I was supposed to do boring life stuff today but I got heavily sidetracked by trying to model a physics problem.
This sort of distraction happens a lot to me, when I'm meant to be doing one chore but drop it and do a different one when I see it needs to be done. Like needing to clean the stove, then noticing the cupboards aren't clean, and then staying up late cleaning my kitchen from top to bottom. The sort of thing where it's hard to find motivation but once I do then I'm unstoppable.
I have a friend on adderall, and how he describes that drug it wouldn't work to help this because it helps you focus, but not necessarily on the right thing. He once took it to finish an assignment and then got fixated on a videogame instead and played it until 5am.
Hello, I am diagnosed with ADHD and I take Vyvanse. It’s similar to adderall but much slower release, and I find that it helps me a lot with both motivation and focus.
Unfortunately there is no shortcut to avoiding the rabbit holes. The things that are proven to help are the things we want to do least, like setting and sticking to a strict schedule. If you need to get specific things done, body doubling (asking a friend to cowork or just be in the same space as you) can help for short bursts.
The more you practice mental discipline with small things the easier it gets with bigger things. But ultimately there is no “cure”; it’s all learning to live with it best you can.
Feel free to DM me with any ADHD stuff. I am not an expert but can maybe share experiences/insights.
Solidarity x
I take that too. I wish there were an even slower release version because I find it makes me great for 4-5 hours and then I get vague again by about 3. And I double dose then I can’t sleep.
Nonetheless it’s literally changed my life. I can’t even begin to describe how positive it’s been for me. Literally it’s changed everything.
I take a second lower dose at about 1pm. It helps push the effect all the way into the evening. But yes - it’s been life changing for me too
I was supposed to do boring life stuff today but I got heavily sidetracked by trying to model a physics problem.
Sounds like a W. Life stuff sucks, physics is fun.
I think it will vary depending on the person, but for me I work best when my time is deliberately segmented: I set timers for tasks to help me stay focused. 45 minutes is my go-to, but I have timers in my clock app labeled for different things, like an hour "break", the 45 minute timer is labeled "busy", I have a 20 minute one called "distraction". I will set the timer, and when it goes off I know I either need to switch gears or restart the timer to allow myself to keep going, but only for that second (albeit sometimes third) time, but once that beeping starts I know I need to take a break or switch gears. This has really helped me with studying and remembering to go to the bathroom, or even just to get up and stretch. I will also use timers for laundry, since my washer/dryer have a display that says how much time is left, so I'll set a timer that matches those and then try and do as many chores as I can during the time it takes to wash my clothes, or play a game during that time. Idk how applicable this will be for everyone since it's pretty specific, but maybe something along these lines will help others. I think spending time on things that flex your brain muscles are worth exploring no matter what, but like a lot of things it comes down to how disruptive it is in your daily life. Best of luck OP!
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The timer thing is a good idea, I was kind of realizing while it was happening that I got nerd-sniped, but let it happen anyway and got carried away. I think I'll start using timers. I ignore my bedtime timer too often.
It'd be nice if there was a way to have a count-up timer that went off, like how soccer games work. Where there's an end time set, but you can see how much time elapsed. Where you can still add more time, but it adds it to the total.
That way it'd mitigate the thing you talk about where you restart the timer and keep going a 2nd or 3rd time, since you'd still be able to easily add more time, but you'd also see "I already spent 2 hours of my life on this rabbit-hole, i don't want to add any more" and the timer would give you a reality check. That way you avoid the way I treat my alarm clock, where I keep snoozing it when I know I shouldn't, and get to the point where I forgot how many times i snoozed it.
Maybe I'll try and learn how to do this simple idea in an android app, it seems like a good beginner project.
I think spending time on things that flex your brain muscles are worth exploring no matter what, but like a lot of things it comes down to how disruptive it is in your daily life
Since taking a break after being burnt out on school, I started actively trying to learn stuff on my own, get back into my hobbies, and it's pretty fun. Idk how 'useful' it is, but it feels better than vegging out on tiktok like I used to. TFW when it's 4am and you stayed up many hours longer than you intended watching video junk-food.
Burnout is such a bitch, that's awesome that you have rekindled some hobbies!! I'll add a caveat that it took months to pavlov myself to fully respond to the timers, there were definitely some times at the start where it didn't even register that an alarm was going off right next to me lol. If you do end up getting a counter to work after time has passed, lemme know or maybe make a post cuz I would love to try it too, it's a great idea!
I find that I need to write a list of tasks that I need you achieve that day and I block out rough timeframes for the major tasks, as well as things like break time and meals. I use my phone's calendar because it need it to organise my thoughts and for the clear visual representation and flexibility. You might find that a digital calendar is too liable to cause distraction and so you might prefer to use pen and paper or a whiteboard that is something along the lines of this:
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This provides external structure and accountability but it also helps guide my focus because I've set my intention.
Timers and alarms are also useful in this too.
In terms of drugs Ritalin kind of works for me. Trying to do it by willpower is hella draining and will fail sooner or later I found.
What works best for me is setting a routine and then learning that routine till I can do it blindly, then I can go through that routine on autopilot, so I can dream about whatever and can't get distracted by other chores because I dont notice the world around me. Then set a weekly schedule where those routines are done. So for instance every friday between 10-12 I'll clean the floor. I have a set way of doing that. Every evening after 8pm I'll clean the kitchen. I know exactly what I'm going to be doing. I still need headphones to tune out how much I hate what I am doing for that one though.
But it requires practice and planning ahead. So you need to assess what needs and can be done routinely, what exactly that requires, implement a step-by-step plan, plan it into a weekly routine and then do that for a couple weeks until it sinks in. It's way easier to do with person you trust, best with a behavioural therapist. Failing that I'd set a time and date when I'd be planning to do that and then do it on that time, dropping whatever I was doing no matter what. Like if the house is on fire that sucks for the house but I need to do that now.
can't help, but here is a similar thread https://hexbear.net/post/2231370 - Yak Shaving
the video from Malcolm in the Middle in the first comment (in that thread) seems like what you are talking about, maybe
it's funny at least
Oh no I took this in school I should know how to approach this at least fuck me I'm stupid
Guess that's my immunity
I have a friend on adderall, and how he describes that drug it wouldn't work to help this because it helps you focus, but not necessarily on the right thing. He once took it to finish an assignment and then got fixated on a videogame instead and played it until 5am.
Is your friend me?
What's the opposite of this problem called? Anytime I'm presented with a math problem, my brain completely shuts down and I have to reboot so I can think about it
I'm slowly getting over that.
The key is everyone forgets what they learn, it's just easier to re-learn it when you want to if you "should" know it. Also no shame in working through someone else's solution instead of doing your own from scratch.
Compare it to something physical, like learning an instrument, or doing physical activity like weightlifting or running. Yeah you're not at your peak ability if you took a long break, but you can definitely get back up to speed if you want.
I think part of the problem is my dad and most of my teachers thought that being intense and putting you on the spot, then ridiculing you over that stuff really gave me anxiety that I carry to this day
Passage of time can be really hard and can make it difficult to stop doing a problem. They make buzzers you can put in your pocket that buzz every 10 minutes which can help you make sure you don't get distracted for too long. It doesn't solve continuing to do the distraction, but that's a more managable problem (meds, insentives, and practice.) Timers can also fill the same role. Just make sure you have to aknowledge the passing of time. I have found that the fixation on random things dissipates as you use the meds more. Eventually it becomes easker to pick what you need to do. It took me ~1.5 years to get there.
ADHD meds do often have the effect your friend describes where your focus can get directed at the wrong thing. For me personally, I think of it like the thing getting stimulated is my mental breaks, so I still need to take advantage of those cognitive functions for the meds to work. But they make it so much easier to do so. I’ll also second the timers thing. That helps me a lot. But my meds are indispensable. Vyvanse ftw
I've had different experiences with different adhd meds. With vyvanse I had to be super careful because whatever task I was pointed at when that shit kicked in, that was the next 18 hours of my life. Schoolwork, video games, trawling wikipedia, whatever it was would fully consume the rest of the day. With ritalin and similar I can still get sucked into doing something, but if something shakes me out of it it's much easier to decide how to react, whether to ignore the distraction or take the chance to switch to doing something else. Now that I think about it I should probably have a recurring timer or something to make that happen more often.
Imagine dealing with 'nerd sniping' while already dealing with other interesting stuff. Or when reading a math textbook, you get sidetracked by thinking about what you are reading about, and do not notice that you have stopped paying attention to the textbook.
That was a thing I struggled with in university, properly allocating time to courses I struggled in instead of what I found interesting at study time
