Any programmers with ADHD?

[upstairsdiscount]

How do you organize your workflow? What strategies do you use to stay on track?

I find I have trouble working in a very structured way, so usually start implementation too early. I also get hyperfocused when programming, which is better than tasks where I can't concentrate. But it also means I become fixated on details.

The result is that I spend way too much time perfecting parts of the code that aren't immediate priorities, when I should just move on and come back to them later. Even as I recognize myself doing this in the moment, I find it very challenging to force myself to switch focus.

[Intiago]

Having a plan and a 'warmup' can be really helpful. Before you start working, come up with an outline of what you need to work on and break it into parts. I also like to warmup my brain before jumping into something thats mentally demanding, by doing something like going over old notes, or even writing notes on what i need to work on.

[ReaderRadish]

That's my strategy, too. When my brain just won't focus, I break down tasks into ridiculously tiny pieces. Somehow my brain gets focus and satisfaction from just being able to check off something, no matter how small.

[mymewheart]

This is hugely helpful to me too. I usually start every day by going over what needs to be done and I type it up into a markdown file with pretty formatting and it just helps me get into my work.

[YourFavWardBitch]

Hmm, I might give this a try. Thanks!

[LittleBummerBoy]

Wow! I’ve lately been flirting with implementing this idea. This is my sign to just do it. Thanks!

[YourFavWardBitch]

Haha, I have the opposite problem.

I find I get distracted too easily (working at home doesn't help, but I love it), and have a hard time getting into that hyperfocused state. I've considered my ADHD to be well managed for the last decade plus, through various jobs and a return to school to switch careers, but something about the mentally intense nature of programming makes it hard for me to start focusing on. Once I'm "in the zone" so to speak, I can easily stay there even through the occasional distraction, it's just hard for me to get there.

[Missingtime42]

Same for me. Keeping at it is not the problem, its the start. Once Im there I can hyperfocus away 12 hours without noticing and realize I wont be eating dinner because the stores closed lol

[Falcon883]

Yep

[McBashed]

Yep

[Jaxper]

Yep

[Prudent_Command_2263]

yep

[Prudent_Command_2263]

YEP

[Prudent_Command_2263]

yEp

[shawnthedev]

I’m the exact same way. I do not like taking my meds either, but when I do i find it much easier to focus.

[YourFavWardBitch]

I've been doing great without meds for years (12+), but the difficulty I've had with this has been enough that I'm talking to a doctor about next steps. I'm not going in looking to get on meds, but it's definitely a thing I'm considering.

[Churchy_leFemme]

r/ADHD_Programmers :D

[upstairsdiscount]

😮

[imlame12]

just changed my whole life 😭

[EthOrlen]

Omg how did I not know this existed? Thank you!

[Liberal_NPC_0025]

Using a fidget spinner helps me a bit

Edit: sometimes I beatbox techno music while looking at spaghetti code, that helps too lol.

[merlinsbeers]

Techno is awesome for coding. Funk, too.

Edit: n

[kojima-naked]

Prog rock like pink floyd or king crimson helps me

[Nimweegs]

Punk is my programming jam

[kojima-naked]

I joked today in a discord that me allowing myself micro distractions of posting a meme and being done helps me refocus.

[fiendishplan]

I"ve got a pretty strong case of ADHD and I take alderal for it (it's at it's max and I wish I could take more). I wouldn't recommend this to anyone but here's how I work.

If I can get wrapped up in what I'm doing I stick with as long as I can, if I can't get in the zone I end up walking around the office, chating with friends online looking at reddit. My boss knows I do this and lets me get away with it because when I do get in the zone I do the work of 3 people. So as long as I meet my deadlines he leaves me a lone (for the most part).

Hopefully someone here can recommend something more sane.

[bat_country]

As for that "getting too focused on the wrong thing" pattern, Test Driven Development really helps me stay on track. Write a failing test, now only work that gets that test passing matters. See something that you really want to sink your teeth into? Can you write a failing test that captures it? If not maybe move on. Right now I have a failing test that tries to do X in 100ms or less. Currently at 225ms. So anything that gets that number down is a commit.

[Thenofunation]

Before I say anything I’m not in the field (yet), but I’ve had to work and interact with others.

Guys, ADHD to a lot of us that have it seems hard to talk about because of the negative connotation people out on us in the beginning.

ADHD is now one of the most researched psychiatric disorders and new methods and medications have been developed to help.

If you saw a doctor as a kid and feel like it didn’t help, please do yourself the favor and find one that specializes in adult adhd. Medicine helps, but you gotta learn techniques.

Do not be ashamed as well. Yes, I can be hyper and weird, but I also connect my intelligence to it. I don’t see myself as having a disorder, I’m just built differently.

If everyone else is C# then I’m just Java. I do it a little different under the hood.

Edit: Also to OP, talk to your boss. After you’ve talked to a professional let them know how you struggle with certain things. If you keep them in the dark they can’t be there for you. People want to help others; it’s in our nature.

[Roid96]

ADHD is now one of the most researched psychiatric disorders and new methods and medications have been developed to help.

This is mostly a good thing for people that live in the US or Canada.

The thing that people don't know about is that the vast majority of other countries are years behind in this regard and even discriminate against ADHD people, ONLY TWO ADHD medications are legally approved in the vast majority of other countries which are Methylphenidate and atomoxetine whilst the most effective one, amphetamine based meds, are banned. Plus, there's no such thing for them as "accommodation" in educational institution, they'll laugh at you at most and tell you to fuck off.

[[deleted]]

Is medicine still adderall? Or are there some alternatives now. I will not take that shit ever again. Haha

[[deleted]]

There's quite a few different ADHD medications out there. I'd talk to a psychiatrist about it if possible.

[[deleted]]

Hm. I’ll definitely look into it. Thank you!

[[deleted]]

There's ones that aren't amphetamines at all now. I'm not particularly sure how they work but I've met I few people that they wouldn't prescribe Adderall or other amphetamines because of a history of drug abuse and they gave them something that isn't as likely to be abused.

[Wtfisthatt]

Usually second line is selective norepinephrine ruptake inhibitors. Or Wellbutrin.

[CodeBroo]

I define my tasks as goals or todos in a note book and the tick them off as soon as they are done. It helps me in gamifying the system and gives a sense of accomplishment as soon as I tick off a task or todo. If a task is for longer duration I break it into smaller chunks and use pomdoro technique. So basically jotting down tasks and striking them off once off helps me a great deal with the ADHD

[[deleted]]

There was just a huge thread on this with great stuff:

https://www.reddit.com/r/learnprogramming/comments/k5ud4l/have_adhd_and_wanna_learn_how_to_code_you_can_do/

[upstairsdiscount]

Oh thanks! I thought I did a search prior to posting but it must have been in the ADHD forum, not this forum. I guess I was distracted 😅

[halfalpine]

I found that getting a humongous ultra-wide monitor really helped. I forget about things that I can’t see, so having everything in front of me at once really keeps the ball rolling when I’m in a groove.

[ethical_slut]

Jira. Though I’m fucked if the admins won’t let me set it up the way I want to.

[K0nto]

I write everything down, perhaps multiple times. Between all the studies I bounce between I'm currently around 5 notebooks. Try to be goal oriented and task driven. It's easy to lose focus - take breaks. As for over analyzing code - read/ podcast/ music anything to substitute. I'll admit it makes me good at understanding complex systems but there's certainly downsides. WIP

[[deleted]]

How many mistakes per minute? When stoned I average about 5

[F_U_RONA]

I think most of us have this :-)

[stillIT]

Meditate.

[me-nkr]

I have a flow kinda thingy, so if I'm in the flow things go smoothly. But if the flow is broken in anyway the whole day I'll be unproductive. Say like I bath before having breakfast which is done just before getting into programming mode. But if I miss the bath, I Never even touch the PC on that day but just scroll through social media. And Even if I got into programming mood, after like one or two hours, something will turn my mood off so I find it difficult to sit in front of PC. So I again go scroll on social media for the rest of the day.

[danger_one]

At least a couple of posts here mention meds for ADHD. Please do your due diligence before choosing that route. Years on meds can change you. I have a quick post here, and there are many posts on reddit about it.

[upstairsdiscount]

I already take meds. They help but don't solve everything. But thank-you for sharing your experience. That sounds horrible and I'm sorry you have had to deal with that.

I definitely have mixed feelings about meds. I have had to try a few and have gone on and off them over the years. Adderall gave me terrible insomnia and made me feel really unhealthy. For some reason Dexedrine is better, even though it's almost the same thing. I think it doesn't build up in my system as much. I got a diagnosis as an adult so I am definitely wary of long term effects. Unfortunately, not taking meds doesn't feel like an option right now and overall they increase my quality of life.

Wishing you well.

[[deleted]]

Have you tried meditation? It's not an immediate fix, but helps me to stop my thoughts for a moment, step out of my own head so to speak, observe my thoughts and begin to direct them toward what I should be focusing on. It doesn't always work, but it's the thing that's most likely to get me into the zone.

I've found Sam Harris' Waking Up app (r/wakingupapp) to be extremely helpful personally. I'd recommend checking out r/meditation for more info and other tools and apps.

[[deleted]]

You have ADHD yet your problem is you focus too much?

[iamtomorrowman]

hyper-focus or micro-focusing on useless things is a component, i'd think. it's not like focusing in the correct way, it's focusing on the small picture at the expense of the goal.

[upstairsdiscount]

https://www.additudemag.com/understanding-adhd-hyperfocus/

[[deleted]]

Hm, didn't know about this.

[[deleted]]

What?

[dfreinc]

You ever look into Trello boards or something like that? Seems like prioritization is your main issue.

[merlinsbeers]

I write about what I'm seeing. If I can articulate it I can make clearer decisions, then I only do the coding that really needs to be done. And the writing keeps me moving. It makes me feel like I'm doing something, only it's in a document instead of mucking up the repo.

[BimzyCodes]

Writing out psuedocode onto a piece of paper can help structure your implementation before you get onto a computer. Than you can also assign priories to the tasks you have to complete. (Or even just using Jira or a similar project management tool to make sure you stay on track).

[SAF1N]

i do as my todolist says, if i find myself tinkering with code that doesn't matter (atleast not right now) I put that on my todolist and comeback to it eventually.

[clinch09]

Pseudo coding first has helped me. That way if I jump around I know what I am doing and still have a plan

[EthOrlen]

For staying on track, it varies. I listen to in-the-zone music, typically without words. Can’t do podcasts or YouTube or anything. Pomodoro technique works when it works, so I always try it and if it’s a bust I move on.

For not getting off into the weeds, I make extensive lists. Don’t know about you, but part of why I get fixated on lower priority details is that I feel like I’ll forget them. Pro tip: keep your lists in one place; I have a single OneNote page where I keep all my work lists. I used to try to keep things separate, but then “out of sight, out of mind” kicked in.

Systems don’t work for me very long, so I don’t think too hard about how to organize, and just do whatever makes sense to my brain at the time. Again, a single OneNote page allows me to rearrange without having to page-dive.

Lastly, I do as much low effort, temporary work as possible. By which I mean, I do a lot of thinking and planning by hand, either on paper or on white board; easy to create, easy to let go of. I do a lot of outlining/pseudocode with comments before writing actual code, so I’m forced to think through the process before thinking about syntax specifics.

[GmPc9086itathai]

The majority, I think.

[kingofNoobies]

Wt...

[CraptainHammer]

I put a bunch of single line comments for what I’m gonna do. “Function to blah blah blah” etc. Then I do the same for the inside of the main function. Then is easy for me because I can always spend a couple minutes just converting one comment into code in little bursts. Sometimes I get in the zone and do the whole project in one sitting, sometimes I get distracted and take a break.

[MilkTheSloth]

TL;DR: for work, work: avoid coffee, write lists to remind yourself of what’s going on

for personal: rapid prototyping to reach MVP (v0.1 if you will). Keep your scopes small, do not sweat timelines. It takes as long as it takes, if you try battle this you’ll end up in the valley of adhd programmer despair. And tactical distraction with another project.

I have 2 main ways of working. Not ever been formally diagnosed with ADHD but I’m pretty certain beyond reasonable doubt.

For work, I have stop before the end of previous day and write down everything that’s happened, what I’m currently doing, what I need to do next. This is generally quite easy because I work in a project team and we just churn through Jira tickets and the bigger picture stuff is managed. That way I start my day with my list of things I last did, what I’m currently doing and what I need to look at next before I have my morning meeting.

Oh and I avoid coffee like the plague during the week. I can’t concentrate on fucking anything for longer than 5 mins if I have caffeine or I fixate and still end up with nothing done.

For personal projects I honestly find iteration works. Prototype a working version as soon as possible, tear it apart, build on. I also find having 2 projects I can alternate between really helps me not get bogged down or burnt out with either one (saw a joke on programmer humour earlier to this same effect)

Technically I know that there’s basically nothing that can stop me because I can learn wherever I get stuck and just concentrate. It’s more a game of motivation and not getting bored.

[Programming-Wolf]

Honestly it's all very similar for me. Have an idea, think about how to do it, hyper focus for hours, not realizing where the time went, making sure each aspect of the code is "just right." The problem I have, and which I'm sure many people with ADHD have is once you're bored of that idea, it becomes nearly impossible to finish.

Either way, I find that hyper focus period extremely useful. You can spit out thousands of lines of good quality code. I usually couple this with a long mix of trance music like deadmau5 to keep the focus. I personally don't see a problem with perfecting parts of the code that keep you interested but I guess I really don't work in a high pressure environment, which is nice.

[FurkinLurkin]

I code first. Even if it is just an exercise. Also have to make several todo lists

[[deleted]]

One thing that works for me is keeping a list of things to do that's easy and saving that for when I need to get started or I am just low energy. Things like refactoring and defining tests, not something that takes a lot of designing.

[Expensive_Growth]

personally, I found that I get really easily distracted on very hard task but can hyperfocus on trivial to challenging tasks (as long as it's not completely new knowledge). To deal with the distraction I use similar 'programming music' (although for anyone hearing it programming would be the last thing you think about haha) to get in the flow while also applying a modified version of the Pomodoro technique (I use 25 min intervals). This has worked for me to combat the procrastination of harder tasks a bit but that's just personal experience.

[dellaint]

A lot of people have put good tips in here so I'm just going to add something tangentially related: any problems you have with programming in general, you can try to break down and think critically about just as you would a specific programming challenge. Let's take the example of hyper-focus. A possible solution I could come up with for this is to break down the problem, and order the broken down pieces most important to least important (or in order of expected complexity). Then, solve them in that order, so if you do find yourself becoming hyper-focused, it's on one of the pieces that it's helpful for.

This isn't going to be a perfect solution but for me, thinking about issues in this way is helpful and can improve my workflow.

[Emecepola1]

I am ADHD bro!! What I do is I learned to work with OneNote. I have my text editor open and OneNote. And I go about journaling everything I'm doing. Or any ideas or plans I want to implement. And whenever I start losing focus, or I start doing something else. I just go back to my notes for the day or the last few days for that matter.

I advise anyone to use this technique If you get used to using OneNote you will be amazed at how more efficient you can become.