[ericmcer]

Wow this guy can really see something through to the end. I have had some good ideas that I give up on once things become complex but he carefully saw this “meaningless” but super difficult project through from beginning to end. That alone is a sort of sacred skill, regardless of the task.

[thehappypm]

This is something I struggle the opposite of. When I dive into something, I get super focused, to the point of it severely disrupting my life. I had a few projects in grad school that kept me up for like 2 days straight even though they weren't due for a few weeks. I think the author has that same level of manic focus. It's honestly why I can't be a programmer, it's not that I can't write good code, it's my head space. I can't achieve a level of Zen that all the great programmers seem to have, I get super super focused, and then too emotional.

[Gene_Parmesan]

As someone with ADHD, this sounds like an ADHD symptom called hyperfocus. Note I am not trying to e-diagnose you with something, I'm just comparing the similarity of your description to the description of an ADHD symptom, not saying I think you have ADHD.

I make that comparison because if you do a search for hyperfocus, you may be able to find strategies to help you break out.

For me, hyperfocusing can be so strong that hours will pass with me barely noticing. I often say that the house could burn down around me and if I am hyperfocusing, I'd be toast. I don't get it for multiple days as you describe, but it's not unheard of for others. My dad is a metallurgical engineer, and described something basically exactly the same to your experience with programming. He had some lab course involving programming freshman year and stayed in the lab for 24 hours straight obsessed with a project. When he broke out of the 'trance,' he realized that he could never be a programmer full time because it would completely take over his life.

For others who maybe aren't familiar with this feeling, it is most definitely NOT a pleasant feeling. I always come out of that state feeling almost sick to my stomach, headachy, dissociated. Not something I enjoy, and not really something I can direct to be more productive.

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(Note that it may sound odd to describe hyperfocusing as an ADHD symptom -- isn't ADHD about a deficit of attention? But actually ADHD is kind of a misnomer; a better name might be "Executive Functioning Disorder." ADHD is more about being unable to direct or control your focus, and this can work either way -- to make you appear less focused, or severely over-focused. In particular this symptom is not a side effect of medication, and in fact medication can help to break out or prevent you from being sucked in in the first place.)

[thehappypm]

Thank you, I will look into it. In other areas of my life I sometimes feel like I do have ADHD.

[ericmcer]

That sounds like a gift haha. It would definitely not work well for most programming gigs (sprint style, kanban board, small estimated tasks with regularly reported progress), but in the right niche you could do stuff that most of us can only dream of.

[0-_-0]

I think you just described genius. Hope you're using it for good.

[TaylorAlexander]

Yeah I tinker a lot but even getting to the point of actually writing up and posting an article is often what I get held up on.