Like everything with ADHD, procrastination feels like a problem with regulation. Just as you have said "everyone has height, it's a matter of degree" everyone needs to pause for some period before acting, or they will act recklessly and thoughtlessly. The problem (for me anyway) is how much pondering and weighing of positives and negatives is really necessary before taking action. Regulating the planning vs acting.
I’m really impressed with the way you have become so reflective, Rick. The “Adventures with Bill” episodes on Red Green aside, you really seem to have settled into the life we all wish we could live ✌️ Bravo! Bravo! All the best 👍
Not knowing where to start haunts me! I have made some sourdough bread, and my husband has cooked dinner. My turn for dishes. Our small kitchen counter is crowded with dishes. I am overwhelmed with the mess, and stall in my chair. I call my husband. He puts as many dishes that go in the dishwasher as he can, and neatly piles the dishes to be handwashed. My haphazard way of loading the dishwasher doesn’t suit my “ autie ” spouse, so he prefers to do it. I look over to the kitchen - there is now a small, neat pile of dirty dishes. Whew! I can do that! I feel like a heavy weight is gone! Married 47 years, and just figured this out recently!
Most often my procrastination has to do with a need to think things through. Given extra time generally helps me find a more efficient, easier or satisfying way to accomplish a task.
Yes, it's helpful to let the mind work on problems and seek solutions. Where I get stuck is in ruminating endlessly and avoiding taking action because I'm agitated, feeling overwhelmed, stressed, worried whether I'll do it properly... That's different from, "I'm waiting for Nathan to finis the latest draft and send it to me."
@@RickHasADHD I do not generally consciously choose to mull a task over, it just works out that sometimes procrastination proves beneficial for me. I often feel the same as you have described, and sometimes walk right up to the task to find that once there all the energy has drained from me and see a butterfly and wander off. Thanks for the reply.
@@Dezhavu13 I know what you mean. When I amd writing and I get stuck for 30 seconds I'll get up and wander the house, looking for things to do, while my mind churns away at whatever the problem is. Our subconscious works on problems when we're doing other things that are mildly engaging but not riveting. It's why so many creative people knit, do macrame, have a hobby like model railroading, or tinker away at a musical instrument. It uses the conscious mind while the subconscious mind solves the problem. Sleep does the same thing.
@ Lol, yes! I am sure I am not the only person who wakes up at 3 AM having finally remembered a word or item's location we had been searching for. The problem I find occasionally when doing the creative stuff (writing, drawing, 3-D modeling) is that when the solution to the problem I am looking to solve finally does pop up, I am torn between writing it down right now and interrupting what I am doing or trusting my memory (not a good idea) to remember it later.
Really loved this, especially #6 and #7. Also, i thought you were just messing around with that paint job for comedic effect, but dang it looked good at the end!
@@AkumaSephitaro That's right. My Patrons see the videos earlier, without ads. They are the reason we can make videos. They support us with a small monthly gift, from $3 and up. Some of them have been contributing for a decade! At the moment we don't have enough Patrons to financially sustain what we're doing. Hopefully that will increase. If you're interested in helping the cause, go to www.patreon.com/ and search for Rick Green.
@ Yeah ... I have a condition ^^ ... and these videos are all nice and dandy, but since I have ADHD .. you know I do not see any ... "interruptions" anyways because I am smart enough to remove it all. Even if ... they try their best to make me not to, they have no chance. ...what exactly am I supporting? I mean ... do you upload your standup? What the ... I can't even @ you ^^? Is that a yt feature or is it something you block. I mean if you don't care why would I ^^?
Thank you rick ive found your channel and you have set me straight (along with some deep chat gpt questions haha) i dont want to start on meds but my life has been a mess since like 9 years old lmao (im 26) i didn’t want to believe anything was wrong with me but every single facet of my life even small material things is literally ruined by just me as a person. Im not sad or anything just trying to introspect. Im even going through it now ive been fired from 6 jobs last year (not ashamed anymore lol) and cannot for the life of me figure out what the hell i want to do with my time. Despite my 10 different interests :( eitherway you are perfect and funny!!!
I also build models! But... not trains haha. My dad is the train person. :3 I love that we share a hobby kinda! :D And your videos are always great, too.
I've figured out that waiting until something is urgent, makes it super easy to do. I'm using this knowledge intentionally. I try to get as much done prior to the deadline without using up too much of my decision making energy but I don't blame myself anymore. I am leveraging my ADHD brainpower.
HEY! I told my wife I was going to marry her on our second date! She may have thought I was crazy, but that was 58 years ago. It was the best decision I ever made. I'd rather not ask her opinion.
Mazel tov! My wife and I celebrated our forty-first anniversary last month. Being that we're now in our forty-second year, should we expect to learn The Answer to the Question of Life, the Universe and Everything?
Sometimes you just know! 😀 I met my husband on a Saturday. I went to work Monday and told everyone that I had met the man I'm going to marry. Nobody believed me. That was 21 years ago, and we've been together ever since! 😊
@@RickHasADHD She said yes after around 273 dates. I know she thought I was crazy 58 years ago. What I don't want to ask is how she feels about it now... it's not easy living with someone with ADHD. Especially when it's not diagnosed and you have no idea why things happen.
Ok. Before you start, I know one good reason: It's good to distance yourself from work and reset the brain. It feels like a level up. Things are suddenly easier and you notice new stuff. Let's see if this is mentioned, but I'm pretty sure it will be XD ... Edit: Ok, let me rewind the video, because I zoned out during the second -_- ... Edit2: Well, maybe I misunderstood the idea for the video :D ... you don't say why it's good. You say why it happens.
It's not really about Good vs. Bad. It's more like what's a logical, sensible, or unavoidable reason to procrastinate versus the emotional reasons. Dread, Anxious, Overwhelmed, Lacking Confidence... The things that leave you feeling guilt or shame. Does that make sense?
Lol... I still have my betamax player.... Somewhere.. maybe somewhere in that stack of unpacked boxes from when i last moved.. 24 years ago. Im definitely going to get them sorted, soon, i think?
Rick, how long did you put off this video? On a more serious note, there's one thing I'd add to the "needs more knowledge or skills (or both)" reason to procrastinate: the knowledge and skill to reasonably estimate how much time something's going to take. I've _never_ been able to estimate how much time something's going to take! So how am I going to know when to start in order to finish on time? Just one more thing, if I may . . . I worked on a PhD for _twelve years_ before learning, at age 64, that I have narcolepsy. (At least I _HOPE_ it's narcolepsy -- I'd _hate_ to have "idiopathic hypersomnia". That sounds too much like "excessive sleepiness from following the path of idiots"!) That means that I often lose energy unpredictably and have an overwhelming urge to sleep. That tends to inhibit accomplishment of one's goals -- like finishing that PhD! I had a hard time accepting narcolepsy telling me, "Boy, y'ain't gonna finish that! Now accept the MA and _go TAKE A NAP!"_ That was hard to take. But I did take the MA. And now, it's time for a nap!
You make a great point. Estimating how long a task will take requires knowledge and skill. But it's a skill you can develop. I started by guessing how long tasks will take. How long will it take to book a doctor's appointment? Turns out it's less than three minutes. Less two if I make sure I have our calendar in front of me when I call. Do I have time to shower? I used the stopwatch app on my iPhone and timed myself. I would have estimated it would take 20 minutes. I know a shower and shave takes 6 minutes, then two minutes to dry my hair, another minute for deodorant and moisturizer, two minutes to dress, a minute to grab my coat, and keys, phone, wallet. That's 12 minutes. More like 15 if I have to search for the keys, wallet or phone. You get the idea. As for the narcolepsy, that's difficult. The key I think was what you mentioned, "I had a hard time accepting narcolepsy." Accepting what is so, accepting the way the universe is, and accepting ourselves for who we are right now (knowing that we can and do change and grow) seems like it should be easy. What gave you the hard time was accepting it. I think about author and advocate Linda Roggli who told me she got diagnosed with ADHD, didn't believe it, and sought a second opinion. And a third. A fourth. After the fifth doctor confirmed the diagnosis is gave in and accepted it.
I gravitated to software engineering. Opportunities to hyperfocus, endless opportunities to find something new to get excited about and tinker with, and it turns out software development is notoriously hard to estimate and usually goes long... just not for the same reasons that I underestimate and am late. But hey, a little masking, and voila! A successful 30 year ADHD career among the neurotypicals!
Another reason procrastinate (work edition): That project you were given at work was either (a) just a thought or (b) will fall through for another reason (not done by you)…procrastinating saves you from unnecessary waste of time and work. 😂
Paperwork. Ugh. See what I suggested for CatchyKirkwood, above. Try just gathering the forms and filling out your name... And if you feel you can do a bit more, do it. And repeat as needed.
@RickHasADHD plus I have to have an eye test first.. So that was an added thing to do before going. Then there's getting new license photos done.. Having to make an appointment to go in. Having to stand in line when there.. 😂
Suggestion: Take one small step, one little thing. When I find myself procrastinating about writing a new script, which happens a lot, I create a new document, label it, then I type out the title and at least one idea. Usually, I have at least three or four thoughts or points I want to make. Then, and this is the magical part, as I'm typing other ideas come to me. And I capture them as well. Before I know it I've got several pages of material. When I feel like I've made a good start, I'll save the document and get a drink or a snack. But I won't close the document because I know that by the time I get to the kitchen I'll have thought of several more ideas or edits, and I'll be back, typing them in before I forget. I don't always remember this strategy, but when I do use it, I end up either finishing the task or getting it well started. Start Small is a great technique that I use for everything from cleaning the kitchen up after a meal to tackling a project on my model railroad to working in the yard.
No, I only have one camera. So I recorded the model being built. That took over two hours, including breaks to paint and glue to dry. Then I printed out the script, laid it down on my workbench for reference, like a cue card, and recorded the video. The two elements were seamlessly woven together by the editor who edited all 15 seasons of The Red Green Show, my amazing wife, Ava.
I'm procrastinating right now!
Not quite... Watching Rick is procras-ducation!
Good job!
@@chriswilliams67 Hopefully it's not a pro-constipation.
@@RickHasADHD we are most certainly NOT pro-constipation at our age! Eat your fibre folks 😁 Let's procrastinate death 😁
Like everything with ADHD, procrastination feels like a problem with regulation. Just as you have said "everyone has height, it's a matter of degree" everyone needs to pause for some period before acting, or they will act recklessly and thoughtlessly. The problem (for me anyway) is how much pondering and weighing of positives and negatives is really necessary before taking action. Regulating the planning vs acting.
This is where Dopamine plays it's part. As one doctor said, "Dopamine is what has you get up and do things. Dopamine starts with DO.
I’m really impressed with the way you have become so reflective, Rick. The “Adventures with Bill” episodes on Red Green aside, you really seem to have settled into the life we all wish we could live ✌️ Bravo! Bravo! All the best 👍
Im going to come back to this soon. I should save it.
Please do. It will always be here.
I love your videos
You are such a blessing to your fellow adhd brethren
Thank you so much.
Not knowing where to start haunts me! I have made some sourdough bread, and my husband has cooked dinner. My turn for dishes. Our small kitchen counter is crowded with dishes. I am overwhelmed with the mess, and stall in my chair. I call my husband. He puts as many dishes that go in the dishwasher as he can, and neatly piles the dishes to be handwashed. My haphazard way of loading the dishwasher doesn’t suit my “ autie ” spouse, so he prefers to do it.
I look over to the kitchen - there is now a small, neat pile of dirty dishes. Whew! I can do that! I feel like a heavy weight is gone! Married 47 years, and just figured this out recently!
Most often my procrastination has to do with a need to think things through. Given extra time generally helps me find a more efficient, easier or satisfying way to accomplish a task.
Yes, it's helpful to let the mind work on problems and seek solutions. Where I get stuck is in ruminating endlessly and avoiding taking action because I'm agitated, feeling overwhelmed, stressed, worried whether I'll do it properly... That's different from, "I'm waiting for Nathan to finis the latest draft and send it to me."
@@RickHasADHD I do not generally consciously choose to mull a task over, it just works out that sometimes procrastination proves beneficial for me. I often feel the same as you have described, and sometimes walk right up to the task to find that once there all the energy has drained from me and see a butterfly and wander off. Thanks for the reply.
@@Dezhavu13 I know what you mean. When I amd writing and I get stuck for 30 seconds I'll get up and wander the house, looking for things to do, while my mind churns away at whatever the problem is. Our subconscious works on problems when we're doing other things that are mildly engaging but not riveting. It's why so many creative people knit, do macrame, have a hobby like model railroading, or tinker away at a musical instrument. It uses the conscious mind while the subconscious mind solves the problem. Sleep does the same thing.
@ Lol, yes! I am sure I am not the only person who wakes up at 3 AM having finally remembered a word or item's location we had been searching for.
The problem I find occasionally when doing the creative stuff (writing, drawing, 3-D modeling) is that when the solution to the problem I am looking to solve finally does pop up, I am torn between writing it down right now and interrupting what I am doing or trusting my memory (not a good idea) to remember it later.
Really loved this, especially #6 and #7. Also, i thought you were just messing around with that paint job for comedic effect, but dang it looked good at the end!
How ... did you post your comment a week ago o_O?
@@Davipo He probably posts videos early for Patreon peeps.
@@AkumaSephitaro That's right. My Patrons see the videos earlier, without ads. They are the reason we can make videos. They support us with a small monthly gift, from $3 and up. Some of them have been contributing for a decade! At the moment we don't have enough Patrons to financially sustain what we're doing. Hopefully that will increase.
If you're interested in helping the cause, go to www.patreon.com/ and search for Rick Green.
@@Davipo One of the perks of being a Patron through Patreon.
@ Yeah ... I have a condition ^^ ... and these videos are all nice and dandy, but since I have ADHD .. you know I do not see any ... "interruptions" anyways because I am smart enough to remove it all. Even if ... they try their best to make me not to, they have no chance. ...what exactly am I supporting? I mean ... do you upload your standup?
What the ... I can't even @ you ^^? Is that a yt feature or is it something you block. I mean if you don't care why would I ^^?
1:36 😂😅 Ooops
Thank you rick ive found your channel and you have set me straight (along with some deep chat gpt questions haha) i dont want to start on meds but my life has been a mess since like 9 years old lmao (im 26) i didn’t want to believe anything was wrong with me but every single facet of my life even small material things is literally ruined by just me as a person. Im not sad or anything just trying to introspect. Im even going through it now ive been fired from 6 jobs last year (not ashamed anymore lol) and cannot for the life of me figure out what the hell i want to do with my time. Despite my 10 different interests :( eitherway you are perfect and funny!!!
I also build models! But... not trains haha. My dad is the train person. :3 I love that we share a hobby kinda! :D
And your videos are always great, too.
Yeah, the videos are fine, but what matters are the trains. 😊
I've figured out that waiting until something is urgent, makes it super easy to do. I'm using this knowledge intentionally. I try to get as much done prior to the deadline without using up too much of my decision making energy but I don't blame myself anymore. I am leveraging my ADHD brainpower.
Rick, Thanks for the information! You're the Best and Be Safe!
HEY! I told my wife I was going to marry her on our second date! She may have thought I was crazy, but that was 58 years ago. It was the best decision I ever made. I'd rather not ask her opinion.
Now you've got us all curious. Ask her what she thought. And how many dates before she said, 'Yes.'
Mazel tov! My wife and I celebrated our forty-first anniversary last month. Being that we're now in our forty-second year, should we expect to learn The Answer to the Question of Life, the Universe and Everything?
Sometimes you just know! 😀 I met my husband on a Saturday. I went to work Monday and told everyone that I had met the man I'm going to marry. Nobody believed me. That was 21 years ago, and we've been together ever since! 😊
@@RickHasADHD She said yes after around 273 dates. I know she thought I was crazy 58 years ago. What I don't want to ask is how she feels about it now... it's not easy living with someone with ADHD. Especially when it's not diagnosed and you have no idea why things happen.
*Pro* Crastinator Right Here.
Smiles 🤗
Nice when someone graduates from the rank of Amateur to become a Pro. I want to do it but I keep putting it off.
@@RickHasADHD
🖖😁 Smiles
Thanks to you, I finally have an excuse to procrastinate.
Ok. Before you start, I know one good reason:
It's good to distance yourself from work and reset the brain. It feels like a level up. Things are suddenly easier and you notice new stuff.
Let's see if this is mentioned, but I'm pretty sure it will be XD ...
Edit: Ok, let me rewind the video, because I zoned out during the second -_- ...
Edit2: Well, maybe I misunderstood the idea for the video :D ... you don't say why it's good. You say why it happens.
It's not really about Good vs. Bad. It's more like what's a logical, sensible, or unavoidable reason to procrastinate versus the emotional reasons. Dread, Anxious, Overwhelmed, Lacking Confidence... The things that leave you feeling guilt or shame. Does that make sense?
Lol... I still have my betamax player.... Somewhere.. maybe somewhere in that stack of unpacked boxes from when i last moved.. 24 years ago. Im definitely going to get them sorted, soon, i think?
Rick, how long did you put off this video?
On a more serious note, there's one thing I'd add to the "needs more knowledge or skills (or both)" reason to procrastinate: the knowledge and skill to reasonably estimate how much time something's going to take. I've _never_ been able to estimate how much time something's going to take! So how am I going to know when to start in order to finish on time?
Just one more thing, if I may . . . I worked on a PhD for _twelve years_ before learning, at age 64, that I have narcolepsy. (At least I _HOPE_ it's narcolepsy -- I'd _hate_ to have "idiopathic hypersomnia". That sounds too much like "excessive sleepiness from following the path of idiots"!) That means that I often lose energy unpredictably and have an overwhelming urge to sleep. That tends to inhibit accomplishment of one's goals -- like finishing that PhD! I had a hard time accepting narcolepsy telling me, "Boy, y'ain't gonna finish that! Now accept the MA and _go TAKE A NAP!"_ That was hard to take. But I did take the MA. And now, it's time for a nap!
You make a great point. Estimating how long a task will take requires knowledge and skill. But it's a skill you can develop.
I started by guessing how long tasks will take. How long will it take to book a doctor's appointment? Turns out it's less than three minutes. Less two if I make sure I have our calendar in front of me when I call.
Do I have time to shower? I used the stopwatch app on my iPhone and timed myself. I would have estimated it would take 20 minutes. I know a shower and shave takes 6 minutes, then two minutes to dry my hair, another minute for deodorant and moisturizer, two minutes to dress, a minute to grab my coat, and keys, phone, wallet. That's 12 minutes. More like 15 if I have to search for the keys, wallet or phone. You get the idea.
As for the narcolepsy, that's difficult. The key I think was what you mentioned, "I had a hard time accepting narcolepsy." Accepting what is so, accepting the way the universe is, and accepting ourselves for who we are right now (knowing that we can and do change and grow) seems like it should be easy. What gave you the hard time was accepting it. I think about author and advocate Linda Roggli who told me she got diagnosed with ADHD, didn't believe it, and sought a second opinion. And a third. A fourth. After the fifth doctor confirmed the diagnosis is gave in and accepted it.
I gravitated to software engineering. Opportunities to hyperfocus, endless opportunities to find something new to get excited about and tinker with, and it turns out software development is notoriously hard to estimate and usually goes long... just not for the same reasons that I underestimate and am late. But hey, a little masking, and voila! A successful 30 year ADHD career among the neurotypicals!
Another reason procrastinate (work edition): That project you were given at work was either (a) just a thought or (b) will fall through for another reason (not done by you)…procrastinating saves you from unnecessary waste of time and work. 😂
Yeah.. like my drivers license that's expired (over a year ago 🙆♀️)
Paperwork. Ugh. See what I suggested for CatchyKirkwood, above. Try just gathering the forms and filling out your name... And if you feel you can do a bit more, do it. And repeat as needed.
@RickHasADHD plus I have to have an eye test first.. So that was an added thing to do before going.
Then there's getting new license photos done..
Having to make an appointment to go in.
Having to stand in line when there..
😂
.I was just thinking i would watch later. Sigh been procrastinating for the last two days can't justify a third. Why is it like pulling teeth
Suggestion: Take one small step, one little thing.
When I find myself procrastinating about writing a new script, which happens a lot, I create a new document, label it, then I type out the title and at least one idea. Usually, I have at least three or four thoughts or points I want to make. Then, and this is the magical part, as I'm typing other ideas come to me. And I capture them as well. Before I know it I've got several pages of material. When I feel like I've made a good start, I'll save the document and get a drink or a snack. But I won't close the document because I know that by the time I get to the kitchen I'll have thought of several more ideas or edits, and I'll be back, typing them in before I forget.
I don't always remember this strategy, but when I do use it, I end up either finishing the task or getting it well started.
Start Small is a great technique that I use for everything from cleaning the kitchen up after a meal to tackling a project on my model railroad to working in the yard.
I'll watch the video... later
Was just saying that for real
It will still be here. The trick is remembering to come back to it later.
@@RickHasADHD amazingly I did!
Making a video about procrastinating while building a train set piece. So you you were multi tasking?
No, I only have one camera. So I recorded the model being built. That took over two hours, including breaks to paint and glue to dry. Then I printed out the script, laid it down on my workbench for reference, like a cue card, and recorded the video. The two elements were seamlessly woven together by the editor who edited all 15 seasons of The Red Green Show, my amazing wife, Ava.