At first I thought the switch from MacBook to iPad couldn't have come at a worse time. Then I realized that as an adult with ADHD there never was a good time for such a switch. It was destined to disrupt my life. Exchanging one workflow for another always has a price in time lost for most people. Fortunately, I'm up to speed now and I expect more helpful apps will arise from the iPad walled garden with a bit of Apple sunshine, some consumer supplied water, and a developer's eager hoe. I can be patient. The real threat to my novels project is not my iPad. The iPad is slick, shiny, nifty, and fun. I rather like it. I love how light it is. I like the interface. I don't regret purchasing it. There are splendiferous apps coming out for it almost daily, and a lot of them are free or only 99¢. In time, my workflow will readjust and I will be on my way writing and writing and writing…assuming I can stop ADDaboy! from taking over my life.
I don't like to let my disabilities define me, but they can be rather awkward obstacles to ignore. They lie ahead of me like pot holes, each one opening a chasm into the very bowels of Hell. I can skirt them if I can see them, but the effort leaves me a bit tuckered out, to be honest. Making my deadlines while ticking is very difficult to do, and consequently these quick little 500 word articles are taking up an awful lot of my creative time. It's not that I need three days to write 500 words, but that sometimes it takes me three days to get 500 words done when disabilities keep interrupting.
ADHD…Chronic Motor Tic Disorder…Insomnia…Depression
Each pot hole has a name and some weeks they are bigger than others. Since ADDaboy! is a paid gig, it gets priority—leaving me with no time to work on my own stories. I also don't spend any time whatsoever mailing my first finished book out to agents and publishers. There needs to be a severe change in my life or the goals will be lost. Already, some family members suggest that I no longer write ADDaboy! so that I can spend my time working on my novel.
It is very nice to have such love and support from family. That is a priceless possession. In addition, there has been another upside. I am so pressed for time that I am spending less of it reading news. However, I am not convinced that the solution is to quit writing ADDaboy! If I could only shorten my articles and pump them out quicker, say one per hour, then I could meet my obligations and my goals.
That's where I am at. I appreciate the comments many of you have left. I know many of you are interested in how I manage my disabilities while undertaking such an aggressive goal. It is my intension to meet this goal regardless of the obstacles. I'll just have to work harder.
Since Friday was spent being a neurological mess, and Saturday was spent moving my oldest daughter off to BYU for spring term, I will begin anew today with ADDaboy!. I have finished my projects series and can see that ADDaboy! has become one of those side-projects that has become the main project—like in the main picture above. The main focus is supposed to be the flowers, but the dead trees and chain fence detract from their beauty. They are clutter that has taken over.
The mental readjustment began yesterday. Today I will limit each article to one hour by way of a timer. I had been using keeptempo.com as a time tracker but had stopped for some reason. I suppose I thought it was too much work and that I didn't need it. That was a mistake. My oldest daughter won't be a busy li'l distraction anymore now that she's away, so assuming I can hogtie my sleep schedule tonight to something decent, I should be able to awake earlier and get serious work done while the kids are away at school. That is the goal. Wish me luck.
Of course, if the Goblin stays home sick like we've been discussing, I'll need more than luck. I'll need divine intervention.
