INERTIA
18 Aug 2011, 6:06 pm
It's amazing what happens once I actually start working though. Once I get started on a task, I'm not done until my entire to-do list is completely empty. And sometimes I'll go the extra mile and do even more than that.
_________________
Remember, all atrocities begin in a sensible place.
18 Aug 2011, 7:23 pm
Aspieallien wrote:
WickedLucid wrote:
Aspieallien wrote:
I tend to over organise things to the point sometimes where the systems I create are more
work than the tasks themselves.
work than the tasks themselves.
Me too. Sometimes I get lucky, and my obsessive need to organize works in my favor, but usually, I just make things more complicated because I can't stop categorizing and sub-categorizing. And then I become aware of other ways to organize and then I get stuck on which way I should do it because how do I chose one if it doesn't matter because it must matter, right? I re-invent the wheel every day in every aspect of my life. I'm focusing on creating routine with all the mundane daily tasks, so I can have structure when I get off course.
I think it’s funny that although I put a tremendous amount of energy into organising I’m still quite disorganised. The quest for the ultimate protocol and system to do everyday tasks is a never ending obsession. And then deciding on which system to use is another cause for more obsessions before getting stuck. It has to be just right and fit into place in sequence otherwise it will just never work. I too feel exhausted just keeping to my systems before I have really done anything. If I can keep obsessed with focusing on one individual step at a time I can get things done. I can’t say it’s really inertia for the want of effort because I put plenty of effort into getting nowhere.
If you ever do find that ultimate organisational tool share it with me please.
I had to quote the entire posts because this made me LOL.
Aspieallien, thank you for commenting because I just felt the biggest sense of relief because I'm realizing quickly that I am not alone. As disorganized and scattered as I appear, I believe it's going to happen. That thing that's on the tip of my tongue. That all-encompassing idea I have about the ultimate organizational system, it exists. It's there, in my head, and apparently in many others around here. I truly believe that at least 50% of the problem stems from lack of support and the need for other people to comment on my unusual approach to things. I'm very self conscious when others "observe" me because I'm odd.
I guess the point is, I feel better already, after a couple of days of posting, I feel a little less alienated. I can also laugh at myself, which I often do, but this time, I'm not holding back tears. I've been really hard on myself, and I'll continue to be, because that's me. But I must say, I feel a little more at ease. I'm learning that if I just keep pushing forward, the small successes add up and I feel a sense of accomplishment.
I've been having a hard time, trying to keep my spirits up on my own and I've been cracking at the seams a bit, but this forum has helped in a short amount of time. Hopefully, I won't disappear like I always do. I think I've been isolated for so long that it's hard to open up without having physical stress involved. And then there's always the "hangover"- obsessing over anything I say, write, hear or think. It's exhausting. .
So, now that we've discussed making lists, anyone into flow charts? I love flow charts. Mmmmmmm. They're so fluid and branchy.
18 Aug 2011, 7:25 pm
the_curmudge wrote:
I put things off literally for years. I mean if I have to make a complaint to somebody and I wait long enough, they may die, and I won't have to. This has happened to me several times.
I feel like you just made a confession for me. Guilty as well. Oh so guilty.
18 Aug 2011, 7:37 pm
SammichEater wrote:
It's amazing what happens once I actually start working though. Once I get started on a task, I'm not done until my entire to-do list is completely empty. And sometimes I'll go the extra mile and do even more than that.
Are you currently accepting students?
I have thousands of unfinished (some not even started) to-do lists that date back over 20 years. Not an exaggeration. There are some things on the list (and not a bucket list, I mean a pay bills, do laundry, return item kind of list), that still need to be done. Then on the flip side, tell me to clean something or do one specific task, I will own that chore like no one else. It's the "literal" in me. Left to my own devices, I usually end up taking everything apart, spend hours doing that one task, and become so disenchanted with the project, that I'm compelled to walk away, leaving the mess because now I need to make more lists to figure out how to best continue the process. It was amusing to people when I was a kid. It was cute and my need to reverse engineer everything showed great promise. At 37, I'm just a pain in the arse and not worth the trouble. Eh. C'est la vie.
Aspieallien
Pileated woodpecker
Joined: 8 Jul 2009
Age: 49
Gender: Male
Posts: 190
Location: NSW, Australia
18 Aug 2011, 8:55 pm
WickedLucid wrote:
Aspieallien wrote:
WickedLucid wrote:
Aspieallien wrote:
I tend to over organise things to the point sometimes where the systems I create are more
work than the tasks themselves.
work than the tasks themselves.
Me too. Sometimes I get lucky, and my obsessive need to organize works in my favor, but usually, I just make things more complicated because I can't stop categorizing and sub-categorizing. And then I become aware of other ways to organize and then I get stuck on which way I should do it because how do I chose one if it doesn't matter because it must matter, right? I re-invent the wheel every day in every aspect of my life. I'm focusing on creating routine with all the mundane daily tasks, so I can have structure when I get off course.
I think it’s funny that although I put a tremendous amount of energy into organising I’m still quite disorganised. The quest for the ultimate protocol and system to do everyday tasks is a never ending obsession. And then deciding on which system to use is another cause for more obsessions before getting stuck. It has to be just right and fit into place in sequence otherwise it will just never work. I too feel exhausted just keeping to my systems before I have really done anything. If I can keep obsessed with focusing on one individual step at a time I can get things done. I can’t say it’s really inertia for the want of effort because I put plenty of effort into getting nowhere.
If you ever do find that ultimate organisational tool share it with me please.
I had to quote the entire posts because this made me LOL.
Aspieallien, thank you for commenting because I just felt the biggest sense of relief because I'm realizing quickly that I am not alone. As disorganized and scattered as I appear, I believe it's going to happen. That thing that's on the tip of my tongue. That all-encompassing idea I have about the ultimate organizational system, it exists. It's there, in my head, and apparently in many others around here. I truly believe that at least 50% of the problem stems from lack of support and the need for other people to comment on my unusual approach to things. I'm very self conscious when others "observe" me because I'm odd.
I guess the point is, I feel better already, after a couple of days of posting, I feel a little less alienated. I can also laugh at myself, which I often do, but this time, I'm not holding back tears. I've been really hard on myself, and I'll continue to be, because that's me. But I must say, I feel a little more at ease. I'm learning that if I just keep pushing forward, the small successes add up and I feel a sense of accomplishment.
I've been having a hard time, trying to keep my spirits up on my own and I've been cracking at the seams a bit, but this forum has helped in a short amount of time. Hopefully, I won't disappear like I always do. I think I've been isolated for so long that it's hard to open up without having physical stress involved. And then there's always the "hangover"- obsessing over anything I say, write, hear or think. It's exhausting. .
So, now that we've discussed making lists, anyone into flow charts? I love flow charts. Mmmmmmm. They're so fluid and branchy.
WickedLucid, LOL
I am grateful too knowing I’m not alone and that others are out there in similar situations. For me it’s not just a lack of support I have felt most of my life but also a lack of acceptance and understanding for my perfectly logical state of oddness.
I am incredibly hard on myself, and feel quite self conscious and awkward at times as well so I know what you mean. I have always been fairly isolated since I was a kid, and have been having a real struggle of late holding on by the skin of my teeth.
I think the perpetual quest for the elusive and quite possibly nonexistent ultimate organisational tool would probably make an interesting thread.
_________________
Reality is wrong,
Dreams are for real.
19 Aug 2011, 4:17 pm
justlefty wrote:
I have this really bad. I can't motivate myself to do anything and even if I try to start doing something, I just get overwhelmed. If I can get started though, inertia works the other way for me too, I can stay super focused for hours and hours, so that I have to remind myself to eat or go to the bathroom. This worked well in college actually since I could normally wait for the bursts and get a ton done. At work it is not a good thing at all, since I am supposed to be working at certain hours and the bursts do not cooperate. In college I could work 24 hours straight and then take some time off, but at work I am supposed to work every day in two 4 hours slots (sometimes its more broken up if I have to go to a meeting). A lot of times, I really get going and the work day is over. I think sometimes about asking for some sort of alternative schedule, but I'm not sure exactly what would work.
If I really have to get going, sometimes doing one very simple task will get me started. There are days though where nothing works and it really is a waste of time for me to even show up. It bugs me that I can't seem to figure this out, because I know I have the ability to be far more productive, and it stands in the way of me being more successful. I worry frequently that it might even get me fired, but I really hope that I am doing enough that it won't come to that.
If I really have to get going, sometimes doing one very simple task will get me started. There are days though where nothing works and it really is a waste of time for me to even show up. It bugs me that I can't seem to figure this out, because I know I have the ability to be far more productive, and it stands in the way of me being more successful. I worry frequently that it might even get me fired, but I really hope that I am doing enough that it won't come to that.
This is sooo... me. I need to get a job soon, and that's one of my main worries because when I worked before that was one of my biggest problems. The thing is I'm not good at coming up with good schedules on my own, since even that seems overwhelming. The best I can manage is get 1-2 planned task done on certain days I decide it has to be done. Since the the bursts are sporadic, they just won't do for an 8-5 job. I really wish I had someone who could plan and organize my life for me and break things down into smaller tasks, like the way it was in school, except with things I want/need to get done. I have so much piled up to-do stuff, but I never get around to doing any but the most immediate ones.
_________________
"The thought manifests as the word. The word manifests as the deed. The deed develops into habit. And the habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care. And let it spring from love, born out of concern for all beings."
