Obsessions with small things that is not a special interest

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Purpledragon
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12 Dec 2018, 2:10 pm

I have my special interests that I've had most of my life and some that are just a period of time. But sometimes I get obsessed with doing small things, I just have to do them. For example, I recently ordered a christmas gift for my son online. Once I decided to get it, I spent hours and hours finding the right thing, checking out different stores and comparing prices. It feels like when I'm occupied with a special interest, lots of time goes by without me noticing it, I get super focused. That's all I can think about and I just have to do it, I would get really annoyed if someone interrupted me. It also happens with other seemingly small things, once I set my mind to do something it just have to happen. Sometimes I also do things without thinking about consequences, just because I've already decided to do it.

I was wondering if this is something you can relate to, is it an autism thing? I've only heard of this kind of super focus when it comes to special interest, not with other small, daily things. I just got my autism-diagnosis a few months ago, so I'm still trying to figure things out. And this seems like the right place to ask, with so many nice people. :)



IstominFan
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12 Dec 2018, 5:20 pm

I get preoccupied with things I need to get done. It helps me to write them down and approach them one by one.



RichardJ
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12 Dec 2018, 5:50 pm

Very common for that to happen to me, I can spend a whole day on a "mini-special interest", or get lodged in a task so much that I shun everything else. Doesn't help that I'm easily distracted as as such I will get one idea while doing something and go off on a long tangent with that idea for hours. For example I could be loading the dish washer and then go off reading about the best way to do it for hours.


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TUF
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13 Dec 2018, 4:02 pm

I do this when buying a book off amazon, I have to do a competition head to head for all of the books on my wish list (I have hundreds) instead of just buying one. I'm only allowed to buy books on Amazon when I've finished all the ones on my shelf.
I used to do it when I worked in a book shop too. It was second hand and my boss said we were supposed to charge an average of what everyone else charged so I spent ages trying to figure that out mathematically. That was probably partly a misunderstanding verbally though.



Bagpuss7
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15 Dec 2018, 1:52 pm

I do this all the time whenever I am considering buying anything. Recently it was buying a new toothbrush - I was tracking minute price changes on Amazon, and watching about 10 on Ebay. Eventually after about 2 weeks of this I did actually then bid for and win one on ebay, so the obsession has finally ended. But whilst it lasts it is all consuming.


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Prometheus18
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15 Dec 2018, 4:13 pm

I'm a stickler for dress; I'd feel naked if I weren't wearing a three piece suit and hat in the city.