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How I Run a Company with ADHD

andrewaskins.com

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Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#411

Post by blotter_paper »

dkersten wrote: post #296
blotter_paper wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like potentially interesting content. Just a thought, I'm glad that I'm the one who gets to decide which embarrassing stories about my childhood go on the internet as my parents have never used social media for anything other than connecting with old friends. It looks like your username might be your real name, and if it is you might consider posting this proposed content under a pseudonym instead. A while bac…

> I don’t agree with her at all Who is “her” in this case — the writer or the daughter?

lilbobbytables was spot on, sorry for the ambiguity!

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#412

Post by andai »

andai wrote: post #311
Mirioron wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ADD is now under the umbrella of ADHD. ADHD just has 3 types:[0] 1. ADHD Predominantly Inattentive (ADHD-PI) 2. ADHD Predominantly Hyperactive (ADHD-PH?) 3. ADHD Combined (ADHD-C) ADD falls under the first one. It makes sense that you'd recognize yourself in that. They're now considered to be the same disorder, but just presenting in a different way. One of the things that's usually not discussed, but what you should…

I too highly recommend Russel Barkley's videos about ADHD. They taught me so much. The most striking thing was learning how it's a primarily emotional disorder, and how this has harmed my relationships. Here's a fantastic lecture (split into ~5 minute segments -- this guy gets it :) by Dr. Barkley: ADHD - The 30 Essential Ideas Everyone Needs to Know https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzhbAK1pdPM&list=PLzBixSjmbc...

Can't edit anymore: found the whole talk in one video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCAGc-rkIfo&app=desktop

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#413

Post by jordanbeiber »

lilbobbytables wrote: post #389
jordanbeiber wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just had to cut out a long digression in true ADD fashion. I'll save it for my future blog! So in short list format, just sharing some methods I employ, sans digressions: 0. Awareness. Took way too long for me to reach it. 1. What is mentioned in the article: prioritisation! That needs to lead to routine. Hard work this, but most important, as I have to be able to engage auto-pilot for "non-interesting" tasks. 2. Sle…

> engage auto-pilot for "non-interesting" tasks. Routine is useful. My life is full of mini routines, although not necessarily making as cohesive as a picture as they could, there are certainly plenty of gaps. I have a bad problem where things go to shit if a normal "auto-pilot" task of mine has to changed. Simple example, I always have my keys in my pocket, I feel for them as I walk out the door. They're there, I co…

Much recognition.

I actually use a pocket of a specific jacket whether I use it or not.

This is where I put them on entry, and this is where the check is on exit.

Without routines like these anything can and will happen, just ask my (soon to be) wife! :)

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#414

Post by dkersten »

blotter_paper wrote: post #411
dkersten wrote: post #296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don’t agree with her at all Who is “her” in this case — the writer or the daughter?

lilbobbytables was spot on, sorry for the ambiguity!

I agree with you. I'm with the daughter on this one and am super glad that I didn't grow up in a time when my parents could have posted things about me online (photos or text).

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#415

Post by cowpewter »

ScottFree wrote: post #393
DoreenMichele wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of Twice Exceptional* people get labeled lazy. It may not be ADHD. It may be some other hidden issue. In the vast majority of cases, people who get identified as an adult seem to be tremendously relieved and empowered by having a better label than lazy. * https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twice_exceptional

I went the other direction. I had no problem with being called lazy or calling myself lazy. It was a familiar and comforting crutch, like slipping into an old pair of sneakers. I only got B+ on the test? No worries. I could have gotten an A had I actually tried and wasn't so lazy. But, I couldn't be bothered, because I'm lazy. The fact I may have an incurable mental illness (and that I could be branded as such) terri…

Don't consider it an incurable mental illness. It's not a sickness, it's just a genetic variation in how the brain is wired. Having a certain percentage of the population with ADHD was probably an advantage in our evolutionary past. There are a lot of good things that come alongside it, like hyperfocus, greater creative thinking, and an increased ability to multitask. It's only really a big problem in our modern society, that values people's abilities to be super-productive cogs in a machine and values consistent output over anything else (like creative solutions), that ADHD becomes a huge problem.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#416

Post by beat »

jordanbeiber wrote: post #168

It’s interesting to see how hard if is to separate ADD from ADHD by a description of traits or behaviors. I have ADD and pretty much recognize myself in a lot of this. It’s almost impossible to focus on anything that is not interesting “right now” and what is “interesting” changes in cycles spanning a few weeks. During a cycle I become completely absorbed, you know, not eat, not sleep and not being communicative, abs…

I can relate on the family stuff.

My (adult) daughter inherited ADD from me. Which means she and I understand each other in a way that her mother and her twin brother do not understand us. At least they've learned to just let us do the grocery shopping and not try to help.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#417

Post by jordanbeiber »

verelo wrote: post #403
andai wrote: post #333

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Found the English version :) The Answer: How to start a relationship and make it last https://www.amazon.com/Answer-start-relationship-make-last/d...

Could not find any reviews on this book, can you go into any detail around how it helped you?

It kind of made me think and question why I had such attachment issues.

Why the same pattern I saw in how I had to be ”interested” to give something or someone my attention repeated over and over.

I’ve had many relationships over the years with a specific pattern: I lose interest in about a year.

One total burn-out after another. Extreme interest followed by absolutely nothing.

There’s a follow up book I can’t find in English called (my translation): ”The dark secret”, that treats what they call ”deorganized attachement”

This one’s actually more relevant for me personally as my youth and upbringing was... “interesting” and in several ways traumatic.

On the topic of books:

“Healing ADD” was really useful for my partner:

https://www.bookdepository.com/Healing-Add-Daniel-Amen/97804...

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#418

Post by Hendrikto »

jordanbeiber wrote: post #168

It’s interesting to see how hard if is to separate ADD from ADHD by a description of traits or behaviors. I have ADD and pretty much recognize myself in a lot of this. It’s almost impossible to focus on anything that is not interesting “right now” and what is “interesting” changes in cycles spanning a few weeks. During a cycle I become completely absorbed, you know, not eat, not sleep and not being communicative, abs…

> I have ADD and pretty much recognize myself in a lot of this.

I do not have ADD (afaik), and I also recognize myself in a lot of this. I think many of these behaviors are very common in general.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#419

Post by cowpewter »

philliphaydon wrote: post #172
justin66 wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And I don't believe the Author suffers from it. The author was diagnosed after multiple sessions with a medical professional.

> The author was diagnosed after multiple sessions with a medical professional. Yes, and we also know that medical professionals can also misdiagnose ADHD...

I don't think that you can or should try to armchair-diagnose or armchair-undiagnose someone with from a single blog post. You can't know what the author has struggled with in their life.

Re: How I Run a Company with ADHD

#420

Post by picometer »

To add another decibel to this crowded chatter: to succeed at something like this while dealing with ADHD, you need a lot of support, and after that it is still very hard.

Behind each of these success stories is a lot of people in the background, giving reminders, dealing with the person who has tuned out for half the meeting, excusing lapses, etc. I say this as someone with the disorder myself. (The author’s description of the “time travel” effect is on point!) I take those people in my life for granted to often. But reading stuff like this and seeing it from the 3rd person perspective is a good reminder.

Also worth noting that success stories on HN are subject to the survivor bias. (Not exclusive to the “entrepreneur with adhd” trope, of course, but definitely applicable.)

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