Can anyone relate to the constant up and down motivation problem? Like one moment you think, YES I can do this. Then you wait 5 minutes and youve forgotten entirely what you were pumped up to do?!

Then when you remember, you think meh, its not that important.

Can I ever relate to that! Or, I really feel like doing something NOW, but I have to do something else first, and by then the feeling goes away.

Explains the piles of stuff around here, windows that have needed cleaning for I-don't-know-how-long, dust you could write notes in ....

Yeah... as this whole up and down chaotic pattern of motivation shifts became more and more apparent to me, it's a lot of what finally pinpointed to me that I should probably do something about my AD/HD. Cuz it really does suck to live that way lol... makes me feel I've totally spiraled out of control of myself and that I've literally become some kind of senile person whose life is just one random episode to the next and can't do anything about it.

I mostly get that with buying things. I see something I want on the internet and think YEH! I HAVE TO GET THAT! Then I forget about it and think why did I even want that?

Sometimes I end up actually buying it and then never using it so I try and not to listen to myself when I'm really motivated like that because it's usually not a good idea to go ahead with it.

LOL, yea boone!

but yea, I also see that in myself, for the most part I have to find ways to "pump myself up" to do stuff, like sit down and draw, becuace, I REALLY want to draw! but then I sit down, and its like........


DRRRAIINNNNN>....

If my motivation is going all over the place, than that's my signal to check my medication.

Yes, I can relate. I do that when shopping,too. But my biggest problem is when it comes to entrepreneurial ideas. I get an idea for a business and go, WOW, this is a new business idea that could work! Then I hyperfocus away reading and learning everything I can about that business and try to plan how I could supplies, sales contacts, etc.

Sometimes I can chase ideas for months. But at some point, I wake up one morning and the whole idea looks lackluster and nothing special. What seemed unique and wonderful at the time now looks average and might not work.

I've feel like a failure because I dream big but never take action.

Yes, my motivation goes up and down. Good ideas do come on and see like a break though only the next day to not seem so good.

omg this is soo true and minniemae that just described my exact life to a tee :S

You mean like "knowing I need to clean the house but stay online all night instead?" LOL
Look, there are 2 people in my house, but my wife doesn't really get motivated either.
I'm not tripping over things, but it doesn't exactly look like a model home either.
Oh well, searching for things is really fun some days, unless it's my keys! LOL

"Can anyone relate to the constant up and down motivation problem? Like one moment you think, YES I can do this. Then you wait 5 minutes and youve forgotten entirely what you were pumped up to do?!"
Story of my life! As I've been looking closer at why my life is so completely unmanageable, I've noticed that this motivational problem is usually at the bottom of it. I am either ON or OFF on a task, and it seems like I have no control over the switch. I keep lists of all I have to do, and am always doing something. But if I can't get that motivation switch to go on for a particular project, I can't even cope with thought of starting it. So it just stays on the list, waiting for the switch. Then suddenly I'll wake up one day, and say "HEY, I want to do that today!" - "pumped up", as you said. I then work at great speed, focus (as long as no one talks to me) and efficiency until it is accomplished. I have a desperate need to finish this task - I'm so pumped up on this thing, so excited to have it done, I don't want to let it go - because I know that if I let up...if I take a break...if I look away...that switch might go off, and suddenly it either won't matter anymore or I just won't be able to deal with finishing it. I don't want that to happen, so I've gotta RUN with it when it's on! Anyways, I now see that this makes stopping/transitioning even harder - and of course there is no rhyme or reason or structure to my day or what I accomplish. I don't get to other things that are in fact more important. This wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have a young son depending on me.

If the switch is just not coming on, and I have to force myself to do something right now (something that HAS to be done, like paying bills that are due) it's like pulling teeth. It takes 3x longer than it should, because I can't concentrate, I'm completely inefficient and make stupid mistakes, all making me extremely irritable and ending up with a headache from the effort. Weird, huh?

I always thought that was all pretty immature - another reason to be down on myself. An adult "ought" to just have the self control to prioritize and take care of their responsibilities because it's the right thing to do. Pretty childish to only be able to do what you WANT to do. Fact is, that's just how I am (I'm in my 40's BTW) and I'm not alone. Finding that there are other people with the same struggles has made me feel so much better about myself. And I've also found out that there are tools available to us. I'm trying an ADD planner (computer software) right now that is working wonders.