[changling]

Hello!
I am a 39 year old female who was recently put on Vyvanse for Adult ADHD. I believe I am having a positive response: No desire to self-medicate, Not NEARLY as impulsive, much calmer, etc.

While my attention is much better when paying attention to a movie or a conversation, I am no better at doing "real" things like budgeting/paying bills/doing the neccessary reading, writing, cmputer work for my job. I have decided it comes down to: 1) I find this stuff incredibly dull and boring and 2) I have a very low tolerance for frustration i.e. I need to do most of my work on computers and I get very frustrated with computers and can't get my work done.

I would like any tips or suggestions people may have on how to stick with the very dull but neccessary tasks of life.
Thanks!

[pgolg]

hi changling. i haven't posted here, but a few times, but i had to reply. sorry, but i dont have any advice, but my situation is almost identical to yours.
i am 36, and just recently diagnosed with inattentive type adhd. i started adderal 15mg 2x a day a little over 1 month ago. At first, i was so excited because i actually felt a difference in myself, and I started out with a bang, cleaning my messy house, etc. I think it was just because that is what i thought it was supposed to do or something. when i start something, i am able to complete it and do it well. But . . . the motivation to get up and do something productive is so hard for me. I end up reading a book (which i haven't been able to do for so long i cant even remember), being on the internet or watching tv, talking on the phone (with much focus and concentration i might add) but doing laundry . . . ugh!!!
Anyway, for some reason, i thought the stimulant would help me with motivation, but its not, and i'm really sorta disappointed. I would like to hear some advice as well

[BalishBun]

motivation is a pain in the neck. Its sometimes hard to find out what do do to get yourself "motivated".

[mak62184]

What I unfortunately end up doing is waiting until the last minute, when I know I can't avoid whatever I'm avoiding anymore. It works pretty well. But I also sometimes make a list and prioritize by importance. Like I will just make the list, but then think of when things are due or are supposed to be done by, and write the date next to the task. Then when I finish something, I cross it off the list.

[MotherMarcus]

I find myself full of all sorts or ideas, I just don't have the follow-through. What do you think we should call this boat we are all in?

[chaotic13]

I'm boat has a lot of powerful oarsmen but no compass or navigational system. It goes off course and in circles a lot.

[Perna]

I reorient my thinking so it's about/for me. I think about the task and whether it is necessary to the world :-) I once deliberately took a part-time job at half what I could have earned to be a "file clerk" so I would have to do lots of filing and xeroxing. I often avoided those in my real jobs and I wanted to learn to do them well, whether I felt like it or not. I first thought about xeroxing and making copies of stuff and thought about the person I'd be making copies for and their job, etc. and what use my help copying would be to them. I decided the copies were worth while and so why should they be beneath my doing/helping with them?

What kind of person do you personally want to be? Do you want to shirk work or do it anyway? If something is so not you, like the computer work sounds, why are you doing that kind of job, why is it in your life? Can you take courses in something you would enjoy learning/doing?

I did that for awhile too; separated my work life and my personal interests and figured what I was doing when not working could make up for the boredom and what I did as work to finance those personal interests. If you can think of a "life plan" for the next year or two (what kind of job would you really like? School? Special vacation?) and work on that, the means to that end get a little more bearable.

You get frustrated with the computer; could you take a computer course maybe that would help you? I use to do that too; take courses related to my work and then I could experiment and interact with my courses while I was working! Use your imagination and think of ways what you are doing at work can be used in the rest of your life or what you like and are doing in the rest of your life can be used at work. I use to bring books or journals to work and every half hour or hour read a paragraph or page or two, etc. as a kind of break. Thinking about what I was enjoying reading while I was working often helped me not be so bored or frustrated with the work.

I don't know what motivates you; people are all different. Think of other activities in your life where you might need motivation (losing weight, exercising, getting up/going to bed on time, etc.) what other habits you're trying to start or stop and motify ways and means that motivate you there to your working?

[changling]

Good advice and much appreciated. Thank you-
C