How I Run a Company with ADHD • Hacker News Board

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#31

Post by jjeaff » Mon, May 13, 2019, 1:25 AM UTC

js2 wrote: post #23

justboxing wrote: post #4

Very informative article. The author didn't really delve into whether he uses meds to cope with ADHD. How do other people who have ADHD cope with it as startup founders? Do meds like Adderall, Ritalin or Concerta work? What about Nootropics? Asking cos this situation seems to be very common in our profession i.e. starting some side project, getting overwhelmed with perfectionism, distractions and never shipping. Is t…

> The author didn't really delve into whether he uses meds to cope with ADHD. This note is toward the end of the article: A note on medication: When I take medication I feel these skills being dulled. I can't think as quickly, I'm not as outgoing. ADHD medication also contributes to an increase in anxiety, and so for me it's not worth it. If you're struggling you should absolutely try it. For some people, medication…

The other thing you have to realize about medicine, is that effects can car drastically person to person. For some, it makes them think quicker and makes them much more social.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#32

Post by [deleted] » Mon, May 13, 2019, 1:26 AM UTC

Biologist123 wrote: post #17

To the writer (if looking on this board), thank you for this piece. Have you ever come across this article in the Economist, summarizing research providing evidence that ADHD is a legacy of our nomadic past when ADHD traits conferred an evolutionary advantage? https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.economist.com/science-and-t... My takeaway is that entrepreneurship is one of the few areas of modern life where ADHD might ac…

[deleted]

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#33

Post by colechristensen » Mon, May 13, 2019, 1:26 AM UTC

EnderViaAnsible wrote: post #24

colechristensen wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ADHD doesn't suck. Forty years of 9-5 jobs, mortgages, university degrees, and elementary school sucks when you're the type of person who can get diagnosed as ADHD. The world discriminates against people who don't have the temperament to fit in to its patterns of society. We don't quite know how to pursue ἀρετή, virtue, eudemonia, excellence, whatever you want to call it in life because modern life was built for anot…

ADHD is objectively a bundle of true deficits, not just a set of traits society frowns on. Certainly these deficits weren't as much of a disadvantage in early human evolution, but if you can create metrics and show that people with ADHD perform worse at some generic tasks vs. average human beings-- and you can, we have-- this is not just a world that has been created that is inhospitable to them. The ugly thing I've…

Read The Selfish Gene and https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2008/06/12/...

There is doubt that a set of behaviors which is so prevalent in the population is just an accident and a disease. Evolutionary pressures exist to optimize gene expression ratios in a population. Put differently, when a certain gene becomes rare in a population individuals with that gene have a significant advantage in life and reproduce more – when the same gene becomes over prevalent individuals with that gene have a significant disadvantage and reproduce less. There are traits which have pressure to be a certain proportion of a population.

ADHD or whatever else you may call it could very well be that. Ancient societies which had a small proportion of a certain kind of person thrived because their different behavior made them successful. It doesn't have to be a disease to not fit in to a certain society.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#34

Post by GreeniFi » Mon, May 13, 2019, 1:28 AM UTC

danaos wrote: post #28

Biologist123 wrote: post #17

To the writer (if looking on this board), thank you for this piece. Have you ever come across this article in the Economist, summarizing research providing evidence that ADHD is a legacy of our nomadic past when ADHD traits conferred an evolutionary advantage? https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.economist.com/science-and-t... My takeaway is that entrepreneurship is one of the few areas of modern life where ADHD might ac…

Not OP, but as a sufferer, I boldly disagree. There may be some benefits related to brainstorming and "out of the box" thinking but they are overshadowed by the disastrous consequences of being unable to organize and execute.

Have you been able to find hacks and/or work arounds? Reading the article, I wondered if ADHD might manifest with a range of severities. I have heard of ADHD sufferers for whom it is a serious disability, and other sufferers who claim it’s their super power. I can see that you would find the latter claim to be very irritating.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#35

Post by colechristensen » Mon, May 13, 2019, 1:29 AM UTC

falcolas wrote: post #26

colechristensen wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ADHD doesn't suck. Forty years of 9-5 jobs, mortgages, university degrees, and elementary school sucks when you're the type of person who can get diagnosed as ADHD. The world discriminates against people who don't have the temperament to fit in to its patterns of society. We don't quite know how to pursue ἀρετή, virtue, eudemonia, excellence, whatever you want to call it in life because modern life was built for anot…

Aah, yes, that round hole called “work”. All the creativity, all the beauty of being a square peg is absolutely useless in the face of having to make money to survive. PTSD. Constant stress. Having trouble just keeping promises to friends. Failing to even keep up a hobby. The inability to control your own concentration. ADHD most definitely sucks.

What I'm trying to say is that there's nothing wrong with being what you are.

Instead there is something wrong with a society that discriminates against it (and living in that society sucks). Trying to fit in to it is what sucks and the solution is not being better at fitting in.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#36

Post by ScottFree » Mon, May 13, 2019, 1:32 AM UTC

My reaction to this article has been... complex.

-----

Bah! Another article about ADHD. ADHD's over diagnosed and not not as big a problem as people make it out to be. But, I'm curious all of a sudden, so I might as well read it.

> For the first 19 years of my life I knew I was lazy.

Yeah, I'm pretty lazy too. That's just who I am, though. I don't have ADHD...

> So what, you can't stop bouncing your leg at the restaurant?

I thought I was the only one that did that. It drives my aunt crazy.

> I'll be halfway through a team meeting and realize I haven't heard anything that was said. That's ADHD.

THAT'S ADHD? I do that all the time. I can't listen to podcasts either. But I just have difficulty processing the spoken word. I'm much more of a book learner anyway.

> I was happiest with my nose in the book

I'm seeing a disturbing pattern take shape.

> I'll take a break to read an article and hours will go by before I realize what's happened. Not minutes, hours. That's ADHD.

Wat.

> I'm horrible at completing simple, repetitive tasks. I'm terrible at time management, and conceptualizing time in general.

Uh oh.

Other comments here have mentioned that stimulants help ADHD sufferers focus. I recently cut back to 2 20oz cans of red bull a day, but I was up to 4 a few years ago. I just thought caffeine was my drug of choice. Everyone's addicted to something, right?

I currently have 52 open tabs on my laptop and another 37 open on my desktop.

I'm not quite sure what to do with all of this. I just thought I was lazy.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#37

Post by adito » Mon, May 13, 2019, 1:33 AM UTC

blakesterz wrote: post #2

ADHD sucks. I mean, it ain't cancer, but it sucks. I was never officially diagnosed, but when my son was at 7 is when I realized what ADHD really is, and that I'm an ADHD guy. Some how I made it through 40+ years with it and never knew it. I struggled though college, took me 9 years to get my BA. Somehow got a masters. Somehow managed to get a series of better jobs after my degrees. And I've somehow succeeded in life…

> If you don't know much about ADHD , it's not what you think it is.

Honest question, I don't know much about ADHD. What's ADHD actually is?

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#38

Post by internet_user » Mon, May 13, 2019, 1:36 AM UTC

ScottFree wrote: post #36

My reaction to this article has been... complex. ----- Bah! Another article about ADHD. ADHD's over diagnosed and not not as big a problem as people make it out to be. But, I'm curious all of a sudden, so I might as well read it. > For the first 19 years of my life I knew I was lazy. Yeah, I'm pretty lazy too. That's just who I am, though. I don't have ADHD... > So what, you can't stop bouncing your leg at the restau…

Perhaps ADHD is a frequent misdiagnosis. They are not uncommon in medicine, which is really guesswork in white coats.

However, actual ADHD, and other similar attentional or executive function impairments are very likely to be under diagnosed BIG TIME.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#39

Post by internet_user » Mon, May 13, 2019, 1:38 AM UTC

colechristensen wrote: post #19

blakesterz wrote: post #2

ADHD sucks. I mean, it ain't cancer, but it sucks. I was never officially diagnosed, but when my son was at 7 is when I realized what ADHD really is, and that I'm an ADHD guy. Some how I made it through 40+ years with it and never knew it. I struggled though college, took me 9 years to get my BA. Somehow got a masters. Somehow managed to get a series of better jobs after my degrees. And I've somehow succeeded in life…

ADHD doesn't suck. Forty years of 9-5 jobs, mortgages, university degrees, and elementary school sucks when you're the type of person who can get diagnosed as ADHD. The world discriminates against people who don't have the temperament to fit in to its patterns of society. We don't quite know how to pursue ἀρετή, virtue, eudemonia, excellence, whatever you want to call it in life because modern life was built for anot…

Inability to sustain concentration is not a temperament. It's a neurological impairement.

Adderall isn't going to do anything unless you are actually functioning suboptimally. It will, however, most certainly decrease your attentional/executive performance if you are at an optimal state. Look up the U-shaped response curve.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#40

Post by falcolas » Mon, May 13, 2019, 1:38 AM UTC

colechristensen wrote: post #33

EnderViaAnsible wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ADHD is objectively a bundle of true deficits, not just a set of traits society frowns on. Certainly these deficits weren't as much of a disadvantage in early human evolution, but if you can create metrics and show that people with ADHD perform worse at some generic tasks vs. average human beings-- and you can, we have-- this is not just a world that has been created that is inhospitable to them. The ugly thing I've…

Read The Selfish Gene and https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2008/06/12/... There is doubt that a set of behaviors which is so prevalent in the population is just an accident and a disease. Evolutionary pressures exist to optimize gene expression ratios in a population. Put differently, when a certain gene becomes rare in a population individuals with that gene have a significant advantage in life and r…

We don’t live in ancient society. We live in our society.

Not to mention, not all traits that survive evolution are positive.