Action bias
My ADHD tends to manifest in two opposing forms…
- Jump right in. Thanks to a lack of impulse control, I’ll often dive right into an idea without worrying too much about “what it doesn’t work out” or “what could go wrong.”
- Deep research and overplanning. Sometimes, I want to learn everything I can about a topic first. It’s usually not from a place of fear. It’s deep curiosity that can morph into analysis-paralysis if I’m not careful.
Because motivation with ADHD can be very impulse-driven, when I’m in Jump Right In mode, I need to capitalize on that immediately.
If I wait a few days, the motivation is gone, and it goes nowhere.
If I’m in Deep Research mode, I need to feed that curiosity or my brain will keep drifting off to fixate on it while I’m supposed to be doing other things.
And when my brain flips and says, “Ok, action time!” I need to jump right on it.
I find that sometimes this is at-odds with how a lot of neurotypical folks work. They often prefer to be more methodical, gather information, and then wait for the right time and place.
I want to jump right in and take action.
Neither approach is better than the other. Arguably, you need both. Being aware of it, though, can help explain and work through what could otherwise be awkward interpersonal situations.