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today I wanted to sew up a hole in the shirt I wanted to wear so I sat at the sewing machine shirtless so that every time I would try to get up to go do something else, my tits being out would remind me oh yeah I want to sew this fucking hole in the shirt before I do anything fucking else.
unfortunately I wasn't able to finish setting up the sewing machine before my roommate needed me for something, so I just put on the shirt. it still has a hole. 😑
I do a similar thing with mowing the lawn. I pull the lawnmower out and sit down to have a cigarette. Eventually I'll get annoyed enough at seeing the lawnmower that I'll just do the work.
I have this feature where my brain blocks out the presence of the lawn mower. Now it's just a part of how a lawn looks like.
This took so much time for my wife to understand. “But you see $THING everyday!”, “Yes, and that's why I don't see it anymore”. She probably still doesn't understand-understand, but she kind of knows.
Yeah, that's why it's so annoying when people say "leave a note somewhere!" or "make a list!"
Like, those notes and lists would quickly just become part of the background noise. And then they say "You're just making excuses! You didn't even try it!"
I mean, do you really think I'm just pulling this out of my ass as if I've never tried that before? Like I'm just too stupid to think of that myself, and no one has ever suggested it before, and your advice is the first time I'm ever hearing of this "leave a note" trick? No, I've fucking tried everything and learned from experience what works and what doesn't, and that's why I'm so resigned to my fate now.
Or do I really need to try again every time someone new says "Just use a post-it note!", and act like I'm trying it for the first time to "keep an open mind."
Same thing with all that other BS neurotypical advice, like "Just go to the gym"/"Start a healthy routine"/"Find a hobby"/"Just go out and talk to people and make more friends."
Like, mf stop! I've tried it all. It doesn't work. Even if you think it works for "normal people," guess what? I'm not "normal people!"
And then they say "You seem pretty normal to me."
Like yeah, just go ahead and invalidate my entire life experience of dealing with an invisible and incurable disability, because YOU can't see at a glance what a personal living hell it can be. All that tells me is that I've done an effective job at masking so as not to make the NTs uncomfortable, when really all it does is make it harder to find reasonable accomodations when I really need them.
Yup, my massage chair agrees that it's a table.
This reminds me of how I force myself to go to the laundromat. I put all my dirty laundry into bags and set them between my bed and the door. Even when I want to be lazy, seeing those bags there and having to walk by them to leave will eventually make me think, “Fuck it, just get it over with.”
Also, for cleaning pots and pans after cooking - I start by putting them in the sink. Then I think, “I should add soapy water at least, so it’ll be easier to clean.” I add the soapy water, then think, “I should scrub the top parts, where the water isn’t reaching.” Then after that I go, “You know what, I’d rather not have to come back and finish this later. Just wash the whole damn thing.”
And that’s how I manage to clean my pots/dishes.
You jusr need to commit harder. Roommate needs help? Tits out or wait for me to sew this shit
I considered it but she's uncharacteristically uncomfortable with nudity (for a European) and also what she needed help with was installing the air conditioner so I begrudgingly conceded that was more important than fixing the shirt, given it was 90 °F. I wouldn't have wanted AC dirt all over my tits either. Oh also I suppose that would have been tits in front of the open window which is considered rather impolite to the neighbors
I just don't eat till the evening.
Hunger triggers a caveman response of "you need to work to get food" which keeps me productive.
This and my eating disorder are best friends 🙃 thankfully, body dismorphia bullies both of them harder than they bully me, so I end up hot.
I also do this but apparently this can be a contributing factor to developing diabetes if you're already at risk.
I'd love a source on this.
I'm in my late 50s and do IF. My last blood tests came out perfect, as in my doctor was almost pissed that she couldn't tell me to quit something :)
Mentioned it before but: Watch a show with crazy but functional characters until mirror-neurons/code-switching/whatever-the-hell-it-is kicks in and you start being able to act and think like them. Then do the task as that character. The more unhinged the character the better because then it’s just fun to kinda larp them in your head as you do your task, and it takes your mind off of the task itself but still gets you to do the task.
Also very helpful for writing essays btw. Like if normally you write essays “like a robot” just pick someone who speaks with charisma and write the essay in the way you think they would. I’m not joking, it really helps
Then I accidentally pick Cheryl/carol from archer and burn the whole place down.
Idk, you're just as likely to release a banger of a country album
Outlaw country!
Oh look another thing I do but never realized was due to my ADHD.
in college, I made a separate user that had no video games installed and knew none of my passwords. I made myself go to the library at a set time and had to stay for a set duration of working hours. I also used a social media blocker. Eventually it stopped working though and I would sit there and do nothing versus start.
Just do something, even if it's a terrible idea.
Example: I need to put up this shelf. I'll get my tools. But first I need to find the right position, measure, make sure it's level, line up the guide holes...well, before I pick the position, I should check for studs. Where's the stud finder? Oh, I need a pencil too. And those magic sponges. Do I need to buy more of those? HOLY SHIT, IT'S BEEN TWO HOURS AND I'VE DONE NOTHING?
Drills hole in wall.
Ok. Now there's a big hole in the wall. I need to resolve that before my wife comes home in an hour. That's motivating. Let's see if i can cover that with a shelf.
Not getting stuck in the first place. From the moment i wake up i keep going until everything is done or it's evening.
Sitting down for too long and taking a rest is a good way to lose momentum.
That works, but I usually have to pay the price for it the next day.
That's going to be the unhinged part or at least more of it.
In the morning, before the brain even understands what's going on. Start again. Swallow the breakfast slop, chug down coffee, all while half asleep and then start moving again. The brain wakes up while already in motion.
I've noticed somewhere in the ballpark of max 1h in the morning, after that it starts to get harder to get moving. A time that I'm currently starting to run out of, so time to get moving and hit the gym.
Disclaimer: Of course people are different and it doesn't work for everyone and it likely has a cost associated to it.
Blasting my brain out with really loud music usually helps.
Besides that, my brain is a lot either/or.
I am not great a eating balanced, getting a balanced amount of exercise, or doing anything else balanced.
When I went to university, I either studied 10h/day every day, or I did not study at all.
As soon as I start slacking on my own extreme goals for specific task, I lose almost all ability to get that thing done.
It's extreme or nothing, it is now or not now.
Blasting my brain out
Oh no.
with really loud music
Phew.
Tell someone something is already done and that you’ll show them later.
Panic is a wonderful motivator.
Buy absolutely miniscule amounts of food so hunger drives me out of my house to get things done.
I saw alcohol mentioned a few times in the comments and I get it, but please be careful with it. Neurodivergence and alcohol is a match made in hell. (For me it was. I have no right to speak for anyone else, TBH.)
Thankfully, it's just the standard doses of amphetamines and caffeine for me these days.
(Alas, I am stuck in a hell of an anxiety loop right now, and can't get some super important stuff done and can't crack out of this, for whatever reason. Booze has crossed my mind a few times, but I am fairly positive my next bender would be my last.)
I had a major alcohol mismanagement problem for years. Found SMART Recovery (science based, free) and got a handle on it. 2 years later became a meeting facilitator.
The amount of ADHD, bipolar, and other ""neurodivergents" (hate the word) is astounding.
I would be very wary of substance use.
Back in school, like secondary and high school, I used to drink to get my homework done and essays written in time. A sip between pages, or when it started to get hard to think. I quit drinking to smoke herbs and suddenly dropped out because I fell too far behind with all the essays, "weird."
When cleaning and organizing, no breaks. Break means I sit down until I head to bed, so the only option is to push until everything is done and/or I crash. Drinking plenty of water and not going to bathroom also helps, like "I can go to pee once I do this.. Okay I forgot, but I can go once I get this other thing done.. Oh, well after this.."
Also blasting fast music helps, I can dance and daydream while getting stuff done without thinking too much. But that might backfire and cause me to zone out too, slip into the daydreams and dancing. But that's good for my head too, so ehh.
White lithium grease usually does the trick.
Bad part is that it leaves residue everywhere.
Induce panic. Just spiral out of control about that shit until you get the adrenaline, then start doing coping mechanisms to get the anxiety to a level you can function but you can only function on the thing you're specifically freaked the fuck out about.
It ain't good for you, but it works in a pinch
I wake up at 2 am to get things done, because everything is quiet and I can peacefully zone out to music on my headphones. My problem now is that both my awake cat and my sleeping husband want me to stay in bed and it’s a lot harder to convince myself to get up anyway.
Stare at a wall for 15min. At some point I actually tart tripping
According to legend the monk Bodhidarma achieved enlightenment just by staring at a cave wall, it's a time-honored tradition
My wife and I are completely opposite with this one here. If I stare at a wall for 15 min, we are not sure I will get back to the surface again, so peaceful.. while my wife would suddenly rather fix our lawn mower. She's like the squirrel from Over The Hedge.. She's diagnosed with ADHD and I am with ADD, it's quite obvious when looking at us, haha.
I offload some mental responsibilities to husband. I tell him what I want to do so if I forget he reminds me. It also makes me feel bad if I don't do them cause he knows what I wanted to do so I'm like...10 percent more likely to finish.
Dangerous amounts of caffeine tablets taken on top of my elvanse dose, I need to get wired enough that lying in bed on my phone is impossible.
Back in the day I just did a line of speed before each task that needed doing. Considering how pure the shit we were getting back then was, and how much better my body functions on amphetamine compared to caffeine, this was probably actually healthier than what I do now. It was certainly more productive.
ketamine. Doesn't work anymore, don't try it
but there has been at least three times I took some k and for some reason I got this primal, savage and wild urge to clean my house
why? idk
Jokes on you (well, actually me), I don't have one! I'm just stuck and the only thing that helps that is another person making me do it.
Micro dosing THC, like if a dose is 10 (mg?) I eat 2.5. Not enough to feel the effects at all, weed usually makes me so stupid and totally unproductive, but weirdly, a small amount focuses me. I'm like just zoned enough to not over think anything, but totally present enough to complete everything i need to do, well.
Beyond that, no breaks, no eating, just coffee. I can get a ton done, the bit of hunger also focuses me. In this mode, I just let the productivity flow, and don't try to necessarily stay on exact task. If half way through organizing all the toys in the house I remember to write a thank you note, I just get the supplies out, push a clear space in the toys and bang it out. Trying to ignore the impulses and stay perfectly on task just burns me out. Anyway, I get right back to the toys, and the letter is addressed with a stamp, so I end up with a bunch of tasks done.
I absolutely crash at the end of the day, feel sick from not eating with the caffeine, and my body hurts from zero breaks. But if I eat or sit at all I'm done for the day.
Getting arrested.
I wasn't arrested, but held for questioning because my car was near the scene of the incident. So I had to wait there for 30 minutes and give a statement.
Those 30 minutes, I was having a ball thinking creatively.
Lately at work, when I have to work on something I don't want to do, I'll make myself work on the thing for 5-15 min, even if it's just adding a sentence, spell checking, or making small tweaks. Then, I'll browse on my phone for an equal amount of time. After a couple of rotations, I'll finally get some momentum and start making some real progress on my work, and I won't go back to browsing. If it doesn't work after a couple of hours, I'll go find some caffeine.
Sometimes, alcohol works. It is supposed to be lowering inhibition, though the main downfall is that alcohol usually makes me calm and tired, not hyped up or aggressive like it seems to work for many other people.
Incredibly bad for health reasons so it's not recommended, and it's incompatible with tasks that involve operating heavy machinery such as cars or drills.
Idk How much this really is related to Neurodivergency and how much is addiction/suppressing depression, but for me being at least to some degree stoned definitely helps with getting stuff done. At this point, I can do pretty much anything while being stoned. Housework, cleaning, even coding. All of it can be done while being stoned.
I read a book that convinced me that anything I thought I 'should' do was completely optional. I did the 'had to's as I'd always done, and if a 'should' came up I did it if I felt like it and was able to not worry about it if I didn't. It was a pretty nice week. Therapist laughed at it when I told them, and that was the end of that.
LSD applied directly to genitals you'll end up doing something at least and if you just stare at the wall it will look cool
Put on music that demands that i move and swear/scream my way through it but that works maybe 2 out of 7 times.
There’s also “let me pick something else to do” and sometimes I’ll accomplish my intended task via procrastinating my other chosen task. Or I get the other thing done which isn’t bad either ¯\(ツ)/¯