If only someone could appreciate my excitement and not my commitment.
I read that telling someone about a project triggers the same neural responses that finishing that same project would do, and can make you more prone to leaving it unfinished. I’ve started doing my best to keep super quiet about stuff if it’s a project that I really want/need to actually finish. It’s been working surprisingly well for me!
I've heard this advice before, it's true you lose that dopamine hit which can help, buuut I also learned peer feedback and external affirmation is apparently an important motivator for me... by keeping quiet I never had anything to talk about, because nothing is finished, which later morphed into nothing even starting, because what's the point.
It's still good advice but be careful don't end up like I was, adjust appropriately.
I feel like that is really true for me
This explains a lot.
Most of time finishing something feels like getting home in time to poop rather than an accomplishment.
Is getting home in time to poop not an accomplishment?
I've been doing it wrong this whole time. Well, not today!
Yeah I still don’t know how to make half-finished projects more exciting than new ones. That might be a forever problem, but let’s just say the science isn’t out yet. Gotta stay hopeful lmao
Same, Half the time I think I bite off more than I can chew and intimidation sets in after the excitement drops.
You might have luck with some of that intimidation with just repetition/experience. Like I hardly get scared away from metalwork anymore because I’ve been doing a ton of it this year, but I’m still really slow at and kinda scared of painting.
The big killer for me is when anything starts going better then expected, and now I’m suddenly more worried about ruining it than I am excited/confident to finish it. I try to remind myself as often as possible that I stand to learn more from one failure than I could from ten successes.
Anywho I’m definitely rambling now, sorry for that lol
I get that with learning programming and without my friend pushing me I get worried that I can't learn and just kind of stop trying.
No wonder I never finished stuff. I can't bare the thought of not showing someone, anyone the awesome stuff I just did in my project.
Showing off stuff you did is great.
You want to avoid telling people what you're "going to do".
The universe appreciates your excitement. My issue ultimately ended up being comfortable to give myself permission to spend time on the things that excited me.
Also, it’s been days since you picked up a new hobby for your hobby collecting hobby.
I feel attacked.
I'm convinced this sub isn't even real and half the posts are made by pharmaceutical companies.
Big if true.
And if so, it's working.
What we need is an adhd pass along. Get 20% through a project? Post it and let someone take it to the halfway point! You might be interested again once they post the follow-up.
Currently building a wearable pc after being inspired by a Kurtis Conner video. I estimate about a 10% chance of me actually finishing it.
10%! How'd you get a finish chance that high?!
It probably should've been lower, I've already given up.
Barbara Sher, "Refuse to Choose"
My takeaways...
Keep an ideas journal. Write down your project ideas. Let yourself go wild on paper. Sometimes getting the creativity out on paper "scratches the itch" and you no longer need to actually start the project
We sometimes take on new hobbies and projects for a purpose other than conventional completion. And that's perfectly ok. We might want to get a sense of what it is like, or achieve some level of recognition, or gain proficiency but not expertise.
For example, I used to do autocross racing and after a couple years I won a podium finish and a trophy in a local race and I felt like "ok cool good enough" and the interest waned.
It is still important to be able to learn how to accomplish goals, though. Because it feels good and builds some self esteem and gives us a chance to learn how to plan better, and improve our ability to stick to something, even if only a little.
I've had to recognize that I have to significantly pare down what I work on, and be choosy about which projects to actually commit to. That's why the ideas journal helps me.
I know I don't have to start everything, won't forget anything, but be able to recognize those projects of greatest interest that I keep thinking about long term. Those are the ones I am going to be able to finish.
When my wife asks if maybe I should sell some of my old hobby stuff
This is an incredible use of this as a meme.
The lighter side of ADHD
