How to accomplish more in less time?

[artistwithadd]

I am a recently diagnosed ADD inattentive adult, I am 29 years old and from Sweden. My biggest problems with ADD are concentration and executing my big plans, it causes me real PAIN to try to do big projects. Or read instructions. Or even read the newspaper or follow group conversations. I am 29 years old, yet accomplished relatively little in life despite of my smarts and creativity. And i want to get ahead, so bad.

So, how do you guys get more productive and active when your brain tells you otherwise?

Btw, is there anybody else who enjoys cleaning, organizing and planning? I love doing little things like shopping, making calls, cleaning the house, organizing closets, but the big projects are very difficult to start and finish.

Any other creative people out there?

[shamrock]

ok. Hello and welcome and I dont want to make you feel umwelcome..but you love cleaning the house and cleaning closets and making calls and you have been diagnosed Add PI?
And you dont do the big picture?

To quote Alice in Wonderland.curious and curiouser.

This is the nicest forum on the web and you are very very welcome but you do realise thst you have described everything Add Pi is NOT in one paragraph.
Stay around. If you are Add Pi then you are Add PI but here is a wild prediction for u.
I dont think you are going to get knocked down in the rush with replies to a post like that.

[shamrock]

[quote=artistwithadd;1349263]

Btw, is there anybody else who enjoys cleaning, organizing and planning? I love doing little things like shopping, making calls, cleaning the house, organizing closets,/QUOTE]


I have looked at that again. There is no way the symptom list would have even have caught his eye if that was the case.... If that was you then what the heck would make you even think of our condition? Hmm not convinced.

[artistwithadd]

Now I do indeed feel very unwelcome and i don't think you understood my point. I can not concentrate when i read or watch a movie or listen to people talk. I just DONT LISTEN, you see. My mind goes blank quite often. I zone out. I PROCRASTINATE so much, so when i should be studying, i CLEAN. you see? i start a lot of things but don't finish them. i spend hours doing irrelevant things for my success. therefore, i haven't succeeded and i'm almost 30. i suffer from this very much. There is a willing to do things, accomplish, yet i don't have a way. I feel like there is a brick wall infront of me. I burn my nervous energy with shopping, cleaning, organizing. writing to do lists.

So motivation problems, procrastinating, not listening, zoning out, anxiety, frequent changes of jobs, easily bored, wasting time = adhd right?

[sarahsweets]

[quote=shamrock;1349516]

Originally Posted by artistwithadd

Btw, is there anybody else who enjoys cleaning, organizing and planning? I love doing little things like shopping, making calls, cleaning the house, organizing closets,/QUOTE]


I have looked at that again. There is no way the symptom list would have even have caught his eye if that was the case.... If that was you then what the heck would make you even think of our condition? Hmm not convinced.

I think its very hard for one of us to make a judgement if someone has adhd over the internet therefore, despite my personal suscpicions. I tend to just go with what someone says because who am I to judge?

[starrykitten]

[quote=sarahsweets;1349631]

Originally Posted by shamrock

I think its very hard for one of us to make a judgement if someone has adhd over the internet therefore, despite my personal suscpicions. I tend to just go with what someone says because who am I to judge?

Agreed. We folks with AD(H)D aren't known for being the tidiest, so I can see how that might strike some as odd, but I don't think it's grounds for throwing out a diagnosis. Especially because doctors themselves have such a hard time knowing how to screen and having the time to do a proper screening.

But let's get back to the original topic, shall we?

[Bungison]

Sounds like an ideal housemate...as long as you like paying bills as well

[T-Rex65]

I can see how someone with ADHD could enjoy cleaning and organizing, but generally on a small scale and not necessarily when and where you really want or need to. The only time I'm able to organize my clothing is when I'm supposed to be packing for a trip. So, I end up with clean closets and very irritated travelling companions who are angry with me for taking so long to get ready.

I love to make lists. I have lots of lists. Trouble is, I have lots of out of date lists, and lists which duplicate tasks, and lists which I can't throw away because I really need to clean up and consolidate my lists into one master list that has everything on it. Some day.

So let's not assume that the OP doesn't have ADHD. We all have some issues in common, but they can manifest themselves in very different ways.

[Loverandall]

I have no trouble at all believing that the OP is ADD-PI. I don't love housework per se, but if I have something more important to do, I have all the energy in the world for picking up the dry cleaning, doing laundry, making calls, and all of that. I make endless lists and systems and plans for future organizing. And then the next day, I forget the new system, lose the list, and let the paper begin to pile up again.

Clutter makes me feel furious and out of control, even when it's clutter I've created. I alternate between total disorganization and conniptions of hyperfocused organizing.

[MX2012]

ArtistwithADD

Welcome, don't take any criticism you may find here to heart.

You are young, you have plenty of time to work things out.

You can find lots of organizational tips here to help you. Do a search using some keywords, look for posts about jobs, I think there some excellent posts here with good advice.

The only thing I would ask, at this time, is how do you approach your cleaning projects?

Do you estimate how long the project will take?
Do you determine what tools you will need for the project?
Do you break the task into steps?

If you apply this approach to your cleaning projects, these are some of the same skills you need to tackle larger projects.

[sbcy]

Originally Posted by shamrock

?

Seriously? You told your doc that and he said Add Pi.???? Is this a joke post.?.It kind of has to be. If you are genuine then stay here but if you... oh whats the point? You are describing the Add Pi cure or holy grail. Something is not clicking in Sweden but you are very very welcome and if you are genuine you will be assisted in seeing the...gasp....error of your ways.

Actually, they could very well have ADD-PI with an organized/anal personality. These are short tasks that can provide instant gratification to the ADD brain. Additionally, if someone gets excesive anxiety from a disprganized environment it may be stimulating because it provides motivation to prevent the pain of clutter. The person with ADD-PI will find that they have a difficult time staying organized unless they are very proactive about it. But if there isn't motivation to be proactive about it, then they won't be able to hide their disprganized mind as well.

[Fuzzy12]

Originally Posted by Loverandall

I have no trouble at all believing that the OP is ADD-PI. I don't love housework per se, but if I have something more important to do, I have all the energy in the world for picking up the dry cleaning, doing laundry, making calls, and all of that. I make endless lists and systems and plans for future organizing. And then the next day, I forget the new system, lose the list, and let the paper begin to pile up again.

Clutter makes me feel furious and out of control, even when it's clutter I've created. I alternate between total disorganization and conniptions of hyperfocused organizing.

I'm not a big fan of housework though I do quite a bit of cleaning (unless I'm too depressed). The only thing I hate more than house work is a filthy house.

And it's true that with cleaning you can see immediate results and it provides instant gratification. It's definitely much, much more preferable and easier than having to work on a long drawn out project. Clutter and dirt makes me feel out of control as well. Cleaning is an easy way to regain that feeling of control a little bit. But yes, the problem is that I can't clean when I have to and when I feel like cleaning I'll do it no matter what else important I'm supposed to do.

I remember a quote that a poster has in his/her signature:

"There's nothing I can't accomplish as long as there is something else I'm supposed to be working on."

Artist, have you started taking any meds? Are they helping at all?

Could you transfer your organisational skills to your big projects? For example, you could break up your project into smaller part (as small as possible) and tackle each bit without worrying about the big picture. And you can make lists and use other organisational strategies, like lists, plans, etc. to help you with each part if that is something you are good at.

[Fortress]

[quote=shamrock;1349516]

Originally Posted by artistwithadd

Btw, is there anybody else who enjoys cleaning, organizing and planning? I love doing little things like shopping, making calls, cleaning the house, organizing closets,/QUOTE]


I have looked at that again. There is no way the symptom list would have even have caught his eye if that was the case.... If that was you then what the heck would make you even think of our condition? Hmm not convinced.

I kinda thought it was weird too, but you know...

Going by the theory that we are stimulated by emotions only pretty much, and not by mundane, obligatory tasks...

The TC probably has some emotional attachment to tidying up, like he/she feels his/her life is going forward when he accomplishes those tasks and it gives importance to his/her life. I can kind of imagine how this is possible, altough I've never grown to attach such importance to this aspect of my life so personally, tidying up is a huge chore.

In other words, people rarely actually like to tidy up, so
-those of us who don't like it and have ADD can't do it
-those of us who like it and have ADD do it, and
-people with no ADD who don't like it can still do it, ya?

That's what I think


Edit: And regarding the initial topic: how to do more in less time...I don't think you can do much without medication, which will pretty much change things magically...

One thing I could suggest, is what I do sometimes. Copy paste from that other topic:
I've come to this technique of making small lists. It's useful once I manage to make myself look at it. Anyway more technically I find it useful to make a list in Excel, with the first column being in a dark, striking color and being the main and short description of the task. The columns next to it are highlighted in gradually lighter columns as they are more and more specific subsections. This way, I can break down things I have to do into visual small tasks that I can do easier.
See, here is an example.
http://i.imgur.com/tT0lg.png

Making the list itself is short and an accomplishment in itself, and then I can be "satisfied" by doing one of the sub-sub-tasks from time to time instead of looking at the bigger task and going "oh, **** it"

[Lisa_Mac]

I can understand what the OP is trying to say. I don't like housework and will try and avoid it at all costs. To actually spend an afternoon ironing takes a huge amount of effort and I'm not an organized person generally.When a friend of mine told me the other day that every Monday evening she does her ironing, I was " what the $#%@#". People do that?

However, having said that, I do on occasions hyperfocus on tidying out kitchen cupboards and the fridge, and enjoy the mindless therapy, and I love shopping for groceries and planning shopping lists, simply because I love cooking and anything to do with food. My finances are generally in a mess but my cupboards are pretty organized in my kitchen. My bedroom cupboard on the otherhand?

As much as I hate doing mundane things, I hate living in a mess, so as fuzzy says, the results of having a clean and reasonably tidy space are worth the effort for me. I grew up with a mother who was very organized and some of it must have rubbed off. Also, being a bit of a "people pleaser" by nature, I would hate anyone to judge me for living in a mess. I also find I can't function with clutter, so generally throw out all unnecessary stuff on a regular basis. This sort of stuff will get preference over, for example, submitting already overdue income tax returns and taking the cats to the vet for their shots.

The reason why the OP enjoys those activities is probably because they are low stress and keep her busy so that she doesn't feel lazy. The more important projects take more executive function skills that are normally lacking in the adhd brain.

Lx