Is the inability to see “big picture” things a common adhd trait or just a “people are different” trait?
Example, ive never enjoyed jobs that involve long term planning because most of the managers etc have no clue how the actual work or the details of a project are done. They say they’ll “do x thing by y time” without knowing anything about it or the actual amount of work and expertise it would take.
Now im the one doing the detailed actual work. And I enjoy it because its real vs a bunch of people making a plan about something they dont even know how to do.
Same thing with “5 year plans”.I literally cannot do it because 1. All my plans involve “have money to do thing” and 2. You could easily get cancer and die in 5 years (or other big changes).
Now I do invest for long term (because its easy) but otherwise I find it very hard to look at big picture things without every single detail.
Long term planning is a task that requires executive function. Is it difficult for you and that’s why you dislike it or is your distaste for it a separate issue?
Maybe. I mean I cant even make a plan for my own life stuff since ill probably change ge my mind about what I want in 5 years.
Example: refinish basement in 5 years. Ok. But what if I cant afford to do it how I want? If its mediocre, id rather leave it alone. Also I may want to move so then its not worth doing. Etc. Too many variables its impossible to do.
I understand the feeling of being in limbo due to uncertainty like that. I’d say if you don’t feel strongly enough to commit to large things, then don’t. For the things that you do feel strong enough about to commit to, keep smashing it into smaller and smaller pieces until they’re manageable, then start to do them. There are tools to help with this process out there. And starting towards something can help clarify if it’s something you want to put effort into. You can also take on smaller, useful pieces of a larger goal such that even if the main goal is something you decide isn’t worth it, you can still get something useful out of what you’ve completed.
I don’t really ever feel like committing to things, so I don’t plan things out like that. Sometimes things turn out well; I just kept doing my hobby I enjoyed and whoops I’ve been doing it for 20 years. Sometimes things go not so well but I try to quit things that aren’t working out early. And sometimes there’s real consequences. My life hasn’t been a straight line by any means. Nobody I know has had a life like that, though, even the planners.