Tags: #mentalhealth
GPT said: Want me to sketch out a script skeleton for parsing a local HTML table into a JSON list of loot items? Or help you craft the wget or HTTrack command to grab only what you need?
You said: I think I realize I have…what’s it called, executive dysfunction? I want to continue it, but my mind can’t shift out of playing some ddo for something to do, even though I have so many things big and small I can and should make sure I do this week while I’m not working.
ChatGPT said: Yeah, that does sound like executive dysfunction, or at least something really close to it. That feeling of having a list of things—some even kind of exciting or satisfying—but your brain just won’t switch gears or fire up the motivation engine for any of them. You know what needs doing, but there’s this invisible wall between intention and action.
And then DDO or something low-friction feels like the only thing that can actually happen, because it doesn’t require that mental shift. It’s familiar, contained, and reactive—you log in, and the game tells you what to do next. No heavy lifting.
A Few Thoughts That Might Help 🧠 1. Mini Commitments Instead of “work on the loot script,” try “spend 10 minutes finding one folder I want to scrape.” That’s it. 10 minutes. Your brain might sneak into flow after you start.
🗓️ 2. Visual Task Dump Try jotting down everything you’re juggling on paper or a note app—not a to-do list, more like a brain dump. The goal isn’t to do them right away, just to get them out of your head so they’re not floating, overwhelming, and abstract.
🎮 3. Gamify the Real Life Stuff You could even reward yourself with DDO:
“If I set up one download command, I can run one quest.”
“If I write down my to-dos, I can do a daily.”
That way you’re not trying to give up the comfort of DDO cold turkey—you’re weaving your goals into it.
🧍♂️ 4. Forgive the Drift Even realizing you’re stuck in this kind of loop shows awareness, and that’s a step. Beating yourself up tends to just make the fog thicker. Self-compassion actually works better than guilt as fuel for executive function, ironically.
If you want, we can gently break it down into super micro-steps together. No pressure, no judgment, just like… “What’s one tiny thing I could open, click, or name right now toward the project?”