Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

How I Run a Company with ADHD

andrewaskins.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

91–100 of 515 posts

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#91

Post by ClassyJacket »

falcolas wrote: post #18
akarma wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who also has it: have you tried medicine like Adderall? I’m so torn on it. On one hand, it makes me so productive, but on the other, it makes me so unemotional and cold and abrasive. It also makes me sweat, increases my heart rate, and has a terrible comedown when taken often. I was diagnosed at 16 and was on it for years, eventually moving up to 4x the dosage as my body grew resistance. I’ve stopped it fo…

Work with a psychiatrist to try other meds. There are non-stimulant meds that work with ADD too. Adderall is not the only option; it didn’t work for me. It took a bit, and I ended up with Dextroamphetemine. The physical side effects dulled down to the occasional restless leg, and the mental effects work well.

Adderall and Dextroamphetamine are almost the same. They're both amphetamine (speed) with just slightly different ratios of the isomers.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#92

Post by colechristensen »

falcolas wrote: post #78
colechristensen wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess you can either think the individual is deficient or society is deficient.

I can think society is deficient all I want (I do, but not for any lack of consideration for my ADD). It doesn’t change the fact that I need to work, and that to work, I need the ability to control my concentration. To do that, I take meds. I can’t be anything but thrilled that society has given me a tool that gives me some control of my concentration.

I do the same, but I'm not thrilled about it.

There is the person I am and the person I have to pretend to be.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#93

Post by manyxcxi »

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…

I was officially diagnosed at age 32. This wasn’t some pill mill diagnosis either. I worked with my psych for 3 months before we tried any meds, it would’ve been longer but I had accidentally discovered most of the practical methods for dealing with it on my own.

Two great reliefs came from the diagnosis:

1. I’m not a lazy, unmotivated person

2. Meds, at the right dose, are amazing. When my Vyvanse kicks in, it’s like walking away from an outdoor block party in my brain and getting into a sound proof booth where I can hear only the noise I want (or have) to.

Things I lived with my whole life that were both positive and negative depending on the circumstances:

- I can’t even stand the thought of a task, class, or activity I’m not interested in, but if I’m even slightly interested I can go deep fast and keep going with no loss of zeal until I’m satisfied. Basically, I can get super obsessed with stuff for short or long periods of time. My hobby background is ridiculously all over the place.

- I think and iterate my thoughts faster than most people can keep up, and I iterate my thoughts externally, if I’m on a roll good luck getting a word in between breaths. My psych “classified” me as a second order thinker and I run lots of what-if permutations and shave and shape creative solutions very fast. It also means I must be extremely cognizant of letting other be heard, especially those that like to ruminate on an idea and bring it to light more fully formed.

- My leg never stopped bouncing, helpful when I played music to keep time, annoying to anyone near me.

- I’m quick to temper and just as fast back to moving on.

- Little to no patience for bullshit or things I just am not interested in. Don’t tell me a detailed story of how to get there, just give me the highlights. I do t care about how you feel about some objective thing, just give me the facts and let’s keep moving.

Lots of other stuff, but basically I coped, unknowingly by creating rituals that allowed me to not forget or have to waste time finding things:

- Get home, keys and wallet go in the exact same place every time

- Todo list for next week created at the end of every Friday, revised at the end of every week day, and reviewed every morning

- The thing I want to do least is the thing I force myself to do first, and nothing else until it’s done

- Organize my schedule in a calendar, if it’s not in there it doesn’t exist and I won’t remember

- Just remembered to put that thing in the car for tomorrow and I’m laying in bed? Get up RIGHT NOW and go do it.

- Can’t forget your coat if your car keys are always in them

- My working area is spotless. No bobble heads on the desk or stacks of papers. Desk is completely clear, cables neatly organized, zip tied, and hidden.

Here’s the thing, maybe you do have ADHD. Maybe you don’t. The rituals you focus on and make so habitual you don’t even have to think about them will still work for you.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#94

Post by burtonator »

I have ADHD and I've been running my company for over a decade.

I actually created an app to help my workflow specifically around the way my brain likes to jump between topics:

https://getpolarized.io/

Part of the challenge I have with reading is that I'll be interested in something for a few hours and then my brain will be triggered with something I'm reading and my brain will switch contexts.

Then I'll want to read about some other topic.

With Polar I can jump around easier and take notes directly in the source material.

It supports incremental reading such that you can mark the portions of a document you've read and jump right back to them when you open the document a second time.

It's really a lifesaver for me honestly. I've definitely been able to get a lot more reading done.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#95

Post by zingermc »

internet_user wrote: post #89
andrewflnr wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are other axes by which to assess humans than "acheivement". There are even other axes for value! Someone can be "exceptional" along any of them.

Goal oriented self-directed behavior is what distinguishes us from apes. Underachieving is just inability to deploy your efforts effectively, or even inability to muster an effort in the worst cases. That translates to every domain and aspect of human life from scholastic to social to friendships etc etc etc. Value is not entirely subjective.

Life isn't deterministic.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#96

Post by icxa »

firecall wrote: post #57
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…

I have ADHD. There are other serious neurological issues connected to ADHD. It's a very misunderstood disorder with a broad spectrum of identifiable symptoms that could indicate ADHD. If you are heavily medicating with caffeine, then that can be a signal. I was using Pseudoephedrine and caffeine to self medicate and stabilise my moods and behaviours. That was before I got prescribed Ritalin. But as the article says,…

> Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria is big problem for me. I over think things, the slightest misread comment can ruin my day.

I am a recent adult ADHD diagnosis recipient, and I never knew that there was words to describe this but it describes me perfectly as well, so thank you for the knowledge kind stranger.

I ditched my Ritalin for similar reasons, although I do have a hunch Adderall would help me better since the one time I took it recreationally in college, rather than "get me high" like it was the other college kids, it sort of just made me well..normal. I got my homework done that day according to schedule!

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#97

Post by icxa »

nerdbaggy wrote: post #90
firecall wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have ADHD. There are other serious neurological issues connected to ADHD. It's a very misunderstood disorder with a broad spectrum of identifiable symptoms that could indicate ADHD. If you are heavily medicating with caffeine, then that can be a signal. I was using Pseudoephedrine and caffeine to self medicate and stabilise my moods and behaviours. That was before I got prescribed Ritalin. But as the article says,…

RSD is a nightmare for me. Something I always have to work on

My "coping" mechanism, annoying for some, I am sure, but I just bluntly immediately ask for feedback and try to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible. I am fortunate enough to have a manager that understands my condition and he offers me plenty of "spot" feedback which I cannot appreciate more.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#98

Post by DoreenMichele »

falcolas wrote: post #78
colechristensen wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess you can either think the individual is deficient or society is deficient.

I can think society is deficient all I want (I do, but not for any lack of consideration for my ADD). It doesn’t change the fact that I need to work, and that to work, I need the ability to control my concentration. To do that, I take meds. I can’t be anything but thrilled that society has given me a tool that gives me some control of my concentration.

These sorts of arguments tend to fail to result in a meeting of the minds.

Some people manage to make lifestyle changes and/or dietary changes and/or ditch people who were part of the problem and see substantial improvements in how they function and in quality of life. They try to spread the good news and people feel like they are being told they don't have a real problem or something and both sides get mad.

I used to see this a lot on parenting lists. People would suggest homeschooling because it had made their lives so much better. People who didn't want to consider homeschooling would feel judged rather than feeling like they were being given options and hope.

Cue everyone getting hot under the collar.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#99

Post by stefanfisk »

blotter_paper wrote: post #60
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…

Yeah. I don't want to be somebody who jumps on the bandwagon and self-diagnoses themselves with ADHD, but I also fall into all of these categories, have developed a bunch of his coping mechanisms on my own (the lists part really hit home, I cannot get shit done without making multiple lists and sub-lists throughout the day so that I have an anchor to fall back on when I'm getting distracted), and consume gratuitous a…

As someone who was diagnosed just about a month ago after a lifetime of coping I’m curious, what’s the argument against diagnosis?

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#100

Post by DoreenMichele »

pmart123 wrote: post #87
DoreenMichele wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of Twice Exceptional* people get labeled lazy. It may not be ADHD. It may be some other hidden issue. In the vast majority of cases, people who get identified as an adult seem to be tremendously relieved and empowered by having a better label than lazy. * https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twice_exceptional

Well, particularly with ADHD, if it’s harder to power through life tasks or remain focused on topics that are not mentally stimulating, it typically means you can hyper focus when you do stumble into something that is mentally stimulating. I think people with ADHD have a high propensity to large successes, or tragic failure because if you don’t find your true interest or calling, it’s harder to carry through somethin…

My handicap is medical. If I can't focus, it's usually because I'm miserably sick or feverish.

Having the correct label helps some people get their uncooperative body to be productive enough to make life suck less. Just calling it "laziness" generally suggests zero real remedies and often leads to the beatings shall continue until morale improves.

Post reply on HN