Only advice that has ever worked for me is to set micro-goals for the start of tasks.

Like, stupidly easy goals. Got a paper to write? The goal is to open a new document and type 3 words. Need to go work out? Do 1 push up. Need to clean your room? Put one shirt in the laundry hamper, or take 1 dish to the sink.

That's it. Stupidly easy. Not feeling it after that? Cool, you already hit your goal. But momentum is a hell of a thing. The majority of the time, I'll just keep going, precisely because the micro-goals was so easy.

3 words done? Ok that took no time at all. Might as well finish the sentence, maybe even a whole paragraph.

1 push up? I'm already down on the floor, why not do another? Or 10?

I could grab just 1 shirt, or just 1 dish; but I could carry more at the same time. Might as well.

You don't need to trick your brain into doing the whole task, you just need to trick your brain into starting the task. Momentum will take care of the rest. And on the times that it doesn't? Well, again, that's fine. You met your goal already. You don't HAVE to keep going. That can be enough for now.

When I was a kid I had a hard time slanting my cursive writing. My teacher told me to just slant the paper, so I kept turning it more and more until it was fully sideways, still writing upright because I adjusted to the angle. After days of this my teacher cried “Just write angled letters!” and I went “Oh!” and was able to do it perfectly from then on.

Anyway I guess my point is different stuff works for different people.

Me: "Man, I'm so fucking hungry rn..."

still doesn't make anything to eat

I think this is good advice and creating fake urgency is nothing but destructive for many. But then again we're all different and the clock setting techniques may be the perfect fit for many others. The most important thing is that you try things and if you try something that doesn't work, most of the time you can't just try again harder to make it work. That will eventually break you.

That final hashtag really caught me off guard, made me realise that's exactly what I've been doing to myself my whole life.

This seems like a good reading recommandation. Thanks for it and for the tip.

This is why I’ll never truly be able to quit nicotine. Apparently I don’t meet the threshold for adhd medication despite regular debilitating functional freeze, so nicotine and the dopamine it gives me is only reason I’m a functioning adult.

The "give yourself a treat after" type of advice is pretty shit. I know the guy who hands out the treats, and we're on pretty good terms. I'm pretty sure I can get him to give me a treat without doing the task. Heck I'll probably give myself two treats.

This assumes executive dysfunction only ever comes from lack of (available) dopamine though.

It's better advice than stressing yourself out, sure, but it may just be useless.

The only thing that has ever worked for me - and I have tried giving myself treats before and during a task - are hard, immovable deadlines.

The previous works because you're putting yourself in a state of anxiety and creating adrenaline as a result. Your brain can run on adrenaline instead of dopamine, so it does that. If you learn to cope this way you'll be fucked in old age like me though. In addition to adrenaline, you're filling your body with cortisol and that will destroy you from within. Don't do it. Just go get the damn ADHD medication.

Anyone have any clarification on what "pretend the hat man is pointing a gun at you" means? I've never heard that phrase before.

Instructions unclear, am fat now.

shit. i've been sitting here needing to shower and wanting to play my video game after my shower for... hours now.

Just pretend that if you don't get shit done, you will flunk school, get fired and eventually your family will give up on you and you'll be on the streets.

the hat man owes me money.

ain't seen that pissbaby in years

The hat man?

An old rancher once told me "Always eat your dessert first", and I've lived by that ever since.

I have a jar of dope and a jar of anime girl thighs. Would one of you science wizards help me turn this into dopamine?

Ngl, within the pharmacology thing because they keep changing shit literally every year there's never an exact treatment. Next year autism could have a level 4 or a 2 1/2 because of symptoms people notice woo-hoo treatment plans will change and then you might not be able to get the same treatment you currently have now because insurance will want you to be diagnosed with a lower level of autism and you'll be shit out of luck.

Or you could be like me who's being treated for autism with medical cannabis and you're 33 and you don't have a psychiatrist and you have really bad adhd but no one will treat you for the adhd because of the cannabis.

I mean honestly some days I wish I could fucking die because if I was being treated I would be able to focus on a lot more than I am now and I'd probably be where I want to be financially or at least feel stable in life.

Oh well, I better put on that reward system and bake some cookies and whenever I do a fuckin' good job I should just eat a fuckin' cookie kind like how I used to smoke cigarettes and whenever I did a good job I'd smoke a cigarette.

Come on we try it. It ends up in addiction or fooling ourselves. 🤦🏻‍♂️