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Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

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Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#241

Post by aidenn0 »

navjack27 wrote: post #184
mathieuh wrote: post #92

I used to think I had some ADHD symptoms: growing up I never did any revision for any of my school exams until a couple of days before, all my coursework and projects were done last minute in a week of intense focus, I've had issues with drugs in the past etc. Then I met someone who actually has ADHD and saw them before they'd taken their stimulant drugs. They were completely nonfunctional in any sense of the word, t…

Yup! I wish more people who say they have ADHD could have that experience. If someone says they have ADHD but they are unmedicated and they already are holding down a decent job but are only recently kind of struggling with something they called distraction or issues with focus... Then I say they don't have ADHD because it's so much more than that. It is issues with actual executive function. It is being unable to pu…

I don't know, I held down a decent job without meds before starting a family. I definitely have days where my executive functioning is as bad as you mention, but it varies. I've known many people with worse ADHD symptoms than I have, but I'm also not a marginal case. I'm also fortunate to have a rather high IQ.

It took me 11 semesters (plus two summer terms) to finish my undergrad with a low C grade average. Prior to kids, I would get to work between 7 and 8. If I was having trouble focusing that day, I'd leave between 4 and 5pm. If I was having a good day for focus, I'd stay as late as 10pm. Two "good days" in a week would put me at over 20 productive hours, which is a pretty solid foundation for being at least in the "not fired" category. If I didn't have two "good days," well that's what the weekends are for.

Reading the above, I think I understand why "burn out" is mentioned in TFA as something ADHD can lead to...

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#242

Post by [deleted] »

throwoutway wrote: post #162
cottage-cheese wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> has got me in trouble with management a few times but I am not sure what else i can do Don't worry about it. I think this is good advice for any software engineer. Eventually you'll be senior enough or on a different team and it won't be a problem.

Agreed, I'd add to give your manager your phone number for emergencies and tell them you've allow-listed their number to ring when others can't. Then get back to flow

[deleted]

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#243

Post by simplyluke »

koonsolo wrote: post #226
TheRealHB wrote: post #54

The Blinking LED, A simple Hack that still works for me after years: 1. Place a tiny LED (red or yellow) by the side of your monitor or virtually on the screen corner. Basically anywhere almost bordering your field of view. 2. Make it blink like a fast heartbeat (120-150 bpm) and gradually slowdown to around 60 bpm (or your slow heartbeat base). Make the slope approx 20 to 60 minutes (you can adjust the best rate by…

> Get to work regardless if distracted and agitated. Close all apps except what you need to work and BOOM!, let the magic happen Isn't this the part that actually does the heavy lifting to get stuff done?

Most productivity hacks are window dressing around this.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#244

Post by Pikamander2 »

jakey_bakey wrote: post #8

"Coping Mechanisms: Over the years, adults develop various coping strategies that can mask ADHD symptoms. For instance, someone might excessively rely on calendars, to-do lists, or alarms to compensate for forgetfulness." You're goddamn right I do

I don't see why any of that would be excessive or exclusive to people with ADHD. Neurotypical people forget important stuff all the time and would also benefit from good organizational skills and reminders about important deadlines.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#245

Post by gosub100 »

keyle wrote: post #33

This hits home. I think we need to really take a hard look at today's world of tech and how we communicate and collaborate. I find that, if time allows, I get a massive productivity boost after 4:30pm and everyone is either winding down or leaving. All the sudden, the walls flatten, the horizon deepens and I enter a deep state of flow. Around 10 AM, after an elongated "stand up", I should be ready to go... And yet it…

during covid I was "overemployed" at first 2 jobs, then 3 (which I sustained for over 8 months). Some of it was luck, like not having conflicting meetings, having jobs in different timezones, and the leniency given due to the chaos of the times, but I actually did get work done. But during the average day, I was only there to respond to slack and participate in meetings. I wouldn't really "work" as in write code, until after the sun went down (and I was west-coast working a central time job). I was just a body in a seat until the day was over, then once I knew nobody was available to pester me or expect me to do something, I could crack open the editor and hyperfocus. I also found that getting up super early, I could hyperfocus for an hour or 2 in the AM, then about 9-10am once all the meetings and bs started, I was just an actor. The rest of the time was juggling tasks and procrastinating, and using that energy to drive me to get work done. I would work saturday and sunday mornings (often, not always), but once my focus was lost I would stop. It was a hell of a time, but I learned that (like you) certain times of the day just weren't compatible with getting anything done. I dont think it's correct to say its due to "overstimulation" or caffeine, I think it has to do with brain states, and somehow knowing that I had to be available on slack (or had to make sure my mouse jiggler kept my status green) seemed to be enough to break me away from writing code.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#247

Post by hn1986 »

Teridee wrote: post #112
keyle wrote: post #33

This hits home. I think we need to really take a hard look at today's world of tech and how we communicate and collaborate. I find that, if time allows, I get a massive productivity boost after 4:30pm and everyone is either winding down or leaving. All the sudden, the walls flatten, the horizon deepens and I enter a deep state of flow. Around 10 AM, after an elongated "stand up", I should be ready to go... And yet it…

At my company, we have daily standups and they throw off my whole morning. I only really work effectively when I am left to it and so have outlook/slack/messages turned off during periods where I am trying to focus - has got me in trouble with management a few times but I am not sure what else i can do. The piece was a good read but its so personal to me that it doesn't really help sadly.

we changed our standups to right after lunch and this has helped for everyone

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#248

Post by muhblah »

FullKirby wrote: post #174
keyle wrote: post #33

This hits home. I think we need to really take a hard look at today's world of tech and how we communicate and collaborate. I find that, if time allows, I get a massive productivity boost after 4:30pm and everyone is either winding down or leaving. All the sudden, the walls flatten, the horizon deepens and I enter a deep state of flow. Around 10 AM, after an elongated "stand up", I should be ready to go... And yet it…

Being distracted (even a lot) and actually having ADHD are very different things

Thanks, also had this discussion with a colleague (obviously not having ADHD) who thought he understands what I’m (having ADHD diagnosed) talking about and I argue he does not. I then almost started to doubt my own perception abilities InsertHugeFacepalmHere

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#249

Post by thejosh »

I would have thought this was me writing this in a fugue state.

I was diagnosed last year with ADHD, at 32.

I would say ADHD has traits, you might not have all but once you start doing research into it you find you tick a lot of the boxes. Psychologists can help as they can figure out what works with you, once you find a decent one.

Everything in this post is great, as always find what works for you.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#250

Post by pilgrim0 »

I don’t recall a single piece on the subject that attempted to define productivity. I’m saying this because my own conflicts with the condition taught me that work is not something so simplistic as for the same strategies to be effective in all environments. What in fact has worked for me, is not exactly to adapt myself to the work, but rather to adapt the work to my limitations. I keep realizing that productivity has many forms. Merely being able to sit and yield artifacts at a high velocity is not necessarily productive. When on pharmaceutical amphetamine, I’m perfectly “productive”, but most of the times the quality of the results are poor. In comparison, the work I yield when not on medication, although performed completely irregularly, tends to be much more high quality. So it must be acknowledged that productivity has no intrinsic relation to efficiency. It’s much more important to be efficient than “productive”. All in all, it’s important for folks with ADHD to treat themselves better and find a compromise when dealing with the societal expectations placed on them. I honestly find bizarre some strategies people employ to cope with work, flirting the inhumane, like a self-inflicted dystopia.
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