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Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

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Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#491

Post by JohnBooty »

coremoff wrote: post #15
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

do you find that todo lists help you? I certainly agree with calendars/alarms but todo lists for me are a place to put things instead of doing them and then they become a separate problem all of their own

    and then they become a separate problem all of their own
I struggle with it too.

There are an infinite number of possible todo systems and different systems will work for different individuals at different times. But, I do feel there are two immutable truths w.r.t. successful todo list tasking.

1. You have to aggressively prioritize and prune them.

2. You should have separate daily/weekly/monthly/"someday" lists. Or some variation on this them. Maybe you do weekly/monthly/someday. Or today/tomorrow/someday. Whatever.

Point is it can't be a single infinitely expanding list or multiple infinitely expanding lists. Otherwise it's just a giant guilt pile that is 50% full of crap you don't even care about any more.

I still struggle but I think embracing those two principles is table stakes

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#492

Post by piperswe »

klysm wrote: post #156
chx wrote: post #126

This again? A blog post stuffed with stolen art and often heard but absolutely not working advice? > Every morning, I start my day by planning it out in a custom template that displays my Google Calendar events and Todoist task list. For real? One of the best ADHD tools I am aware of is called the Anti Planner. It doesn't take long to find posts like "why to-do lists don't work for people with ADHD" https://coachjess…

I feel similar with the “every morning” stuff. The problem is I have a very hard time making some happen every morning.

Same here. I have never been able to intentionally build a routine for just about anything, despite the autistic part of me aggressively wanting routine.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#493

Post by JohnBooty »

swozey wrote: post #448
JohnBooty wrote: post #392

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You know, it's funny how different we are all when it comes to this. I need all my apps visible in a tiled arrangement. Shuffling windows shatters my flow. I literally cannot have enough screen real estate. My dream is something like a curved 48" 8K monitor filling my entire field of view at 300dpi. (Vision Pro?) I know a lot of people, ADHD and otherwise, like me in this regard. I also know a guy like you, diagnosed…

I had a coworker a few years ago who worked ONLY on his laptop. No monitors. No keyboard. No mouse. He programmed all day on a 13" Macbook Pro. I will never understand it because I absolutely hate having full screen windows and I am almost worthless working off my laptop when traveling. Just lots of frustration juggling windows back and forth. I always have 2 or 3 apps side by side on my 48" and I have a 28" 16:18 Du…

Damn, that's crazy. Yeah, I don't see how that's physically or mentally possible. Completely alien to me.

The "laptop only, one app only" guy I knew actually was really verifiably productive. Which again is insane. We were working on a big Rails monolith. A task that inherently involves working with dozens of files simultaneously and looking at things up and down the stack while also looking at documentation and running code in the browser.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#494

Post by 83457 »

icepat wrote: post #64
83457 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does your PTSD present? Have you tried meditation and breathing exercises?

Yes to both. I also wear an Apple Watch with the main display being a heart rate graph to monitor my stress levels over the day. I tend to average a resting rate of 100 bpm during periods of higher stress, and between 60-70 in periods of lower stress. Longer periods of high BPM indicates that I need to take a break. The PTSD presents mostly in incredibly severe trust issues, periodic nightmares related to events, dep…

If you haven't already, you should absolutely seek help and medication for the non-ADHD issues. It sounds like they are seriously affecting your life.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#495

Post by piperswe »

Velc wrote: post #102
coremoff wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you will need to tell us your location; it will vary greatly across the world. In the UK, for me, diagnosis wasn't too hard via BUPA - my phsychiatrist seeing me for my other mental health problems recommended me and it was relatively quick to get an ADHD diagnosis; now, however, I am stuck - there's a UK shorage of medication so my psychiatrist is unwilling to proscribe for a new patient whilst existing ones aren't…

I'm in the same boat. Expect to pay between £700 - £1500 (initial consultation, titration fees). Then the ongoing medication costs. Honestly I am torn on this issue, I don't think we should have a nation filled with amphetamine users, but right now I'm a self funded founder and I can't justify this cost. So I have no choice but to self medicate with medication I have procured myself through alternative means... The w…

Is there something inherently wrong with amphetamine use?

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#497

Post by jacobyoder »

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?

I've been in open office plans where wearing earbuds/headphones was seen as hostile/negative towards others. This was many years ago, but... not that many (in the mid 2000s).

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#498

Post by [deleted] »

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…

[deleted]

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#499

Post by danielbln »

coldblues wrote: post #471
danielbln wrote: post #182

Here's another hack: 10mg Methylphenidate. YMMV, but the alternative is a boat load of systems, routines, caffeine, which all may or may not work depending on how the day/week is going. Not a panacea to be sure, but for those adults with ADHD inattentive where dopamine deficiency impacts executive functioning it can be essential (and incredibly effective).

When it comes to Amphetamine derivatives what works for you might not work for someone else. Stimulants generally work well, but some people have genetic conditions that make their situation worse. It's best to find out which medication is best for you.

You're absolutely right, just one correction in that Methylphenidate is not an amphetamine (derivate).

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#500

Post by qup »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #254
tapland wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One thing I noticed: Other people would get hyper from coffee, I would not. My brain would calm down a lot with the help of caffeine. I would regularly down 3-4 red bulls (diet) in the evening if I knew I needed to fall asleep and sleep well. I'm not sure if it's been studied but anecdotal evidence from others seem to suggest I'm not alone and that some others have the same experience.

N=1, I sleep better on stimulants than off them. No problem falling asleep after drinking coffee (usually it makes me more sleepy), or even taking a prescribed stimulant before going to bed.

I fall asleep halfway through an energy drink with surprising regularity.

In my youth, I would pound a mountain dew before bed.

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