[m0ther]

Get a prescription for Ritalin. Headphones and Spotify. Volunteer for EVERY nightmare project to keep you engaged.

Learn HTML5 canvas. Learn SVG. Learn to make components in whatever framework you're on and get really good at it. Get into webgl. Make yourself the special projects guy. Go deep where others won't.

Hyperfocus is your super power; research it, figure out what puts you in hyperfocus, and what keeps you there. Listed above are some of the things that do it for me (that exist in the overlap between your job and mine).

[seanwilson]

> figure out what puts you in hyperfocus

Can you explain how you figure this out? Any examples?

I don't have ADHD but I do notice some projects give me intense hyperfocus. Generally it's when it's some MVP or problem I start working on where it feels like I've happened upon an unexplored and potentially great idea - this includes there being lots of design issue to think about where there's lots of fruitful avenues to explore and prototype. My hyperfocus tends to end when I've explored the design space enough that I now have to step back and make tough tradeoffs.

That's the most I've tried to make sense of it. I know it's very common for people to get super enthusiastic when starting projects and then they lose steam when the fun stuff is out of the way so I don't read much into it.

[brailsafe]

I think that's roughly similar for me, although it's not specific to a new project, often the opposite. Just something novel and I have some way to reason about approaching the thing. Sometimes this can even be parsing and contributing to legacy code. Design problems definitely fall into this, often being more difficult than any regular programming. I think it just takes some reflection on many different kinds of tasks, still working on it.

[brailsafe]

Thanks for the suggestions. I do have myself a prescription for extended release Ritalin (Concerta) and I think it does provide me some benefit in low doses. If only I hadn't lost the prescription paper twice.

Volunteering for nightmare projects is also a good idea. I'm coincidentally working on Canvas as I'm writing this, which is a relatively novel and challenging topic. You're right in saying it's the hard stuff that keeps you focussed.

[x2f10]

> Volunteer for EVERY nightmare project to keep you engaged.

How does this help with engagement? Problem solving?

[brailsafe]

The more novel problem solving, the more focussed you'll be. This thread https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10979220 goes into that more broadly, but I think we tend to gravitate towards intense novelty and risk for those reasons. Routine tasks will take way longer than for others. For me and others, it can't be arbitrary challenge like "write this basic web page in 40 min".

[burntoutfire]

> Get a prescription for Ritalin.

Is there a study of effects of long-term, habitual usage of Ritalin?

[brailsafe]

I believe there are, and on others. From what I understand, generally not as hyperbolic results as get talked about. I've only tried a lower dose of Concerta, but I'd be curious to read some literature on the subject. I think if anything, the negative effects would come from abusing the short term gains and doubling dose, especially if you don't necessarily need it.

[m0ther]

I have to respectfully disagree with the user that suggested calming music (although it may be great advice for your case, it's terrible for mine).

I also disagree with advice that you should not be medicated. Ritalin provides a 200% productivity bump for me, allowing me to decide what I want to focus on, instead of my natural "most interesting thing wins". The organizational and focus adaptations you made to survive before you were medicated become extra advantages once you are medicated and don't require them.

I have a rule never to visit entertainment or social websites at work. Hackernews is the furthest I'll allow myself to stray in that direction. Entertainment sites will feed your distraction and we want that to starve.

This is the list I am listening to currently: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7wwb18SxFVP9XYqxL09dDw?si=...

I look for music that will keep my heart rate high and isn't created to evoke an emotional response. My aim is to be voracious in the office when it comes to completing tasks. I average 5 times the daily throughput of my coworkers. When I run out of new tasks, I set myself on building alternate versions of existing code to see if I can improve on core metrics or malleability until new work arrives. The best version goes to production. I never stop moving.

I am a software architect and lead dev, I field on average 4 "gotcha" technical questions an hour, while working on the high risk tasks within the application. ADHD (if yours is like mine) provides you the ability to context switch with much less of an issue than others (even when medicated). It also allows you to more rapidly switch between a micro and macro perspective than others; although this is a skill you'll have to train in. Also train in communicating well. Err on the side of over-communication if you're going to work on tasks you weren't assigned when you run out of work; with practice, this will keep you from stepping on other's toes.

I grew up playing multiplayer twitch arena FPS and FPSZ games (quake, tribes) and competitive fighting games (street fighter). Fast paced strategy, adaptation, execution precision, and rapid skill improvement are my comfort zone. You can approach professional programming the same way. You improve by doing; so do a lot and you'll improve rapidly.

I wind down in the evenings reading documentation and decompiling/poring over the code of programmers I admire and researching why they did what they did.

I have worked with a lot of programmers I can see ADHD symptoms in who try to mask them and fit in with the norm. They slow themselves down. I say you were born an outlier; make it work for you. Speed up until you're not distracted anymore. Push and refine what makes you special. Automate busywork (busywork is your worst enemy; but automating it is fun). Our industry is as ADHD friendly as it gets; your work time can be play time. Just make sure you never give a coworker an opportunity to say you are reckless (or God forbid, and opportunity to prove it).

[brailsafe]

A great list of points and I agree with all of them, listening to death metal and hardstyle myself most of the time. However, I so best with dead silence (I think) so it's a work in progress. I'll try out your playlist as well.

> I look for music that will keep my heart rate high and isn't created to evoke an emotional response. My aim is to be voracious in the office when it comes to completing tasks. I average 5 times the daily throughput of my coworkers. When I run out of new tasks, I set myself on building alternate versions of existing code to see if I can improve on core metrics or malleability until new work arrives. The best version goes to production. I never stop moving.

This is where I want to get to and feel like it's possible. I just left the office to go to a coffee shop because there's more going on. I usually get sucked into troubleshooting very easily, and excelled the most when I worked at a sports retailed as there "webmaster / all-around IT guy", as it had be programming most of the time but also running around and working on a lot of different things all the time.

I'm good at handling context switching between problems and scopes, but not as much in a meeting vs programming. They seem to require completely different modes for me. I'm very social, so if I'm interrupted by something remotely social, I'll usually—willingly—get absorbed into it and forget that I'm supposed to be doing work.

Thanks for the responses, you're killin it.