• Replies 13 replies
  • Subscribers 10 subscribers
  • Views 685 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

The Pros And Cons Of Monotropism

DormouseAtRest_25

This video about the strengths, challenges and strategies of monotropism attracted many interesting comments.

I appreciated one person's comments acting as a summary of their notes from watching the video:

"Strengths:
1. Ability to provide 100% of attention, therefore become an expert in your field.
2. superhuman ability to ignore all else/ don't see distractions.

Challenges:
1. Missing a lot of info
2. Lack of tasks where monotropism is best strategy.
3. Energy required to switch tasks
4. Maintaining weak tie relationship is difficult.

Strategies:
1. Lifestyle design- design life around strengths. Pick high reward tasks.
2. Start noticing how much transition time you need.
3. Leverage flow state.
4. Give yourself time to wind down "

Within strategies, number 2; about how much transition time you need between tasks is something I have been practicing recently - and have found to be helpful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p8BD73xXxI

I don't think we talk about and explore our strengths / positives as often as would be educational and supportive.

If we can learn to assess our personal Autistic strengths - maybe that can help us to better profile ourselves - closer to employment and volunteering opportunity matches - while mitigating the likelihood of burnout.

Parents

  • Monotropism combined with executive dysfunction is a PITA. There is always something I can hyperfocus on at any particular time—it's relatively easy for me to enter that state. However, I can almost never hyperfocus on what I need to focus on—it's a never-ending source of frustration.

    Tax return to do. OK. Go! ... I'll just get warmed up with my morning sudoku ... [eight hours later] ... Well, that's enough sudoku for the day. Oh, is that the time. I have to make dinner. I'll do the tax return tomorrow.

    That sort of cycle can go on for months, literally.

    OTOH, my daughter needed help studying Maths for a few weeks. I was 110% into it and could go and go for as long as she needed/wanted me to. I've even been known to hyperfocus on my paying work, which is nice, but it's very rare.

Reply

  • Monotropism combined with executive dysfunction is a PITA. There is always something I can hyperfocus on at any particular time—it's relatively easy for me to enter that state. However, I can almost never hyperfocus on what I need to focus on—it's a never-ending source of frustration.

    Tax return to do. OK. Go! ... I'll just get warmed up with my morning sudoku ... [eight hours later] ... Well, that's enough sudoku for the day. Oh, is that the time. I have to make dinner. I'll do the tax return tomorrow.

    That sort of cycle can go on for months, literally.

    OTOH, my daughter needed help studying Maths for a few weeks. I was 110% into it and could go and go for as long as she needed/wanted me to. I've even been known to hyperfocus on my paying work, which is nice, but it's very rare.

Children
  • in reply to Damojo
    Damojo said:
    That sort of cycle can go on for months, literally.

    Procrastination is a real hassle, isn't it?

    I find setting a date to do something like the tax returns and having 4 alarms set through the morning is normally enough to badger me into action. I also set 2 further dates for follow ups as I will often find I need some document or another from a 3rd party so can't do everything in 1 sitting.

    Most of the time I get into the habit of just starting the thing even if I'm not prepared and not allowing anything to happen beforehand just so I get it done. JFDI for the win!