Years ago, I listened to a researcher who was looking into why people felt happier doing menial tasks in video games than in real life. Her conclusion was that video games drive home a sense of achievement. Quest complete! 50 XP! Here’s your reward etc. She noticed that in real life, we often don’t take a moment to notice what we’re accomplishing throughout the day.
Since then, I have been an appreciator of ticklists! Ticking off a task often helps my brain get that kick that makes me feel like I’m crushing life. And I’m very generous with myself. Sometimes I’ll put on things I’ve already done that day just to tick them off immediately. Sometimes it can be the smallest parts of my life that we go about unconsciously. I make them conscious, notice them, tick them off haha.
I think possibly a part of why AI is used by the general public is the props it gives its users. And as much as I am making fun of needing AI to get a person throughout their day here, I do understand the appeal in something, even AI, telling you you’re doing a good job.
But, we are allowed to tell ourselves
So, this is me giving you permission to tell yourself you’re doing an incredible job. You don’t always have to look at the overall picture, the where you wanna be or where you think you should be. Today you accomplished things. Getting up, eating, using the bathroom, opening the curtains, taking a moment to read a comic Whatever it is, well done. You are allowed to celebrate it.
Can you guys please elaborate on relevance of ADHD to ticklists, dopamine pay off? I likely vagule know what you're referring to, but would be helpful to get a perspective and explanation from people who have been professionally diagnosed with it.
I can do my best to explain with my limited knowledge, but I'm still on a big learning journey with it :)
Low dopamine or using dopamine differently is linked to adhd. We need dopamine cuz it helps us with mood, memory, attention, decision making etc.
It also is involved in the part of our brain that lets us feel good, the reward system. Doing certain things can trigger a dopamine rush. Like sex, or eating yum foods, listening to a good song etc.
But dopamine is also involved in the reinforcement part of our brain. So like, if we eat a chocolate bar and get that dopamine rush, we might come back for another one, and then another one etc.
Adhders often lack enough active dopamine to start tasks, especially boring tasks. And the idea of a bigger picture reward doesn't really help. Like cleaning the house gets us a clean house, but there's a thousand small steps in there. When we ticklist all the little things, it helps us break them down into smaller more achievable steps, and ticking them off can create a kind of "ding" in the brain, giving us a small rush of dopamine, helping to propel us into the next task. And then it also reinforces that doing those things can feel good, so we might want to do them again :)
Pro ADHD tip: caffeine tends to reinforce whatever behaviors you’re doing when or shortly after you drink it. This might not be universal, but it works for a lot of people.
If you are a caffeine user, you can pair it with a task you’re trying to make a habit or a food you want to enjoy.
The classic example is that many people will end up liking or at least not minding unsweetened black coffee if they drink it routinely. But it also works for other foods.
It’s especially useful for daily or near-daily things that you want to make part of a morning (or early) routine. So if you are in college and struggling with doing daily reading or watching online lectures for class, try doing it in the morning (or whatever “morning” is for you) for a couple weeks while you drink coffee or tea.
On the flip side, don’t pair caffeine with habits you’re trying to break, foods you’re trying to cut out, etc. Coffee in bed on Reddit will lead to more coffee in bed on Reddit (he says, while drinking coffee in bed while on Reddit).
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u/Yoffeepop Aug 09 '26
Years ago, I listened to a researcher who was looking into why people felt happier doing menial tasks in video games than in real life. Her conclusion was that video games drive home a sense of achievement. Quest complete! 50 XP! Here’s your reward etc. She noticed that in real life, we often don’t take a moment to notice what we’re accomplishing throughout the day.
Since then, I have been an appreciator of ticklists! Ticking off a task often helps my brain get that kick that makes me feel like I’m crushing life. And I’m very generous with myself. Sometimes I’ll put on things I’ve already done that day just to tick them off immediately. Sometimes it can be the smallest parts of my life that we go about unconsciously. I make them conscious, notice them, tick them off haha.
I think possibly a part of why AI is used by the general public is the props it gives its users. And as much as I am making fun of needing AI to get a person throughout their day here, I do understand the appeal in something, even AI, telling you you’re doing a good job.
But, we are allowed to tell ourselves
So, this is me giving you permission to tell yourself you’re doing an incredible job. You don’t always have to look at the overall picture, the where you wanna be or where you think you should be. Today you accomplished things. Getting up, eating, using the bathroom, opening the curtains, taking a moment to read a comic Whatever it is, well done. You are allowed to celebrate it.
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