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Ask HN: Devs with ADHD do you use specialized tooling?

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Re: Ask HN: Devs with ADHD do you use specialized tooling?

#41

Post by mcluck »

Pomodoro timer. If I get into flow I ignore it

VS Code with Foam for notes. I plan out my day by hour (sometimes more granular) and make each of those items a todo item so that I'm checking something off at least once an hour. It also helps remind me what to move on to next. I recently incorporated a checklist for starting and ending the day. It's nice because then I don't spend mental energy thinking about how to prepare and shutdown, I just follow a well thought out pattern. The ritual of it helps my brain transition in and out of work.

Re: Ask HN: Devs with ADHD do you use specialized tooling?

#42

Post by yuvalsteuer »

mcluck wrote: post #41

Pomodoro timer. If I get into flow I ignore it VS Code with Foam for notes. I plan out my day by hour (sometimes more granular) and make each of those items a todo item so that I'm checking something off at least once an hour. It also helps remind me what to move on to next. I recently incorporated a checklist for starting and ending the day. It's nice because then I don't spend mental energy thinking about how to pr…

How long have you utilized this routine? (how new/old is it?)

Re: Ask HN: Devs with ADHD do you use specialized tooling?

#43

Post by mcluck »

yuvalsteuer wrote: post #42
mcluck wrote: post #41

Pomodoro timer. If I get into flow I ignore it VS Code with Foam for notes. I plan out my day by hour (sometimes more granular) and make each of those items a todo item so that I'm checking something off at least once an hour. It also helps remind me what to move on to next. I recently incorporated a checklist for starting and ending the day. It's nice because then I don't spend mental energy thinking about how to pr…

How long have you utilized this routine? (how new/old is it?)

Everything except for the morning and shutdown ritual is something I've been doing for about 3 years now. I started the morning and shutdown stuff 2 weeks ago and so far it's going strong but we'll see if it sticks ;)

Re: Ask HN: Devs with ADHD do you use specialized tooling?

#44

Post by yuvalsteuer »

lioeters wrote: post #29

I use this Firefox feature for floating video, always playing in the corner of one of the monitors. > The Picture-in-Picture feature allows you to pop videos out of their webpages into floating, always on top, windows, so you can watch while continuing to work in other tabs. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/about-picture-picture-f... When I'm working, I only watch in my peripherals, if at all. Mostly I like liste…

You should opensource that shell script, for sure something I would use! Waiting for a link

Re: Ask HN: Devs with ADHD do you use specialized tooling?

#45

Post by Dracophoenix »

AnthonBerg wrote: post #21

As much screen area as possible. High refresh rate, good color. Yes, for programming. I have a 55” LG CX 120Hz 4K OLED TV as my monitor now. Space for everything: Code, more code, documentation, filesystem, browser, notes. Tweak everything for low latency. Example: Switch IntelliJ to the ZGC garbage collector. Give it extra RAM. Have a fast GPU. Yes, just for throwing windows around. Fast CPU with lots of cores. Tune…

Would multiple monitors also be a good solution, or is that too distracting for you?

How much and what brand of RAM do you use? What are the rank and CAS numbers?

What about GPU?

What RAID configuration are you using? How many SSDs and which models?

Re: Ask HN: Devs with ADHD do you use specialized tooling?

#46

Post by yuvalsteuer »

sph wrote: post #38
sitkack wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

REPL, hot code reloading, test code that gets me into the debugging state. Really to dev well, u need to spend considerable effort getting everything setup to maximize flow. Having and not having flow can be 20:1

I agree with you both. This is why I decided to switch and master Emacs, and I've been diving deep into Lisp and other languages with a REPL like Erlang and Elixir. The quick iteration cycle requires little upfront investment in focus, and it's immediately rewarding to keep you in focus and enter a state of flow. Our concentration is fickle, so streamlining is key.

This, I write auto updating todo list cli tools for specialized tasks because I always lose focus when trying to reprioritize todo items, etc...

Re: Ask HN: Devs with ADHD do you use specialized tooling?

#47

Post by yuvalsteuer »

nicbou wrote: post #28

I use Calendar Alarm to make calendar appointment ring like an alarn instead of a subtle vibration. Todoist is where I store all my lists: todo, packing list, meals (for cooking ideas). I install uBlock Origin and uBlacklist in all my browsers. I don't use the web without them. I'll occasionally use SelfControl if I cycle through time killer websites too much. I keep my technology as quiet and self-effacing as possib…

Read the url, highly recommended

Re: Ask HN: Devs with ADHD do you use specialized tooling?

#48

Post by yuvalsteuer »

mcluck wrote: post #43
yuvalsteuer wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How long have you utilized this routine? (how new/old is it?)

Everything except for the morning and shutdown ritual is something I've been doing for about 3 years now. I started the morning and shutdown stuff 2 weeks ago and so far it's going strong but we'll see if it sticks ;)

Wow three years is measurable time! I find myself forgetting about using a checklist when times change (more researchy times, etc...) and then not coming back to them in a while.

Re: Ask HN: Devs with ADHD do you use specialized tooling?

#49

Post by yuvalsteuer »

skittleson wrote: post #34

Get OSD on your environment then optimize for workflow with the least amount of distractions and immediate feedback. Unit/integration tests help to keep me in one place as well. Auto testing on file changes as well as autohotkey automations. Text to speech for reading emails and docs

Not familiar with OSD, and didn't find it online. Reply with a link??

Re: Ask HN: Devs with ADHD do you use specialized tooling?

#50

Post by yuvalsteuer »

ttcmuni wrote: post #30

Github copilot has actually been incredibly useful for me. Writing boilerplate and starting new files was always so slow/boring, but copilot kinda helps me continue my flow (even when its suggestions are completely wrong). Fair warning that sometimes its suggestions are subtlety wrong so you still need to read it over - but since it’s there my mind immediately jumps to verifying it as opposed to the risk of distracti…

This! Github copilot is like a search engine for code without the distracting elements of a traditional search engine, for me atleast.
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