Sounds like ADHD, my dude.
this post was submitted on 03 Jul 2023
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As someone with ADHD I can tell you this is normal for me. I am not sure if this is normal for people without ADHD but yeah it's hard for me to stay on track with any idea and follow through with it. It sure is fun to explore all this weird crap but not very useful to not get much done. I will say to give you hope I have still been able to cobble together the skills and abilities over the years to have a professional career but it has taken organization and perseverance that definitely don't come naturally to me.
Autistic and ADHDers typically have a lot of niche interests that they rotate through and often experience a sense of not wanting the flame to die out as one interest fades into another. I have a feeling a lot of us on Lemmy are probably like that.
I've had this issue since I was a child. So many hobbies I'll get into, research extensively, spend the money do it and then lose all interest whatsoever. Sometimes it can take weeks, sometimes days. Sometimes I'll find old hobbies and get back into them but the process continues. I'm always looking for something new new do but it seems that I can never stay satisfied. I wish it weren't that way, I wish I could be compassionate about a single thing and stick with it but I cannot. I don't know why. I have been tested for ADHD and told my results are normal and this type of behavior is normal for a lot of people.
I feel the same way. I'm starting to seriously think I have ADHD, which might be something to look into. I'm also looking at getting into video content creation - specifically, educational computer science videos.
I'm still figuring it all out, but so far I've found two things that seem to help: Scheduling my time as much as possible (I use Google Calendar, with reminders and alerts so I don't forget), and breaking tasks down into sub-tasks that I can "finish" in an hour or so.
I'll be keeping an eye on this thread for more tips though, as this is something that frustrates me to no end.
IDK much about how ADHD works, but I have the kind that means I can't not focus on something I get interested in, and I really struggle to focus on anything else. It's great for learning, because I can stick at it for hours upon hours without a break, but it's terrible for getting work reports out on time.
That’s actually a symptom of adhd in general. The two main differentiators seem to be inattentive or compulsive, or a combo of the two (I have the combo). Hyperfocus sucks as much as you describe because sometimes it’ll end up being 3 AM and you know you needed to go to sleep hours ago, but you really just need to understand everything about penguins and why they have knees.
as someone currently looking into combo ADHD "tips" / helpful info, who is currently writing this at 3:30am and who needed to go to sleep hours ago, I feel this on a personal level..
also, TIL
:]
The best things I did for myself was go to a neuropsychologist since they will tell you exactly where you struggle in terms of development. For example, I learned that I have trouble processing lots of information or responding to information quickly. So from there I was able to figure out what I personally needed to concentrate on improving for myself at work. The second thing was talking to a doctor about medication. I’m currently on the generic for cymbalta for depression/anxiety, and vyvanse as a stimulant and I’m in a pretty good spot overall.
The best tips I can provide is being present in every action you take and do things when you get the motivation to do them, especially if it’s something you’ve been putting off. Oh, and lists and calendars are your friends. The more notes you can take about what you need to do, harder it is to forget you need to do stuff. Need to get something done but struggling to start? Break the task down into little bite sized pieces, do the first few things and you might get hooked into the rest and find you’re done before you know it.
I might also have adhd because i just can never focuse, also do you have any tips for content creation or should i just do whatever becasue i feel so confused and im a bit scared. ive also wante dto make a game but i cant code for the life of me, its just too complex and i tend to want things now.
The trick to content creation in theory is to create content - even if it's bad, just get started and eventually the quality stuff will follow. "The perfect is the enemy of the good."
That said, I haven't made a single educational video, so take anything I say with a huge grain of salt. I very much get hung up on "the perfect" even when I know I shouldn't.
As for programming, generally speaking, I would recommend learning Python. It's a very forgiving language that gives results quickly, but can also be used to do pretty much anything.
I have lots of interests, and my obsessions change every few weeks. Try to complete a single small task for your current obsession, the most basic of basic things. It's fine to have a curious mind, but it's also good to train yourself in success, and the best way to do that is to have some tiny success that encourages you
what are some tiny example because i tend to dream big to say, and i want money and having both those things happen at the same time can be annoying, like i want to do something but also money.
If you have more than one thing and you need to concentrate on them more, try something like timeboxing. Basically, schedule out your day, and steel yourself to follow that schedule. Today, you might play video games for an hour, then for the next 2 hours, you dedicate that time to video editing/creation. The goal is, you never spend more time than you've boxed on the one thing, and you don't distract yourself during that time with other activities, because you've set this time aside for whatever you're doing.
Everything starts small. Upload a video of something random to Odysee. That's a whole thing in itself, you gotta make an account etc etc.
Yay, now you know how to upload videos!
Find an example of something you could make a video on. This will take some effort, but it's another achievement.
Keep going like that. Set your goals to be doing tiny steps.
Im probably gonna sound very boomerish but i think you should just get busy. Work out or try to get a new skill, not necesarilly for hustle but just cause, but i mean comit to it, like take a course on your town or online, go to a gym or to any local art groups, be it painting, dancing or even acting, being part of a group makes comiting to your activity much more easy, and as a plus you could even make new friends. I know its easyer said than done specially from someone that isnt going throught your life, but you could start by just doing mundane stuff like house chores, decorating your room/house and cooking for yourself, and i mean something tasty not instant foot. Learning to cook descently is specially good since you have to eat 3 times a day for the rest of your life, mightaswell learn to do it right, eh?. Hell even videogames can be a good way to get bussy as long as its moderately of course, preferably single player focused games that have a begining and an end so you have a clear goal to acomplish and dont get stuck on those god awful conditioning machine loops from competitive online gaming.
It's probably adhd, and some of your advice won't stick, but exercise is a great idea, so is learning to cook, all about the stimulants when your brain is a whirlwind
Before bedtime, I would write down in a journal what ideas you tried that day, and if you reflect on these a bit as you fall asleep, you could dream about one or two of those ideas. In the morning, re-read the journal entry you wrote the night before & ask yourself if you want to try pursuing that idea any further that day. Listen to yourself, if you can. Eventually, one of the many ideas you have will start to "stick" and then start to snowball after a few weeks of concentration. I think video creation is a great skill to have even if you dabble in it for a few weeks before losing interest.
I, too, jump interest to interest. A few of those ideas will really stick with you if they really resonate with your life pursuits. This is normal.
You're not entirely alone, I swap between games/projects/interests on a bi-daily or weekly basis unless something keeps me anchored. It's very unproductive.
thats good to know im not the only one in this boat.
I hope it's normal because I suffer from the same thing. I want to be skilled and great but I'm interested in so many things. Seems that I never get anything done because of this.
I'm someone who sticks to skill-based hobbies for months / years.
What keeps me interested in a given hobby for a long period of time is the dopamine hit of the reward at the end, and once I achieve one thing I want to move on to the next.
In a sense, my interests within a hobby change frequently depending on my achievements, but I also know that the kind of achievements available get "better" with time: You can't beat the final boss if you don't beat the first boss !
the dopamine hit of the reward at the end
So that's a thing huh?
Everyone is saying ADHD, but I wouldn't say that because you don't give enough context. I also start doing things that just come to mind, and after a month I change peojects leaving them unfinished. But I think it fairly normal some ppl just have a harder time dedicating all their time to one project. I'm juggling 3 projects as I'm writing this and I'm overwhelmed, yes, but that doesn't change the fact that I can pay attension when I'm doing one of the three. (ppl who have ADHD usually can't)
If you just fantasize doing thing, but never do that's also not the sign of ADHD, I did yt baack in the day. Now I don't, I don't even think about it. The solution to "wanting to do stuff, but not doing them" is quite frankly to do them.
What i'd do in ur place is get some video editing software, recording software, and something that can make easy content, like for example CS:GO. You could record CS:GO however you'd like and edit the footage however you'd like. Do this until you enjoy it, and congrats! You did something maybe learnt something, maybe made new friends, maybe discovered a secret talent. This is life buddy. "Fuck around and find out."
That's really not true about ADHD. It's very poorly named. Leaving projects unfinished after a month or whatever is a very common ADHD behavior. People with ADHD don't have a deficit of attention, when they're interested in something that is all they focus on (called hyperfocus). And fantasizing about wanting to do something and not being able to get yourself to do it is another very common thing with ADHD.
damn you just turned my world view upside down, I want to not believe you. But then again this is the internet, everything is true
So i get many ideas but i never do them and my interests change everyday which can be annoying.
You've already been internet diagnosed with ADHD. I'd like to ask a few more questions for clarity: have you recently graduated, have your living arrangements changed recently, any major life events? How long have you felt you've had a million ideas but no motivation to do any of them? Do you spend a lot of the time imagining how these ideas will make you successful?
If you have a fear of failure it could answer what you've posted. Having a healthy enough sense of self to understand that failure can happen and be willing to try anyway is the first step towards your best chance of success.
Oh wow, this sounds too much like my own life. I ping pong between a lot of different interests constantly.
The only thing I found that really keeps me focused on one interest is:
- If I have a clear goal of what I want to make
- If I have hard deadline that I need to keep to
Like for example, making an art project for someone's birthday. But even then it only works if I have a good idea ready on what I want to do. I try to keep notes on ideas that pop in my head, so that when the opportunity is there (and I have the right motivation) I have something ready to work on.
I wish you the best of luck, it's not easy to deal with this kind of thing.
I’m the same. So many different ideas and interests pop up, and I have so many that I never really focus on one.
it is quite annoying feeling this way, i must sat like right now i want to make a video but idk what to record or if i use my voice or not, i was thinking gaming but my pc is low end and my space is noisy (it gets hot so i have a bunch of fans and ac going).
I used to play games a lot but I’ve recently been so unfocused that I usually just buy a game, play it for 2-3 hours, quit, look for a new game, repeat. It’s tiring 😩
I had the same problem, it's real hard to find a game that actually can hold my attention. Recently, I've found 2. Bayonetta, and Inscryption. Both really good, only one has boobs though. The other is a horror based card game which sounds kinda wierd and incongruous until you start playing it and realising how dam fun, creepy, immersive, challenging and therefore addictive it is. Steam sales on now!
I’m afraid to even check out the steam sales because I’m sure its going to tempt me to buy even more games that I’ll start and forget about :
Good on you though for finding a game that keeps your interest!
I have the same thing and I love that I can get so hyped and passionate about so many different things, the downside is that I never finish anything, because a next big thing comes and I lose interest, but at least I am never bored or don’t have new goals to achieve. I think it could be ADHD.
NAD, try Adderall 😅
Im probably gonna sound very boomerish but i think you should just get busy. Work out or try to get a new skill, not necesarilly for hustle but just cause, but i mean comit to it, like take a course on your town or online, go to a gym or to any local art groups, be it painting, dancing or even acting, being part of a group makes comiting to your activity much more easy, and as a plus you could even make new friends. I know its easyer said than done specially from someone that isnt going throught your life, but you could start by just doing mundane stuff like house chores, decorating your room/house and cooking for yourself, and i mean something tasty not instant foot. Learning to cook descently is specially good since you have to eat 3 times a day for the rest of your life, mightaswell learn to do it right, eh?. Hell even videogames can be a good way to get bussy as long as its moderately of course, preferably single player focused games that have a begining and an end so you have a clear goal to acomplish and dont get stuck on those god awful conditioning machine loops from competitive online gaming.
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