The ADHD impulse to just blow everything up and start from scratch
One thing I’ve heard from a lot of ADHD folks (and have dealt with myself) is the impulse to just blow up whatever you’re working on and start from scratch.
It usually happens when you hit a point where you feel like it’s not working anymore, or your bored, or you’ve hit a roadblock you just can’t get past.
It could be something small like some code you’ve written, a birthday gift, or a project. Or it could be really big, like a career you’ve grown to dislike.
The blowing up process is really disruptive.
One of the things that’s helped me quite a bit has been building a habit of taking a beat. When I feel done, instead of throwing it all away, I instead put it on the back burner and do as little as possible without destroying it.
Sometimes, I find that after a week or three, I was just “in a funk,” and I”m glad it’s still there. Sometimes, I feel unchanged, and I know I’m ready to really be done and move on. But outside of the heat of the moment, I’m able to move on gracefully.
Next time you get the impulse, take a breath, set it aside, and pour all of your energy into the next thing instead of destroying the old one.