Patrick Draper🌈

ALT ADHD affects how far into the future I can see and plan. If I imagine that other people can see this far into the future (4 meters). Then with ADHD, I can only see and plan this far (1 meter). I often can't get started on tasks if the deadline or goal isn't within my time horizon. If there is an interesting activity within my time horizon, I rather pursue that instad. That means I tend to follow short-term activities, because I can actually see those. But long-term goals and lasting life changes rarely feel rewarding right away, so I'm less likely able to pursue those. That isn't a lack of willpower, that is a neurological problem. So it often feels like I can't make changes to my life. I often feel helpless and hopeless.

ALT Time management is one of the executive functions that is affected by ADHD. Executive functions are tools in our brain that help us to do things such as self-motivation, remembering where we put an object or starting tasks. It feels like I can't rely on my time to flow at any one pace, so it's hard to estimate how much time I have for tasks. It's also hard to judge how long ago something has happened. So sometimes, I end up thinking I didn't talk to someone in 2 days, when it has actually been months. It took me a long time to realize I have problems with time though. I was so afraid of being late that I always came at least an hour early to appointments. So it's extra heartbreaking being told over and over again that I just don't care enough to be on time. But there are things I found to support the rhythm of my own clock: Outsourcing my internal clock with visual timers Using songs to get a sense of how much time passes Making steps of the process my goals instead of only working