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I’ve also realized lately that just being able to maintain my focus (and quiet the anxiety that causes context switching) would be a bigger productivity boost t

by kbd 6y ago

I’ve also realized lately that just being able to maintain my focus (and quiet the anxiety that causes context switching) would be a bigger productivity boost than any methodology, tool, or programming language. It’s worth more than 10 years more experience. I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD in the past, so it’s always been a struggle. What’s the secret? Meditation? Drugs?

sushshshsh 6y ago
A relentless desire to be better despite all odds
- michaelcampbell 6y ago
  I think the "willpower" argument vs ADHD falls kind of flat, although I have no studies to back that up. But it smacks of the same sort of "victim shaming" that dieters face when told, "just do it" or equivalent.
  - sushshshsh 6y ago
    Then don't be surprised when you don't fix the problem. You can try drugs but it may not work and may have side effects. You might end up worse off just because you tried. However attempting to summon some focus and willpower from within is completely free and may even work. All you need to do is try it. You won't give yourself a stroke by trying it, but adderall might. The real victim blamer is the one who solicits advice and then discredits and insults the person who took time to give advice for free out of the kindness of their heart.
    - ernahrung 6y ago
      Sounds like someone who hasn't had to to deal with ADD/ADHD before lol. This is the dumbest take I've ever heard, you should feel bad. "just focus harder dumbass"
      - sushshshsh 6y ago
        h
        maxton 6y ago
        Wow, that's extremely impolite.
- srpinto 6y ago
  Drugs help too.
  - sushshshsh 6y ago
    I'm not disputing that. I'm saying it does not work for every single person.
nisa 6y ago
you are not alone. sleep, daily exercise (like running at least 1 hour) helps quite a bit after few weeks but it's difficult to maintain that pace for me. planning and organizing in advance is also tremendous helpful but even more difficult to maintain. As for meditation it never really worked for me unless I'm already calmed down - so it's only helping after exercise. At the moment green tea seems to have some effects but I gave up on thinking I can fix this myself (trying on/off without much lasting success for more than 10 years..) and now looking into getting a diagnosis and maybe try meds if the doctors they that it might help.
toomanybeersies 6y ago
Personally I find 8-12 dexamphetamine tablets a day usually does the trick for me. They're definitely not a magic pill, but I'm not constantly battling with my brain just to stay focussed on the task at hand.
- etripe 6y ago
  Is that as much as it sounds like?
  - goldenCeasar 6y ago
    No, it refers to the effect duration, 8 hours, 12 hours.
    - TheKarateKid 6y ago
      That’s not how the sentence reads, even if OP meant it that way.
  - toomanybeersies 6y ago
    40-60 mg a day, it's on the higher end of the dosage range.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
jaywalk 6y ago
As someone who has also been diagnosed with ADHD, I'm near useless without Adderall.
stevewodil 6y ago
Please email me! I need people to test a new system I developed and have been using myself for being productive in a world with many distractions. I haven't been formally diagnosed with ADHD but I do have certain symptoms that align with it. I'd be curious to get your personal experience and feedback with what I've been working on
tvanantwerp 6y ago
Meditation and pomodoro help me to maintain focus. Also having a clear todo list with concrete small actions to take makes it easier to keep going.
jamyot 6y ago
This article might help regarding the impacts multi tasking can have, and how you can stop context switching: https://bit.ly/2yrVV2W https://bit.ly/2yrVV2W
ltr_ 6y ago
ADHD/Bipolar here, I really struggle with this, and using external tools is not an option, for me is just more multitasking risk!,something that works for me, aside from the drugs and good sleep, is a top down approach when programming, I just implement functions in terms of undefined magic functions/objects (all red in the IDE!) and start backwards implementing them, I used this "technique" when I was a Java developer using IntelliJ (CTRL+SPACE over undefined item -> implement). that kept my attention in easy chunks and well defined tasks. Type driven development is another "technique" I discovered, and it worked very well for me lately. Using the compiler as your guide and friend.

by kbd 6y ago

sushshshsh 6y ago

A relentless desire to be better despite all odds

michaelcampbell 6y ago
I think the "willpower" argument vs ADHD falls kind of flat, although I have no studies to back that up. But it smacks of the same sort of "victim shaming" that dieters face when told, "just do it" or equivalent.
- sushshshsh 6y ago
  Then don't be surprised when you don't fix the problem. You can try drugs but it may not work and may have side effects. You might end up worse off just because you tried. However attempting to summon some focus and willpower from within is completely free and may even work. All you need to do is try it. You won't give yourself a stroke by trying it, but adderall might. The real victim blamer is the one who solicits advice and then discredits and insults the person who took time to give advice for free out of the kindness of their heart.
  - ernahrung 6y ago
    Sounds like someone who hasn't had to to deal with ADD/ADHD before lol. This is the dumbest take I've ever heard, you should feel bad. "just focus harder dumbass"
    - sushshshsh 6y ago
      h
      - maxton 6y ago
        Wow, that's extremely impolite.
srpinto 6y ago
Drugs help too.
- sushshshsh 6y ago
  I'm not disputing that. I'm saying it does not work for every single person.

nisa 6y ago

you are not alone. sleep, daily exercise (like running at least 1 hour) helps quite a bit after few weeks but it's difficult to maintain that pace for me. planning and organizing in advance is also tremendous helpful but even more difficult to maintain. As for meditation it never really worked for me unless I'm already calmed down - so it's only helping after exercise. At the moment green tea seems to have some effects but I gave up on thinking I can fix this myself (trying on/off without much lasting success for more than 10 years..) and now looking into getting a diagnosis and maybe try meds if the doctors they that it might help.

toomanybeersies 6y ago

Personally I find 8-12 dexamphetamine tablets a day usually does the trick for me. They're definitely not a magic pill, but I'm not constantly battling with my brain just to stay focussed on the task at hand.

etripe 6y ago
Is that as much as it sounds like?
- goldenCeasar 6y ago
  No, it refers to the effect duration, 8 hours, 12 hours.
  - TheKarateKid 6y ago
    That’s not how the sentence reads, even if OP meant it that way.
- toomanybeersies 6y ago
  40-60 mg a day, it's on the higher end of the dosage range.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]

jaywalk 6y ago

As someone who has also been diagnosed with ADHD, I'm near useless without Adderall.

stevewodil 6y ago

Please email me! I need people to test a new system I developed and have been using myself for being productive in a world with many distractions. I haven't been formally diagnosed with ADHD but I do have certain symptoms that align with it. I'd be curious to get your personal experience and feedback with what I've been working on

tvanantwerp 6y ago

Meditation and pomodoro help me to maintain focus. Also having a clear todo list with concrete small actions to take makes it easier to keep going.

jamyot 6y ago

This article might help regarding the impacts multi tasking can have, and how you can stop context switching: https://bit.ly/2yrVV2W https://bit.ly/2yrVV2W

ltr_ 6y ago

ADHD/Bipolar here, I really struggle with this, and using external tools is not an option, for me is just more multitasking risk!,something that works for me, aside from the drugs and good sleep, is a top down approach when programming, I just implement functions in terms of undefined magic functions/objects (all red in the IDE!) and start backwards implementing them, I used this "technique" when I was a Java developer using IntelliJ (CTRL+SPACE over undefined item -> implement). that kept my attention in easy chunks and well defined tasks. Type driven development is another "technique" I discovered, and it worked very well for me lately. Using the compiler as your guide and friend.