This post is an explanation of how my personal motivation works, and I am curious how others here relate to it, and if it is a common thing with ADHD.
For starters, I have inattentive-type ADHD, have been diagnosed and on various medications for ~5 years, and am roughly college age for context. I am very highly motivated by other people, basically anything where people are depending on my for something, or will directly help/harm someone depending on my actions. Of course I still have executive dysfunction struggles regardless, but that external motivation helps immensely.
In school this manifested as struggling a lot with homework (often not doing it), but doing very well in-class and with group projects. In my limited work and internship experiences, somewhat predicably, I have done very well as directly working hands-on with coworkers highly motivates me. Unfortunately, personal life progression things like actually getting a job and finding and applying for further education is the exact opposite, and is a struggle. There are of course plenty more examples, but I think that gives the gist of my experience.
Research “body doubling”. It’s the only way I get important tasks at home done.
Could have written the same thing myself. Pretty much nothing to add, just saying that you’re not alone. It’s even worse working remotely. Whatever evolution has done, it hasn’t prepared me for this way of life.
I tried research work, but yeah… I don’t have to explain how that felt. It’s terrible closing the remote meeting call and feel the previously tangible motivation vanish in the same instant the last hint of microphone echo quiets down.
Medication wasn’t the answer either. I think I just need to work and be around other people.
That actually sounds very much like my own motivation structure, and I had a very similar story of how school went for me. Add to that phenomena like me being able to actually care for myself and rapidly improving in just everyday tasks while I was in a relationship vs. now, where I can’t bring myself to get motivated to do basic self-care any more.
In hindsight this maybe would be better for the lemmy.world ADHD community as this one is mostly meme, I’ll cross post but lmk if it’s worth removing or just leavjng
Like we can focus on memes alone, please!
If you want to understand motivation, not just for “today’s attention challenged individual on the go”, but something that’s universally applicable, I’d suggest you go to the source and look up self determination theory.
I’d be happy to apply the theory on your case, but for the sake of brevity I shall refrain from doing so unprovoked.
The tldr is that there’s three basic knobs you can twist to affect someone’s motivation: competence, self determination and belonging. You don’t need to actually invoke real change, but strengthening a person’s perception of those feelings will induce a positive psychological impact.
I think no harm in keeping this one up
