I love starting projects. The problem arises with actually working on them.

Living with ADHD is like being chained to a small, spastic toddler who refuses to let you do your work *until you do what they ask *, no matter how dumb it is.

Yes, I’m looking up the history of Paw Patrol. Yes, I was supposed to be cleaning. No, I cannot switch. We’re looking up Power Puff Girls next.

The problem with me trying to gaslight my brain is that I know the guy doing the gaslighting and he's an asshole who is not to be trusted.

I thought having grown up with ADD and having developed my own coping mechanisms and strategies would help me raise an ADD child. Holy shit it is so hard.

Im not diagnosed but I find a lot of the things posted apply to me. I mean if its the same thing and if you mean get over it permanent then I don't think that will happen. Im like pretty old and it still happens and it can get done but its like moving through molasses and you have to have it as a high priority. If you do anything you must do this thing. You are not allowed to do anything else till it gets done. Do anything at all towards it. Get the website open, gather the info you need. Just plan out what you need to do and put it somewhere (emails to myself are my go to). Anything at all towards doing it is good. anything else bad. hammer hammer hammer your brain. I know I hate it, I know it depresses me, but the buck stops here. Im the adult. Im resposible to support myself and others. They will suffer if I do not and it will be my fault. No way I know to make it easy.

Most use adhd medication

I don't know if this is related to ADHD or something else, but I've found that just communicating with someone can help me move things along. Up to just now I've assumed it was a problem solving help, but thinking about it in this context makes me wonder if it's actually a motivation thing.

Like I know I need to do something but am not sure what to do next, so I seek help with the problem but then don't want to make it seem like I haven't tried any of the obvious approaches, which are suddenly also obvious to me.

I've found this works even without needing to actually do the communication. Like if I'm writing an email instead of a chat, I'll get the same effect.

If you're freelancing on your own, maybe make up an imaginary colleague that can help with many problems but will judge if you just offload your problems onto them without even trying. Or try it with an AI assistant, since they can actually participate in the back and forth and might even have real solutions to offer.

That might help at least for the problems like, "I should be doing this thing but it seems too hard because I haven't yet thought it through to the point where I know what the next step is".

I don't really know how to explain it but I just start doing whatever it is "automatically". Like I take my brain out of the equation and just start doing it. This is only moderately effective and works a lot better with physical tasks like exercising but it's the only way I get things done some times. I should probably be medicated but that requires making an appointment, going to a doctor and talking about my problems which so far has not been something I can force myself to do.

You could try the pomodoro method, or gamification techniques. Medication helps immensely though

Holy shit. So many DayTimer books that were completely empty. I started telling my mom not to buy them once I hit high school. I knew they would just be carried around for the year, and then thrown out never having had a single note recorded in them.

Funny how using planners was an integral part to my therapy to cope with adhd. The thing is that I had to be taught and learn through cognitive behavioural therapy how to do that and how to make sure it actually helps me instead of just being another stressor.

All that to say "just use a planner" is terrible advice but not because planners are the enemy of the adhd brained person. Just wanted to say that in case anybody reading this goes into therapy and dismisses the notion because it's become a bit of a meme around here.

Did you try journaling though? 🤔

Or "just write it down"

The absolute worst part is that planners really do work, but hot damn is it hard to use them.

"Hey could you do the thing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing!?"

Nonono it's dark down there, I don't want to go

True, introspection can help a lot. Therapy is even better

holy shit!!!

I have three of them, and I'm still struggling!