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Procrastination should be solved by lighting fires, not filling buckets

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Re: Procrastination should be solved by lighting fires, not filling buckets

#31

Post by jasonlotito »

kfk wrote: post #27
jasonlotito wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have ADHD and OCD, diagnosed earlier this year. I've had it for as long as I can remember. I first remember being tested in when I was about 10. I'm 33 now. For solutions, I see a therapist to work through my OCD, and I take medication for my ADHD. It makes a difference. I notice it on days I happen to forget and don't have backup. I never thought medication could make such a big difference, but it does. The idea o…

I am going to go stoic on this and say that if you are successful despite ADHD, then that's you and you just need to accept it. What troubles me the most is the future. What if this way of being comes up one day? What if people realize? To which, Seneca said: the past is certain, present is short an difficult to catch, the future is uncertain. So, focus on the present, if that's good, then don't worry about the futur…

> I am going to go stoic on this and say that if you are successful despite ADHD, then that's you and you just need to accept it.

I do. It's just easier said than done.

Re: Procrastination should be solved by lighting fires, not filling buckets

#32

Post by addthrowaway »

jasonlotito wrote: post #30
addthrowaway wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you find that your creativity is stifled, or that your personality is very subdued because of the meds? Do you take weekends off the meds to be yourself? Or maybe one or two workdays off for creative stuff, and three days on for "nose to the grindstone" type work? I haven't been medicated for years, but I'm struggling and thinking about looking into it again. I remember feeling like on meds I was an alternate pers…

> Do you find that your creativity is stifled, or that your personality is very subdued because of the meds? Not at all. I am still me. > Do you take weekends off the meds to be yourself? No. I can be myself and still take the medication. > I remember feeling like on meds I was an alternate personality - a different version of myself that I never felt comfortable as. There are different types of medications. The only…

Would you mind sharing the medication you're using? I've been prescribed various dosages/releases of both Ritalin and Adderall, and they both affected me in the same way.

By the way, thanks for your posts here - they've been helpful.

Re: Procrastination should be solved by lighting fires, not filling buckets

#33

Post by Leepic »

jasonlotito wrote: post #11

This is just a friendly reminder that if you would describe yourself as a procrastinator, it might be something more. If you've always been one, if you want to do things, but can never do it, it could be a sign. ADHD is a real problem, and has real solutions (and those solutions aren't all addictive). If you feel like you are always running behind, always trying to catch up. If anyone says you are a great developer,…

The moment I finished reading OP's blog post I felt like I wrote it. However, for my case, I have some doubts about the ADHD claim.

For starters, I managed to play a new videogame for unhealthy amounts of time the last 2 weeks with such dedication. We're talking about waking up to turn on the PC and look what I have to achieve in the game for today then get it done. I never felt like something would make me get up other than food and toilet. Second, I managed to quit smoking cold turkey, after a decade of heavy smoking. I can't feel like I'm a victim of my own craves or I lack the power to just sit down and get things done. And yet, I do identify myself in the OP's blog post.

Would you suggest that I should still take the ADHD test? If yes, which doctor can I ask about it?

Re: Procrastination should be solved by lighting fires, not filling buckets

#34

Post by HowToAsk »

jasonlotito wrote: post #11

This is just a friendly reminder that if you would describe yourself as a procrastinator, it might be something more. If you've always been one, if you want to do things, but can never do it, it could be a sign. ADHD is a real problem, and has real solutions (and those solutions aren't all addictive). If you feel like you are always running behind, always trying to catch up. If anyone says you are a great developer,…

Honest question:

How does one go about "getting checked"? What's the proper way to explain this to your doctor?

What you described is pretty much exactly how I feel the majority of the time, and I've been meaning to go to a doctor to talk about it.. but a part of me keeps putting that off since I really have no idea how to properly describe the whole thing. I've been putting off making an appointment for close to a year now.

Part of me feels like I'm going to sound like someone making up stuff (as many do) in order to get prescribed those ADHD/ADD drugs.

Re: Procrastination should be solved by lighting fires, not filling buckets

#35

Post by kfk »

jasonlotito wrote: post #31
kfk wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am going to go stoic on this and say that if you are successful despite ADHD, then that's you and you just need to accept it. What troubles me the most is the future. What if this way of being comes up one day? What if people realize? To which, Seneca said: the past is certain, present is short an difficult to catch, the future is uncertain. So, focus on the present, if that's good, then don't worry about the futur…

> I am going to go stoic on this and say that if you are successful despite ADHD, then that's you and you just need to accept it. I do. It's just easier said than done.

True that. Part of the walk of life is learning dealing with ourselves.

Re: Procrastination should be solved by lighting fires, not filling buckets

#36

Post by kranner »

Do you have a Mac or iOS device you can use this on? I ask because I was considering making something like this a short while ago. I was going to call it 'Mindful Day' and even registered the domain mindfuldayapp.com for it.

At the time I was thinking of either an OS X menubar app or an iOS app, or perhaps both (with iCloud sync). My own preference is for the former, because I use a Mac all day.

Roughly, the idea was for an app that would prompt you for your day's todo-list at the start of your workday, then remind you every hour to stick to the plan, then ask you at the end of the workday how much you got done. It got postponed because eventually I second-guessed myself into doubting how useful it would be.

Re: Procrastination should be solved by lighting fires, not filling buckets

#38

Post by snoonan »

I do something like this with a script called "boss.py'.

It regex matches time patterns from a dict and yells out the value by calling the mac 'say' command. I have it configured to yell at me to focus every 5 minutes and to lock me into a pomodoro-like work cycle. I run it on days I can't seem to get going.

Re: Procrastination should be solved by lighting fires, not filling buckets

#39

Post by derwildemomo »

snoonan wrote: post #38

I do something like this with a script called "boss.py'. It regex matches time patterns from a dict and yells out the value by calling the mac 'say' command. I have it configured to yell at me to focus every 5 minutes and to lock me into a pomodoro-like work cycle. I run it on days I can't seem to get going.

care to put it on github? I'd love to give it a try (though I don't have too many problems focusing myself. I'm in the middle of a workday, just doing some..shit, HN).
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