ADHD and Unfinished Business

by Don Potochny
(St. Louis)

I stumble through life with the ADHD and I have to tackle each day with a stubborn persistence. A number of ADHD experts mention tenacity and resiliency as the two traits most often associated with those who have ADHD.

The perceived failures, disappointments, and hurtful labels bestowed upon us by uninformed friends, family, and employers builds a tenacious spirit inside of us. Tenacity allows us to integrate into a society that places materialistic possessions above spiritual gifts.

One of the more eloquent ADHD experts who mention tenacity is Dr. Edward M. Hallowell, the co-author of two wildly popular books about ADHD. Hallowell takes a more balanced analytical approach than most of his peers. He insists ADHD is not a debilitating disorder. He also forewarns those who have the condition to understand the symptom ramifications. He emphasizes that ADHD’s positive attributes allows an ADHDer to triumph over failure. Much of the failure is a long trail of unfinished business.

Hallowell makes an astute observation that links ADHD with unfinished business. He points out that people with ADHD "have difficulty turning great ideas into significant action." Another way of putting it is ADHDers do not finish projects that take time, concentration, and effort.
My life has been full of stalled projects, incomplete assignments, and broken promises. As a pattern of unfinished business developed early in my life, people became incredulous when I promised to take action or start a project that required detailed attentiveness. The growing list of unfinished business created skepticism.


My mind sprouts new ideas like a fertile field that nurtures perennial crops. The mental crops reach fruition and are ready to for implementation into a grand plan of action. Most of the mental crops wither under extreme inattention, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity. I could devote an entire book to the number of ideas I have hatched and let fade in the fertile field that is my brain.

One of the ideas that finally reached fruition was actually the publication of a book about living with undiagnosed ADHD. After 44 years of disorganized frustration, I put together a compelling game plan to author a prodigious tome. I meticulously charted my plan of action and found the patience and high tolerance for frustration to see the project to the end.

What helped me most was my persistence in writing a daily book to-do list and making sure I did not overload mini-projects on each day's schedule. The to-do list was an invaluable asset that helped me reach my writing goal.

Over the years, my ADHD symptoms diminished to more manageable levels. I would never have finished a project that took this much time and attention to detail when my symptoms were at the height of their collective powers. Nonetheless, a structured game plan that was constantly modified became my method for usurping disorganization.