Wow - I actually do this - did not know it had a name but pairing up with someone actually makes it easier (although loads of coders I know dislike working with others - so pair programming is an attempt to do this technique without knowing who has adhd or not?
The ADHD body double: A unique tool for getting things done
71–80 of 219 posts
Re: The ADHD body double: A unique tool for getting things done
#72This is where remote work goes off the rails, but then it’s wild how intentionally isolating the implementation of RTO that many large corporations are doing now. They line people up in rows, put headphones on their heads and wire them up to Teams and Jira to spend the whole day in isolation. Because taking a walk to another floor of building to talk to someone like a normal human being is too wasteful, but somehow f…
> They line people up in rows, put headphones on their heads and wire them up to Teams and Jira to spend the whole day in isolation. Because taking a walk to another floor of building to talk to someone like a normal human being is too wasteful, but somehow forcing everyone to spend hours commuting isn’t.
Sure, this is pretty much exactly what I'd expect from companies; wasting the employee's time doesn't matter, but wasting the _company's_ time is anathema. In the absence of something to push back against it, companies will always make decisions like this. We're only a bit over a century and a few repealed regulations from another Triangle Shirtwaist Factory after all.
Re: The ADHD body double: A unique tool for getting things done
#73There are a bunch of “study with me” videos on YouTube that aim to do a similar thing, for example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ex_bNIFR1A
Re: The ADHD body double: A unique tool for getting things done
#74Earlier quoted context omitted.
Absolutely same experience. It's quite draining but extremely effective.
That kind of aligns with Guy Steele's experience pair programming... with Richard Stallman: "My first thought afterward was: it was a great experience, very intense, and that I never wanted to do it again in my life." https://www.oreilly.com/openbook/freedom/ch06.html
It helped that they were working on an interesting problem. Most problems that need solving are not interesting.
Re: The ADHD body double: A unique tool for getting things done
#75An online application of this principle is Focusmate, where you schedule calls with essentially random strangers and just work together. There's very little chit chat and it's not some weird front for a hookup scheme. I've been amazed at how well it works for me. I can't really explain why, after all the other person can't see my screen so I could just be doom scrolling YouTube the whole time, but for some reason I d…
Hey, you can share your screen in Focusmate. I also started doing body doubling with Focusmate & Focus101 since a month or so, I read about it on HN. Agreed its extremely effective (I have ADHD too). I alternate between the two services so I can stay on the free tiers ;)
Re: The ADHD body double: A unique tool for getting things done
#76This is where remote work goes off the rails, but then it’s wild how intentionally isolating the implementation of RTO that many large corporations are doing now. They line people up in rows, put headphones on their heads and wire them up to Teams and Jira to spend the whole day in isolation. Because taking a walk to another floor of building to talk to someone like a normal human being is too wasteful, but somehow f…
Working in an open office on cool stuff with legitimate friends was the best work experience I've ever had by far. Most days it didn't even feel like work. Now I wfh full time with people who are just coworkers and I'm miserable.
Re: The ADHD body double: A unique tool for getting things done
#77An online application of this principle is Focusmate, where you schedule calls with essentially random strangers and just work together. There's very little chit chat and it's not some weird front for a hookup scheme. I've been amazed at how well it works for me. I can't really explain why, after all the other person can't see my screen so I could just be doom scrolling YouTube the whole time, but for some reason I d…
I could have written this. I have ADHD and I've done 500+ FocusMate sessions in the last year. I've found it sticky and helpful like nothing else I've ever tried, and I can't even explain why. It just feels like some kind of brain hack.
There was a recent discussion about body doubling on HN. One of the theories is that prior to modernity, people mostly worked together and that’s how we are wired. Doubly so for us ADHD people, who would tend to partake in hunting, war or such activities.
Re: The ADHD body double: A unique tool for getting things done
#78I’m sure this works for some people. Personally I loathe social interaction of any kind, and mixing that with engineering gets me to my mental/emotional limits much faster. On my own I can work about 2 hours on and 10 mins off, sometimes for 10+ hours total. If I have a 2 hour collab coding call, that’s about all I’ll do that’s productive that day. I’l literally have to spend the rest of that day mentally recovering…
Whenever I read about pair programming as a standard technique (like XP) it sounds so great in theory but in practice I find it extremely draining whenever I’ve dabbled.
Like other bad ideas (TDD) it seemed to rise to prominence during the heydey of Ruby and untyped JS, when it was so much easier to fuck everything up. I think lots of managers haven't written a line of code since then and still hold such a cargo cult mentality about prescribing it.
It does a massive disservice to everybody involved, especially juniors who are never given the chance to prove themselves.
Re: The ADHD body double: A unique tool for getting things done
#79This is where remote work goes off the rails, but then it’s wild how intentionally isolating the implementation of RTO that many large corporations are doing now. They line people up in rows, put headphones on their heads and wire them up to Teams and Jira to spend the whole day in isolation. Because taking a walk to another floor of building to talk to someone like a normal human being is too wasteful, but somehow f…
It's about maintaining a feeling of control, it's not about collaboration. Thats just the lie they tell to RTO.
Ive worked in:
1) collaborative in office
2) uncollaborative in office
3) collaborative wfh
4) uncollaborative wfh
Personally i found 4 to be the most tortuous (because of ADHD), but 2 isnt much better.
1 and 3 i think are roughly equally good while you're there but wfh has so many ancillary benefits like not commuting that it wins overall.
After experiencing 4 and before I experienced 3 I actually desperately wanted to RTO.
I think a collaborative environment is only quite tangentially related to inhabiting the same space, though. It's more about culture, trust and shared goals.
Re: The ADHD body double: A unique tool for getting things done
#80There are a bunch of “study with me” videos on YouTube that aim to do a similar thing, for example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ex_bNIFR1A
Where does specialization end?
Personally, I would like to vicariously YouTube double with a “friend” on our private jet. For about four hours, then another hour looking out the window, listening to said friend continuing to work, while I enjoy a well earned inflight (I.e. home made) cocktail before we land on a tropical island.
Someone would like to host videos like that for a living.