91–100 of 118 posts
I was astounded by the popularity of the term ADHD on HN. There are 48,000 posts and over a million comments. If you want to verify this, use ADHD not adhd in your search.
It's like that post on blog options, and how a disproportionate number of blog posts are about setting up a blog.
I've been diagnosed with ADHD 4 times by 4 separate qualified clinicians and stimulant medication undoubtedly makes me more effective, so asked and answered I guess. But I sort of philosophically struggle with the "disorder" bit of it. I live in a box with a glass wall facing other boxes with glass walls and type into a computer screen any time that I'm not actively going to the gym or doing something outdoors becuas…
I've long fantasized what the story of "Grog, the hunter-gatherer with ADHD" would look like. It's... not pretty. - Stepping on a branch while hunting because of a fractal pattern in the nearby tree. - Get drop-kicked by a puma because they spent too much time looking at the ground while trying not to break a branch while hunting. - Getting distracted and missing their ability to ambush prey. - Their spear breaking b…
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No, because being tall is a prime factor when hiring NBA players, but having ADHD is not when hiring software engineers.
Being tall gives you an obvious advantage at basketball. As a result many tall people are drawn to pursuing a career in basketball. Could it be that ADHD gives you an advantage at the kind of tasks involved in software engineering, and that many people with ADHD are naturally drawn to this kind of work, even though the advantage is not so obvious as a physical characteristic like height?
So they decide they should go on to work with software since it keeps distracting them from everything else.
Ironic that they end up building even more psychologically exploitative software that hijacks our attention
I've been diagnosed with ADHD 4 times by 4 separate qualified clinicians and stimulant medication undoubtedly makes me more effective, so asked and answered I guess. But I sort of philosophically struggle with the "disorder" bit of it. I live in a box with a glass wall facing other boxes with glass walls and type into a computer screen any time that I'm not actively going to the gym or doing something outdoors becuas…
I've long fantasized what the story of "Grog, the hunter-gatherer with ADHD" would look like. It's... not pretty. - Stepping on a branch while hunting because of a fractal pattern in the nearby tree. - Get drop-kicked by a puma because they spent too much time looking at the ground while trying not to break a branch while hunting. - Getting distracted and missing their ability to ambush prey. - Their spear breaking b…
Also my spear would be really well maintained and that is because I'm trying to improve it when I know there is nothing around and I would want to be ready for when there is a puma around and I would also be excited to try to want to test it to see if the improvements I made on the spear were actually improvements. Lol
I know it's not true but lately it seems like I am alone in NOT having ADHD.
Anyone have tips for how they manage their ADHD, specifically when you aren't able to get yourself motivated at all with the task at hand or feel like you have too may balls to juggle? I really struggle with yak shaving and perfection being the enemy of good as well, my ADHD often devolves into OCD like behaviors.
For procrastination - body doubling. It's very effective, easy to test, and works immediately. After an hour, you will know whether it works for you or not. You don't need to read a book or train for it; you don't get better at it. If you procrastinate a lot, this is the first method I would suggest. I don't know if I have ADHD, but I'm definitely a chronic, severe procrastinator. I've been looking for a method to ov…
For example, after being diagnosed and doing some therapy and self-education, I realized that I interrupt people because I have shorter working memory. Now I have some steps I take to mitigate interrupting behavior (although I'm not perfect).
Also, if you're running a business targeted at people with ADHD, don't you think it's worthwhile to know if you think and experience the world in the same way as your customers?
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In the long run all the unrelated stuff you wasted your time on before will add up as in-depth knowledge relevant to what you liok for now
Yea but how useful is that if I can't control USING that information. The only way to control what I can focus on unless I loop in some way to get ALOT of dopamine out of it. It's an executive function DISABILITY, it takes so much work to get it close to useful where it just makes it so your basically on par with everyone after it.
I have ADHD. I write down a ton of notes. I have a large, and growing, note-taking environment (Obsidian). After a while using features such as backlinks, etc, you begin to see just _how connected_ everything you know is. Interdisciplinary _is the way to work_, not in some narrow silo.
I do not have a job I care about too much right now, so I am not focused at all on my day job. But I can focus for _hours_ writing code or doing some tinkering in a lab -- the goal is to get a job where I can do either of these...but that requires graduate school.
I have "talk shop" level knowledge in what feels like 20 different domains. I tell people that I am a "jack of all trades but a master of none". A Blessing and a curse.
In my experience: yes, programming often pairs well with ADHD because it’s an ongoing stream of novel problems to solve. That said, as we’ve injected more and more process into software development over the last decade or so I’ve found it harder and harder to engage. I respect its necessity but JIRA is nearly the opposite of the exploratory experience of programming.
I have an ADHD diagnosis and completely agree. The process has become soul crushing. If left to my own devices I would find plenty to do and I would enjoy it so so much more.
Roughly 30% of people I work with at a MAANG have moderate to severe ADHD. Real ADHD, not some self-diagnosed or casual self-deprecation.
Just a couple days ago, my wife and I were having this same exact conversation. In fact, I wonder if big tech company — as dystopian as this sounds — tries to attract individuals that exhibit strong ADHD traits. Side note: I'm 34 years old and just 3 days ago, was evaluated by a psychiatrist and was diagnosed with adult ADHD.