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Ask HN: Feeling guilty for doing the bare minimum at work

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Re: Ask HN: Feeling guilty for doing the bare minimum at work

#181

Post by b3kart »

treesrule wrote: post #129
anonuser123456 wrote: post #115

If your employer is happy with you, there is no reason to 'feel guilty'. Being competent (top 20%) and working 3hrs / day is way more productive than a middle performer working 12 hrs / day. In my personal experience: I work with people that, in 5 minutes, I can accomplish more than they can in a day. And those people are not stupid / unmotivated. I also work with people that, in 5 minutes, can accomplish more than I…

> Being competent (top 20%) What sort of toxic exceptionalism led you to think that only 20% of workers are suitable for their jobs....

I think what they're implying is that the bottom 80% are incompetent and should (presumably) feel bad. This is an interesting way to define competence.

Re: Ask HN: Feeling guilty for doing the bare minimum at work

#182

Post by aloer »

borski wrote: post #150

Read up a bit on ADHD. That 'hyperfocus' that occurs either with deadlines or on a passion project is a symptom, as is the inability to get excited about projects you simply don't want to do - especially given your otherwise positive reviews and your ability to clear your mind and hyperfocus near a deadline, it's something to consider. I was diagnosed at 33, and it changed my life infinitely for the better. YMMV, and…

What is it that changed your life? Medication? Better understanding of yourself?

Re: Ask HN: Feeling guilty for doing the bare minimum at work

#183

Post by williamtwild »

borski wrote: post #150

Read up a bit on ADHD. That 'hyperfocus' that occurs either with deadlines or on a passion project is a symptom, as is the inability to get excited about projects you simply don't want to do - especially given your otherwise positive reviews and your ability to clear your mind and hyperfocus near a deadline, it's something to consider. I was diagnosed at 33, and it changed my life infinitely for the better. YMMV, and…

"as is the inability to get excited about projects you simply don't want to do - "

Why is this ADHD and not just being human? This sounds so basic I have a hard time believing this is because of a condition.

Re: Ask HN: Feeling guilty for doing the bare minimum at work

#186

Post by jaegerpicker »

icedchai wrote: post #37

Very common. I know several people in this same boat. They're all smart and can get things done when they're motivated. Unfortunately, most of this work is not too interesting so 70%+ of the time they're bored, half checked-out, doing the minimum, browsing HN, reddit, or checking their stock portfolios.

I think that's the root of the problem in software development. Development requires VERY smart people to solve hard(ish) problems. The catch, the majority of problems are stupid simple and easy. So smart developers are generally engaged one or two weeks out of the year, maybe one or two months if there are real tough problems to solve. Then is goes back to wiring up login screens or explaining how JWT's work for the 100th time or setting up DB models and access. It's terribly boring and very uneven. After a while you stop caring until the world is on fire.

Re: Ask HN: Feeling guilty for doing the bare minimum at work

#187

Post by 71a54xd »

the_doctah wrote: post #75
71a54xd wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ADHD and WFH have basically been a death sentence for me in regards to my output and velocity. Some days are good, some days are horrible. As someone who received their ADHD diagnosis at 22 (well after I fumbled through a CS degree wondering if I was a moron, while also working part time at startups) it changed my life. Ignorant people will say "nobody needs stimmies" but 5mg Adderall has legitimately changed my life…

Good thing you live in , I guess you would have been screwed if you lived in a society before Adderall and ADHD existed, eh?

I'd likely be a chemist or a plumber in those days. Quite frankly, I'd likely be happier today if I was a plumber - however although I really liked chemistry, I'm glad that's not my occupation since a friend of mine has a PhD in chemistry from Stanford and has been unemployed since graduation.

Re: Ask HN: Feeling guilty for doing the bare minimum at work

#188

Post by unicornfinder »

throwaway389983 wrote: post #174
borski wrote: post #150

Read up a bit on ADHD. That 'hyperfocus' that occurs either with deadlines or on a passion project is a symptom, as is the inability to get excited about projects you simply don't want to do - especially given your otherwise positive reviews and your ability to clear your mind and hyperfocus near a deadline, it's something to consider. I was diagnosed at 33, and it changed my life infinitely for the better. YMMV, and…

Same story. Founder, early 30s, a couple kids, just got diagnosed last year. Life-changing. Loved the Suster blog posts you linked. The book I liked was "A New Understanding of ADHD in Children and Adults".

As someone who highly suspects they may have ADHD, how was the diagnosis life changing? Was it through medication, or simply through understanding yourself better?

Re: Ask HN: Feeling guilty for doing the bare minimum at work

#189

Post by borski »

masukomi wrote: post #171
uh_uh wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't it just rational not to get excited about boring stuff that is rewarded by a fix monetary ceiling? Economically it completely makes sense: why put more energy into something that yields the same result either way? Or maybe I have ADHD too.

it's not about not getting excited. It's the result of being "not excited". Neurotypicals can work on things that are uninteresting to them. ADHD people can sit there yelling at themselves to "do the thing" that they _know_ they need to do and still be completely incapable of starting regardless of how "easy" it is to actually do it once something forces them to actually start. this video does a good job of explainin…

This, exactly. It's not about not wanting to. It's about literally being incapable of changing that, no matter how much you tell yourself and really mean to want to.

Re: Ask HN: Feeling guilty for doing the bare minimum at work

#190

Post by kdkdkskdn »

unicornfinder wrote: post #188
throwaway389983 wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same story. Founder, early 30s, a couple kids, just got diagnosed last year. Life-changing. Loved the Suster blog posts you linked. The book I liked was "A New Understanding of ADHD in Children and Adults".

As someone who highly suspects they may have ADHD, how was the diagnosis life changing? Was it through medication, or simply through understanding yourself better?

Yeah seriously, what's the secret? I'm 32 and I was diagnosed when I was 20 but the drugs make me anorexic and mute my personality and knowing I have ADHD has not proven particularly useful, especially given that I already knew my tendencies and behaviors and had long since developing coping strategies

The only way my life changed when I was diagnosed was that I got paid for the study I had signed up for, which required I have a diagnosis

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