I hate having to restart my computer (ever). You see, I am not a clean desk kind of guy. I read something once that said ADHD types are less likely to put things away, because if they do they will forget they exist. And for me that rings true, but it isn't just my post-it notes. I do the same thing with emails. If they are crap I delete them, if I can I ignore them (open them, read them, perhaps drop them in a sub-folder by subject) but if I need to do anything with them then they will stay open (although minimised) until they are dealt with. If the due date is a long way off, then I will tag them for follow-up with an associated reminder.
The same is true of my browsing, sure I bookmark things, but some stuff isn't important enough to bookmark (otherwise my bookmarks folder would be huge, cumbersome and useless). For that stuff I want to read but haven't, I open it in a tab, with the idea of coming back later. This could be TED talks I plan on listening to, Seth Goden's Blog Posts, Neil Gamen's Blog Posts. Stuff, which is peripheral to keeping my head around all that is new in libraries. Now, I subscribe to a few blogs (and I contantly revisit my need for each subscription). Of those blogs I subscribe to, the library related ones are read as they appear (and I'll usually look a couple of times a day).
So, why not just mark the post and come back to it later? I currently have over 300 posts saved in my feed aggregator (almost 100 for Stephen Abram alone) but I so rarely go back to them. If I read it before I close my browser I will read it, if not it is usually not revisited.
The same is true of books, I have half a dozen open on my bedside table at any one time because if I put it away I will forget it exists and never realise I didn't finish reading it.
So, why do you care about this? Perhaps you are reading this blog because you ae an ADHD nutjob like this librarian, but if not I would like to suggest that the world is becoming like me. There is just too much 'stuff' out there, there are too many web pages to read, to remember, to bookmark. there are too many books, songs and TV shows to buy, watch or illegally rip from P2P. If you don't steal it now, you'll probably forget and if you do do it, you'd better watch it straight away.
Which leads me to cry, don't make me restart my computer. Every time I do I have to restart my life and if that isn't bad enough, when one of my work machines died a couple of weeks ago I not only had to restart my browser but I had to recreate my list of firefox plugins, greasemonkey addons, search engines, bookmarks.
It is hell. Or was until I realised that I never revisit those sort of things unless I am restarting from scratch. there are so many nice things on this new computer (and no, I haven't added them to my others, because that would involve remembering what they were. But next time they are upgraded...)
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The rants and howls of a librarian, blessed by by Bacchus with the gift of ADHD.
About Me
- ADHD Librarian
- I am a librarian who is currently having a slight career deviation. Having spent my career in public and academic libraries I moved into a high school to repair a long neglected school library. That done (well, more or less) I got myself a dip ed & slipped sideways into the classroom, although I am still the librarian too.
Email Me
adhd dot librarian at gmail dot com
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ADHD or just ADHD curious?
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Warning
As I see the world through ADHD coloured glasses, this blog contains dangerously high levels of Confabulation.
The stories I tell all have an element of truth to them, but then all of the best lies start with a grain of truth and then slowly build a large black pearl of deception around that grain.
Or, so I hear.
Indeed, due to the passage of time and the fact that I don't pay attention when people are talking (and therefore, in order to be fair, I also don't pay attention when I'm talking), even I can't remember which parts of the stories I tell are fact and which are fiction. Therefore, if you are reading this and think that you recognise yourself in one of the posts, please consider everything you read to be nothing more than my attempt to make others think I'm important, honest I don't really think you are a gormless twat, or at least no more than I generically think that anyone who isn't me is somehow slightly less important than a brain damaged gnu.
Posts on this blog are not researched, edited, nor indeed even thought out in advance. I write in stream of consciousness, partially because I love the beat generation 'vibe' man and partially because even if I write out a plan and then do a draft, I end up going somewhere else entirely by the time I'm half way through. Visions! omens! hallucinations! miracles! ecstasies! the whole boatload of sensitive bullshit! And while you're digesting this share a thought for the poor distressed kiddies who have ever sat through one of my adlib Red Riding Hood inspired puppet shows at storytime or one of the mature aged students who has had to cope with my performance based introduction to library resources lectures complete with jokes, pratfalls and a big dance finale.
Warning
As I see the world through ADHD coloured glasses, this blog contains dangerously high levels of Confabulation.
The stories I tell all have an element of truth to them, but then all of the best lies start with a grain of truth and then slowly build a large black pearl of deception around that grain.
Or, so I hear.
Indeed, due to the passage of time and the fact that I don't pay attention when people are talking (and therefore, in order to be fair, I also don't pay attention when I'm talking), even I can't remember which parts of the stories I tell are fact and which are fiction. Therefore, if you are reading this and think that you recognise yourself in one of the posts, please consider everything you read to be nothing more than my attempt to make others think I'm important, honest I don't really think you are a gormless twat, or at least no more than I generically think that anyone who isn't me is somehow slightly less important than a brain damaged gnu.
Posts on this blog are not researched, edited, nor indeed even thought out in advance. I write in stream of consciousness, partially because I love the beat generation 'vibe' man and partially because even if I write out a plan and then do a draft, I end up going somewhere else entirely by the time I'm half way through. Visions! omens! hallucinations! miracles! ecstasies! the whole boatload of sensitive bullshit! And while you're digesting this share a thought for the poor distressed kiddies who have ever sat through one of my adlib Red Riding Hood inspired puppet shows at storytime or one of the mature aged students who has had to cope with my performance based introduction to library resources lectures complete with jokes, pratfalls and a big dance finale.
Today's Unshelved
3 comments:
Yup. Yup. Pretty much. If I don't see it...it don't exist.
My life is a series of visual cues...post it notes on the steering wheel...carefully choreographed tasks on my literal desk at work...cards from the therapists office left sticking intentionally out of my wallet so I remember appointments...garbage cans left in doorways to remind me to take out the trash...other things left in funny places to cue me...and arguments with the boyfriend about moving these things because it screws up my ability to be effective if he does...it's the interpersonal equivalent of "don't make me restart...".
I recognize some of these traits in my daughter (diagnosed ADHD) and also in my husband (normal, except that he married me & stuck around once the brood got big enough to drive us both normal.) Myself, I tend to get caught up in planning, noting, rehearsing, etc. I used to think I was ultra organized, until I started really sharing my living space with other human beings. now I realize how much of what I do is about maintaining a modicum of control in the chaos. Note to anyone who hasn't already taken the plunge: kids make the need even greater!
Cheers!
Ruby
Love it - yup I am an ADHD nutjob Teacher Librarian and I have a million tabs open at a time - much to the humour of the people who see them - at last someone understands - do not make me restart my computer! ....
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