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I got my three kids desks for christmas. Put them down to bed for the night and smoke a little weed. I was shocked how I couldn’t follow ikea desk instructions.

I got my three kids desks for christmas. Put them down to bed for the night and smoke a little weed. I was shocked how I couldn’t follow ikea desk instructions. Got frustrated and decided to try again sober. I was super shocked the next day how easy it was to follow when sober.

conductr 5y ago
I’ve experienced this. Generally following ikea step by step style directions is just boring af when high and my mind wonders. But if I put that same energy towards something more creative I can really lock in. Although, sometimes my brilliant creative ideas are complete garbage when seen through sober eyes.
alpenbazi 5y ago
same. complex logical thinking is quite hard. but feeling is great. listening high to classical sound sometimes opens the story, the memory or the feelings the creator wanted to transport. for example. so, a day in remote-meetings can be quite nice high, a complex migration hardly.. €dit: could we pair our experiences with our "handed"-style? i'm strongly lefthanded. i have a theory, with left handeds the possibility is higher to the "logical stuff does not work anymore" component than for righthandeds
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- Eldt 5y ago
  I'm a prolific consumer of THC and have done considerable professional and personal work to a good quality under the influence. I suspect tolerance and dosage can lead to a variety of experiences.
- zelon88 5y ago
  For me I find that pot reduces background noise in my mind that would otherwise prevent me from becoming extremely focused. When I'm high I can follow the instructions so hard that I won't notice a person standing next to me addressing me by name.
- agency 5y ago
  I'm a daily consumer (and right handed FWIW) and while I can usually focus on decently complex tasks unless I'm really stoned I definitely notice an effect on like abstract/symbolic reasoning type stuff. I notice it with video games especially. I was playing a lot of Factorio earlier this year and there's some stuff great to do high, like drive around and clear area to expand your base, but other stuff like planning/designing blueprints is too much. I think anything where you've kind of decided what you're going to do and just need to go execute on it is nice but when you're doing stuff that's requiring active logical decision-making it's tough.
  - ineptech 5y ago
    On a similar note, I see a clear difference in Baba Is You[0] where sober me can follow longer chains of reasoning, but high me can think of more unexpected approaches. 0: Very good logic game on steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/736260/Baba_Is_You/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/736260/Baba_Is_You/
PragmaticPulp 5y ago
Drugs significantly alter cognitive processes and perceptions. I know that reads like a duh comment because that's literally why people take them, but it's amazing how frequently drugs users forget that the drugs alter their perceptions of how the drug is impacting their lives. I've fortunately only had a few of my friends succumb to addictions, but it was surreal to watch them remain convinced that the drugs (including alcohol) were actually helping their performance, relationships, and productivity while everyone around them could clearly see that the opposite was happening. One of the most striking examples is benzodiazepine abuse. Benzos famously mislead users into a false sense of sobriety even when they may be so inebriated that they struggle to accomplish basic tasks. Within the tech scene, I've also noticed this with LSD microdosing. The few people I know who (openly) tried it were convinced they were smarter and more productive while microdosing, but it was objectively clear to everyone else that they were thinking more slowly, generally more confused, making more mistakes, and so on. The difference is that the drug convinced them that everything they accomplished was a wonderful achievement that made them happy, which led them to perceptions that they were accomplishing more on those days. I see similar trends in acquaintances with excessive marijuana habits: A general belief that the drug is helping them do more of the things they want to do, but they're clearly doing very little on the days they smoke. Obvious from the outside, hard to see from the inside when your perceptions are being bent to extremes.
- thewarrior 5y ago
  I think that people thinking that mind altering substances cannot be a useful tool should keep an open mind about it and let those people who are getting real results out of it keep doing their thing. And yes these people do exist. They are not going to be too open about it because of how taboo it is. It’s well known that many of the greatest rock bands, highly productive mathematicians like Paul Erdos and comedians like George Carlin found great benefits in the disciplined use of mind altering substances. Not the addictive side which he regretted but the occasional one as a creative boost. Steve Jobs swore that it changed him. Not that it was perfect but he himself claimed it played a pivotal role in shaping him into the unique person that he was. There are peer reviewed studies that show that psychedelics are among the most effective tools for treating depression. ADHD medication is prescribed quite often today and it’s a game changer for many people. This is not without its dangers so proceed with caution and have other people in your life to check on you often. But let’s not deny the enormous power. Why should some stimulants like caffeine or alcohol be permitted for responsible use while others have to be kept away ? Many of them are less addictive than either. And besides far beyond any argument about utility it’s also one about aesthetics and spirituality. It’s an entire new dimension to the human experience. If you don’t have a good track record of practicing moderation then stay away.
ineptech 5y ago
From my experience and some of the comments, it seems like a common thread is that weed is good for "clean the garage" tasks - not cognitively challenging but tedious, something you'd like to be distracted from - and not good for reading and retaining new information. In programming terms, I think it's great for refactoring, or let's say working through a bunch of corner cases on some weird business data you have to parse, and terrible for learning a new framework or implementing something new you where you need to read several articles about something and combine them into a coherent plan.
- vlovich123 5y ago
  Hard disagree, at least for me. I’ve tried doing lots of different programming tasks and they all take longer. Now it might not be as annoying to do the refactor but it takes more time since I lose track or get distracted. Not sure about the quality of the code either since it’s hard to measure objectively when you’re making mistakes in the moment. Maybe creative technical problem solving it has a benefit. However, from listening to interviews from successful comedians, there are many that express that worry about not being funny off weed, and it rarely if ever works out that way so I’m the “it likely has no to mild negative effect” on most (but not necessarily all) creative problem solving
  - ineptech 5y ago
    I'm not surprised, I think it's just extremely subjective. I mean, I find it extremely hard to focus on a programming task if there's music playing, but I know people who listen to music all day while they work.
    - datavirtue 5y ago
      I can't even begin to program under the influence of alcohol. Almost brain dead in that regard.
- frank_nitti 5y ago
  Generally agree with this, with one specific addition: Spend some sober hours wrapping my head around some new concept (e.g. programming pattern/paradigm or theory topic) or just reading a large codebase for the first time. At a certain point, my brain is just “done”. Then a small toke of some good weed with the intention of checking out and relaxing. More often than not, the effect is the opposite: the complex material i had spent the previous hours analyzing starts to piece itself together in new ways and my energy and interest in the task is restored to 100%. While it may not be the right time to hammer out a complete implementation, it has often assisted in that crucial step of “getting it”. This happened for me often with topics that require a new perspective e.g. vector calculus and functional programming patterns Edit: for reference, I am a heavy user (typically on 2+ doses/day), with occasional long breaks of weeks/months. I believe “tolerance” plays the dominant role in programmers’ experience with this. After a month long break, there is NO way I’m able or interested to work with complex systems of any sort when under the influence.
gwbas1c 5y ago
You could also be... Tired. I can't do much of anything that requires concentration once I put my three kids to bed. The nights that my wife is out give me a lot of sympathy for single parents. (But I will admit that there are times that I've had to just wait until the effects wear off.)
- z3c0 5y ago
  That was the obvious explanation to me as well. A task was hard in the evening, before sleep, and easy in the morning, after sleep... Must be the drugs.
pengaru 5y ago
I am super shocked by your apparent ignorance of such well-known effects from the drugs you're using. Especially at such a late stage in life, having multiple kids under your purview. Maybe I'll just assume you were high when you wrote that comment.
- flatiron 5y ago
  It was my first time trying to build furniture while high. Not currently high.
0xdeadb00f 5y ago
Sometimes smoking completely makes me suck at programming. I can't get my thoughts into the text editor as code. Other times I work just as well as I would have sober. Most of the time getting high is a good way to get ideas for what personal project to work on next.

conductr 5y ago

I’ve experienced this. Generally following ikea step by step style directions is just boring af when high and my mind wonders. But if I put that same energy towards something more creative I can really lock in. Although, sometimes my brilliant creative ideas are complete garbage when seen through sober eyes.

alpenbazi 5y ago

same. complex logical thinking is quite hard. but feeling is great. listening high to classical sound sometimes opens the story, the memory or the feelings the creator wanted to transport. for example. so, a day in remote-meetings can be quite nice high, a complex migration hardly.. €dit: could we pair our experiences with our "handed"-style? i'm strongly lefthanded. i have a theory, with left handeds the possibility is higher to the "logical stuff does not work anymore" component than for righthandeds

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
Eldt 5y ago
I'm a prolific consumer of THC and have done considerable professional and personal work to a good quality under the influence. I suspect tolerance and dosage can lead to a variety of experiences.
zelon88 5y ago
For me I find that pot reduces background noise in my mind that would otherwise prevent me from becoming extremely focused. When I'm high I can follow the instructions so hard that I won't notice a person standing next to me addressing me by name.
agency 5y ago
I'm a daily consumer (and right handed FWIW) and while I can usually focus on decently complex tasks unless I'm really stoned I definitely notice an effect on like abstract/symbolic reasoning type stuff. I notice it with video games especially. I was playing a lot of Factorio earlier this year and there's some stuff great to do high, like drive around and clear area to expand your base, but other stuff like planning/designing blueprints is too much. I think anything where you've kind of decided what you're going to do and just need to go execute on it is nice but when you're doing stuff that's requiring active logical decision-making it's tough.
- ineptech 5y ago
  On a similar note, I see a clear difference in Baba Is You[0] where sober me can follow longer chains of reasoning, but high me can think of more unexpected approaches. 0: Very good logic game on steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/736260/Baba_Is_You/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/736260/Baba_Is_You/

PragmaticPulp 5y ago

Drugs significantly alter cognitive processes and perceptions. I know that reads like a duh comment because that's literally why people take them, but it's amazing how frequently drugs users forget that the drugs alter their perceptions of how the drug is impacting their lives. I've fortunately only had a few of my friends succumb to addictions, but it was surreal to watch them remain convinced that the drugs (including alcohol) were actually helping their performance, relationships, and productivity while everyone around them could clearly see that the opposite was happening. One of the most striking examples is benzodiazepine abuse. Benzos famously mislead users into a false sense of sobriety even when they may be so inebriated that they struggle to accomplish basic tasks. Within the tech scene, I've also noticed this with LSD microdosing. The few people I know who (openly) tried it were convinced they were smarter and more productive while microdosing, but it was objectively clear to everyone else that they were thinking more slowly, generally more confused, making more mistakes, and so on. The difference is that the drug convinced them that everything they accomplished was a wonderful achievement that made them happy, which led them to perceptions that they were accomplishing more on those days. I see similar trends in acquaintances with excessive marijuana habits: A general belief that the drug is helping them do more of the things they want to do, but they're clearly doing very little on the days they smoke. Obvious from the outside, hard to see from the inside when your perceptions are being bent to extremes.

thewarrior 5y ago
I think that people thinking that mind altering substances cannot be a useful tool should keep an open mind about it and let those people who are getting real results out of it keep doing their thing. And yes these people do exist. They are not going to be too open about it because of how taboo it is. It’s well known that many of the greatest rock bands, highly productive mathematicians like Paul Erdos and comedians like George Carlin found great benefits in the disciplined use of mind altering substances. Not the addictive side which he regretted but the occasional one as a creative boost. Steve Jobs swore that it changed him. Not that it was perfect but he himself claimed it played a pivotal role in shaping him into the unique person that he was. There are peer reviewed studies that show that psychedelics are among the most effective tools for treating depression. ADHD medication is prescribed quite often today and it’s a game changer for many people. This is not without its dangers so proceed with caution and have other people in your life to check on you often. But let’s not deny the enormous power. Why should some stimulants like caffeine or alcohol be permitted for responsible use while others have to be kept away ? Many of them are less addictive than either. And besides far beyond any argument about utility it’s also one about aesthetics and spirituality. It’s an entire new dimension to the human experience. If you don’t have a good track record of practicing moderation then stay away.

ineptech 5y ago

From my experience and some of the comments, it seems like a common thread is that weed is good for "clean the garage" tasks - not cognitively challenging but tedious, something you'd like to be distracted from - and not good for reading and retaining new information. In programming terms, I think it's great for refactoring, or let's say working through a bunch of corner cases on some weird business data you have to parse, and terrible for learning a new framework or implementing something new you where you need to read several articles about something and combine them into a coherent plan.

vlovich123 5y ago
Hard disagree, at least for me. I’ve tried doing lots of different programming tasks and they all take longer. Now it might not be as annoying to do the refactor but it takes more time since I lose track or get distracted. Not sure about the quality of the code either since it’s hard to measure objectively when you’re making mistakes in the moment. Maybe creative technical problem solving it has a benefit. However, from listening to interviews from successful comedians, there are many that express that worry about not being funny off weed, and it rarely if ever works out that way so I’m the “it likely has no to mild negative effect” on most (but not necessarily all) creative problem solving
- ineptech 5y ago
  I'm not surprised, I think it's just extremely subjective. I mean, I find it extremely hard to focus on a programming task if there's music playing, but I know people who listen to music all day while they work.
  - datavirtue 5y ago
    I can't even begin to program under the influence of alcohol. Almost brain dead in that regard.
frank_nitti 5y ago
Generally agree with this, with one specific addition: Spend some sober hours wrapping my head around some new concept (e.g. programming pattern/paradigm or theory topic) or just reading a large codebase for the first time. At a certain point, my brain is just “done”. Then a small toke of some good weed with the intention of checking out and relaxing. More often than not, the effect is the opposite: the complex material i had spent the previous hours analyzing starts to piece itself together in new ways and my energy and interest in the task is restored to 100%. While it may not be the right time to hammer out a complete implementation, it has often assisted in that crucial step of “getting it”. This happened for me often with topics that require a new perspective e.g. vector calculus and functional programming patterns Edit: for reference, I am a heavy user (typically on 2+ doses/day), with occasional long breaks of weeks/months. I believe “tolerance” plays the dominant role in programmers’ experience with this. After a month long break, there is NO way I’m able or interested to work with complex systems of any sort when under the influence.

gwbas1c 5y ago

You could also be... Tired. I can't do much of anything that requires concentration once I put my three kids to bed. The nights that my wife is out give me a lot of sympathy for single parents. (But I will admit that there are times that I've had to just wait until the effects wear off.)

z3c0 5y ago
That was the obvious explanation to me as well. A task was hard in the evening, before sleep, and easy in the morning, after sleep... Must be the drugs.

pengaru 5y ago

I am super shocked by your apparent ignorance of such well-known effects from the drugs you're using. Especially at such a late stage in life, having multiple kids under your purview. Maybe I'll just assume you were high when you wrote that comment.

flatiron 5y ago
It was my first time trying to build furniture while high. Not currently high.

0xdeadb00f 5y ago

Sometimes smoking completely makes me suck at programming. I can't get my thoughts into the text editor as code. Other times I work just as well as I would have sober. Most of the time getting high is a good way to get ideas for what personal project to work on next.