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Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

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Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#461

Post by andrew-dc »

throwoutway wrote: post #166
smallerfish wrote: post #153

I think Slack is a silent killer of productivity, and terrible for an ADHD brain: You're either "engaged" and "available" (meaning you respond to messages in semi-real-time, pretty much nixing your ability to do deep work) or you feel like you're missing a lot of conversation that's going on behind your back, because you're heads down with Slack closed. Slack is good for (shitty) managers of remote teams, because you…

I was thinking of this in bed last night. I could focus more using our terrible messaging system prior to Slack. And there was less banter, pessimism, pile ons, etc that now show up in threads. Sometimes I regret replying in a thread when it goes 50+ messages deep and you get pinged on it each one unless you mute

Just wanted to say how much thinking I get done as soon as I lie down in bed with the lights out. Of course, Sometimes, this goes off the rails, and I can't sleep. But generally it is a testament to having little to no sensory input, (in the dark, lying in bed) to be free to think clearly. ;)

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#462

Post by s3r3nity »

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…

> Only 1 14" screen and a different timezone

Of all the optimizations I've done, moving to one screen/monitor ~10 years ago has been the biggest positive impact on my work, anxiety, and overall focus.

When I was younger, I was way too naive in the memetic desire when seeing other more senior folks with multiple screens, or even seeing "hacker" representations in the media with many screens with different orientations (silly, I know...everyone is dumb when they're young.) When you're 22 and insecure about whether or not you're actually "good" or belong, then you try to mimic the "best."

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#463

Post by JaDogg »

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…

Oh no, now this is going to distract me until I built such blinking LED :(

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#464

Post by alchemist1e9 »

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…

I’d also suggest that any high IQ individual will by the very nature of being in an extreme of that IQ distribution exhibit some other behaviors that are in tails of the “normal” distribution for various behaviors.

I’ve had multiple people suggest to me I might have ADHD, it’s nonsense, I remember everything and don’t miss any deadlines. They observe me working simultaneously on many projects and since that is impossible for them, and frankly their memory is horrible, they don’t even remember correctly about the one project they are currently focused on, so suddenly they think this person is abnormal and hyper, ok they have ADHD.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#465

Post by notjoemama »

falcolas wrote: post #376
dijit wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well. 1. Self-diagnosis is not a diagnosis. 2. Things exist on a spectrum. The definition of it becoming a "disorder" is when it negatively affects your life enough. During diagnosis a psychotherapist will be tasked with identifying traits of ADHD (IE; Markers), you will not have all markers. Everyone will have some. Then those markers are investigated to discover how much they impact your quality of life. If it is a…

> Self-diagnosis is not a diagnosis. Nit: Self-diagnosis is the first step towards a formal diagnosis. You don't go to the doctor to get antibiotics before self-diagnosing that you're sick. That said, as useful as a formal diagnosis is (getting proper help, and even meds), don't skip it if you can afford to do it.

Yes. Thank you for stating it so well. Self diagnosis is like a conjecture based on observation. It needs to be proved out formally to be a working theory. But that’s part of the process and there absolutely is value in self diagnosis. It’s up to professionals to sort the wear from the chaff, webmd be damned.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#466

Post by [deleted] »

petercooper wrote: post #338
atcalan wrote: post #292

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately genuine ADHD is a physiological problem that requires stimulant therapy _and_ cognitive behavior therapy in conjunction. Your dopamine and/or acetylcholine receptors are out of whack. This is why coffee and cigarettes/vapes are so prevalent. Methylphenidate or dexamphetamine work best but you pay a price. Yes, I have real world executive function research lab experience, so I know a bit of what I'm talk…

Did modafinil ever come up in your lab? I was DXed ADHD somewhat by surprise and due to the situation, medication was not an option (and is rather difficult to obtain in my country anyhow). After reading about off-label use of modafinil for ADHD, I gave it a go, and it has worked very well from my POV.

[deleted]

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#467

Post by TheRealHB »

herculity275 wrote: post #116
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…

Do you have a script you could share?

Just use any blinking LED template code that your OEM offers for your particular board (ESP32 or alike) as it will be specific for the PIN the LED is wired and libraries available, etc.

Basically a function slope with a value from 150 to 60 that calls "blinks" over an hour, when at the end it turns off LED.

You can make it smoother, add the heartbeat sensor, make it pulse instead of blink, that stuff will be particular to whatever you have at hand.

GPT for such simple code after explaining the device and pointing to documentation should be a 3-4 shot process.

My one is horribly inefficient and shameful to share : )

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#468

Post by coldblues »

dj_mc_merlin wrote: post #417

Why do a lot of developers, especially the more "chronically online" ones, exhibit ADHD symptoms? I'm not saying they are necessarily, but there are striking similarities.. do the screens make people mad or are mad people attracted to screens?

I tend to be on the side of "mad people are attracted to screens". Does Thomas the Tank Engine make people autistic?

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#469

Post by JohnBooty »

Mordisquitos wrote: post #40
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

In my case I have to say that is only half true. As an adult-diagnosed ADHD sufferer I cannot say that I developed coping strategies on which I relied excessively that masked my symptoms. Rather, I used to try [0] to develop coping strategies, only for me to eventually drop them for unexplainable reasons at the slightest routine-messing incident or event, regardless of how effective the strategy was being or how good…

    And then some time later I would [will] try 
    again, under the blissful delusion that this 
    time it will stick
First... damn. I know the struggle. Much love to you and much respect.

Just an idea w.r.t. systems. Have you tried prioritizing "ease of use" over "completeness and awesomeness"?

I made some progress myself that way lately. I was always trying to organize things in some kind of... I don't know? perfect and aesthetically pleasing way? In hindsight, I think I was telling myself I had to get to some perfect system like these garages, where everything is perfectly organized and has a purpose and place.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/721209327810494107/

Instead what worked for me in the end was a bunch of clear plastic bins from Home Depot, with big labels on them. They are not literally childrens' bins but in spirit, the end solution for me was not too far away from this:

https://www.google.com/search?um=1&hl=en&safe=active&nfpr=1&...

Point being, what finally worked for me was the system with the lowest possible friction, not the "best" system.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#470

Post by gopher_space »

qumpis wrote: post #357
lolinder wrote: post #297

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I find that, if time allows, I get a massive productivity boost after 4:30pm and everyone is either winding down or leaving. The most important ADHD accommodation for me has been a private office (in my case working from home). I'm insanely distractible—the slightest noise can throw me off, and even the threat of an impending interruption is enough to make me lose focus thinking about how I'll respond if it comes.…

Why not put these earbuds in the office?

The fundamental point is that I'm not putting a box on my head so I can cope with your open floorplan.
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