Hyperfocus

I googled hyperfocus and found this board. I am so glad to have found others with this problem, but I'm tired of living this way.

I tend to set my mind on something and it won't stop. Right now my dh and I are struggling with money issues, so I'm working for a good part of the day to try to make more money. During times like this the house falls apart. I may focus on housework for a few days, then I get caught up in reading a book or making crafts and the house falls apart again. Then the cycle starts all over with something else. I have tried reading organizational books, making lists, using a palm pilot, notes to myself all over the house, and I cannot stay on track. I am a very disorganized and messy person. My husband is similar in many ways, so you can imagine our chaotic household.

It's very difficult for me to start doing something different. If I have my mind focused on a book or game I will read or play for days until it's complete. If I focus on a craft I will do the same. If I get into the housework mood it's not enough to just clean what needs cleaning, like dishes or laundry. I'm tossing things out and buying paint. Then after I paint a few walls I leave the paint tray out and the paint and rollers dry up. If someone interrupts me during the time period I'm focused I get upset and irritable.

I am on 150mg of Wellbutrin for PMS problems but due to the money situation I don't take it daily in order to make it last longer. I tend to take it when I notice a feeling of panic or if I can't sleep or if I find it hard to breath.

Are there any tips from anyone else with a hyperfocus problem? I desperately want to find a way to live my live in balance - a time to work for pay, a time to clean my house, a time just for me, a time for my hobbies, etc.

[QUOTE=livingwithadd]Have you tried using different types of cues which use more than one sense? For example something that you can see and hear at the same time?[/QUOTE]

I've used timers sometimes to remind me to stop what I am doing to move on to something else, but I usually end up misplacing the timer or finding it hard to move on to the next task. But I still need some type of list to tell me what to do next and I can't stick to a list, which is a big part of my problem.

Was a timer something you were thinking of as a cue or something else?

F L Y !