Multitasking and ADHD

Some days I get a lot done.  It may not be done well, but it's "kind of" done.   Today is one of those days I have lots going on at once.  Anyone who makes hard cheeses knows there's down time while you wait for curds to set or temperatures to rise.  It's very tempting to find something else to do to fill those gaps until your timer goes off and the curds call you back to give them a stir.  I've ruined many cheeses because I've gotten sidetracked.  I shouldn't say ruined, they're usually still edible (not always) but they're not the cheese I set out to make.

I Googled "Multitasking and ADHD" and learned from all these experts that I need to focus more, set timers and make myself be still and do one task at a time and that what I'm doing is "like playing tennis with two balls:  Your game's not as good as it would be with one ball."  Well, I know this but, "The brain wiring of ADD does make it difficult to focus on only one thing at once.  It's boring and requires a sustained attention that isn't easy if the task is not stimulating or interesting."  So asking someone like me to stay on one task is like asking a toddler to sit and listen to you read him a 100 page book without pictures.  It's hard to sit still when your brain is doing this.

 Which reminds me of this video. 

Of course, while looking for this video I got distracted by a few other cute puppy videos that came up after this one.

While waiting for my cheese curds to do their thing I was able to Bondo some cracks in a foot stool I'm reinforcing, painting and reupholstering for James' office.  This is a perfect example of how my tennis game is not as good as it could be.  I tell myself I want to get this done quickly.  No one is going to look under the stool so there's no need to waste time sanding the Bondo underneath.

I got a coat of primer on the stool and before applying the top coat I got my glue gun out to experiment with some gold wrapping paper for a Christmas decoration I'm considering.  This is close to the stove where my cheese is so I'm able to stir, glue, stir, glue.  This is the chaotic basement kitchen where I spend lots of my time.  As you can see I have my computer nearby so I can play my sister at Words With Friends in between glueing, stirring and painting.  Oh yeah, I should put all those bars of soap (on the right in the foreground) somewhere else too so I can clean up the soap molds from a few days ago.  First I need to wash out the milk containers I have in the sink so there's room to clean them.

Just outside that door you see is something else waiting for me.  It's a hide I'm working on tanning.  It's now gotten stiff because I didn't give it the few hours a day of attention it needs to soften it.  Now I have to dampen it and begin again.  At least it's clean and the hairs are now set.  In none of the articles I read did it say someone with ADHD should own a basement so all their projects don't encroach upon the rest of the house.

Oops, sometimes encroach they will.  I went upstairs to find the cord for my phone so I could upload some pictures for this blog and found it in the living room where my compressor, staple gun and other upholstery tools were taking up space because "someone" forgot to clean up after herself 2 days ago when she finished with them.

When I was uploading pictures I was reminded I'm supposed to send some more pictures of this little girl today to a prospective buyer.  I'll do that when I'm done with this blog post because I'm going to focus.  I am.

Sometimes I laugh to myself about how easily I'm distracted but then sometimes I worry I'll leave Baxter in a hot car, or burn my house down, or flood the basement, or not latch a gate and all my animals will be in the road, or something equally as frightening.  It's not unheard of for James to ask, "did you mean to leave this burner or the oven on?"  It's gotten worse as I've gotten older.  At least I think it has.  I'll have to ask my mom if I was like this as a child.  I don't think so.  I wonder how I ever worked in the corporate world, met deadlines, managed others and had real responsibilities.  Just this minute I took a break from this blog to check Words With Friends to see if my sister played me and saw 4 others are waiting for me to take my turn.  I couldn't do that if I worked in an office.  Could I?  

It's almost time for the cheese to go into the press.  One more coat of paint on the stool, email photos to goat person, make soup (turn off the stove) and then I can play WWF.  The soap molds will have to wait another day.  All in all, a good day and no one was hurt.