How to maintain focus on tasks for the long haul when dealing with ADHD
One of the hardest tasks for anybody with ADHD is to maintain focus. You may have noticed a slight slump in my activities here at Suite101 lately. As with any ADHDer I was out of the starting gate with a flash. After a few weeks, my enthusiasm and energy towards the task started to decline. To use my racing horse metaphor: I sort of stopped to eat the grass and forgot I was in the middle of a race.
This is probably the most difficult obsticle for any ADHDer to overcome. I still struggle with it. Any task where I'm not extremely motivated and there is no great reward is difficult.
And we avoid difficult tasks.
If we don't avoid them, we start reducing them. Instead of doing the excess, we do the minimum. Then, slowly, we start doing less then that. If no one jumps on our case, we try getting away with doing less than that. Eventually, we get in trouble and our motivation picks up again. However, motivation reduces even quicker this time and we're back to our old habits.
I see it all the time in ADHD students. They start out the year great, then start to do worse and worse. Report cards come out and they do a little bit better. But soon they are back to doing poorly again.
I wish I could say that I have some wisdom on how to fix this. All I can say is that it is one of the burdens that comes with being blessed enough to have ADHD. Also, sometimes knowing and understanding it helps overcome it. Or at least, it helps you understand.
Right now, I know I need to find some way to motivate myself to complete my duties for Suite 101. I might set up a set time where I complete them. I might reward myself with a special treat: such as breakfast at Dunkin Doughnuts. Sure, I could do this anyway, but it's more enjoyable if I know I earned it. Doing these things help me get the tasks done that I have to do. Once they are done, I spend more time enjoying the things I want to do.
Which I am off to do.
Best regards,
Darcy
