Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by MissionInfl 1634 days ago
It's possible to have different reactions to the same drug :)

As someone that is a heavy longtime user and recently diagnosed ADHD (there is a deep relationship between cannabis/substances and ADHD), I did find during the pandemic that smoking cannabis prior to writing software made it feel more productive. Given I couldn't prove that I was really more productive, and there are other costs, I decided against using it at least for my full time job. This is all to say, YMMV with cannabis or any psychoactive substance.
2 comments
__float 1634 days ago
Also ADHD here. I find smoking a little helps significantly with turning off the distractions of Slack, email, reading interesting docs that cross my path. It's much easier to sit down, crank out a coding task, or jump into a deep debugging session.

Not something I do often (or even occasionally), but I definitely don't think it's nonsense.

link
Eldt 1634 days ago
Undiagnosed but suspected ADHD here. With a bit of THC and some electronic music I can bang code out for hours completely in the zone. It's like I build a great mental model on what I'm working on and become very immersed in it. I can't do it too often as managers need their meetings and updates but it's the most "zen" I ever feel.
link
Apocryphon 1634 days ago
In my experience, being in any alternative state of mind, whether from caffeine or moderate amounts of alcohol, or even something not substance related- after working out, after a good night's sleep, after a bad night's sleep (the sweet spot is four hours), there is a sensation of productivity benefit, but I hesitate to claim there is actually productivity in every case. I think these altered states of mind help make it emotionally easier to cope with whatever the underlying cause is- possibly ADHD, possibly some variety of anxiety- and thus make it feel easier to work or engage in other difficult tasks. But cognitively? That's a whole different story.
link
torbTurret 1634 days ago
“Feel more productive” - just like all the drunk drivers who swear, “I actually drive better drunk!”
link
MissionInfl 1634 days ago
Comparing "unfocused without cannabis" to "focused with cannabis" is a no brainer: I am definitely more productive with cannabis if it gets my butt in the chair and fingers typing on the keyboard. Comparing "focused without cannabis" to "focused with cannabis" is a different story, likely favoring the former as you are implying, but I think it is a bit less certain than driving drunk which is always dangerous.
link