I don’t know if I have ADHD (though I recently had some tests done and am waiting on results), but I found this relatable. If I’m interested in something I will hyper focus on it all day. If I’m not, and there is no deadline, I’ll find it impossible to get started. As a deadline approaches (a real one, not something made up), a point is reached where I think I can get it done if I literally do nothing else, and then I can focus and get it done.

Deadlines that our made up, I know are made up, have no consequences, and the where the whole project seems pointless, do not work the same way. Those are still ignored in spite of the stress and external person might try to apply.

My old boss saw this pattern and if he gave me a project I didn’t instantly latch onto and turn around, he’d give it to someone else and I’d get something I was actually interested in and spent most of my days working long hours because I’d be hyper focused on whatever project I was working on and put in 12+ hour days every day.