I was recently diagnosed with ADHD. I decided to get tested at my university after realizing I have the attention span of a squirrel, I am an extreme procrastinator, and I cannot hold a conversation. The first two problems I believe I can fix with practice and dedication. The third, however, stumps me.
Some conversations I have no trouble with at all. Other conversations either drift completely away from the original topic, which confuses the person I'm talking to, or ends abruptly because I just don't know what to say. Hubski, please help me. I need some tips on how I can keep a conversation moving while staying on topic.
I'm 40, I think I would have probably been diagnosed with ADHD back when I was a kid but it was a new diagnosis and people just thought I was "lazy" or whatever.
I've struggled with procrastination my whole life, and my attention span, and conversations, like you.
I'd like to say I've solved it all but I haven't really. What has happened, is that I'm aware of it, and my behaviour, and that awareness has modified my behaviour. So see how it goes I think you might find just being aware you might be drifting, may keep you closer to the topic.
In a professional setting, I've become quite strict in my conversations. If I have a meeting, I state the things I wish to discuss up front, what the goals are of the meeting or whatever, and keep it to 2 or 3 topics. Once a topic has been agreed on, I move immediately to the next and so on until done. I don't do free meetings where we can zip all over the place as I find it a waste of time and I love wasting time talking about nothing.