Like yeah I know capitalism is stealing my time and energy, yeah I know “laziness” is mostly a myth, etc. etc.
But like there’s still creative stuff I want to do in my free time, like paint or write or play music, that I feel like I just physically can’t bring myself to do.
So how do you do stuff?
Diagnosis for ADHD and Adderall
Other things that have helped somewhat:
-
Only make myself do something in small chunks to make it seem overwhelming. Got a pile of mail I need to go through? I’ll only make myself do one letter. Since the executive dysfunction part of ADHD is often just “too much inertia disorder” once I’m started on a task I’ll usually finish, or get way more done than I mentally committed to.
-
Practice identifying and clearing blockers. Sometimes i won’t do something because there are too many steps involved in starting it. For example since I have a water filter pitcher, making tea sometimes involves a) put water in pitcher; b) wait for water to filter; c) pour water in kettle; d) boil water; e) pour water onto tea leaves; f) wait for tea to steep; g) pour tea into mug. If I’m in the habit of always making sure there’s filtered water in the pitcher, or even better in the kettle, it’s much easier to start making tea. For me, a lot of blockers I’ve noticed are “something necessary to starting or performing the task is in an inconvenient location.” So I do my best to make sure I have a clear, reasonably efficient path between places I tend to sit and e.g. the bathroom, so it’s easier for me to get up and go brush my teeth or whatever.
-
Similarly, grouping tasks together. Some people swear by brushing their teeth in the shower for example - that way they are more likely to do either.
-
Leaving physical reminders of shit I need to do in places where I can’t ignore them and where it’s easy to start then. Like if I’ve got a bill I need to sit down and pay I’ll put it on my keyboard so I know I’ll see it next time I’m on my computer where the bill pay website is.
-
For fun things and hobbies, I set a day and time that im planning on doing them, and I don’t plan to do anything else that day. I’ll even try to make sure I have easy meals ready to go for that day (like leftovers to reheat)
-
I try to maintain a dedicated space for stuff that requires focus. Not always possible depending on your living situation, but I have a desk set up that I only use for work or hobbies that involve focus and/or labor (like electronics repair or writing). That way when I sit there it tricks my brain into focusing
-
Make sure I have everything I need before I start. If I’m fixing something, that could be my tools and my soldering iron; if I’m on my computer to write or edit or debug something it might just be making sure I’ve got the right files already open and ready to go when I want to start
Edit 2: just remembered the main way that I used to get stuff accomplished before I got amphetamines:
- Productivity By Procrastination: Find or invent something that you’d like to do even less than the task that you’re putting off. Convince yourself you need to do this worse task. Start doing the less-bad task (or the hobby!) to procrastinate on the worse task while still feeling productive. This is the only way I ever got anything done in college.
I heard getting an adult diagnosis for something like ADHD was extremely difficult. Is that true? And is there an easy way to get one? I probably have ADHD. I was diagnosed as a kid but it’s been so fucking long since I was properly diagnosed with anything I’m not sure what I have anymore
It wasn’t easy, but it was only hard in the sense that they made it so there are a lot of hoops to jump through to get diagnosed with “can’t jump through hoops disorder” — since I’m in America it was basically a bunch of phone tag and referral tag. Talked to therapist about how I suspected I had ADHD and wanted to get diagnosed, Therapist told me to talk to Primary Care, Primary Care referred me to a psychologist, had like 3 appointments and some extra hoops* (listed below) with the psychologist who finally diagnosed me, had to talk to Primary Care again to get referred to a Psychiatrist to actually get treatment (aka the fun drugs).
The whole thing from start to finish took like 6 months and a lot of phone calls, but luckily for me it wasn’t too difficult to actually convince anyone that I have ADHD despite having done reasonably well in school, graduated college, and held steady jobs — they were willing to look at the details (in my case, that I did well in school bc I have a good memory, do well on tests, and can focus on stuff I’m interested in, which altogether was enough to pass/graduate despite always being a disorganized shitshow who could never study, do homework, keep track of assignments, or adhere to anything resembling a deadline.)
I will say that when I had to change psychiatrists due to a move, I did start with one who refused to keep treating me bc he straight up did not believe that I could possibly have ADHD because of my on-paper successes, so there absolutely are jackass quacks out there — fortunately, if you’re unlucky enough to start with one, you can get second opinions until you find someone who will actually listen to you.
If you were diagnosed as a kid, though, you probably won’t have much trouble with asshole doctors.
- Everything I did with the psychologist: I had to fill out a long-ass questionnaire about my life, health, habits, struggles, etc; had an appointment where they interviewed me and went into detail about some of the things from that questionnaire; had to give them some contact info from my family members to have them fill out the questionnaire about me as a kid (fortunately they were ok with only surveying my siblings since i’m no-contact with parents); had another appointment where they made me do puzzles and tested my reaction time and stuff, I looked up the tests after and they’re mostly just to rule out things like brain injury or dementia or other cognitive impairment; then finally had an appointment where they gave me my diagnosis.
Hope that helps some, happy to go into more detail or answer any other questions at any point if you’d like!
Good comment.
I went through a similar process, the referral tag was very real. One positive outcome, aside from meds, was that it did teach me some self-advocacy skills.
since I’m in America it was basically a bunch of phone tag and referral tag.
how has this not been addressed? they can’t get my (insurance company’s) money if I can’t engage with their shitty ableist system
It really depends on the doctor. I lucked out with essentially a pill mill where all the appointments are remote. They had me on a few different things before methylphenidate. Generic strattera worked well but made my dick not work well and made ejaculation painful. Wellbutrin didn’t do anything after a month or two. Methylphenidate makes me go fast but it’s like driving on the highway, a small adjustment to the steering wheel shoots me off in a very different direction and it’s hard to correct so I can’t actually just do my work.
I’m honestly considering giving up on medication. I have all the symptoms of ADHD but I can’t stand the idea of taking a pill every single day to alter chemistry consistently and if I forget a day or run out I’m a emotional wreck. Methylphenidate is nice because it’s pretty cheap ($1/pill) and I can take long or short breaks from it and self regulate to avoid a fat tolerance.
I get people to make me and hold me accountable or go to a public place.
I can’t motivate myself to do anything unless it’s through fear of some kind and fear of judgement can do it
I wait til the manic episode starts and follow that til I’ve completed everything I wanted to do since the last manic episode. Then I have nothing to do, so I get sad and put off doing stuff.
They only things I’ve had any success at all in getting done were things I really, really cared about, and even then it took months, years, and even decades to make meaningful progress. Life is just fucking draining, so def dont beat yourself up when/if you cant find time to put the work in moment to moment
I was an only child and had the good fortune of getting a free guitar when I was like 10, i was grounded constantly so i just sat in my room and played for hours, every night. It became clear to me that I was passionate about songwriting early in my life, but not everyone has that moment of clarity. To this day recording is the hardest fucking thing for me to do. I’ve found the solution for me is actually not to do some habitual thing where i force myself to do a little playing every single day or w/e (I’ve seen people burn out that way very easily) and instead dont touch it until i feel really inspired to. Then I’ll sit down and crank out songs or riffs or whatever for a few hours. When I do I try to get it to any kind of complete state, even if it isnt perfect
Later in my life I got passionate about writing, usually critical materialist essays for my own sanity and I use the same methodology. I dont force myself to do it every day, just when I’m “inspired” (usually just fucking pissed off) to do it. I have family in ukraine so writing about the war was something that was emotionally draining but i dedicated myself to it pyschotically for days on end w no sleep
sorry if this rambly or unhelpful, but it appears true to me that ppl are just idiosyncratic and theres no way for anyone to know what methodology works best for you. maybe try a few things, see what sticks. And post your progress here and let comrades know what you’re up to! (encouragement and feedback has helped motivate me, I know its helped some others as well)
best of luck in your endeavors comrade :comrade-birdie:
