having the same problem, also Slack/Teams UI is (visually) way too bloated. Using something cleaner like iMessage and IRC is helping me a lot, but this is unfortunately not possible all the time so i open up Teams only twice a day and pepole should call me if there is a urgent case.
Ask HN: I have diagnosed ADHD and cannot work with Slack anymore – advice?
11–20 of 392 posts
Re: Ask HN: I have diagnosed ADHD and cannot work with Slack anymore – advice?
#12I set my notifications to "Direct messages, mentioned & keywords". This way, you can keep it open and dip into whatever you need to but you'll not be swamped with millions of notifications. I'd also go through all channels etc and mute or leave channels you're not actually required in any more.
I have it set to "Nothing" but whenever I have the window open, I can see the orange notification conter popping up on several channels (even if I mute them).
I tried leaving channels but I get invited back whenever people tag my team, so I gave up and muted all of them (but still get the notification counter, which makes muting useless for me).
EDIT: Whenever someone tags my team, the little Slack icon on the tray bar goes red... and I don't know if that's a direct message (usually important) or someone tagging my team just "fyi". I have to check it always.
Re: Ask HN: I have diagnosed ADHD and cannot work with Slack anymore – advice?
#13That sounds like an absolute nightmare. Is your management chain aware that you are diagnosed with ADHD? Staying off Slack should be considered a very reasonable accommodation for your condition. Perhaps go ahead and do it, but also tell them why, and how it will improve your productivity. Alternatively maybe it's time to look for a different job with a more appropriate working environment, one that doesn't lead to s…
> Is your management chain aware that you are diagnosed with ADHD
No, and I don't think it will help, to be honest. They will just start paying even more attention to my work and decide it's not worth it.
Re: Ask HN: I have diagnosed ADHD and cannot work with Slack anymore – advice?
#14I don’t know if it’s enough, but the first thing I do when joining a new organization is aggressively cut down on notifications, both using the N app, preferences, and the operating system preferences. The next thing I do is set expectations with coworkers, the same tool can be used very differently across different organizations.
Re: Ask HN: I have diagnosed ADHD and cannot work with Slack anymore – advice?
#15Founder with ADHD here! I ran into this issue a bunch at my previous job as well. The notifications were always going off and detracting me from doing the actual work. There were two things I did, and do now, that have worked for me:
1. Similar to you, I muted my notifications and opened slack a few times a day.
2. I paired up with someone else to focus on the task at hand (like with Double[0]). I was able to ignore the pings, if they came through, because I felt more accountable to the person I was on the line with than the pings.
Your mileage may vary on these, so I would definitely encourage a bit of experimentation!
Re: Ask HN: I have diagnosed ADHD and cannot work with Slack anymore – advice?
#16That sounds like an absolute nightmare. Is your management chain aware that you are diagnosed with ADHD? Staying off Slack should be considered a very reasonable accommodation for your condition. Perhaps go ahead and do it, but also tell them why, and how it will improve your productivity. Alternatively maybe it's time to look for a different job with a more appropriate working environment, one that doesn't lead to s…
> Is your management chain aware that you are diagnosed with ADHD No, and I don't think it will help, to be honest. They will just start paying even more attention to my work and decide it's not worth it.
If you’re in the US, I would request a formal reasonable accommodation from HR with your medical evidence. This establishes a paper trail in the event they attempt to terminate you due to your medical condition. My recommendation would be to codify the expectations around response time and Slack interactions in writing as the accommodation.
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/program-areas/employers/ac...
https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/fact-sheet-disability-dis...
Re: Ask HN: I have diagnosed ADHD and cannot work with Slack anymore – advice?
#17Try looking for fully remote asynchronous companies. Comes with a different set of challenges for someone with ADHD, but companies with a culture that is more focused on asynchronous communication tend to work better with the high/low levels of focus that come with ADHD. I think if you're regularly getting pinged by people beyond your direct team, it's a sign of mismanaged culture.
Re: Ask HN: I have diagnosed ADHD and cannot work with Slack anymore – advice?
#18I have had adhd and autism. Thought it was a birth trait. But adulthood happened and i had been getting away more and more from those symptoms.
Now it’s coming back. And I realized it has a lot to do with parenting incorrectly.
Let’s just say looking back, there is nothing you can do to adjust to a moving train with adhd. So start reducing your role. Shrink a bit. Be less manager. and be more managed if that helps. And start communicating loudly about what makes slack difficult. Very loudly. People will realize who you are without realizing you have adhd. And will adjust to how you work.
So figure out how many things you can track at any one time. My max is five. So reduce your inputs to just those items. And designate one of them for colleagues.
Re: Ask HN: I have diagnosed ADHD and cannot work with Slack anymore – advice?
#19Founder with ADHD here! I ran into this issue a bunch at my previous job as well. The notifications were always going off and detracting me from doing the actual work. There were two things I did, and do now, that have worked for me: 1. Similar to you, I muted my notifications and opened slack a few times a day. 2. I paired up with someone else to focus on the task at hand (like with Double[0]). I was able to ignore…
Lol. Self plug without the disclaimer. Shame.
Re: Ask HN: I have diagnosed ADHD and cannot work with Slack anymore – advice?
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Is your management chain aware that you are diagnosed with ADHD No, and I don't think it will help, to be honest. They will just start paying even more attention to my work and decide it's not worth it.
If you’re in the US, I would request a formal reasonable accommodation from HR with your medical evidence. This establishes a paper trail in the event they attempt to terminate you due to your medical condition. My recommendation would be to codify the expectations around response time and Slack interactions in writing as the accommodation. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/program-areas/employers/ac... https://www.e…
I would never do that. You get marked as someone who requires special accommodation. Adhd is one of those things that only come up every now and then.