I literally clutter my space in the vain hope that random mis-positioned object x will remind me to do task y. Blank wall isn’t going to remind me to do shit.
Whenever someone suggests the ole remove distractions, I get reminded of that Rick and Morty scene that’s like I NEED TO GET ALL OF THIS SKIN OUT OF MY PERSONAL SPACE. Then the character flays themselves.
Thinking about it, if this were possible, I’d probably continue picking whatever is underneath.
I read this post, then read this comment. All while chewing my fingers. I wish i could say i learned something.
I’m a little better these days. It takes a lot of mental bandwidth for a lot of time. I’ve retrained myself to just rub my fingers together or sth. Meds help to stay on it. Also lots of moisturizing, so 1) you get to do sth with your hands and 2) there’s less stuff to pick at. I’m far from cured though- managed to grow my nails out, but still get my cuticles bleeding regularly.
Me sitting on the couch listening to my clock and making it go from “tick tock tick tock” to “tock tick tock tick” back and forth in my head for 27 minutes straight.
Even with relaxing. Just yesterday I told myself, “Hell yeah it’s Sunday I’m having a gaming day for myself!!”
I turned on my game and sat there for 5 hours doing nothing. I hate it.
In school, because I was disruptive, I was often told to copy parts of the dictionary as “punishment.” I can only assume this was meant for normies. I would instead actually read the dictionary as that was far more interesting than writing it down.
Anyway, afterwards when I hadn’t written anywhere near enough they’d ask what I did instead of writing. “I read it.” So they’d take it away and quiz me on what was there. Naturally I was able to answer their questions as I had actually read it. Eventually they decided that the TAG program was the best way to keep me from interrupting the kids who needed the class.
I’ve learned that my brain’s ADHD department needs the opposite. It needs constant stimulation to keep it distracted so that it leaves me alone to have some semblance of executive function.
Audio stimulation works best. I used to always listen to podcasts, but I’ve found that specific types of music are best for getting work done. (in my case, it’s upbeat energetic thrash and groove metal)
Trance or DeepHouse here
That’s interesting. I kind of go back and forth. Sometimes I’ve got the TV going and three other devices plus headphones in, sometimes I need everything quiet.
One of my absolute favorite things to do is just lay on the bed in a cool dark room with the fan blowing at me. It’s both for cooling down because I’m heat sensitive (completely separate medical issue) and for the sensory deprivation and recharging.
Sometimes I will still put on something to listen to, even in that case. Usually it isn’t typical music though. It will typically be a long form video of a video game speed run or some kind of asmr video with people talking in japanese.
And at work, on days I’ve stayed late for whatever reason, it gets very peaceful and productive for sure.
Being absorbed in my music while working brings that kind of peaceful productive feeling with it, actually. By occupying a certain part of my brain, it must prevent certain anxieties and distractions from getting that attention.
This! Thrash metal or some good electronic music is the only thing that helps. Chiptunes too. I can pump out shitloads of work that way. Unfortunately, ever since Teams was introduced, people keep calling me without hesitation. People invite me to (recurring) meetings faster than I can decline them. I fucking hate the post covid era. I can’t listen to music for more than 2 minutes before the next interruption.
hmm maybe headphones with transparency mode would help? you can still listen to music while having the call on speakers. just an idea, don’t know if it’s feasible
At least for myself, music is great at helping me concentrate on non-verbal tasks, but the second I’m expected to pay attention to speech or (god forbid) talk to someone, it makes it impossible too. That may be the autism causing that as well but I’m not sure.
Hell yeah, some electronic & industrial sounds are always welcome. I do have chiptunes represented on my playlist too. There’s at least Strike The Earth from Shovel Knight.
Fortunately mr job is pretty good about leaving me alone to work on things. (or not, as is often the case)
deleted by creator
I have to, I mean HAVE to, get paperwork done today.
So far today I have mowed/weed wacked the yard, weeded and watered my garden, pulled meat from the freezer to defrost and planned dinner for tonight, and took one phone call in regards to said paperwork. They called me, of course.
I’m now on break and it’s nearly noon. This paperwork is over my head and I am overwhelmed. I could start on other chores just to avoid it, instead I uh, am taking break. I have to get this done, and I am annoyed as to why I have to do it at all… I might just pull it out to look at it. That’s step one no?
Yes definitely pull it out. Celebrate any progress in the right direction. Write down one word. Fill out one tiny section. Now positively reinforce it - that section was easy, nice. If that’s what you get done today then so be it. The next section will be easier.
Hey, checking in. I know what this paralysis feels like. I do encourage you to JUST take it out. Maybe skim it if you can. Nothing else, then take another little break for a time. You got this <3
You took a phone call? You overachiever, you
Maybe I’m the odd one out, but I need some form of background noise to concentrate on anything. Whether that be music or someone endlessly yapping with a monotone voice in a video. Just anything that drowns out my endless stream of thoughts that have 0 to do with my task.
Excellent username really unique I like it
Same to you!
Would you look at that, I have hands.
I remember back when I was in school and staring at my hands seemed infinitely more important than homework. Also watching shadows change as the sun moved across the sky.
Thinking about really makes me appreciate Adderall.
You had a WINDOW?! Lucky. I got a windowless room in school all by myself to do my homework in, as my reward for even having an IEP (that was never followed)
“y’know, they call 'em fingers, but I never see them ‘fing.’ Oh, wait, there they go.”
I thought removing distractions would help too. But even with no distractions, attending a meeting feels like I’m listening to a radio while driving between states.
Me with distraction: feeling fine, barely getting work done
Me without distraction: rumination HELL, feel like shit, still barely getting work done
Give me interesting work and I will give you unlimited output
Same. I don’t struggle with difficult tasks that I can dig into and use my knowledge and problem solving skills to resolve. I spent 2 hours writing a script last week that will save me 2 days of work and didn’t get distracted once. What I struggle with is tedious bullshit.
Yeah. I’m my own distraction.
“Write stuff down and put it where you’ll see it!”
— proceeds to completely see through the stuff you wrote down because it is now blends into the background scenery —
Yup. Getting tired of people saying “just write notes and reminders!”
Okay, my brain immediately deleted the memory of the reminder once it popped up, now what.
I carry a notebook around for this and that works pretty well. If I need to do something I write it in there first and that way even if I get sidetracked it’s there. It also helps prevent getting sidetracked because I can put whatever is sidetracking me on the list instead.
Alternative: about six years ago I was struck with an idea for a new campaign setting after watching a video about orbital resonance in tightly-packed planetary systems. I was about to get into the shower at the time, but I completely forgot about that for the next three hours as i started scribbling equations on the walls with soap and on the steamed-up mirrors with my fingers. That was the moment that made me realize I actually needed medication
Yeah, this is why I have a physical calendar with stickers that I can place for tasks (they are called family calendars and have extra space to place pictograms and notes on each day of the months) and an app that notifies me of tasks to do at the same time (for any ADHD havers here, the app is called Habitica, it’s the best app I’ve found for ADHD, try it out; it really helps).
If I blend one out completely that day, the other reminds me non-stop on my phone (post-its were not helping at all on their own and weren’t precise enough compared to a family calendar). It helps with getting more tasks done than if I didn’t use those tools at all (I am medicated, but I still struggle with not doing tasks when my motivation is very low, you all know how it is).
I’m in this picture and I don’t like it.
Are you sure it’s not just depression?
There is probably also depression in there. It is pretty easy to get depressed when you have ADHD.
throws you down a cliff like a sack of potatoes
but ADHD is such a gift how could we ever end up depressed??!?
I’ve seen this mentality way too much on Reddit subs. Often by the same people that say they are just “neurospicy” and that ADHD is quirky and makes up their entire identity. God that shit is cringe.
Even saw someone recently ask people if they would cure their ADHD if scientists came up with a cure. 90% of the responses were by sane people saying, “WTF question is that? Yes, I would cure it, it’s a disability!” and the op was just replying to them that ADHD was the reason they were creative and was their identity… Bro… Sometimes, I feel like some of these people aren’t even real.
I mean many “sane” people, myself included, wouldn’t “cure” their disabilities because it is part of who they are. I’d rather society cure itself of its ableism than me have to change who and what I am. I have more issues than just my ADHD though, and “curing” all that would fundamentally make me a completely different human being. To each their own though.
I disagree with that way of thinking, it really isn’t sane to me. ADHD isn’t “part of who I am”, just like my myopia isn’t either. It’s not part of my personality, it’s just a disability I inherited. I can cure my myopia with laser eye surgery and when I get enough money to, I absolutely will and if there’s a cure for ADHD, I absolutely will cure it the same way I will my myopia. Disabilities aren’t my personality. Curing them won’t change who I am as a person (my brother and mother got laser eye surgery for their severe myopia… their personalities didn’t change, btw). That way of thinking is so damn reductive to me.
You’re welcome to believe what you want to, and I didn’t try to convince you that you shouldn’t. Personally, I believe I am the sum of both my positive life experiences and successes, as well as the challenges, pain and trauma, for better or worse. Now, if they came up with a cure tomorrow for my connective tissue disorder, would I take it? You’re damn right I would. But given the choice of “pressing the button” and being born without it, I absolutely would not, because to do so would mean that I will have never existed. It’s the same reason I, as a trans woman, don’t wish I was born a cis girl. These things have inextricably made me who I am, I wouldn’t just be a “different” person without them, but entirely unrecognisable.
I deeply disagree with you as a transman myself. My core never changed after transition… I was still me regardless of how people saw me before, during and after (took 15 years). I was just getting treatment (a cure of sorts). My medical conditions (or disabilities) don’t define my personality or who I am as a person. That’s absolute nonsense.
You aren’t going to change my mind, and honestly this is becoming insulting, so I’m going to take my leave. I hope you have a good day, evening or night wherever you may be!
To be fair, if you’ve been diagnosed as an adult, ADHD is a huge part of who you are. You’ve lived with it your entire life and you’ve developed coping mechanisms accordingly.
But I get what you’re saying!
I was diagnosed at 24, it’s just a disability. It’s not part of who I am at my core. Developing coping mechanisms to deal with the disability isn’t part of me, it’s necessity.
If you can make it so I never had it, I’m in. No idea what that would mean for me, how I’d suddenly be a different person, but if it means I get to not have all the bullshit memories from my childhood and instead have had a nOrMaL life, yes please.
Just “curing” it, as in, I don’t have it anymore starting now, wouldn’t do me any good.
