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When I was younger I could do it easily too, hack through the night with the power of some caffeinated cola drinks, easily doing 12h hackathons. When I was 16 t

When I was younger I could do it easily too, hack through the night with the power of some caffeinated cola drinks, easily doing 12h hackathons. When I was 16 to about 20 years old, that is. Nowadays it's a bit different. My body just can't take the sitting in front of the computer for so long. Maybe it's a good thing though, but it really makes me want to think about how I spend my time on the computer and seek those creative hours when I am able to get into the zone and just code. Usually I find myself doing from anywhere to 2 to 4 hours of concentrated creative work a day, and that's it.

willurd 14y ago
After speaking with a couple of people that have ADHD (I've never been diagnosed, though I probably would have been with my behavior and inattentiveness during my school years), I've worked up a pet theory that so-called "ADHD" or "ADD" is what allows people to hyper focus like this. Granted, of the people I've talked to, including myself, that hyper focus really only extends to things they are truly interested in, but it's real nonetheless. I found this out for myself when I got into programming (as stated above). As for me, I've noticed the amount of time I can focus on something go down a little over the years as well, though I still occasionally get inspired and hyper focus like I used to.
- HeyLaughingBoy 14y ago
  That's not just your pet theory, it's commonly accepted by psychiatry. One of the defining characteristics of ADD/ADHD is ability to focus for extended periods. The main reasons ADD gets a bad rap is that people (often children) are either focusing on something that adults don't want them to focus on, or there is nothing interesting that holds their attention so they become easily distracted.
  - willurd 14y ago
    300 years in the future kids will be in school, uploading into their brains the story of how in the early 21st century leading psychiatrists and willurd independently discovered the fact that ADHD is actually a super power. Or so I imagine...

willurd 14y ago

After speaking with a couple of people that have ADHD (I've never been diagnosed, though I probably would have been with my behavior and inattentiveness during my school years), I've worked up a pet theory that so-called "ADHD" or "ADD" is what allows people to hyper focus like this. Granted, of the people I've talked to, including myself, that hyper focus really only extends to things they are truly interested in, but it's real nonetheless. I found this out for myself when I got into programming (as stated above). As for me, I've noticed the amount of time I can focus on something go down a little over the years as well, though I still occasionally get inspired and hyper focus like I used to.

HeyLaughingBoy 14y ago
That's not just your pet theory, it's commonly accepted by psychiatry. One of the defining characteristics of ADD/ADHD is ability to focus for extended periods. The main reasons ADD gets a bad rap is that people (often children) are either focusing on something that adults don't want them to focus on, or there is nothing interesting that holds their attention so they become easily distracted.
- willurd 14y ago
  300 years in the future kids will be in school, uploading into their brains the story of how in the early 21st century leading psychiatrists and willurd independently discovered the fact that ADHD is actually a super power. Or so I imagine...