How Do You Make Yourself Start a Project | ADHD Information

Hi all:

I am not a very active poster but I do visit the site a lot. I just wanted to pose the following question: How Do You Make Yourself Get Started on Your Work or Projects for the Day?

Those of us who are ADHD know that unfinished projects and unrealized ideas are cornerstone symptoms of ADHD. I find that I have trouble making myself get started and even the task of breaking down a project into smaller pieces seems to be a project itself. So how do people get started? What are your strategies for resuming your work if you have been interrupted? Thanks everyone.

That's a tough one and one that I need help with myself. I can tend to force myself to work (but only after procrastinating as long as possible.) What I do is make a deadline, and tell my clients that I will have XX done by such and such date (if they didn't give me a deadline to begin with that is) Doing this has made me 'keep to my word'

I don't want anything to jeopardize my business image., which I place very important. I think that's the key.. making things that important to yourself to complete. Now.. other things like ideas I want to implement, projects that aren't immediately necessary they get put on the 'back burner' and most of the time they go uncompleted as my clients, and paid projects always come first.

I don't know if I was much help.. but I really do think that by making things important enough they get done. I can stick to my plan by going into hyper-focus mode and generally get an insane amount of work done in a short amount of time.
ShawnB39057.7211689815

Well you could do like me and wait till your marriage falls apart. That seemed to be quite the motivator to work around the house. I'm quite good at cleaning the kitchen now.

Also limit your distractions while on the project. Like removing anything shiny from the room, and string, remove all the string from the room.

Alchohol seems to help me get over the fear of working on my wood chipper.

I'm not being much help am I?

But on a serious note, I have always been a perfectionist. I have found it easier to do a project If I am able to lower my own expectations of the finished project. Thats hard to do for work but usually acceptable around the house. I take pride doing things right but I also realize that some times done is better than "still to do."

[QUOTE=yo_louie]

Hi all:

I am not a very active poster but I do visit the site a lot. I just wanted to pose the following question: How Do You Make Yourself Get Started on Your Work or Projects for the Day?

[/QUOTE]

HI, are you on any medications yet? If so, what and how much or often? How long have you been on meds? The meds helped me a lot with what you are talking about, but I still have all the other symptoms: late to everything, losing my keys (and my head) daily, no patience, get bored easily etc... But the meds did really help me to get motivated to clean and organize. I organized my entire house, I mean labeled everything into nice neat little organizer boxes and put up shelves myself. Hubby freaked out. Not sure if he likes the new me :-)

I doubled my medicine without even talking to my doctor about it (I wouldn't recommend this trick though) - but for me, it worked. It was like "wow" I have so much energy now, that I cannot even sit still (which sometimes isn't so good and can be annoying) it gives me worse ADD cause I cannot stop. But hey, the house is cleaned, organized and starting and finishing a project was simple for the first time in my 33 years !!

Do you go to therapy too? Or coaching?

Mia

Our PROBLEM is finishing things/putting things away.

[QUOTE=ivanhoe]Our PROBLEM is finishing things/putting things away. [/QUOTE]

That is my biggest problem also. Be it housework, like laundry, cleaning etc. or crafts, sewing - don't get me started on this, i have tons of projects that have been waiting patiently for years to get finished.

I put everything off until the last possible moment. I get things done really fast under pressure. Like Thanksgiving, I knew for weeks that dh's family is coming for Thanksg. Two days before, I started cleaning the house, baking and cooking. But I got it all done, withut the help from dh or the kids, I went through the house like a tornado.

Sorry, that I don't have any advise on getting started. I write my self notes on things that I have to do that day. I carry a calender and a "huge" notebook in my purse. Any app. that I write in my little calender goes imediatly on the big ones, one hangs in the kitchen and here by my computer. I also use my cellph. to put in reminders and alarms.

stopwhining39059.6706365741Yeah, I know. It's frustrating because if I actually get started I usually do a good job, but since I never notice that the dishes are piling up and such, I seem lazy.

I would not function without my mobilephone alarm clock, but it's still hard to remember not to just stop the alarm and continue whatever I'm doing, instad of the things I should do when the alarm goes off.

I'm definitely is going to hire a housekeeper when I can afford it!
=)
I CAN'T FINISH STUFF CAUSE i HAVE TO OVER SEE EVERYONE ELSE.IF i WANT IT FINISHED i HAVE TO DO TAKE THAT THING OVER. OUR HOME WAS ORGANIZED WHEN WE MOVED HERE BUT EVERYONE ELSE DOESN'T DO THEIR SHARE IN THE HOME. Practical idea: set the timer for 15 minutes (or 10, or 5, if 15 sounds too painful). Then just work on the project in some form or fashion for that amount of time. Don't worry about whether you are working on the "right" step of the project or not. Just set the timer and work until it rings. If you start freaking out, just take a deep breath -- it's only 15 minutes. You can get through it. After the timer goes off, give yourself a 15 minute break. (In fact, you must take this break.) Repeat 3 times. You can do this for 3 different projects, or all the same one. Try this. It works. Wordwoman39062.4909490741An other good technique that I use sometimes is called the 5 minute rule. I tell myself that I will work on something with 100% of my attention but jut for 5 minutes. Typitcally once I get started I work for over 5 minutes, later to be distracted, but it hlps me start a lot of things.

An other thing I do is the 80% rule (I use this more commonly with smaller tasks). I tell myself that I cannot stop working untill I have 80% done, then I get to take a break. It usually helps me get started on cleaning my apartment and similar tasks. Well, time for me to continue studying for my final exam tomorow... Goodluck everyone, hopefully this is usefull to some of you.The timer thing would freak me out.. I'd be focusing on how much time I had left and not on the project!

That's why I hated tests so much that were timed, even timed games get to me! On getting started, in my opinion is not difficult. Everyone (at atleast me haha) frequently thinks, "man, I feel really akward right now..." or "What should I do now?" What I personally do is.... the first thing that comes into play with anything revolving around myself is "what can i do now to benefit me?" I tihnk to myself when I'm bored and go "ok, what can I do that will benefit my life?" Personally for me it would be eithertaking 15 seconds and changing my appearance just by relazing my body more, or practicing anything I enjoy (guitar and surfing for me) and focus and improving on those.

I actualy found myself reading many NASA physics articles not because I will ever have the grades (currently enrolled at USC) or patients to learn how to do the math behind them or start a career in that field, but I find it interesting. Pick up TIME mag and read something, there's article in there for everyone. I personally just try to continually ask myself what am I doing? how can I do it better? then regaurdless of what useful or pointless activity it is, I can perform it more effeciently and either A)get more done quicker... even though I know i won't finish because I'll get distracted, or B)finish doing waht it is quicker if its a mindless activity because I will be better at it haha. Hopefully my ramlbing was beneficial to someone out there.