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How I Run a Company with ADHD

andrewaskins.com

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Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#501

Post by thrav »

SaltyFetus wrote: post #454
thrav wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also like the idea that it would be better labeled, “intention deficit disorder”. Dr. Barkley’s talk completely altered my understanding of the disorder. I always knew I had it. My life roughly paralleled the author’s. After failing out of school, I found workarounds that got me through the second time (thanks to extremely supportive parents). This video, combined with my wife’s urging, caused me to find a legitima…

Any insight on how you went about finding a competent doctor for this? After watching this video, and almost being moved to tears with how accurately everything in it described my life, and seeing your comment about being better off with treatment, I am convinced I should finally try something. I too have been able to cope, but I would love to live beyond just coping and I am realizing it is only shame and pride stop…

I literally just googled ADHD doctor, tried to find reviewed, and then scheduled some appointments. You can tell a lot from how they handle the appointment and evaluate you.

If they’re cavalier about just throwing meds at you, I’d probably keep looking. My doctor always counsels that the ideal is to work myself into a position in life where I no longer need to take medication. He encouraged me to bail on it during vacations, if that’s my preference. He interviews and is constantly looking for signs that I should adjust my dosage. If you’re in SF, shoot me another reply and I’ll send you his info.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#502

Post by nefitty »

hateful wrote: post #66

I also have ADHD (and felt the irony of watching my leg shake while reading about the author's leg shaking). I tend to do a lot of what the author is saying. "Planned distractions" help. I try to work in blocks of time (sometimes about 20 minutes) but when my mind starts to wander I let it and use that time to check my e-mail (or HN) then go back to the task. Keeping a task list is definitely key. I have a plain text…

Cool. You've implemented your own form of the pomodoro technique, the 2-minute rule and most important tasks (MIT's) to get yourself organized. I think this is one way I've managed with a lot of the issues the author mentions... I'm just now hesitant to seek help for some reason, even though I know there might be something more besides methodology that can help me.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#503

Post by netwanderer3 »

baxtr wrote: post #160
netwanderer3 wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I divide my officers into four groups. There are clever, diligent, stupid, and lazy officers. Usually two characteristics are combined. Some are clever and diligent -- their place is the General Staff. The next lot are stupid and lazy -- they make up 90 percent of every army and are suited to routine duties. Anyone who is both clever and lazy is qualified for the highest leadership duties, because he possesses the i…

Great quote. How is laziness defined in this? I am wondering if I am lazy or not. Sometimes I think I am, sometimes I am sure I am not. What's a good quick test for this?

I believe laziness in this situation should be defined as having adequate alone time to process your thoughts, rather than always being busy doing something all the time.

People whose work involves mainly analytical thinking tasks are often mistakenly perceived by public society as lazy while in fact they have always been working all this time, probably harder than most. It's only because the nature of their work is not physically visible to the naked eyes.

Quality decision can only be made after it has been given sufficient time to carefully analyze all the information and its available options. This can only be achieved successfully when people have plenty of quiet moments alone to really think about the specific problem. Those who are always busy doing something all the time rarely have this opportunity, they are always in a rush and don't have the habit to utilize the process or pattern required for analytical thinking. Just like how everything in life is a trade off, if you don't dedicate adequate time for thinking tasks, you cannot expect to formulate quality decisions.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#504

Post by rtpg »

beenBoutIT wrote: post #497
Kiro wrote: post #371

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Source? Claiming it's the realest mental disorder is a bold claim.

According to Stanford's sleep clinic something like 25% of people diagnosed with ADD/ADHD actually have narcolepsy. A real disease has an objective test of some kind while an ADD/ADHD diagnosis is entirely subjective.

(Initially wrote a much angrier reply cuz I was so pissed off)

Even with physical diseases there are often misdiagnoses and genera oversights.

There’s definitely a social aspect to certain kinds of misdiagnoses, but medicine is not obvious in some contexts. The human body is pretty complex!

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#505

Post by PPPPPPPPr »

jonathanstrange wrote: post #223

Okay, I start with a disclaimer, I suspect this opinion to be unpopular on HN. Anyway, I can't help thinking that ADHD is one of those mental disorders that merely reflects some increased demands of society rather than a genuine mental disorder and that people with ADHD are just part of the natural variation of different personality types. There also seems to be a huge divide between the US and Europe, where such dis…

No. ADHD is a lack of bandwidth on the mesocortical pathway. It's like a backbone link between the ventral tegmental area and the prefrontal cortex.

In the US it's extremely popular to give your kids speed if you're a bad parent so it's overdiagnosed. I will agree that it's more of a natural variation than a dysfunction. I don't really understand the details but I've heard smart sounding people comment that something or another about it's genetics implies that there is probably a net benefit to society or it would have been bred out by now.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#506

Post by hnick »

SmirkingRevenge wrote: post #369
nickjj wrote: post #332

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Can binge on a video game for hours and hours, with a singular, obsessive focus. Therefore, no attention problem, right? (WRONG!) Can you elaborate on that? Why is it wrong? I've thought about this topic a lot in the past. I remember back in the day I had massive gaming sessions (like 10 hours a day for weeks). Games that are competitive and "skillful" too, not just lounging around playing them 1 handed. It require…

Video games tend to be highly stimulating activities - many people with ADHD can keep their attention fixated on a singular activity, so long as that activity is stimulating enough. Video games, sports, or whatever. Hyper-focus like that doesn't mean you have ADHD - but people often use it to rule out ADHD as a possibility, and never get tested, when maybe they should.

I'm considering it after reading this. I have considered it in the past, but you know... I find it hard to start and finish tasks once something else catches my fancy.

I don't know if it's me or modern culture but my brain needs instant feedback. Video games are nearly unparalleled for that. Programming is similar, exams and homework (unlike a lot of people posting here) do it for me too, because I get that feedback in a solid, concrete number.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#507

Post by hnick »

blackflame7000 wrote: post #483
Multiplayer wrote: post #374

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Define “eventually”. What’s your dosage history, etc? Do you take magnesium, zinc, or anything else to combat tolerance?

The main issue is that tolerance to all the effects of the drug doesn't increase uniformly. Originally I was on 70mg for about 5 years but started to notice that it wouldn't last the whole day anymore. My doctor gave me a booster which worked well for about a year but slowly I started to realize that the side effects were becoming worse than the desired effects. My main issue was that originally it gave me a calm and…

Would a holiday have helped? If you went somewhere else you didn't need the help, and stopped taking it for two weeks would the tolerance have dropped to the point where it didn't cause issues?

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#508

Post by mtnGoat »

avip wrote: post #275
hajhatten wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's easy to think this, as is thinking people with depression just need to pick themselves up. If you've lived with someone that actually has ADHD you'll have another opinion.

There is obvious over-diagnosis with ADHD (and related) conditions. Every parent knows that. I don't think it's an "opinion" at this point. I can factually get all my kids diagnosed with ADHD if I choose to. The first victims of the situation are kids with "actual ADHD", whose problems are trivialized.

FWIW, I think most American's know that it's easy to get a doctor to give you just about any drug without much proof of needing it. if you go to the right doctors, you are pretty much just paying them to write a prescription, not for the visit.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#509

Post by Lord_Zero »

eicnix wrote: post #145
tstrimple wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know. I can't write a CRUD app anymore to save my life, but I can dive into the middle of a foreign code base and quickly understand it and solve issues that stump the primary developers. I struggle with normal daily activities like paying bills or putting away laundry, but in an emergency or high stress situation when others are freaking out I feel comfortable and in control. I struggle with conventional lea…

I feel the same way. I've never been diagnosed with ADHD but can relate to all the descriptions of it here. In the past I jokingly said I need the stress and I think it holds true. In high pressure/thight deadline situations I can work with a high focus for hours but struggle working on projects which are going smooth.

I think theres a reason so many ADHD people are in tech.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#510

Post by Eleopteryx »

rewgs wrote: post #499
Eleopteryx wrote: post #460

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I can't help thinking that ADHD is one of those mental disorders that merely reflects some increased demands of society rather than a genuine mental disorder There's physiological differences in the brain though https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_deficit_hyperactivit...

Of course there are. You can’t chain a brain without doing so physically. The comment you’re replying to is positing the cause of said changes.

You are correct, after re-reading the comment I can see that I misinterpreted the comment as meaning something along the lines of "ADHD people are really just lazy and want special accommodations", which was hasty and cynical on my part.
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