Only advice that has ever worked for me is to set micro-goals for the start of tasks.

Like, stupidly easy goals. Got a paper to write? The goal is to open a new document and type 3 words. Need to go work out? Do 1 push up. Need to clean your room? Put one shirt in the laundry hamper, or take 1 dish to the sink.

That's it. Stupidly easy. Not feeling it after that? Cool, you already hit your goal. But momentum is a hell of a thing. The majority of the time, I'll just keep going, precisely because the micro-goals was so easy.

3 words done? Ok that took no time at all. Might as well finish the sentence, maybe even a whole paragraph.

1 push up? I'm already down on the floor, why not do another? Or 10?

I could grab just 1 shirt, or just 1 dish; but I could grab more at the same time. Might as well.

You don't need to trick your brain into doing the whole task, you just need to trick your brain into starting the task. Momentum will take care of the rest. And on the times that it doesn't? Well, again, that's fine. You met your goal already. You don't HAVE to keep going. That can be enough for now.

The "give yourself a treat after" type of advice is pretty shit. I know the guy who hands out the treats, and we're on pretty good terms. I'm pretty sure I can get him to give me a treat without doing the task. Heck I'll probably give myself two treats.

Personally, I find that music can help out. Just as long as you don’t have to listen to something with audio, keeping music on keeps that dopamine flowing

The previous works because you're putting yourself in a state of anxiety and creating adrenaline as a result. Your brain can run on adrenaline instead of dopamine, so it does that. If you learn to cope this way you'll be fucked in old age like me though. I'm addition to adrenaline, you're filling your body with cortisol and that will destroy you from within. Don't do it. Just go get the damn ADHD medication.

I'm sorry.

"The hat man"? What in the sleep paralysis demon is that?

I think this is good advice and creating fake urgency is nothing but destructive for many. But then again we're all different and the clock setting techniques may be the perfect fit for many others. The most important thing is that you try things and if you try something that doesn't work, most of the time you can't just try again harder to make it work. That will eventually break you.

When I was a kid I had a hart time slanting my cursive writing. My teacher told me to just slant the paper, so I kept turning it more and more until it was fully sideways, still writing upright because I adjusted to the angle. After days of this my teacher cried “Just write angled letters!” and I went “Oh!” and was able to do it perfectly from then on.

Anyway I guess my point is different stuff works for different people.

I have a jar of dope and a jar of anime girl thighs. Would one of you science wizards help me turn this into dopamine?

I misread this as erectile dysfunction and was super concerned about the solutions.

Ymmv but for those of you who put your clocks ahead (but automatically adjust the tine in your head), try putting them behind. Knowing it's slow may cause a bit more urgency.

Me: "Man, I'm so fucking hungry rn..."

still doesn't make anything to eat

Instructions unclear, am fat now.

This assumes executive dysfunction only ever comes from lack of (available) dopamine though.

It's better advice than stressing yourself out, sure, but it may just be useless.

The only thing that has ever worked for me - and I have tried giving myself treats before and during a task - are hard, immovable deadlines.

This seems like a good reading recommandation. Thanks for it and for the tip.

There's also research that says blood sugar is really helpful for people with ADHD so having something sweet to sip on while you work can be really helpful

Anyone have any clarification on what "pretend the hat man is pointing a gun at you" means? I've never heard that phrase before.