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Ask HN: What changes in your life did you make to become more productive?

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Re: Ask HN: What changes in your life did you make to become more productive?

#22
Went to my doctor for the first time about what turned out to be undiagnosed/untreated comorbid depression and ADHD. I was apprehensive and avoided it for years but it's easily been one of the best decisions I've ever made. I was losing so much time to the vicious cycle of not wanting to do anything but lay in bed, then feeling crappy that I wasn't doing anything, then trying to focus but constantly geting distracted for several hours, then feeling crappy about all of that and just wanting to go back to bed. (And obviously, I have seen enormous improvements in my overall mental health and well-being, not just productivity. But it turns out that not feeling like crap most of the time also makes you a much more productive developer.)

Re: Ask HN: What changes in your life did you make to become more productive?

#24
post #7

I ditched my smartphone and opted for a dumb phone instead. For me, having a smartphone made my distractibility even worse than it naturally is (I have ADD). Also, I no longer hear the siren call of the internet calling to me everywhere I go.

I am extremely tempted to do this, but I also benefit from simple positive features like contact syncing, notes, grocery list syncing, calendar syncing, and a few other utilities.

I've decided to try one of those micro-smartphones, hoping the small screen will be fine for calendars but miserable for email & web surfing.

Sometimes I think what I really need is WiFi but no data. Sync on the nightstand, but no data connectivity out and about.

Re: Ask HN: What changes in your life did you make to become more productive?

#28
post #7

I ditched my smartphone and opted for a dumb phone instead. For me, having a smartphone made my distractibility even worse than it naturally is (I have ADD). Also, I no longer hear the siren call of the internet calling to me everywhere I go.

I have to carry a smartphone for work. Removing or disabling distractions can still make a big difference. Uninstalling games and social media apps, disabling Google Now's feed and disabling most push notifications helps me.

Re: Ask HN: What changes in your life did you make to become more productive?

#30

Went to my doctor for the first time about what turned out to be undiagnosed/untreated comorbid depression and ADHD. I was apprehensive and avoided it for years but it's easily been one of the best decisions I've ever made. I was losing so much time to the vicious cycle of not wanting to do anything but lay in bed, then feeling crappy that I wasn't doing anything, then trying to focus but constantly geting distracted…

What was the treatment?
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