ADHD

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Relevant Lemmy communities:

Neurodivergent Life Hacks

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founded 3 years ago

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108

I can't stop when its time to stop (lemmy.today)

submitted 1 day ago by Remy@lemmy.today to c/adhd@lemmy.world

37 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Hello, I have a big problem that interferes with every aspect of my life. And I want to ask you all if you experience this too and/or you have any ideas on how to improve this behavior?

The Problem

When I do anything interesting, or anything that just isn't completely boring, I can't stop when it's time to stop and start the doing the next thing. I always think, something like "Just five minutes more" and then I sometimes finish hours later than I had planned. This breaks all time-sensitive plans and also causes me to go to sleep far too late.

I don't think that its simple procrastination, because what I feel when I do it, is not about not wanting to start the next thing, but about not wanting to stop the current thing.

List of things I already do / have already tried

Setting up alarms that remind me that I need to stop doing the current thing and start doing the next thing
Creating schedules
Configuring the Wifi Router to turn of at certain times: This is very effective (when I have taken out my SIM card before), but its only helping with cutting the wifi at the end of the day for bedtime, not other time sensitive tasks that are necessary to even enable me to sleep on time (like eating dinner early enough)
Buffer time: Most of the time I can't get my self to view the buffer deadline as the actual deadline
Reading books about habits: I read some books about habits, but these books are mostly about starting an activity, or don't starting an activity at all, but I need to do certain things, and stop doing them on time.
This list is probably incomplete

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[–] schmorpel@slrpnk.net 7 points 1 day ago (3 children)

I experience the transition from one activity to another a little like a jump into cold water. It's just very intense and I guess that's why my mind wants to avoid it. I learn to better anticipate and vow to accept the brief mental pain of starting something new and it makes it easier to jump to new activities.

I also used cigarettes to 'mark' the transition between activities. They help, and also are rotten bad for your health, expensive, and stink like hell.

[–] oeuf@slrpnk.net 3 points 23 hours ago

That ritual marker between activities, and breaks to smoke, was a huge thing for me with cigarettes. It also meant I took regular breaks from being around people which is something I really need.

[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Cigarettes are a huge part of my scheduling system.

Would not recommend.

[–] Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 1 points 1 day ago

I hate cigarettes. Grew up with a chain-smoking parent.

But hey, if that's the mechanism that you've found that works for you, great!

And I hope you'll be able to find a better-for-you mechanism, while accepting that life is trade-offs, and we can't expect to have ideal solutions to everything.