there’s a million different strategies on how to function well with adhd, and some of them even work. but every single time i encounter the same problem - even if something works and improves my quality of life it’s always short lived. i get distracted or something happens that throws me off the rhythm and then- i can’t restart.

so now i have a mental library of all those tactics that work and very little motivation to try again, it’s going to last a week maybe, and then back to being a mess i go.

is there any way to work against that? any point of view i failed to consider? any tactic that is designed to stick? or just something that doesn’t work on an assumption that you need to do it consistently for it to work? (and then feel like a failure once you inevitably stop doing it)

all the tips and tricks i googled fail at this step, no book on adhd that i’ve read highlights this problem, this can’t be just me right?

i’m just so tired

  • AddLemmus@lemmy.mlEnglish
    2·
    3 days ago

    Not sure if just trying more methods will help you, but here are some that happen to consistently work for me:

    • Always work with a list.
    • When everything seems overwhelming and I can’t get myself to start, just pick ONE item from the list.
    • If there is no list, just making the list will do. It may be empty. Done for now, enough, no need to start on it yet.
    • Granular items.
      • Instead of “pack suitcase”, break it down like “get suitcase out”.
      • Split the task of “read X” and “understand X”. That stops obstructive thoughts like “I wouldn’t understand it anyway, and then I’d need to as … but can’t right now because …”.
    • The only new breakthrough from this year: When even doing one item from the list feels like too much, only simulate doing them in your head: https://lemmy.ml/post/36147982
    • I have a section of “structural improvements”. Those are things that, once done, improve my life, forever. E. g. getting this diagnosis. Getting a dishwasher. Getting a maid. Unlike, for example, clean the kitchen, which is temporary.
    • implementation intention: Might feel overwhelming to “stop browsing right now”, but set a timer to stop in 5 minutes. Or “when the timer finishes, I’ll do the simulations on list items”.

    Real habit building still does not work for me, though, even with a specialist therapist. That’d be the real deal.