Are there any completer finishers here?

[Bella Pines]

I can't finish anything. At all.

I started a PhD, twice. Didn't finish either of them. I started a masters degree. Never finished it. Hell I don't even finish my cups of tea, I forget about them, they go cold, I move on.

I have a gazillion ideas of books that I want to write, and guess what? Haven't finished a single one. I've started 18...

In fact, in an ironic stroke I may actually manage to finish this post by simply asking, is this an aspie thing or are there aspie completer finishers that can actually see something through to completion?

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

I can't finish anything. At all.

I started a PhD, twice. Didn't finish either of them. I started a masters degree. Never finished it. Hell I don't even finish my cups of tea, I forget about them, they go cold, I move on.

I have a gazillion ideas of books that I want to write, and guess what? Haven't finished a single one. I've started 18...

In fact, in an ironic stroke I may actually manage to finish this post by simply asking, is this an aspie thing or are there aspie completer finishers that can actually see something through to completion?

Same. How do we finish?

 

[kay]

I finish a few things these days. Can't tell you how I do it only that it took me decades to get to where I could. And I still have a half of a sweater, the start of a quilt, yarn stash, fabric stash, sketches and more sketches, frames, and interesting trash filling drawers, list of ideas, to-do list, ect. And while I finish my first few cups of tea by afternoon I am finding that fifth cup in the microwave cold and forgotten. It's ASD I think. We either get overwhelmed or distracted or exhausted or something. Or sometimes I am so slow that there is no point finishing by the time I get half way through.

 

[xudo]

Varying degrees of finishing stuff over here. I finished a degree, although could have done better but didn't have a diagnosis and struggled terribly with uni. I finish the hats that I make, albeit over time and with a tendency to leave one half made while I start another. Books in awful for starting and either never finishing, or remembering 2 years later I started reading and put it down.. and forgot about it. Video games can be the same unless I get hyper focussed. Today I spent all day doing a 1000 piece jigsaw until it was complete, but sometimes I'll start those and forget.

 

[Thinx]

I am not a completer in terms of interests hobbies or intentions outside paid work, although I finished an MA and a few other qualifications, and feel uncomfortable about leaving things unfinished. But I have lots of ideas I find hard to operationalise. Could be partly because I m too busy and that makes me tired. I'm more of an ideas person though I think. I did actually finish a couple of books now I think of it, one was a little text book which was published and the other was a novel but not publishable standard I would say, just a practice run. Like, for my next lifetime. ..

 

[Streetwise]

I can't finish anything. At all.

I started a PhD, twice. Didn't finish either of them. I started a masters degree. Never finished it. Hell I don't even finish my cups of tea, I forget about them, they go cold, I move on.

I have a gazillion ideas of books that I want to write, and guess what? Haven't finished a single one. I've started 18...

In fact, in an ironic stroke I may actually manage to finish this post by simply asking, is this an aspie thing or are there aspie completer finishers that can actually see something through to completion?

i finish things on the basis that it prevents a panic attack ,pruned a bush,made a birthday card ,its strange what trying to avoid a panic attack does for me .
cleared a room but it takes a while to do that -finishing schoolwork never felt finished -i always thought it wasnt good enough .
then the pain starts and im in limbo for months.

 

[tlc]

I prefer to finish things, but often the random fires of life take me to the next important thing, then the next. There's not enough of me to go around or finish what I started. Other times, like now when life isn't good and while I can't see the light I know the tunnel has to end somewhere... sometimes I'll hold off doing things until then, as I'll get more enjoyment from it and it will feel like a reward. Like putting the interior of my Jeep back together when I get the garage to myself.

I always think of the remaining parts to truly finishing something, to be similar to an inverse square curve. Something's never truly done. The remaining things to be done approach zero, but never really hit it. There are always little things that could be done better. At some point you gotta make a call and say ok this is considered done. It's like this at work too, they say I wait too long to put files away, but seems as soon as I do that, the customer calls up with another question.

 

[Iamnotarabot]

Frankly i am struggeling even more than before with the "unfinished task" issue...

I dont know how i will handle it in the next months when i will finally get a diagnosis but...for now , even video games I find harder to finish them...

I know we have a problem related to focus and doing complexe tasks that we may left unfinished because something else strikes our interest BUT...this is more related to everyday life IMO.

For more important things like, life goal, i think this is more complicated , we start things and loose the interest we have in them...but why? I can only relate to my own experience but, i think, finishing something means moving on? and so we have a tedency to not finish things in order to not move on?

I Also think that its common for people with ASD to be somehow depressed? so our interest tends to change a lot ? I mean we can get motivated for something but after a few weeks we have already lost it?

There is a song that i like about this topic( but i didnt manage to use the song to get myself motivated yet^^')

 

[Anthracite]

I used to be able to finish important things but I can't anymore, I always get distracted or bored :/ I've never been able to finish non important things.

 

[Panthro]

I can't finish anything. At all.

I started a PhD, twice. Didn't finish either of them. I started a masters degree. Never finished it. Hell I don't even finish my cups of tea, I forget about them, they go cold, I move on.

I have a gazillion ideas of books that I want to write, and guess what? Haven't finished a single one. I've started 18...

In fact, in an ironic stroke I may actually manage to finish this post by simply asking, is this an aspie thing or are there aspie completer finishers that can actually see something through to completion?

Is it possible that you have ADHD within your spectrum of traits?

 

[Mia]

Don't finish renovation projects that I start, spouse usually does that. Finished degrees, but at the end detested some of subjects. Seems as if the more I understand something the less I'm interested in it and want to know something else and move on like a 'fait accompli'. There's more to know, something else that interests me more. Or maybe I thrive on the excitement and adventure of it all, as it occupies my focus for a time and keeps me calm.

Finish most books I read, unless I can predict the ending, then I don't finish them, if they have some sort of familiar regurgitated plot I sometimes throw them at a wall. Books I've tried to write, usually become lost in endless plot twists that become so convoluted because I don't think them through, organization is a key that I don't have, when it comes to expanding on something it's like pulling a thread and watching the whole thing become unraveled. Can write short stories, with a beginning, middle and end that tend to be easy, even formulaic. Have written some good poetry, over time, but it's much too personal, like some art, with your life's blood on the canvas or the page.

Finished lots of art, also have just as much that's unfinished, ideas seem fleeting like that. They may seem good at the time, but my follow through can be poor, and I do lose interest.

Actually don't feel all that bad about unfinished things; projects, art, renovations. Probably do too many things at once, and burn out quickly. Having to pace myself has never been a strong suit.

 

[Gritches]

Hmm, interesting that this seems to be a theme. I'm wondering if it doesn't have to do with wandering interests; usually if I get excited about something I won't have much trouble getting started, but when interests fade I'll crap right out on whatever I'm doing.

I also wonder if there's some sort of deficiency in reward mechanisms. I don't feel accomplishment when I finish something, it's more like "okay, what now?"

Right now I'm working with one of my therapists on a possible link between PTSD and an aversion to closure that might be to blame for this. It's showing some promise, but I want brain scans to confirm my hunches and it doesn't really work that way. Ironically, it's an old hypothesis that I crapped out on half way through. Sort of hard to finish studying why you can't finish studying anything, or for that matter finishing anything you sta

 

[Sabrina]

I did graduate from college, but I also left another undergraduate degree after two years, and a master’s degree after a year.

 

[Gracey]

Not really no. (Finishing)

I’ll charge into something with great gusto and get bored quickly or lack motivation to complete it.

I figure I get addicted to the buzz of something new and exciting to learn or do or explore, which can taper off the further I get into it.

I will finish cooking a meal (it’s for others as well as myself)

@Bellapines
Would working with someone else on your books help keep you enthusiastic?
Bounce ideas off each other? Bolster each other when you’re getting fed up?
Keep the buzz going?

 

[SusanLR]

I tend to get things finished if I get the initiative to get started on a project.
In fact I feel compelled to do so.
I finished three degrees in different subjects.
A business degree, an associates and a BS.

I've found though that I must be persistant in accomplishing the goal. If I put it on the back burner that is when I get into trouble because something else will come along that peaks my interest and what I had been working on will start to fade away.

 

[55853]

I am, I finish everything I start. I've never had any problems seeing something through to completion, my interests don't wander, and I never forget about things. I love completing and then perfecting something. Long projects at university really favoured this.

 

[Bolletje]

My house is filled with unfinished projects. I just have too many ideas. I did, however, finish med school, although it took me 10 years instead of the usual six.

 

[Ocean Swell]

I struggle to finish what I start. I don’t think I fully followed through on a task until I was 23 or 24. For me there is no such thing as finishing really. There are just rough drafts. Ideas and tasks are always growing. Most of what I finish, I actually consider incomplete, and have come to understand that as good enough. It has to be enough, because otherwise I’d just start over, only making it more difficult to attain finality.

 

[Ocean Swell]

I am, I finish everything I start. I've never had any problems seeing something through to completion, my interests don't wander, and I never forget about things. I love completing and then perfecting something. Long projects at university really favoured this.

Perfecting anything sounds unattainable to me.

 

[55853]

Perfecting anything sounds unattainable to me.

By that do you mean getting to that point is something you don't see yourself doing, or that because nothing is perfect, perfecting anything would be impossible for anyone?

If the latter - exactly, so I have to stop at some point if it's external to me, and gives me something to continue with if it's a personal interest.