This very much matches my own experiences! Keeping something in the back of my mind has always been somewhere between difficult and impossible for me, and for that reason I set timers for all important events during the day (classes, interviews, meetings, etc). I also carry a pocket-sized notebook and a writing utensil with me wherever I go, in case I stumble on something that I have to deal with “later”.
I have also found my attention drifting away in the middle of conversations, and I too have cultivated the skill of non-rudely admitting to it and asking the other person to repeat themselves.
As for improvising… I play piano, and the main thing I do is improvise! I find improv sessions much easier to stay engaged in than sessions spent trying to read through sheet music.
And, I also have a ton of projects that are 1⁄4 to 3⁄4 done (though I think that’s probably common to a larger subset of people than the other things).
So thanks for sharing your experiences! I had never seriously considered the possibility that I had ADHD before, even though I’ve known for a while that I have a somewhat atypical mind. I’m gonna look into that! Makes note in said pocket-sized notebook.
Side note: I think one reason I never wondered whether I have ADHD is that, in my perception, claiming to have ADHD is something of a “fad” among people in my age group, and I think my brain sort of silently assumed that that means it’s not also a real condition that people can actually suffer from. That’s gonna be a WHOOPS from me, dawg.
This very much matches my own experiences! Keeping something in the back of my mind has always been somewhere between difficult and impossible for me, and for that reason I set timers for all important events during the day (classes, interviews, meetings, etc). I also carry a pocket-sized notebook and a writing utensil with me wherever I go, in case I stumble on something that I have to deal with “later”.
I have also found my attention drifting away in the middle of conversations, and I too have cultivated the skill of non-rudely admitting to it and asking the other person to repeat themselves.
As for improvising… I play piano, and the main thing I do is improvise! I find improv sessions much easier to stay engaged in than sessions spent trying to read through sheet music.
And, I also have a ton of projects that are 1⁄4 to 3⁄4 done (though I think that’s probably common to a larger subset of people than the other things).
So thanks for sharing your experiences! I had never seriously considered the possibility that I had ADHD before, even though I’ve known for a while that I have a somewhat atypical mind. I’m gonna look into that! Makes note in said pocket-sized notebook.
Side note: I think one reason I never wondered whether I have ADHD is that, in my perception, claiming to have ADHD is something of a “fad” among people in my age group, and I think my brain sort of silently assumed that that means it’s not also a real condition that people can actually suffer from. That’s gonna be a WHOOPS from me, dawg.