eli5 – Can someone explain ADHD? Specifically the procrastination and inability to do “boring” tasks?
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Saw a few personal stories so I thought I’d share my own. For me, it’s a lot of not noticing little things that haven’t gotten done (think missing spots while sweeping, slightly dirty dishes, bagging garbage but setting it down and forgetting to finish taking it out, etc.). I’m usually SO focused on the tasks I’ve started (usually clean a few things at a time to keep from getting bored) that some of the details get left behind. For me, it’s like my brain doesn’t register the bag sitting in the kitchen, the spots on a fork, or the one stripe that’s slightly dirtier than the rest of the floor. With that being said, repetitive things like mowing (who the fuck wants to walk back and forth in a straight line for an hour? It drives me insane) are way harder for me to start, especially because I don’t find the end result reinforcing. Idc that my lawn is long, but I know my wife and others do, so I begrudgingly mow it. It’s not my idea, I hate doing it, so I put it off until I can’t anymore. In addition, when it’s something I dislike, it seems like it takes waaaay longer than it should. Classes with clocks were the worst because I could hear the clock ticking and realized how slowly the time was moving. I usually compare it to a speedster staring at a clock. That shit seems like it moves in slow motion when I’m forced to do something I don’t want to do. That’s also a big reason why the lazy aspect always bothers me. I’m actually pretty active (about 15,000 steps a day between work, home, and the gym), but to the outside world who doesn’t see how much I’m trying to do all at once, or how my brain is processing a ton of sensory inputs all at once, it can seem like I don’t care about finishing or starting something else. It can turn into a vicious cycle, but a good support system, medication, and some behavior shaping on my own have helped tremendously.
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