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Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

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Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#501

Post by qup »

JohnBooty wrote: post #491
coremoff wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

> today/tomorrow/someday.

For me: now, soon, eventually

And things might be in the "now" list for a long time. It's the hardest list to work on, for me.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#502

Post by [deleted] »

[deleted] wrote: post #498
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]

[deleted]

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#504

Post by alok-g »

I have all the symptoms described (inattention type, not hyperactivity), including hyperfocus. A test my therapist had given me indicated that I do have ADHD. However, she told me that I do not actually have ADHD as my hyperfocus does not fit with "attention deficit", and there's alternative explanation for the symptoms from some other issues. Upon reading this post however where inattention and hyperfocus are both mentioned, I sense she may be wrong.

In my case, I feel sure that I did not have ADHD symptoms during childhood. These symptoms I believe have come extreme and unusual mental stresses I have been subjected for several years. However, there's not enough literature on ADHD coming during adulthood. Most, like the OP, say that it would have gone undetected during childhood. Some say that ADHD can develop during adulthood too. I have also read that Adult ADHD seemingly has a different mechanism than ADHD that develops during childhood.

In terms of what's working for me, nothing yet.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#505

Post by sumthingsumthng »

slipperlobster wrote: post #299
gosub100 wrote: post #269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you have the inability to read books? I notice that I simply cannot focus on reading a book to save my life. I can read internet comments and articles all day though. If I try to read a book I get annoyed that they're "not making their point" fast enough, especially with fiction and visual descriptions of people and places. I used to just complain about it, but now I wonder if thats actually pinpointing something…

My issue with reading is that my eyes will continue on while my brain has already left the station, so to speak. I'll end up having to go back and re-read sentences/paragraphs. I started doing some research (prior to speaking with my psychiatrist) and started noticing some ADHD-esque behaviors in my toddler. I'm not looking to get them diagnosed (yet?), because who knows what is "normal young kid inattentiveness and…

take good care of the kids nutrition. read up on it. take it serious. let it eat clean. don't fuck this up.

the connection between ADHD and nutrition is brutally underrated, in terms of amounts per meal, intake of food additives and the mix as well. if starchy carbs, then very little fat and little protein. if meat, then no bread, no potatoes, no noodles or similar stuff at all. veggies are always fine except if the digestion of the kid says otherwise. sugar is a tricky thing. timing is important in terms of time of day and time after food intake but it works bad after some foods, which is different depending on geographical origin of grandparents.

you don't need to point a camera on the kid or anything. the effects of foods and the stuff that the body releases to digest the different compounds on body and brain become obvious within an hour or two. but you need to know the baseline(s) of your kid, e.g. time of day, after activities, around certain people, in places, crowds, moods, etc. make sure you do.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#506

Post by hirvi74 »

suzzer99 wrote: post #390
Teridee wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I'm the opposite. I have ADHD and I function much better with meetings, talking it out with other programmers, and the cacophony of noise from an open office. Everything distracts me anyway, so I'd rather it be work stuff than my own thoughts about some awkward moment I had in 1995.

It's probably because this is not an ADHD issue, but just a difference amongst individuals. I have ADHD and meetings do not really seem to impact my functions other than increasing urgency because I have Total Time - Meeting Time left to do whatever task..

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#507

Post by gukov »

alok-g wrote: post #504

I have all the symptoms described (inattention type, not hyperactivity), including hyperfocus. A test my therapist had given me indicated that I do have ADHD. However, she told me that I do not actually have ADHD as my hyperfocus does not fit with "attention deficit", and there's alternative explanation for the symptoms from some other issues. Upon reading this post however where inattention and hyperfocus are both m…

Dr Gabor Mate's theory is that ADHD (and many others) is the body's response to childhood trauma.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#508

Post by dboreham »

The article doesn't mention this (nor have any of the 500 videos I've watched on YouTube on this subject), but you might find that listening to instrumental music has a significant beneficial effect. Music with lyrics doesn't work for me because I start to follow them. Music from someone long dead can be better because less inclination to pull up their Wikipedia page. Music seems to wedge a wrench in the brain mechanism that initiates distraction. It keeps the default mode network busy enough to retain focus on the main thing. Also pick long pieces of music, or auto-playing AI-based playlists, otherwise you go down a rabbit hole of selecting the next piece of music.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#509

Post by alok-g »

gukov wrote: post #507
alok-g wrote: post #504

I have all the symptoms described (inattention type, not hyperactivity), including hyperfocus. A test my therapist had given me indicated that I do have ADHD. However, she told me that I do not actually have ADHD as my hyperfocus does not fit with "attention deficit", and there's alternative explanation for the symptoms from some other issues. Upon reading this post however where inattention and hyperfocus are both m…

Dr Gabor Mate's theory is that ADHD (and many others) is the body's response to childhood trauma.

Thanks for the pointer. I'll find more about this.

Re: Hacking ADHD: Strategies for the modern developer

#510

Post by BagelGuy »

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…

My foot hurts everyday but next to someone who had their's amputated I'm okay; therefore, my foot is fine.
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