⭐
adhd architecture students rise! realising i need to lure myself into getting out of bed and working with a treat. the idgaf stage of a 3 year burnout is crazy
Related Recs
😃
Ok essay incoming but I’m the same way and this advice is assuming that you have tried various ways to remind yourself of things (physical notes, reminders, alarms, schedules, to-do lists, whiteboards, etc) and struggled to respond consistently to this kind of stimuli. If you’re not already reminder-maxxing I recommend seeking out the most effective method for you to be unable to ignore the reminders. Might have to change over time as you become desensitized to one kind.
Once you’re seeing the reminders daily, the struggle is then acting on them. Seems obvious but sometimes when I’m struggling to complete a task or to do it regularly/form a routine, it helps to zoom in on my reasons for wanting to do it at all. Sure, running every day will make me burn fat and improve my cardiovascular health etc etc etc but sometimes for me with my neurodivergence those long term goals are too lofty and too postponable. Instead it really helps me to think about what kind of immediate reward I will get for completing a task or repeating a task—sometimes the immediate reward is just an immediate reward (“if I go for a 15 min run I’ll feel endorphin release ”) and sometimes it’s the removal of a punishing factor (“if I go for a 15 min run I’ll avoid the shame and anxiety of not doing the thing I said I was going to do today”. there’s a term for this in operant conditioning but I forget what it is). This is why for the really important stuff, I opt for a loud annoying alarm because one can only handle so much snoozing or postponing before it becomes easier to just do the thing.
Another piece of advice would be to harness the initial anxiety that a reminder prompts and act on it as quickly as possible, before the anxiety turns from motivating to crippling and before you can think of excuses/justifications for avoiding rather than acting.
I hope this helps! I’m far from perfect with this stuff and always having to adapt to my own ability to fall back but this has been the most consistently useful approach for me.
Nov 8, 2024
⏲️
im a very lazy girl with problems focusing lol. routinery lets me set up a routine with lil timers so I can make sure I do what I need to do && I usually am in the zone enough to do something extra (eg tidy every night for 5 min). it incentivizes doing the routine daily but doesn’t penalize you if you skip or cut short any of the tasks!
Mar 13, 2024
🧠
stray example: when i lived at my last place i set my phone alarm to only deactivate when i scanned a qr code in the bathroom down the hall - meaning that by the time i actually made it there, it was easier for me to just start getting ready for the day instead of going back to sleep.
identify the things that sap your willpower and engineer ways to make them really fucking annoying to engage with. then, find the things that you actually *want* to engage with and find ways to make them as effortless as possible.
eventually you will find that you get in the habit of doing the right thing often enough that it becomes your natural instinct and not something you have to specifically try to do. this has a compound effect over time - generally shit that is good for you has positive externalities that make it easier to do other things that are good for you.
Mar 5, 2025
Top Recs from @selz
only way i can stomach posting ig stories as someone who’s become socially anxious online. need the fish flops
Jan 23, 2024
hated them when i was younger, in love w them lately. i ♥︎ to pin up my straight skirts to form bubble skirts. this Blondita Shop skirt reminded me of how much i love bubble skirts !
Jan 21, 2024
📚
dianne, the library lady is on my ass. i keep forgetting to carry them with me to campus but to be fair its always models, 1.2m x 0.9m pieces of cardboard, and a toolbox in my arms, walking uphill in cape town’s sinister windy conditions😞
Mar 13, 2024