[Beltiras]

As someone that you corresponded with a bit I am glad to hear you got help and got your problems sorted.

I want to share a bit why I wanted to help with the rest of HN. I throughout my life thought many ailments were my "problem", ranging from simple depression, bipolar, alcoholism, drug dependancy and tried the methods successful for each one to "cure me" to no avail.

A couple of years ago however a psychologist gave me his opinion of ADD. Just simply knowing what it was has helped me enormously. It gave me a set of tools to fight the issue. It turns out that all of those other things were epiphenomena of the ADD, parts of the vicious cycle of the upswing when you start seeing the light, elation with a new achieved high you get from some measure of success, followed by the eventual downfall and depression when you see that you are still not making headway. This cycle would repeat and still affects me a bit.

In my case what helped was a stricter regiment of food supplements (especially D, Omega, B6, B12 and calcium) and using Mountain Dew (yes, I know it's a horrid substance) to elevate myself in the afternoon. This coupled with Mindfulness meditation allows me to stay relatively productive. I'm in the process of getting medication for ADD after reading Flower for Algernon and realizing that refusing medication is akin to Charlie refusing the operation (read the book if you haven't, it's remarkably well written).

Before this realization and change in behavior I was flunking out of CompSci @ University. After that change I managed a whole year of full coursework and graduation. I managed to get a job and am managing to achieve the goals we (me and my boss) set for my work.

My point is: You might think you have a specific problem but in reality you might have another problem, but the symptom is what you notice. ADD should really have been obvious when you look @ my life a certain way (having studied everything from medicine to economics to accounting to philosophy and finally CompSci). I had seen many professionals and only one of them hit the proper diagnosis. The funny thing was once I knew the problem, I had tons of tools I had learned about elsewhere to combat it and the only reason I think he was right is that the methods worked!

One of the things that keep me focused is helping others. It kinda gives me a good reason to maintain myself in fit spiritual condition (agnostic, spiritual here simply means connected with my fellow man). A friend of mine is graduating this spring and he tells me he wouldn't be, if I weren't helping him with his maths. Once he graduates, I need to find someone else to help. It gives me strength to know that the help I received, I can pay forward. I'm glad far_far_away is doing that too.

[jjsz]

I've been neglecting my ADHD for two years now and I finally set up an appointment. I keep having the same high and lows and the cycle doesn't stop and it doesn't feel right conforming but I'm going to try the pills anyways and see if it helps.

It's nothing that I worried about but I didn't want to keep neglecting suggestions and missing an opportunity for something that can turn out to be a benefit that increases the productivity of my lifestyle.

Sometimes that's what it takes, the only way you'll figure out if you don't need them is by trying them out.

[Beltiras]

Pills are just one part of a solution. Proper framing of your routine is important. Goal-oriented training is also good. Lack of focus is our dilemma. Everything that gets us on a track and keeps us there is beneficial.

[jjsz]

I used to use Google Tasks, and then that became a data dump of information and ideas of what to do next (personally) and what to do next (business wise) on top of what to do next (on specific projects and different projects). Then I switched to gqueues, then some other to dos that I don't remmeber, I think the standard one that comes on the iPod and other ones..the last one I used was any.do + some sort of combination of things to read with evernote.

They (any.do+evernote) are still the same data dump and nothing really beats off my current set up which is simply google calendar, post it notes on mirrors and walls, behind doors and other places. That's the reminder and keeping in focus part. What I'm really looking for is a Google Glass AR app to visualize statistics and basically the game of life and to have it in my field of vision at least turned on every 15 minutes throughout my whole day.

It's funny that people with ADHD, or any other mental condition are more prone to accept transhumanistic technology without worrying about dehumanization.

I'm completely fine walking with a Vegeta-like scouter to stay on task. Eventually it'll become habit, like the post it notes.

I can also completely accept some sort of solar powered tattoo, in the shape of a watch or anything that'll allow the tattoo to create a hologram, that beams like a simple pager of my next thing to do, powered with an API transmitted through my phone through Bluetooth.

You know one of these days I'll tackle funding a project that helps ADHD people with different ways of learning and tackling tasks.

[Beltiras]

I so totally relate to your way of thinking. For me it was Google Cal and Android sync. The droid was simply an extension of the web interface pinging me with things to do and where to go.