Experience you can check against your own kitchen table

Granny Suz is built from years of real mornings, homework standoffs and evenings that slipped past 22:00 in South African households. This page gathers what we have actually tried, what we dropped, and where the advice came from, so you can judge it against your own week rather than a promise.

What families actually say after a few weeks

No polished testimonials here. These are notes from people who tried one routine at a time, kept what worked and dropped the rest. Names are shortened at their request.

The morning checklist on the fridge did more than three years of me repeating myself. My son still forgets his lunch some days, but we are out the door without shouting now.

Nomsa, parent of a 9-year-old, Pietermaritzburg

I used the body-doubling idea during homework while I folded washing. Sitting nearby instead of hovering changed the whole tone of the afternoon.

Riaan, father of two, Gqeberha

The wind-down checklist is short enough that I finish it. That sounds like a small thing until you have spent years abandoning every evening plan you made.

Thandi, adult with ADHD, Cape Town

We printed the routine cards and taped them inside the school bag. My daughter checks them herself now, which I did not expect.

Lerato, parent of a 12-year-old, Bloemfontein

The conversation starters helped me write an email to my son's teacher without sounding like I was complaining. That meeting went better than the last two.

Aisha, parent, Durban

I listen to the short audio clips on the drive home. They are not lectures, just a calm voice reminding me that a rough afternoon is not a failed week.

Sipho, adult with ADHD, Johannesburg

Every routine on this site has been tried at a real kitchen table, usually more than once, and adjusted when it did not hold. If something here does not fit your household, leave it and keep the one habit that does.

Questions we get asked most

Straight answers about how this site works, where the material comes from, and what to expect when you try something new at home.

Who writes the routines and tools here?

Everything is put together by Suz and a small group of parents, teachers and adults with ADHD who have actually tried this at their own kitchen tables. Nothing is copied from a clinical manual. If a strategy only works in theory, it does not make it onto the page.

Is this a replacement for a doctor or therapist?

No. We write about routines, sensory tools and everyday organisation, not diagnosis or medication. If you are waiting for an assessment, or already working with someone, use these ideas alongside that support rather than instead of it.

Where do the printable cards and checklists come from?

They started as handwritten notes stuck on fridges and inside school bags. Over time we tidied them up, tested them with families in different homes, and kept the versions that people actually used for more than a week. The rest were dropped.

Do the ideas work for adults as well as kids?

Most of them do, with small adjustments. A morning checklist for a nine-year-old looks different from one for a shift worker, but the underlying problem, time blindness and trouble starting, is often the same. We mark clearly when something is aimed at one or the other.

What if a routine stops working after a few weeks?

That is normal and expected. Novelty wears off, seasons change, and what suited a calm term may not survive exam week. Pick one habit at a time, keep it small, and be ready to swap it out. Slow is fine.

Still unsure where to begin? Read the contact page for how to reach us, or check the privacy policy if you want to know how your details are handled.