Do you practice "do it while I'm thinking of it?"

[TheChemicals]

Originally Posted by Sandy4957

This is how I live, actually...

I like how you live. I do the same as well.

[bettermenow1]

I try to. I find myself saying I better do it now before I forget.

[mctavish23]

YES !! I have to.

The "trgger" for me is if I catch myself saying ... "I know, I know."

That means I won't do it unless I jump up right that second and do it.

So far, it works well.

tc

mctavish23

(Robert)

[Spacemaster]

I do that. When I think of it... :P

[sarahsweets]

I really should. Problem is, I think of something else way more interesting first.

[DarkShadow]

Originally Posted by crystal8080

Ive been keeping a notepad and pen with me and writing down stuff when it pops in my head. Some of the stuff are things I've been meaning to do for some time, other things are things I do all the time. My lists have some pretty haphazard things on it.

So yes, my do it while i think of it usually means write it down before I forget to write it down....one step closer to getting done.

Now I have a whiteboard on the side of my fridge I use as a notepad that doesn't get lost, a calendar on the front ( surprise surprise I bought it without realizing it starts in September) and a corkboard next to the fridge for random papers.

I usually can't do any better than that because I'm in the middle of doing something when I remember things, so if I stop what I'm doing to do what I remember to do, I forget to finish what I was doing. Wow. I hope that makes a lick of sense lol.

I use to use the note pad thing also. I keep a running list of tasks that need to be done. If I can't do something immediately when I think about it, I write it down on my list.

I use to have trouble with this when I had a note pad. I'd always misplace my note pad and lose my task list. Sometimes I couldn't find a pen. I tried buying a pen dedicated to my notepad, and clipped it to the inside. Whenever I would find my notepad, the pen would be missing. Apparently I took it out at some point and forgot where I placed it. Sometimes I would stumble across the pen and realize I lost my note pad. Once, I found three note pads all together, each with half completed task lists written in them. LOL

Then I upgraded to an iPhone. At first this helped, because I never lose my phone. However I would often think of things at the strangest times (like when i'm driving, in the shower, trying to sleep, etc.) I couldn't type these things in because I was busy. Many times I just didn't have the motivation to do the simple task of typing in a line of text into my phone. So many times things failed to get put on my task list, thanks to my lack of motivation, procrastination, and simple laziness.

NOW! I've upgraded to an iPad with voice dictation. I don't have to type in my tasks anymore. I simply hit the button and talk. The iPad types it in for me. I never lose my iPad, and never need a pen. Come fall, the IOS upgrade with include the virtual personal assistant Siri, so she will be able to manage my calendar, email, text messages, etc., with just my command.

What's my problem now?

I FORGET TO CHECK MY TASK LIST! All the time I forget to check my task list.

So now I have to set reminders on a daily basis to check my list every hour or so.

My brain works so hard at trying to be irresponsible. I wish it would work half as hard at being productive. *sigh*

[fracturedstory]

Sorry to be OT, but I just remembered to do two very important things after reading this thread. I got to love it when things like that happen.

Right phone charger, phone. Possibly ipod charger.

[DarkShadow]

Originally Posted by DarkShadow

I use to use the note pad thing also. I keep a running list of tasks that need to be done. If I can't do something immediately when I think about it, I write it down on my list.

I use to have trouble with this when I had a note pad. I'd always misplace my note pad and lose my task list. Sometimes I couldn't find a pen. I tried buying a pen dedicated to my notepad, and clipped it to the inside. Whenever I would find my notepad, the pen would be missing. Apparently I took it out at some point and forgot where I placed it. Sometimes I would stumble across the pen and realize I lost my note pad. Once, I found three note pads all together, each with half completed task lists written in them. LOL

Then I upgraded to an iPhone. At first this helped, because I never lose my phone. However I would often think of things at the strangest times (like when i'm driving, in the shower, trying to sleep, etc.) I couldn't type these things in because I was busy. Many times I just didn't have the motivation to do the simple task of typing in a line of text into my phone. So many times things failed to get put on my task list, thanks to my lack of motivation, procrastination, and simple laziness.

NOW! I've upgraded to an iPad with voice dictation. I don't have to type in my tasks anymore. I simply hit the button and talk. The iPad types it in for me. I never lose my iPad, and never need a pen. Come fall, the IOS upgrade with include the virtual personal assistant Siri, so she will be able to manage my calendar, email, text messages, etc., with just my command.

What's my problem now?

I FORGET TO CHECK MY TASK LIST! All the time I forget to check my task list.

So now I have to set reminders on a daily basis to check my list every hour or so.

My brain works so hard at trying to be irresponsible. I wish it would work half as hard at being productive. *sigh*

I just read over this and chuckled. Typing this post reminded me that I haven't checked my task list today. I opened it up to find a long list of items that need to get done. Some I have actually already completed and just forgot to check them off. Apparently I did not check my list once this weekend.

It appears that I'm forgetting to set my reminders.

[Rudie Punk]

yes, most all the time.

The big lie is telling myself that I'll remember later

[crystal8080]

should we just start a thread that asks you if you checked your planner today?

[Electra2]

hehehehe yeah I think like that every day or I just forget about it so I might as well do it NOW or I forget about it.
("what was I doing again...? I was gonna say somthing...but what...?" )
Sometimes I get up for apearently no reason at all but its because I must do it right now and people start to think Im not interested or beeing rude but its just to save a prodject,really , before it get lost forever.
This is also often why I interupt,
not mainly because of impulsivity but because if I dont say it right now I might forget it forever
There is no way to recall it later.

[ToneTone]

Spunkysmum,

So interesting that you would ask this.

When I was figuring out that I had ADHD four years ago, I read that it is highly heritable. So I start thinking about my family and voila! ... My beloved mother's refrains came to me.

"I have to do it now while I'm thinking about it."

I used to bug her about not being able to prioritize. Can't we wait to put the trash out later? Do you have to do X, when we have y and z? ... and she would say she had to do it then/now.

My mom was born way before people were diagnosed with ADHD, but remembering this, I realized that she had all the traits that I'm struggling with.

My mother's other slick move was to try to outsource her weak working memory to children or whoever was with her. When we were out with her, she always said, "Don't let me forget X. Now you remind me that I need to do Y." And she was serious.

She was never diagnosed, but she cobbled together her methods of coping. I get a smile thinking about her and her mind. She's been gone three years now.