Don't worry, you don't sound self centered! I would suggest talking to your parents or someone else about this as well, as it sounds a bit like ADHD to me. Obviously I don't know much about ADHD, but I'd say that all the things you wrote about sound normal, all things I do except not to that extent. I think once something starts taking away from quality of life/starts annoying you is when fidgeting, etc. is classified as ADHD.

In my high-school, though, most people are fidgeting in class, tapping their feet, or jiggling their leg. So I think that part is normal, and I know a lot of people who can't remember a thing if they don't write it down on their hand or planner. Make sure you are getting enough sleep and maybe try keeping a planner ( doesn't work for everyone, I know). 

That sounds sort of like me, and I don't think I have ADHD. Sometimes I ask my parents and they just think I'm a hyopchondriac, which is true. Sorry, that's not so helpful, but maybe it means you're normal? I've also noticed that sometimes when we sit in a circle in my class I'm the only one who can't really sit still.

Whoops, forgot to say this: I feel like I might not be ADHD because I'm a good test-taker and people with ADHD often aren't. Are you a good test-taker?

Ok, so I have ADD and was diagnosed at age seven, after a lot of tests. I take medication for it now, which helps me focus and work my mind at a normal, controllable pace. What you are discribing sounds a lot like what I expirience when I have forgotten to take my medication or if it has worn off. Of course, I am no doctor and I do not know you personally, so get some professional opinions.

If this lack of focus is affecting your daily life- and it sounds like it is- please talk to your parents about it and ask them to take you to your doctor. If your doctor agrees that you have some form of ADHD he or she can send you to a professional.

In the meantime, I do have some advice for working with your brain. Everyone's brain works differently, and the trick is figuring out what works for you. Just because your brain is different from many other people's does not mean there is anything wrong with you. An ADHD diagnosis does not mean there is something wrong with your brain. I actually find that my ADD brain can change topics and relate things extremely quickly, which makes me an excellent brainstormer on a project. I can relate two things that most other people wouldn't neccesarily connect, and I can make it make sense to them once I slow down enough. I can work on two plains at once as well, so while writing a paper or a letter I might have another idea about what to write next. This brings me to my next bit of advice: write everything down.

Write everything down. Making to-do lists really helps me stay focused and get stuff done. If a project is too large, break it down on the list. If you get an amazing idea, write it down. I actually keep notebooks all over my house, including a notebook next to my bed so I can scribble any 1 am ideas I get while falling asleep.

I actually made a key for my to-do lists, using shapes to tell myself how long a project ought to take. A circle is for easy, shouldn't take long. A square is for medium, might take a little longer. A triangle is for difficult, will take a long time. A diamond is for I do not understand this assignment/ I need to break this assignment into smaller pieces. When I shade a shape it means that this is a priority and must happen today. If it isn't shaded it means that this is not a priority and should be done between priority projects or after the priorities are finished. 

If you realize that you've been taking way too long on something and you don't really know why, stop for a moment and reorganize your mind. If you have time, take a break and work on something different for a while, then come back to it. If the project is due soon or you are running out of time, get up and do something active (like jumping up and down, crunches, or making a cup of tea) then get back to work. 

If you want more advice, please ask! I've had a long time to learn how to work with and around ADD and have many more tips if you need them. Good luck! 

I don't really know anything about ADHD, but I'd recommend talking to your parents or a doctor. Hopefully things will look up soon :)

Maybe you have some form of ADHD, and it might be worth looking into, but I think this is something almost all teenagers struggle with! There always seems to be a distraction when it's time to do something responsible, especially going to bed, doing chores, or doing homework.

I find myself doing a lot of the things that you describe. Since I'm homeschooled I do a lot of independent reading, and often I'll start playing with my dog or cleaning my glasses or trying to put my hair in a French braid instead of actually doing the work. I'm not saying that this applies to you at all, but for me personally I don't have any medical conditions-- I just like to procrastinate!

For things like getting ready to go to bed, if I have something on my mind I'll just move through everything mechanically and quickly, but usually I'll be trying to read at the same time or getting distracted.

Sometimes it helps for me to make a mental list of everything that needs to be done. I'll repeat it to myself again and again and keep adding to it, and I try to think of every small detail. For example, get out toothpaste, get out toothbrush, put toothpaste on toothbrush, brush teeth... blah blah blah. This only works when I'm in a certain mood though.

In classes or at church, I find that notetaking helps me pay attention. And I don't mean just jotting down some important vocabulary or something. I try to keep writing notes the entire time they're speaking, whether it's important things to remember or not, because if I stop my mind will probably wander. It might sound impractical, but many times I've put down something that seems trivial at the time but turns out to be worthwhile to remember. 

If I don't feel like putting in that much effort, sometimes in church I'll just write down a word that the speaker is saying in fancy letters. When I finish writing it I'll write down the next one I hear. This isn't a reliable method for, say, a biology lecture, but it helps me track without tiring my writing hand.

I've seen older siblings and cousins go through this too, so unless you have a medical condition, you will probably get more focused in time. Maybe you just need some sort of change in your routine.

Well, that was a whole lot about myself. Hope some of that will help you too!