Autism and Slowness

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living out in the sticks surrounded by curmudgeonly slowpokes, i should have been careful what i asked for.

Idiots act like they are constantly in a hurry but they are just impatient entitled lil dips**ts


At Higirikan Dojo, the instructor had the nerve to tell me "move faster!"






He wasn't going anywhere

I usually work fast, unless it's a completely new task.

Oh yes, slowness (related to executive functioning) invited both subtle, and sharp sarcasm - back when the term 'executive functioning' (and the Autism Spectrum) were not yet understood.

It's true for me at least, I'm extremely slow

Slow as molasses on the shady side of an iceberg in january

I tend to take my time, and it takes me a little longer to get my words out and process things and it's a defining characteristic. I'm intelligent in retaining knowledge, memory, and connecting ideas but taking a bit longer to get my thoughts together, people have often underestimated me.

When it comes to doing tasks, I need to take my time to do theme correctly but once I get the hang of it, I get a lot done quickly.

I'm naturally slow but learned to do my repetitive job very fast. Haven't done anything fast since retirement.

It surprises me that I'm still learning about myself from WP - now I know why I'm slow!

I tend to think of how I work through my day as like flying a plane without autopilot.

There are a million little things that most people do without thinking. A lot of these things benefit their daily workflow. For example a lot of people naturally put keys in the same place every day, which allows for them to quickly reach for them when they are needed. In my case, if I don't actively think about where I am putting my keys, they will end up in the fridge one day, in the garage the next, etc. Because of this, I have to put a TON of attention into these basic tasks, so that I don't end up experiencing daily road blocks that most people don't worry about.

This habit of putting a lot of thought into every little thing makes me slower at menial tasks than others who have good autopilot, but I also think it makes me a bit faster at tasks that require problem-solving or troubleshooting. My brain is basically already in that mode all day. Other people I've noticed prefer to stay in autopilot as much as possible.

I've also noticed over the years that I have a bigger drive to finish things than other people. Maybe it's because it's hard for me to stop halfway through something without getting lost. This makes me good at seeing projects through, even if I'm not the fastest worker.

I want to add something about being slow. I have often wondered why people go fast and miss everything. I suppose it's my version of 'stop and smell the roses.' How can they remain grounded if they're roaring around on 4 wheels? I bragged about how slow I can go on my bicycle and my boss looked at me like I had grown two heads. None of his friends are trees; he can't imagine it. Why did I brag about going slow? Because everything to him is a competition and I was trying to communicate on his own terms.

I think fast = competitive. I'm walking slowly, taking in all the sensory offerings of nature - in fact, I'm very busy.

I'm slow processor.

Depends on what it is. If it's information related, I can be pretty quick. But, if it's manual labor, I'm slow. I get lost in the movement and kinda hypnotized, or something.

I’m generally a slow processor, especially in an academic setting (I’m an incredibly slow reader). I got the maximum allowable amount of extended time on my exams at uni. I also have trouble processing speech if the speaker is talking at a million miles an hour, and am a relatively slow talker myself. If I can commit something physical to muscle memory, however, e.g. tying my shoes, cooking hamburgers, driving my car, I don’t need any extra processing time.

I’ve worked for too many bosses that wanted it done fast, and the hell with quality workmanship. Too many times, i’ve Been fired because I’d tell a supervisor, “do you want it done fast, or done right, because you can’t have both.”

I was always taught by my parents (who literally beat it in to my fat head and arse) “Take your time, and do it right the first time!”