Like many of you, I’ve got too much on my mind lately and the mental noise is overwhelming the part of my brain that tracks everyday chores, appointments, and so on. As a result, I’m skipping meals, going to bed at ridiculous hours, putting off easy tasks that would be better put away, and even missing appointments that were marked on my calendar.

Time for the timers.

Skipping meals and exercise, getting inadequate sleep, or taking up too much time on one task at the expense of others can quickly cause distracted people to become discombobulated and overwhelmed. Scheduling is the cure. Using kitchen timers reminds me when to stop for lunch or take an exercise break—or when to power down the computer to start relaxing my mind in preparation for going to sleep. My timers are marked with colored stickers so I can use more than one if needed. For instance, if I have an appointment, I can set one timer to go off five minutes before I need to leave while the other continues counting down to the lunch reminder.

Timers will help you get back into a healthy routine. If you’re anything like me, the biggest struggle will be getting yourself to use them.