Effect of perceptual load on performance within IDE in people with ADHD symptoms

> put the logic where it fucking goes, inline with its use! right there! nowhere else! don't nest it behind abstractions you don't NEED.

What you're talking about here looks more like over-abstracting. What I'm talking about is having understandable components with simple, easy to understand behaviour. I think we're on the same page.

I want to be able to understand what the component does at the first glance. I also want to be able to understand what a larger part of the system does at the first glance. But, overall, I'll always err on the side of _under-abstracting_ and duplication, like you.

One might argue that software development is about 1) defining a business problem, _then_ 2) communication (usually with "ghosts" i.e. another developer who is not in the room with you[1]), then writing the implementation. My philosophy on the subject is like this: https://sonnet.io/posts/code-sober-debug-drunk/

TL;DR it's always easier to write code than to read it, be kind to the next person reading it (it might be you)

[1] https://sonnet.io/posts/emotive-conjugation/#:~:text=Ghost%2...

* Opens a welcome tab anytime you open a project

* Pops up unsolicited toast notifications for new file extensions, "we have extensions which can help you with that file type!"

* Opens "what's new" type tabs anytime it updates

* Starts the "jumping up and down" MacOS dock animation for sometimes trivial problems

I could list more examples, but suffice it to say, this is...not ideal. I love VS Code, so for fresh/unsync'ed installs I'm willing to meticulously trawl through its settings, twiddling various knobs to disable these multifarious annoyances. But hey, it's worth it (to me).

  1. ADHD superengineers could be representing more than 0.0% but below 0% of all users.
  2. A lot of ADHD-specific optimizations, e.g. fast transitions without frustrating gooey animations, distraction-free UI without tips and emojis, could be detrimental to telemetry items that:
    a) do represent non-ADHD needs, and also;
    b) engineer performances are evaluated upon, even for Free Software these days.

Also, why would I need an on-screen button for something I can just do with the keyboard I am already touching?

I’ve drilled it into my head that if I’m not reading or focused on quality sleep, everything else will suffer. It’s been true for decades and I’ve been disappointed by finding it out again enough times that I generally believe it now.

No phone, no late night computer/work, just reading if I’m not asleep and otherwise sleep. It’s so important.

I don’t claim to be a particularly intelligent person by any means. This change has done wonders for being less stupid, however. Reading really does stimulate your brain in such positive ways. You probably won’t notice when you’ve stopped for a while and that’s a serious shame; we’d probably all read more if it was more obvious how much better we are when we do it. And of course the sleep hygiene plays a huge role too.

Occasionally I fall off the wagon for a week or two due to family stuff. To be honest, my wife hates that I read at night, and that’s friction as well. When your brain has a tendency to work against you though, you really do need to take action to build routines that keep you sane and on a good trajectory. My wife would hate it more if I allowed myself to sleep less and indulge in other things in the evening, so this is a lesser evil that keeps my cup full so to speak and helps me stay on track.

ADHD is all about the pit of success and elimination of problematic systems or temptations, in my experience. Make it hard to fail.

Edit: I should add that while it seems boring or impossible with limited time, the routine encourages better sleep (at least in my case) and as a result, better results of my efforts through the subsequent days and weeks and so on. I end up with more time to do stuff I like because I’m not making as many poor choices due to a lack of sleep, corresponding poorer diet, decreased productivity, etc.

I struggled with this part for most of my life and didn’t truly believe it would make a difference until it did. I’m a much better person when I let myself sleep. My brain yells at me not to most nights, but it I can cut through that I will have a better following day without fail. That effect compounds far better than I would have guessed before.

The whole basis of making this work is the commitment and ideally interest in cozying up with a book you want to read. Soon after, because you aren’t 13 anymore, you will pass out. If not, you gain the significant benefit of having not been staring at a screen, engaged in thought, eating, worrying, etc. Your sleep quality will increase even if you read extra some nights.