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
this post was submitted on 10 Feb 2025
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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.
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I've picked tons of projects! Just not very many that happen to align with "what I may be motivated to do that day"
Oh boy, I wish I could tell you a story about this without doxxing myself. Holy fuck does it hit hard.
Mr President?
Lmao
I don't remember how I got here
What if you swap the locality name for "Metropolis", and yours for "Lex Luthor"?
Let’s just say I was morphing into something in my career, then was made a ridiculous offer for more money doing something I wasn’t fully qualified to do with the promise that there would be plenty of time to ramp up and develop. I took it, the timeline constricted, I got laid off (might as well have been fired), and it derailed my career from the trajectory I was on. Then the entire tech sector went into downturn, everyone’s doing RTO, every job has 487261884 applicants, and I’m about ready to cash in my chips.
I don't understand the part with chips at the end. Why was the offer ridiculous ? do you mean the compensation was ridiculously higher than your usual ? I kinda did that recently, and am still hard at work to finish the thing in question,... so I can relate, I think.
Yeah, compensation was too high to turn down. I was happy where I was and going in the right direction.
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you do end up "figuring out" whatever rocket science or advanced quantum entanglement you needed for the project, but you never finish it.
Haha this is me. I have that OP urge to take on a new project, with the expectation that I will figure it out along the way. Most of the time I actually do figure it out. But once I've "figured it out", I'm bored and don't want to finish.
listen man if I didn't have to work 9 to 5 every fucking day I'd have done so many more unfinished projects !!
Me trying to do anything turns into a depth first search of all human knowledge
That's how I got to senior tech lead on my team (software engineer)
That's been my entire career in computing. I was a director at a small company until it got bought out because they kept promoting me for jumping in with both feet and figuring shit out.
Gotta be AuDHD, then you'll figure it out, get it all done, and then never be able to replicate it and also never want to try. But at least it will have been solved once for a little while.
This is so relatable... Sometimes i come up with software development that i then spend a month hyper focusing on. Working 15 hours per day on it and actually make it work! But if i then look back at my code, i have zero idea who wrote that monstrosity and how the hell it works 🤷
True. That's how I installed Lineage on my old Pixel and set up my home server. I just know I have a limited amount of time before I lose interest, so everything has to be mastered and running smoothly before the clock runs out.
But then, eventually, years later, you do finish it
That post a while back where someone said they took their kitchen apart 2 years ago and now they just live with it like that was something I felt deep in my soul.
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Nothing I do works consistently, so who cares?
Seriously if I could disappear without hurting anyone or causing rippling traumas, I would in a heartbeat.
Until then, I will at least try to enjoy the beginning of my doomed projects.
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year 4 of selfhostong btw
While I secretly(?) agree. Don't give up on big ideas. I do think a lot of big ideas that grew to actual big projects, exactly happened like that. When there's enough approval and a lot people are joining (so that motivation isn't lost as quickly again).
Me, trying to start multiple music projects:
- I had absolutely no concept of an idea that was associated with ADHD.
- If you are determined and stick to it, with a bit of understanding and luck you can likely figure out most situations if you have an experienced person training you, and you can become oddly good at a large number of absurd and unrelated fields.
- ADHD might actually just be a super hero origin story for those that take it far enough.
Too true. I’ve also bullshitted myself into a couple of jobs with his mindset. I keep getting promoted so I guess it’s working, or I’m failing upwards. Either way is fine, same result.
It always works somehow when I start a new job. That's the way of life. Enjoy it. 😎
Wait...everyone doesn't do that?
some people wake up every day with the privilege of being vastly more functional than us.
Sucking at something is the first step to being kinda good at it.
Hey, this logic brought me trough the entirety of high school. I don't have adhd though, so i'm not sure how badly it changes stuff, sorry.
I recently learned this the hard way with some woodworking. I mean, it worked, but the wood choices could have been better if I had any idea besides walking through the hardware store.
Me learning electrical engineering, 3d design, low level programming and several other skills at the same time just to make a ridiculous flashlight...
Edit: btw how does it work that i dont have adhd but somehow almost always relate to adhd memes? Is that normal?
ADHD is a relatable thing. Everyone does ADHD stuff just like everyone poops.
But, if you're pooping 30 times a day and its affecting your quality of life, it's a problem and you might have IBS or something.
Similarly, if your ADHD-like tendencies are happening so much that its affecting your quality of life, it is also a problem and you might have ADHD or something.
Either way when something normal is becoming not normal, its best to see a doctor if you can.
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Hey... I built my career on this! My university degree is useless!
That's why I started figuring out beginner courses / tutorials to figure out if I could grasp the basics on something. Though I'm a bit older, so maybe it comes down to being old and not wanting to waste as much time. Least if I don't do good, I learned something. Did some blender one the other year to figure out some 3d modeling, was fun, then got distracted and haven't touched it since. Was neat to understand the graphics side of things though.
AND whilst fully aware about the success ratio of past similar endeavours along with a statistically significant outcome prediction for this one.
why do i always do this to myself
Cause it's fun! I never feel such a rush of excitement when doing stuff I already know or am able to do wih ease. This has to be how adrenaline junkies feel like.
Oh you can get the barely-doing-things high with easy and simple things too! You just have to wait until there's almost too little time to do them.
It does sometimes
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