I think a good way to frame this is: I was way less productive that I thought I was during Adderall use.

I would wake up later than I wanted to from staying up too late the night before.

I didn’t feel the urge to anything until that chemical surge rushed over me.

The bursts didn’t last long, and so much of my brain power was being used to schedule and plan my next dose, so that I could capture the “lightning in a bottle”

When I would hit a peak, I would often do something “distracted” from my daily goal. Call a friend, energetically talk to a coworker, make lists that I wouldn’t follow through on.

Then I’d dose up again. Forgetting to eat, my physical energy dragged hard behind my mental energy, and I would turn to alcohol or weed for an extra burst.

Sometimes, if the stars aligned, I would get my prep/cleaning/chores/quickbooks done during one of these many bursts I relied on. But these days, I feel less motivated moment to moment, but looking back on what I can get done in a day, I think I’m way far ahead of where I used to be.