ADHD: You Don't Have To Click On Submit

I have been blogging for nearly seven years about ADHD. In that time, I have had many, many intelligent comments made on my articles. I've also had some doozies. I won't reprint them here because I don't want to embarrass anybody, but you've probably seen them and scratched your head. Some of them may have even been written by me.

There are three hallmarks of an ADHD commenter:

1) They post longer comments than the actual blog.
2) They ramble and never get to their point.
3) They shift topics in jarring ways.

If you see two out of the three hallmarks in a blog comment, you can be fairly certain that the commenter either has ADHD or has recently experienced brain surgery.

Over the years I have left some disproportionately long comments on the shortest of blogs—some of them amazingly disproportionate. I'm not sure why it happens. The blog usually sparks an idea in my head that I begin to expand upon in the limited comment box. I suspect that not seeing the whole comment contributes to the problem. I can type almost as fast as I can talk, so I can really work up a flurry of words. Then I post them and sit back stunned as the browser slows down the computer in an effort to render the nine mile long page.

Tips to Control Online AD/HD Impulsitivity

There is a simple solution I use to avoid this: I don't click on SUBMIT until I'm sure the comment won't embarrass me.

The adult with ADHD can often lose track of time, especially when becoming hyperfocused on something like expressing their opinion online. If a blog or article sets me off, I will let myself write away, but when I am done I check to make sure I haven't written too much. Sometimes I'll edit it down to a manageable size. Many times I'll just delete the whole thing and move on. I have found that there are moments when the comment isn't worth the time it would take to edit it. Not every ADHD turd can be polished into a shiny comment. Sometimes it's just a rambling turd.

Other things I do are to write the comment in a text editor and then paste it into the browser. That way I can see the whole massive missive unfold. I've been self-censoring for so long I now have a feel for when I'm writing too much. If I feel passionately about the comment and feel it's important enough to share but way too long, I try to look for one or two paragraphs that make my point, then delete the rest.

The working idea is that just because you wrote it doesn't mean you have to share it. That SUBMIT button is a Godsend for people with ADHD. In life we don't have a chance to edit our comments before we share them. Take advantage of the pause commenting online provides you. Then you can be sure that everything you write is concise and makes sense.

In time, you can train yourself to wait a beat before submitting your long comments and learn to keep things short and sweet, instead.

Follow me on Twitter for my ADHD escapades at @SplinteredMind or my novel writing project over at @DouglasCootey. And if you're a glutton for punishment you can friend me on Facebook as well.