When unmedicated, I find myself suddenly rearranging the house or thinking I could drag out every scrap of clothing I own for sorting or donation and it should take “an afternoon tops.”
It took 4 days. Of like real ongoing effort! The worst kind!
When medicated, somehow I can dial in the time a project will take down to the minute. I seem to be able to anticipate every step.
Which goes hand in hand with how executive dysfunction absolutely fucks us. We can’t perceive the steps in a task. It’s just-
Step 1: Get clothes!
Steps 2 - 5: Sort and Clean!
Step ???: Done with task!
Versus medicine, where it’s like-
Step 1: Go upstairs to where clothes are
Step 2: Gather the clothes into either carryable piles or available laundry totes and take downstairs
Step 3: Sort for keep, donate, or trash
And so on.
I often wonder if neurotypicals can perceive these steps naturally. Keeping this in mind though, I will often make sure that I have a task list at work.
If I get stuck on Step 3, or overwhelmed, I can look at the task list and find Step 4 and I’ll be able to proceed.
Results may vary. Misplacing the list is also super easy. This is not an ad for medication, and there are massive downsides to medication, but for me the trouble sleeping and the sweating and the ease of overheating and the ease of dehydration are absolutely worth it for the ability to do more.
At least, for now.
TL;DR Time Blindness is a symptom of ADHD. If it’s an option for you, meds might help. They might also hinder. It’s a real mixed bag.
When unmedicated, I find myself suddenly rearranging the house or thinking I could drag out every scrap of clothing I own for sorting or donation and it should take “an afternoon tops.”
It took 4 days. Of like real ongoing effort! The worst kind!
When medicated, somehow I can dial in the time a project will take down to the minute. I seem to be able to anticipate every step.
Which goes hand in hand with how executive dysfunction absolutely fucks us. We can’t perceive the steps in a task. It’s just-
Step 1: Get clothes!
Steps 2 - 5: Sort and Clean!
Step ???: Done with task!
Versus medicine, where it’s like-
Step 1: Go upstairs to where clothes are
Step 2: Gather the clothes into either carryable piles or available laundry totes and take downstairs
Step 3: Sort for keep, donate, or trash
And so on.
I often wonder if neurotypicals can perceive these steps naturally. Keeping this in mind though, I will often make sure that I have a task list at work.
If I get stuck on Step 3, or overwhelmed, I can look at the task list and find Step 4 and I’ll be able to proceed.
Results may vary. Misplacing the list is also super easy. This is not an ad for medication, and there are massive downsides to medication, but for me the trouble sleeping and the sweating and the ease of overheating and the ease of dehydration are absolutely worth it for the ability to do more.
At least, for now.
TL;DR Time Blindness is a symptom of ADHD. If it’s an option for you, meds might help. They might also hinder. It’s a real mixed bag.