Are you goal oriented?

[zurb]

I think what I interpret as being 'lack of executive function' may actually be a symptom of depression, and so not directly caused by aspergers. Dunno, just thinking out loud. Or maybe depression just makes it worse.

 

[Harrison]

My life has consisted of little goals, targets, although from the outside it probably looked like a much larger single goal. As I never understood myself as having a purpose in life I believe I have basically lived by 'chance and opportunity'.

 

[On the Inside]

Zurb, I would say you're right, from my experience depression makes it worse, but most of the time I'm not depressed and I still struggle with executive function.

Depression certainly makes any kind of function difficult.

Harrison, you are fortunate that your small goals somehow resulted in what looks like achieving a larger goal. Chance favors the prepared mind, so look at your small goals as preparation for the big opportunities.

I'm still trying to make sense of it all, and hoping that maybe I'll be prepared when chance comes around again. I've been blind to many opportunities because of fear and anxiety.

 

[On the Inside]

Sounds to me like you're feeling attacked by someone who is goal-oriented? Simply because you have a different set of priorities?

Well, attacked is too strong a word, but yes, I am supposed to have the same set of priorities as my NT partner and we don't always see things the same, as you could imagine. There seems to be this assumption that everyone is aware of and in agreement with these implicit social contracts, standards and common sense.

 

[AsheSkyler]

I was initially diagnosed with ADD, and "executive function" problems can be a part of that, too. Or any developmental disorder, I believe. I'm high functioning, and have some executive function issues. Many of them caused me a lot of trouble in college, and are a pain in the workplace.

I can research topics, gather reams of notes but have a tremendous amount of difficulty organizing and writing a coherent paper. Yet I can easily write technical manuals for the stuff I make.

I have a lot of skills in a wide variety of areas, I can come up with big ideas of what to do, come up with schemes and drawings of what I intend to do, but lack the ability to make a plan of how to carry out the idea. I work best when I can work out things as I go along. I do this at my job.

I cannot make accurate time estimates. I am fortunate to have very understanding project managers. They are aware of the complexity of the work that I do.

Considering the level of disorganized garble I've personally come across, I'd wager you're in high demand to keep everything explained to everybody. It was my job once to write as good a manual as possible for these really old cash registers we had to deal with at the store. I think they used them until the store went out of business.

 

[Ericho]

I'd say I probably am goal oriented.

 

[wyverary]

I think what I interpret as being 'lack of executive function' may actually be a symptom of depression, and so not directly caused by aspergers. Dunno, just thinking out loud. Or maybe depression just makes it worse.

In addition to AS, I have Nonverbal Learning Disorder, and problems with executive functioning are among the criteria. Of course, I am also clinically depressed, so really, how can you sort out one from t'other?

 

[Keith]

With video games, I'm an acheivement/unlockable junkie. In life, I try to figure out the best way to solve a problem and then work on it.

Recently, I learned my temp job was coming to a close. That prompted me to apply for a job at the local library I'm already a volunteer for. I've also looked up Target, but through that I learned that I am not physically capable of working in a department store.

 

[danielcollins]

I'm so pleased I'm not the only one with this issue. When I'm passionate about something and there's a clear end goal I'm like a machine going towards that, totally blind by anything else.

But i need clear targets, I'm useless at setting myself targets i need to be directed.

I'm great at doing small quickly achievable things, big life changes are incredibly hard.

 

[danielcollins]

With video games, I'm an acheivement/unlockable junkie. In life, I try to figure out the best way to solve a problem and then work on it.

Recently, I learned my temp job was coming to a close. That prompted me to apply for a job at the local library I'm already a volunteer for. I've also looked up Target, but through that I learned that I am not physically capable of working in a department store.

See, I wish I had that - I'm so blindly drawn to the main story line in a game that I lose interest in the side line games because I feel they're a distraction. Things like GTA and Watch Dogs where there is a large portion of "free roam" games, I just play the campaign and leave the game after that.

 

[Ericho]

Yeah, in fact as I'm trying to get my master's degree that's actually something I'm studying. Is goal the same as task oriented? I seriously don't know.

 

[danielcollins]

Yeah, in fact as I'm trying to get my master's degree that's actually something I'm studying. Is goal the same as task oriented? I seriously don't know.

Think of the goal as being "I turned 30" and the targets are the sub parts, like "I'm 25 now". The idea is is it breaks things down so that it makes something you want to do more achievable and rewarding.

 

[TragicKingdom]

I am often criticized for not being goal oriented. I might say I'd like to do something or accomplish another thing, but most of the time this is just idle talk. I may have no intention of even starting on the process of doing something towards this idea. I may do some research, look at pictures, talk to some people about it, but that might be it.

However, there have been a few things over the years that I developed a high enough intensity of interest in something that it became an all consuming passion and I was able to git-er done. So it depends for me. There have been things that were definite goals that I was unable to accomplish, too.

Curious about others experiences with goals, hopes, wishes and idle fantasies.

I am not goal oriented by nature but my therapist is trying to get me to be a bit more goal oriented and I think that I am.

It is difficult at first and it is often difficult to keep up with it; For example, when my Depression strikes I do not care about anything really so goals are the last thing I'm thinking about.

But, I think the concept of goals is important even if one does not necessarily achieve the set goal - The value is in seeing a goal and attempting to achieve it.

 

[danielcollins]

To complicate things more: I've never understood things in which the point is in the journey itself rather than the actual end goal.

So confusing

 

[Aspergirl4hire]

Well, attacked is too strong a word, but yes, I am supposed to have the same set of priorities as my NT partner and we don't always see things the same, as you could imagine. There seems to be this assumption that everyone is aware of and in agreement with these implicit social contracts, standards and common sense.

I saw a bumper sticker the other day. It read, "Common sense is so uncommon it should be rated as a super power."
Mind-reading is already a super power. Aspies come with different operating instructions...

 

[TragicKingdom]

To complicate things more: I've never understood things in which the point is in the journey itself rather than the actual end goal.

So confusing

Well, really, it just is that there are possibly good, great or even better things on the journey (That have not been discovered yet) than achieving the actual goal(s).