I am about 90% sure I am autistic. I have a problem that may be related to that. I have a really hard time making myself switch tasks and do the stuff I want to do, like art and music. Stuff like that. You got any tips and tricks to kick myself into gear, so to speak? I am getting really tired of not doing what I want to do.
- they/them
- ko-fi.com/weeks
still trying
30+, enby | hablo español
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in reply to @Princess-Flufflebutt's post:
i don't have any particular tricks off-hand. i do know the problem is commonly called "autistic inertia". maybe that can help with searching the internet for tricks?
my main self-management strategy is to use bullet journaling, but even then i will often fail to use it. i also have a few habit tracker apps for daily/weekly/monthly habits/chores. Loop is a good one. i dunno if these will be helpful for everyone but throwing them out there.
Thanks. I might try Loop. Does it scream at me? I think that might help. I once tried using a physical planner to get going but the only thing it did was collect unfinished tasks and dust.
Sometimes I'll use Alarm Clock Xtreme to set an alarm that can't be dismissed until I scan a barcode or QR code elsewhere in my apartment. Being forced to stop what I'm doing, stand up, and go elsewhere can help to break the inertia.
I noticed I have to have a sensory impetuous to switch tasks (a door opening, my cat visiting me, my body wilting under an unmet need, a gentle timer on the other side of the room...).
Alarms i see already mentioned but that helps me more than calendar or app notifications which can be easier to ignore, body doubling and accountability buddies are great if you have another person around to help. sometimes i also just try to complete the 1st step of smt to get it out of the way, ie talking out the ingredients of a thing i want to make helps me create momentum in that direction, and visual cues and proximity helps as well.
We find that in cases where the Thing That Needs Doing is physically far from us and we can't motivate ourself to get up, it helps to count down from five and then just... jerk our body in a random direction. That overcomes the "I don't wanna move" inertia, which is often the hard part for us.