips, carousels and behind-the-scenes chaos.
