How I Run a Company with ADHD • Hacker News Board

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#21

Post by colechristensen » Mon, May 13, 2019, 1:06 AM UTC

lioeters wrote: post #12

blakesterz wrote: post #2

ADHD sucks. I mean, it ain't cancer, but it sucks. I was never officially diagnosed, but when my son was at 7 is when I realized what ADHD really is, and that I'm an ADHD guy. Some how I made it through 40+ years with it and never knew it. I struggled though college, took me 9 years to get my BA. Somehow got a masters. Somehow managed to get a series of better jobs after my degrees. And I've somehow succeeded in life…

> Some how I made it through 40+ years with it and never knew it. I can relate to this, and I think there's a potentially large underbelly of society, that many (most?) of us are walking around with undiagnosed personality "disorders" (let's say, traits) like ADHD, the autistic spectrum, agoraphobia, narcissism, sociopathy, and so on - maybe even ones we haven't discovered or classified yet. The infamous DSMMD (Diagn…

In a nutshell, the DSM say anything that sucks is a disease.

What is exciting is that the wandering-in-the-dark of psychology is being usurped by neurology actually understanding how the brain works on gradually higher and higher levels.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#22

Post by danaos » Mon, May 13, 2019, 1:09 AM UTC

Wow! My story resonates with that of the author's. Although I did relatively well at school I struggled in collage. I skipped classes and my grades were far lower compared to my school years. In the second year of college I was finally diagnosed with ADHD. Not that I haven't seen it coming. Some of my teachers have long suspected it even during school. I knew I was special as I couldn't stick to the topic I was talking about during conversations, and even when writing essays! That my sound a bit elitist, but my belief is that the biggest factor that made me get through this is my self-perceive above-than-average intelligence. I couldn't let me fail. I managed to get in the second most prestigious electrical engineering college in the relatively small country I live. Running a startup is not easy, let alone if you suffer with ADHD. Me, having plans for the future, was relieved to see other like-minded people sharing their experience! Thank you.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#23

Post by js2 » Mon, May 13, 2019, 1:11 AM UTC

justboxing wrote: post #4

Very informative article. The author didn't really delve into whether he uses meds to cope with ADHD. How do other people who have ADHD cope with it as startup founders? Do meds like Adderall, Ritalin or Concerta work? What about Nootropics? Asking cos this situation seems to be very common in our profession i.e. starting some side project, getting overwhelmed with perfectionism, distractions and never shipping. Is t…

> The author didn't really delve into whether he uses meds to cope with ADHD.

This note is toward the end of the article:

A note on medication: When I take medication I feel these skills being dulled. I can't think as quickly, I'm not as outgoing. ADHD medication also contributes to an increase in anxiety, and so for me it's not worth it. If you're struggling you should absolutely try it. For some people, medication is a must. Don't ever feel bad about taking it if it helps you.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#24

Post by EnderViaAnsible » Mon, May 13, 2019, 1:16 AM UTC

colechristensen wrote: post #19

blakesterz wrote: post #2

ADHD sucks. I mean, it ain't cancer, but it sucks. I was never officially diagnosed, but when my son was at 7 is when I realized what ADHD really is, and that I'm an ADHD guy. Some how I made it through 40+ years with it and never knew it. I struggled though college, took me 9 years to get my BA. Somehow got a masters. Somehow managed to get a series of better jobs after my degrees. And I've somehow succeeded in life…

ADHD doesn't suck. Forty years of 9-5 jobs, mortgages, university degrees, and elementary school sucks when you're the type of person who can get diagnosed as ADHD. The world discriminates against people who don't have the temperament to fit in to its patterns of society. We don't quite know how to pursue ἀρετή, virtue, eudemonia, excellence, whatever you want to call it in life because modern life was built for anot…

ADHD is objectively a bundle of true deficits, not just a set of traits society frowns on. Certainly these deficits weren't as much of a disadvantage in early human evolution, but if you can create metrics and show that people with ADHD perform worse at some generic tasks vs. average human beings-- and you can, we have-- this is not just a world that has been created that is inhospitable to them.

The ugly thing I've found, which accords with what you have said here, is that the best treatment for me is as many hours of sunshine as possible and several hours of vigorous exercise a day. (Thanks for teaching that, Marine Corps.)

But of course there are very few jobs with security, brain exercise, and mobility that give me this, and essentially no jobs that are compatible with it (that it is, where I could take this time off per day and still retain a job).

So of course I use medication and stick with jobs that drive me nuts, jobs that are terrible for me but pay well. I feel for the ADHD people who weren't gifted as decent a brain as mine, as if it weren't for that I doubt my employers would have been as indulgent of my other flaws from ADHD.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#25

Post by leoc » Mon, May 13, 2019, 1:17 AM UTC

akarma wrote: post #10

blakesterz wrote: post #2

ADHD sucks. I mean, it ain't cancer, but it sucks. I was never officially diagnosed, but when my son was at 7 is when I realized what ADHD really is, and that I'm an ADHD guy. Some how I made it through 40+ years with it and never knew it. I struggled though college, took me 9 years to get my BA. Somehow got a masters. Somehow managed to get a series of better jobs after my degrees. And I've somehow succeeded in life…

As someone who also has it: have you tried medicine like Adderall? I’m so torn on it. On one hand, it makes me so productive, but on the other, it makes me so unemotional and cold and abrasive. It also makes me sweat, increases my heart rate, and has a terrible comedown when taken often. I was diagnosed at 16 and was on it for years, eventually moving up to 4x the dosage as my body grew resistance. I’ve stopped it fo…

It does nothing for procrastination and so proved useless to me.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#26

Post by falcolas » Mon, May 13, 2019, 1:17 AM UTC

colechristensen wrote: post #19

blakesterz wrote: post #2

ADHD sucks. I mean, it ain't cancer, but it sucks. I was never officially diagnosed, but when my son was at 7 is when I realized what ADHD really is, and that I'm an ADHD guy. Some how I made it through 40+ years with it and never knew it. I struggled though college, took me 9 years to get my BA. Somehow got a masters. Somehow managed to get a series of better jobs after my degrees. And I've somehow succeeded in life…

ADHD doesn't suck. Forty years of 9-5 jobs, mortgages, university degrees, and elementary school sucks when you're the type of person who can get diagnosed as ADHD. The world discriminates against people who don't have the temperament to fit in to its patterns of society. We don't quite know how to pursue ἀρετή, virtue, eudemonia, excellence, whatever you want to call it in life because modern life was built for anot…

Aah, yes, that round hole called “work”. All the creativity, all the beauty of being a square peg is absolutely useless in the face of having to make money to survive.

PTSD. Constant stress. Having trouble just keeping promises to friends. Failing to even keep up a hobby. The inability to control your own concentration.

ADHD most definitely sucks.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#27

Post by docnyc1 » Mon, May 13, 2019, 1:20 AM UTC

Throughout all of my years of schooling, I was never a strong student, but I made it to a position in life where I hold a very good career as a Facilities Director for a large hospitality group in NYC. I've had a few desk based "Operations" jobs that I struggled to be able to focus on. Being in this Facilities role is great because it's hands on which keeps me active but it's also very dynamic and evokes feelings of letting people down if I don't resolve time sensitive issues, fast. One of the worst feelings is that what I do is never enough. I always feel like I do a good job but can't seem to shake the feeling that I will somehow get fired because I am not good enough. Lots of anxiety. I do a good job at work, get compliments, but I can't go on a two week vacation w/o wondering if my job is on the line because I'm not there. How do those with ADHD shake the constant feeling of anxiety and of "not being good enough"?

I also can relate to the entire ADHD entrepreneurship affinity because I come up with so many "niche", interesting business ideas but I struggle to exceute. Some of these ideas could make me a lot of money too with minimal investment.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#28

Post by danaos » Mon, May 13, 2019, 1:21 AM UTC

Biologist123 wrote: post #17

To the writer (if looking on this board), thank you for this piece. Have you ever come across this article in the Economist, summarizing research providing evidence that ADHD is a legacy of our nomadic past when ADHD traits conferred an evolutionary advantage? https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.economist.com/science-and-t... My takeaway is that entrepreneurship is one of the few areas of modern life where ADHD might ac…

Not OP, but as a sufferer, I boldly disagree. There may be some benefits related to brainstorming and "out of the box" thinking but they are overshadowed by the disastrous consequences of being unable to organize and execute.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#29

Post by jjeaff » Mon, May 13, 2019, 1:21 AM UTC

akarma wrote: post #10

blakesterz wrote: post #2

ADHD sucks. I mean, it ain't cancer, but it sucks. I was never officially diagnosed, but when my son was at 7 is when I realized what ADHD really is, and that I'm an ADHD guy. Some how I made it through 40+ years with it and never knew it. I struggled though college, took me 9 years to get my BA. Somehow got a masters. Somehow managed to get a series of better jobs after my degrees. And I've somehow succeeded in life…

As someone who also has it: have you tried medicine like Adderall? I’m so torn on it. On one hand, it makes me so productive, but on the other, it makes me so unemotional and cold and abrasive. It also makes me sweat, increases my heart rate, and has a terrible comedown when taken often. I was diagnosed at 16 and was on it for years, eventually moving up to 4x the dosage as my body grew resistance. I’ve stopped it fo…

Try Vyvanse or one of the other high grade, extended release alternatives to Adderall. Lots of people have had issues with Adderall, especially after the patents expired and it started being made almost exclusively overseas as a generic.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#30

Post by EnderViaAnsible » Mon, May 13, 2019, 1:23 AM UTC

akarma wrote: post #10

blakesterz wrote: post #2

ADHD sucks. I mean, it ain't cancer, but it sucks. I was never officially diagnosed, but when my son was at 7 is when I realized what ADHD really is, and that I'm an ADHD guy. Some how I made it through 40+ years with it and never knew it. I struggled though college, took me 9 years to get my BA. Somehow got a masters. Somehow managed to get a series of better jobs after my degrees. And I've somehow succeeded in life…

As someone who also has it: have you tried medicine like Adderall? I’m so torn on it. On one hand, it makes me so productive, but on the other, it makes me so unemotional and cold and abrasive. It also makes me sweat, increases my heart rate, and has a terrible comedown when taken often. I was diagnosed at 16 and was on it for years, eventually moving up to 4x the dosage as my body grew resistance. I’ve stopped it fo…

I think nearly all of us that aren't secretly abusing medication feel that ambivalence.

For me and I assume for others, it is not a fully adequate treatment. Some symptoms it fixes, some it helps with, some it does nothing for, some it actually makes worse. (In particular, impulsivity and inability to task switch accurately.)

Then there are the side effects, and the comedowns after tolerance builds.

Nevertheless you must still learn coping skills, still pursue other treatment (exercise, decent diet, sleep, CBT if needed), still struggle as the square peg.

I have used medication for roughly 5 years ish of 30 some years of life, intermittently. I'd say taking it is better treatment than not, but honestly, like you, I feel a deep ambivalence towards it. (Even resentment, sometimes.)