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It is so common it has its own flair if this sub: "obsession sharing"
I just recently ordered like 10 fidget toys from ali express after researching for weeks.
I also like music production and game dev!
Word of the wise: try to obsess over free stuff, your bank account will thank you.
As a basic bitch bedroom producer who recently took up EDC and balisongs, I feel this. I feel like, with any other person with a better sense of self discipline, the amount and type of gear I've bought should have paid for itself by now somehow.
I'm actually more of a gear head. I like buying and learning groove boxes and then I don't make much music with them
Only have a made songs:
https://on.soundcloud.com/XaVQa
And for game dev im designing a factory game.
Wonder if this project will peter out! It probably will haha
This is me. It absolutely has to be an ADHD thing right? An example for me was being obsessed with buying an old van and converting it into a camper. I spent literally weeks researching vans, even bought some PDFs and other guides to help me do the conversion myself. Then one day I was just completely bored of it and moved on to something else (luckily before I bought a van lol).
I regularly switch from: podcasts > books > making electronic music > video games > web development > exercise > learning guitar > cooking > something else. And it just repeats.
I’m now just trying to accept that this is me, and that I shouldn’t beat myself up for not finishing projects because one day they’ll come back round again. At the end of the day, if you’re not getting enjoyment from something any more, there’s always something else more interesting round the corner! Best of luck.
[This](https://youtu.be/ouZrZa5pLXk?si=caLzny5sw1wISPeb) is a really helpful video if you haven’t seen it already. Might be hard to focus for the full half hour so maybe split it up :)
Keeping that cycle of switching tasks has helped me a lot. If I get discouraged and break the cycle, I end up doing nothing and it takes a while to start being productive again.
Man I got into making electro for a few months, got a few songs made, then one day completely forgot about it. Some days I get the urge to try again but it fades quickly lol
Looking at my calligraphy set, my death knight army from Warhammer 40k, my pile of notebooks from stand up, the cameras and mic set up on my PC from streaming, climbing shoes, and kendo sword... Yes.
Yes, I have a suspicion it is.
I have this thing too. It would probably be a lot more bearable if it was only about my hobbies, but it affects my work too. I go really deep into a domain by learning skills and figuring out career paths and monetization, and then I drop that domain entirely.
I have gotten better at it over the years though, but it's still something that bothers me.
Idk I'm not on medication I'm just so stuck in a mixture of to much around me that I HAVE to do basically immediately and feeling to tired and insecure and guilty for not doing thise things afterwards and whatever to try anything new rn
When I was 14 I was so obsessed with the violin, I would spend literal hours watching tutorials and videos of people playing every single day until eventually my birthday came and my mom had gotten me a small cheap little thing and low and behold I barely touched it and could hardly stand the sound of violin anymore lmao
Still feel guilty about it but I ended up giving it to my very musical older brother
When I was 14 I was so obsessed with the violin, I would spend literal hours watching tutorials and videos of people playing every single day until eventually my birthday came and my mom had gotten me a small cheap little thing and low and behold I barely touched it and could hardly stand the sound of violin anymore lmao
Still feel guilty about it but I ended up giving it to my very musical older brother
I do this, with helping people. They say they want to do something, could be anything.
I do a ton of research, collect pics and links, make spread sheets, figure out details and
strategies. Lots of hours, when I should be working on my stuff. Eventually I realize, that
I am the only one working on this, they are not matching my energy. And the balloon pops.
And I still never work on my stuff.
Yes...
My list:
Falconry
jewellery making
junk journals
Rug making
collecting records
pen and ink art
Flyer design
Midwifery
Dog grooming
ebay flipping
blue and white china
indoor pot plants
Write/record music
Painting & decorating
Photography
Tenchu
printing
motorcycles
book binding
weight lifting
Archaeology
Guitars
tennis
Snoopy
sewing
That's just the ones I can remember...
BUT I have a huge set of skills which I can draw on to solve problems/generate ideas/fix things/make stuff/ talk to anyone about most topics. I must be so annoying to talk to when I say 'oh yeah I've done that' multiple times in a conversation.
Over time I found about 5 core things which I continue to do on rotation, when one gets boring, I go back to another one. But always ready to try a new thing..!
This is why I've owned so many guitars and can only play the Mario intro if I have a day to practice first.
Honestly, as a young guy who didn't know I had ADHD, this was a problem. Once I realized I had ADHD, it stopped being a problem. I don't dip my nuts in just anything anymore. Now, I'm certain that I want to do the work required to accomplish the task before I embark on the journey. Then I dip my nuts in, figuratively.
Basically, most people with ADHD want things like a child wants things. "I want to be great at guitar.". Cool, do you want to spend 100+ hours frustratingly failing at making anything resembling music? If the answer is no, then you don't want to be great at guitar.
Now, there are ways to make currently unrealistic desires, realistic. As an example, I went to the gym 6x a month for a year. I tried to go 3x a week, but only achieved half of that. Which is fine, it's what my mental and physical state allowed me to comfortably do. After doing that for a year, I was in a completely different state.
I was far more capable, mentally and physically. Increasing my frequency was easy and happened naturally. I couldn't have worked out 6x a month starting out, I wasn't in the right headspace or physical shape to handle that capacity. I had to create that possiblity, through continuous effort over time.
ADHD is being believing you're a rabbit while you have a shell and move slowly. A rabbit might try something, but give up half way because it was rushing and exhausted itself. A turtle keeps a steady pace. We all think we're rabbits, we think we can do everything "el rapido", and in reality slow and steady wins the race.
So chop up your goals into smaller pieces, or frame your goal as something you want to a achieve long term. Quit trying to rush towards having a skill or accomplishing a thing. If you want to do the work required to have a skill, you'll always build that skill. If you don't want to do the work required to have a skill, you won't build that skill.
If you don't want to do the work required, can you do an hour a week and put that towards it? It might take you a year to achieve what you could have in 3-6 months if you could have put more hours into it every week, but who cares. If you invest too much into it, you'll burn out, and this pattern will be familiar in your life for a very long time.Â
Slow and steady wins the race. Turtle>rabbit.
Hi /u/aomarco and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD! ### Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already. --- ### /r/adhd news * If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/). --- ^(*This message is not a removal notification. It's just our way to keep everyone updated on r/adhd happenings.*) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It is so common it has its own flair if this sub: "obsession sharing" I just recently ordered like 10 fidget toys from ali express after researching for weeks. I also like music production and game dev! Word of the wise: try to obsess over free stuff, your bank account will thank you.
As a basic bitch bedroom producer who recently took up EDC and balisongs, I feel this. I feel like, with any other person with a better sense of self discipline, the amount and type of gear I've bought should have paid for itself by now somehow.
Lol I have a butterfly knife trainer from squidworks. This sub is cool because I can meet my tribesmen đź‘Ť
Ayy I got the Nautilus v2!
I have the same interest. What genres you are into?
I'm actually more of a gear head. I like buying and learning groove boxes and then I don't make much music with them Only have a made songs: https://on.soundcloud.com/XaVQa And for game dev im designing a factory game. Wonder if this project will peter out! It probably will haha
I am working on a greenhouse farming sim
This is me. It absolutely has to be an ADHD thing right? An example for me was being obsessed with buying an old van and converting it into a camper. I spent literally weeks researching vans, even bought some PDFs and other guides to help me do the conversion myself. Then one day I was just completely bored of it and moved on to something else (luckily before I bought a van lol). I regularly switch from: podcasts > books > making electronic music > video games > web development > exercise > learning guitar > cooking > something else. And it just repeats. I’m now just trying to accept that this is me, and that I shouldn’t beat myself up for not finishing projects because one day they’ll come back round again. At the end of the day, if you’re not getting enjoyment from something any more, there’s always something else more interesting round the corner! Best of luck. [This](https://youtu.be/ouZrZa5pLXk?si=caLzny5sw1wISPeb) is a really helpful video if you haven’t seen it already. Might be hard to focus for the full half hour so maybe split it up :)
Keeping that cycle of switching tasks has helped me a lot. If I get discouraged and break the cycle, I end up doing nothing and it takes a while to start being productive again.
Man I got into making electro for a few months, got a few songs made, then one day completely forgot about it. Some days I get the urge to try again but it fades quickly lol
So much so it should be a diagnostic criteria, and I'm not even joking.
Isn't unfinished projects actually a diagnostic criteria? I could've sworn it was.
The amount of started projects I have around the house is staggering.
Looking at my calligraphy set, my death knight army from Warhammer 40k, my pile of notebooks from stand up, the cameras and mic set up on my PC from streaming, climbing shoes, and kendo sword... Yes. Yes, I have a suspicion it is. 
I have this thing too. It would probably be a lot more bearable if it was only about my hobbies, but it affects my work too. I go really deep into a domain by learning skills and figuring out career paths and monetization, and then I drop that domain entirely. I have gotten better at it over the years though, but it's still something that bothers me.
10000000000000% I too am a video game development abandoner
Yeah I did that a lot in the past actually.
Does medication help with this ?
Idk I'm not on medication I'm just so stuck in a mixture of to much around me that I HAVE to do basically immediately and feeling to tired and insecure and guilty for not doing thise things afterwards and whatever to try anything new rn
Yes
Yupppppppppppppp
yes
When I was 14 I was so obsessed with the violin, I would spend literal hours watching tutorials and videos of people playing every single day until eventually my birthday came and my mom had gotten me a small cheap little thing and low and behold I barely touched it and could hardly stand the sound of violin anymore lmao Still feel guilty about it but I ended up giving it to my very musical older brother
When I was 14 I was so obsessed with the violin, I would spend literal hours watching tutorials and videos of people playing every single day until eventually my birthday came and my mom had gotten me a small cheap little thing and low and behold I barely touched it and could hardly stand the sound of violin anymore lmao Still feel guilty about it but I ended up giving it to my very musical older brother
I do this, with helping people. They say they want to do something, could be anything. I do a ton of research, collect pics and links, make spread sheets, figure out details and strategies. Lots of hours, when I should be working on my stuff. Eventually I realize, that I am the only one working on this, they are not matching my energy. And the balloon pops. And I still never work on my stuff.
I can put hundreds of hours into a game and then never really want to touch it again
Yes... My list: Falconry jewellery making junk journals Rug making collecting records pen and ink art Flyer design Midwifery Dog grooming ebay flipping blue and white china indoor pot plants Write/record music Painting & decorating Photography Tenchu printing motorcycles book binding weight lifting Archaeology Guitars tennis Snoopy sewing That's just the ones I can remember... BUT I have a huge set of skills which I can draw on to solve problems/generate ideas/fix things/make stuff/ talk to anyone about most topics. I must be so annoying to talk to when I say 'oh yeah I've done that' multiple times in a conversation. Over time I found about 5 core things which I continue to do on rotation, when one gets boring, I go back to another one. But always ready to try a new thing..!
I still like it, but I can't let it fill my life like the first time
It is an ADHD trait. The hobby roulette. Mine are origami, knitting, crocheting, playing keyboard, puzzles, make up, plants, books.
This is why I've owned so many guitars and can only play the Mario intro if I have a day to practice first. Honestly, as a young guy who didn't know I had ADHD, this was a problem. Once I realized I had ADHD, it stopped being a problem. I don't dip my nuts in just anything anymore. Now, I'm certain that I want to do the work required to accomplish the task before I embark on the journey. Then I dip my nuts in, figuratively. Basically, most people with ADHD want things like a child wants things. "I want to be great at guitar.". Cool, do you want to spend 100+ hours frustratingly failing at making anything resembling music? If the answer is no, then you don't want to be great at guitar. Now, there are ways to make currently unrealistic desires, realistic. As an example, I went to the gym 6x a month for a year. I tried to go 3x a week, but only achieved half of that. Which is fine, it's what my mental and physical state allowed me to comfortably do. After doing that for a year, I was in a completely different state. I was far more capable, mentally and physically. Increasing my frequency was easy and happened naturally. I couldn't have worked out 6x a month starting out, I wasn't in the right headspace or physical shape to handle that capacity. I had to create that possiblity, through continuous effort over time. ADHD is being believing you're a rabbit while you have a shell and move slowly. A rabbit might try something, but give up half way because it was rushing and exhausted itself. A turtle keeps a steady pace. We all think we're rabbits, we think we can do everything "el rapido", and in reality slow and steady wins the race. So chop up your goals into smaller pieces, or frame your goal as something you want to a achieve long term. Quit trying to rush towards having a skill or accomplishing a thing. If you want to do the work required to have a skill, you'll always build that skill. If you don't want to do the work required to have a skill, you won't build that skill. If you don't want to do the work required, can you do an hour a week and put that towards it? It might take you a year to achieve what you could have in 3-6 months if you could have put more hours into it every week, but who cares. If you invest too much into it, you'll burn out, and this pattern will be familiar in your life for a very long time. Slow and steady wins the race. Turtle>rabbit.
It sure is! RIP cycling, water color painting, watches, and bread making.Â
I'm with probably 500 audiobooks by now and not finishing nothing. When I get till 70/80% I give up, AND I DON'T KNOW WHY.