I've been wanting to do some creative work lately, specifically revamping my website, but I can't seem to focus on it for more than 5 minutes at a time. (Partially because I need a faster computer.)

Sometimes I can focus in on stuff like that, and go for hours, but not lately. I even flunked out of art school a few years ago because I procrastinated so much (in combination with an extreme lack of confidence in expressing myself.)

I'm not sure what to do. I want to start into art and design again, I have a bunch of ideas archived in my brain, but these days even simply uploading photos to Flickr takes a firm grasp on attention.

It is frustrating indeed, wanting to be creative and seemingly not being able to focus.Flunking out for whatever reason, is hard to take too no matter what the reason is for it happening. I flunked a class in nursing school ans was otu of the program for it myself..

oh then the slow computer issue that is frustrating too. I hear all these issues but , if i might gently ask is the core one your lack of confidence?

Can you find a creative outlet that is something different that might increase your confidence, bring enjoyment and a sense of accomplishment that could springboard other creative expressions?

Maybe verbalizing your ideas in your head to a dear friend or writing them down, sketching them out and giving life to them would help? or dialoging with another creative type about your ideas and let the enthusiasm of the moment and affirmation and validation you get from a fellow artist boost you and help you gain confidence in your ideas and creative approach to them?

a few thoughts to ponder here...

I think this could be the beginning of a whole new burst of creativity for you if you hang in there and work through these issues, that personally I think all creative people experience at one time or another.

Here's a trick that is instantly usable:

1. Break the project you want to do down into 15-minute chunks. Trust me, you'll love doing this because us ADD'ers love planning stuff lol. So, print this out or write it down - you need this on a physical sheet of paper, not on a computer or digital palm gadget.

2. Whenever you feel motivated - when you're in the mood to do something on that particular project - taking the next available 15-minute chunk and go do it! For me, mentally thinking of a project is fun, but then it's difficult because I think I have to do the WHOLE project RIGHT NOW! It's like using binoculars to look at something 3 feet away lol - it just completely fills my mental vision and blocks everything else out! Having a printed list of 15-minute chunks in front of me means that I can pick one when I'm in the mood and let my ADD go to town on it.

What this usually results in is an hour or more of working on it, but because I only signed up to do a 15-minute chunk, the roadblock of having a "huge project" was removed and thus the procrastination was removed. It's a GREAT trick to use - print or write the paper with ALL of the 15-minute chunks (this is fun to do too! lol), then just attack one task when you're in the mood and let your ADD go to town on it!


************************************************** ****************************************

There are plenty of other motivational tricks you can use for actually DOING each 15-minute chunk, especially when you're not "in the mood" for it, but you HAVE to do it because there's a deadline or something. Here's a couple tricks that help me:

1. (my newest one) Say "I give myself permission to do...(fill in the blank)". So if you have an art project and your task is to do a sketchbook and your first 15-minute task is to prep the sketchbook, you simply say "I give myself permission to get my sketchbook and pencils, draw a border on the page with my ruler, and spend 2 minutes lightly sketching out my idea, and THAT'S IT!" Of course, usually the creative juices start flowing, but if you don't, um, "limit" yourself in this way, I've found it's pretty difficult to get started.

2. Express your excuse in a funny, high-pitched cartoony voice. Like, if you want to exercise for 15 minutes, say out loud in a funny whiny voice "boo hoo poor me, I'm too tiiiiired to exercise, I don't feeeeeeel like exercising". This whips my brain into perspective ASAP - I'm laughing so hard at how stupid my excuse is after hearing it out loud like that, that I can't help but overcome that mental roadblock to simply getting started, lol.

I have this same issue, I'm going to definitly utilize the 15 min chunk. I also am an artist that never completes anything Unless its a very small project and I have a deadline or happen to really be focused on it. My Main issue is while working on something, I get another idea and enthusiastically start planning it out or even begining it then the first project is put on the back burner.