[ThinkOfANameQuick]

I'm a 14 year old girl who lives in the UK. I go to a good school and my grades are above average, but have always had trouble organising and completing my homework. At the start of each year or term when I do not have any assignments piled up I manage to keep on track of my homework and hand everything in, but this always deteriorates in a couple of weeks and I find myself either skipping work or doing it the night before it's due.

I've been reading a lot of articles for the past month or so because I got the feeling something wasn't right, and they say that girls are most likely to be perfectionists and whenever something is not completed get upset about it. I am neither of these; I don't feel happy about not getting stuff done, but I feel detached from it. I rarely think about school and shy away from social media because I know I would get bored of it and it would be an extra chore for me. I feel uncomfortable writing this now because I don't like being reminded of myself; whenever I read an article that talks about the reader, I find that I am always imagining a fictional character in place of myself.

My interests change very quickly. If I don't force myself when I don't want to, I never finish books or TV shows that I liked before. I am always starting new things and have had to force myself recently to stick with what I've got. I put off stuff that I enjoy; right now I have some manga that I have been too lazy to order for 5+ weeks. My room is always messy, and I often take shortcuts in doing housework.

My disorganisation affects my home life as well. I want to be a writer and enjoy writing, but after the initial excitement of a new idea or project I find it hard to stay on track, and am afraid to start new projects when I know that they will never be finished. This might just be me being lazy, so I don't want to talk to anyone I know about it. I am afraid that I want to find an excuse for my procrastination so I don't have to take responsibility for it. What is "normal" for not getting projects done or following interests? It would really help if someone replied.

(Sorry for any typos. I wasn't sure where to post this because it looks like everyone here has been diagnosed)

[Skeezyks]

Hello ThinkofANameQuick! The Skeezyks welcomes you to PsychCentral! I hope you find the time you spend here to be of benefit.

I don't know... perhaps it's my age... but this sounds to me like youth... Much of what you wrote reminds me of myself many years ago. There was a time, way back then, when I also dreamt of being a writer. And I also always would get excited by a new idea. But when I tried to actually put it on paper it always seemed just dumb & I soon tired of it & moved on to something else.

Of course, it's possible you're experiencing the effects of some depression & / or anxiety. Are there other difficulties in your life that are bothering you? If your school has a counseling service it might be worth talking with someone there. If not, is there perhaps a trusted teacher you could talk to? The thing is that having these kinds of concerns continue to "rumble around" through your thoughts may only make them seem gradually worse. Having the opportunity to talk them through with a supportive person may be the best way to allay your fears & figure out coping strategies. And then, also, keep posting here on PC. It can help too...

How is your attention? What about concentration? I'm asking because you wrote a lot about your disorganization and your constantly changing interests, but I didn't see much about your attention/concentration. The only thing I saw was, "I find it hard to stay on track." Can you elaborate on that a little more?

To give you some background, the disorganization part of ADHD is typically due to poor attentional skills and a deficit in executive functioning. However, some people are "naturally" disorganized and their disorganization has nothing to do with poor attention or poor executive functioning. Similarly, some people are motivated than others, and some people just have rapidly changing interests (which, btw, is not really an ADHD symptom, unless the rapid changes are due to the person getting frustrated with not being able to concentrate).

For what it's worth, I think a lot of young teens struggle with organization. I am not dismissing your concerns at all, but it's just something to consider. In other words, compared to your peers, how is your disorganization?

A lot of teens are lazy too, so it's also important to compare yourself to your classmates.

If you feel that you're "worse" than your classmates, then you should definitely bring it up with your parents and/or doctor... but in general, a lot of young teens procrastinate and have poor organizational skills.

Either way, it can't hurt to talk to your parents or a doctor. I'm not a doctor, so I can't diagnose you, but I can certainly entertain any ADHD questions you may have because I have severe ADHD myself