I learned that many people assess their abilities, and then pick a project that’s reasonable for them, including learning or honing new skills.
As a person who tends to pick a project, and then tries to find the best way to use my current skills and any new ones I can pick up to force it to happen… It just seems wild to me that you can pick a project.
When unmedicated, I find myself suddenly rearranging the house or thinking I could drag out every scrap of clothing I own for sorting or donation and it should take “an afternoon tops.”
It took 4 days. Of like real ongoing effort! The worst kind!
When medicated, somehow I can dial in the time a project will take down to the minute. I seem to be able to anticipate every step.
Which goes hand in hand with how executive dysfunction absolutely fucks us. We can’t perceive the steps in a task. It’s just-
Step 1: Get clothes!
Steps 2 - 5: Sort and Clean!
Step ???: Done with task!
Versus medicine, where it’s like-
Step 1: Go upstairs to where clothes are
Step 2: Gather the clothes into either carryable piles or available laundry totes and take downstairs
Step 3: Sort for keep, donate, or trash
And so on.
I often wonder if neurotypicals can perceive these steps naturally. Keeping this in mind though, I will often make sure that I have a task list at work.
If I get stuck on Step 3, or overwhelmed, I can look at the task list and find Step 4 and I’ll be able to proceed.
Results may vary. Misplacing the list is also super easy. This is not an ad for medication, and there are massive downsides to medication, but for me the trouble sleeping and the sweating and the ease of overheating and the ease of dehydration are absolutely worth it for the ability to do more.
At least, for now.
TL;DR Time Blindness is a symptom of ADHD. If it’s an option for you, meds might help. They might also hinder. It’s a real mixed bag.
I have gotten myself some medication, which has helped a lot. I still have the impulse to jump right to the massive project, but now it’s way easier to recognize that “learn how to do it” is a step, and that a smaller project might give fulfillment, in addition to learning how to do it more effectively because you actually finish, or even start.
I’ve also had good luck with teaching myself that sometimes it’s better to do half of task than to be overwhelmed and not do the entire thing.
It’s not ideal to get dressed out of a laundry basket next to the dryer for a month, but all the clothes are there or in the laundry basket, so things look clean and I’m only slightly wrinkly for a few minutes.
Biggest side effect I got from the medication was a tendency towards dry skin and pimples. I actually sleep a little better because I get in bed to read a book when I’m “supposed” to, so when I get sleepy I just… Sleep, instead of idling on the couch for hours.
We need to mention laundry at least once on every post on this sub, because you just reminded me to flip the laundry I put in this morning.
I didn’t know about the dry skin! I already had insanely dry skin so maybe that was a blessing in disguise? If you need any help managing your dry skin, hit me up, I’m super knowledgeable (ricecake, and also anyone reading this).
The book thing is super smart. I’ve been taking the medicine and getting in bed and playing games on my phone, but specifically from this app I got with a ton of games (like hearts, solitaire, mancala, wordle, sudoku, uno, that kind of games). No more starting a Balatro run (“I can just stop playing when I get sleepy!” - lies I tell myself) or getting caught in a doom scroll.
But like, that’s how you do it though. Are you gunna fuck it up a lot? Absolutely but you’re going to learn and get it right the next time
Next what?
Jesus that’s accurate
Huh? What was that?
I learned that many people assess their abilities, and then pick a project that’s reasonable for them, including learning or honing new skills.
As a person who tends to pick a project, and then tries to find the best way to use my current skills and any new ones I can pick up to force it to happen… It just seems wild to me that you can pick a project.
When unmedicated, I find myself suddenly rearranging the house or thinking I could drag out every scrap of clothing I own for sorting or donation and it should take “an afternoon tops.”
It took 4 days. Of like real ongoing effort! The worst kind!
When medicated, somehow I can dial in the time a project will take down to the minute. I seem to be able to anticipate every step.
Which goes hand in hand with how executive dysfunction absolutely fucks us. We can’t perceive the steps in a task. It’s just-
Step 1: Get clothes!
Steps 2 - 5: Sort and Clean!
Step ???: Done with task!
Versus medicine, where it’s like-
Step 1: Go upstairs to where clothes are
Step 2: Gather the clothes into either carryable piles or available laundry totes and take downstairs
Step 3: Sort for keep, donate, or trash
And so on.
I often wonder if neurotypicals can perceive these steps naturally. Keeping this in mind though, I will often make sure that I have a task list at work.
If I get stuck on Step 3, or overwhelmed, I can look at the task list and find Step 4 and I’ll be able to proceed.
Results may vary. Misplacing the list is also super easy. This is not an ad for medication, and there are massive downsides to medication, but for me the trouble sleeping and the sweating and the ease of overheating and the ease of dehydration are absolutely worth it for the ability to do more.
At least, for now.
TL;DR Time Blindness is a symptom of ADHD. If it’s an option for you, meds might help. They might also hinder. It’s a real mixed bag.
I appreciate the reply/description of my life. :)
I have gotten myself some medication, which has helped a lot. I still have the impulse to jump right to the massive project, but now it’s way easier to recognize that “learn how to do it” is a step, and that a smaller project might give fulfillment, in addition to learning how to do it more effectively because you actually finish, or even start.
I’ve also had good luck with teaching myself that sometimes it’s better to do half of task than to be overwhelmed and not do the entire thing.
It’s not ideal to get dressed out of a laundry basket next to the dryer for a month, but all the clothes are there or in the laundry basket, so things look clean and I’m only slightly wrinkly for a few minutes.
Biggest side effect I got from the medication was a tendency towards dry skin and pimples. I actually sleep a little better because I get in bed to read a book when I’m “supposed” to, so when I get sleepy I just… Sleep, instead of idling on the couch for hours.
We need to mention laundry at least once on every post on this sub, because you just reminded me to flip the laundry I put in this morning.
I didn’t know about the dry skin! I already had insanely dry skin so maybe that was a blessing in disguise? If you need any help managing your dry skin, hit me up, I’m super knowledgeable (ricecake, and also anyone reading this).
The book thing is super smart. I’ve been taking the medicine and getting in bed and playing games on my phone, but specifically from this app I got with a ton of games (like hearts, solitaire, mancala, wordle, sudoku, uno, that kind of games). No more starting a Balatro run (“I can just stop playing when I get sleepy!” - lies I tell myself) or getting caught in a doom scroll.
I’ve picked tons of projects! Just not very many that happen to align with “what I may be motivated to do that day”