The Computer is crying; should I feed it?

Like a pet, but without the cuteness and fur, a computer can be quite needy. And bossy.

Lately it seems I can't do anything online without running into some mysterious tech hiccup that forces me to lose momentum on whatever I went online for.

There's always an intrusive popup box, a flashing sidebar, an exclamation point in a yellow triangle, or maybe a bold banner splashed atop the page that says I need to update some setting ASAP.

The computer seems to know everything -- WHY CAN'T IT SEE that I'm busy?

Instead of letting me complete my task, I need to spend the next fifteen minutes hunting through my file cabinet for some obscure password to some RANDOM but vital program that won't take "later" for an answer. "Ok, computer, you win," I think as I comply. After all, I don't want my security breached or my hard drive corrupted, or whatever other bad thing might happen to a desktop PC.

But then, after the tech stuff is resolved, I am no longer resolved. I mean, my "resolve" to do whatever I was working on has dissipated. I feel like I already did the heavy lifting of my task, but I did not. Nothing on MY list got done.

Perhaps I was finally motivated to fill out that tax thing my accountant keeps asking for. Or maybe I logged on to reply to those emails I'd been avoiding. Or maybe I'd planned to pay bills before getting hit with late fees.

Of course, I am always concerned about time. As most people with ADHD can testify to, there's just not enough of it. And that's not counting the extra time it takes to--out of nowhere--set up two-step verifications for some streaming service I haven't yet decided to keep..

Those of us in the ADHD tribe seem to get hit hard with tech issues because we're curious enough to install lots of cool stuff on our devices, yet too distracted or impatient to maintain all the accounts that go with them.

Day and night those accounts bombard us with notifications that may or may not be urgent. How can we know what's safe to ignore and what isn't?

I don't know the answer to that, but I do know that computers, smartphones, iPads, and tablets need regular maintenance and attention, just like cars do. And just like cats and dogs and babies do, but without the love and affection, of course.

Yet, digital devices, in their way, need love too. I'll try to remember that next time I'm tempted to power on and selfishly take, take, take from my computer without considering what it may want me to give it in return.