Comment by samuelmtimbo | Hacker News Reader

Comment by samuelmtimbo | Hacker News Reader

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I offer you my genuine personal point of view.

ADHD people are incredibly creative! They are those whose brain naturally refuses to conform to "what is not fun", in the words of the author. This feeling is right behind Artistry itself! Your mind is trying to say something very important.

I advise you to invest in finding what your flow is. For a moment think the way your brain works is a gift of the universe and things like Distraction, Hyperactivity and Never Ending Stream of Thoughts might in turn be confused with Graph Exploitation, Mind Stamina and Infinite Power of Association.

How can you take the most utility out of your "condition"? By using it as a tool for Creative Expression. We are all blessed to have so many options to do that. Fall in love with a project - something you care about so much you will likely be always motivated by it.

The System is totally broken. Many know that. Companies should see ADHD collaborators as a unique and rare kind of Problem Solvers and work hard to make sure their gift is well exploited. The full equation has got many parameters, but a good starting question is "how can we design an environment where my ADHD (or any other condition) can give their absolute best?".

Personally, I like to use my abilities thinking about The Future of Technology and expressing those thoughts through Software Development. If you vibe with that, message me. I would very much want to be your friend.

You probably mean well, so as a usual lurker, I'll make an account to offer my genuine point of view in return.

I'm an artist and a programmer, the kind of 'creative' you are talking about, and see myself mirrored almost exactly in the original post. There are many things I care so much about I 'will likely always be motivated by them'. I am in love with all of these.

The problem is that same motivation likes to vanish for weeks, months, years at a time. I have no control over this. That's what ADHD does. That's why it's a disorder, not just misunderstood creativity. We ghost on our own dreams, inarticulately.

I already consider myself "blessed" to know what I like. I would just really like to be able to like it for more than one maniacal sprint at a time.

A solution to the problem of our clumsily entering and exiting a role (above the level of temp work, turking, etc) would be nice - in no small part because it seems like this would help people without ADHD too and, therefore, scale. I've been looking for a solution to this for most of my adult life. The only remotely consistent one I've found is 'long tail' type things - things one makes once and doesn't have to think about, like resources (books, writing, references), assets ('crafts', reusable design, etc).

That isn't enough to build a career off unless you get astronomically lucky - or come upon the necessary resources to delegate the less ADHD-friendly parts of this kind of business - promotion etc - to someone else.

I concur it is hard to keep continuity while battling waves of inconsistent motivation. While we hardly have the same experience with the issue, I would like to share a few additional models with you. They are not any close to a solution, but might be helpful thinking about:

I found Brain Hacking a helpful tool.

What incentives can you setup to use your own "instincts" in your favor?

"Long tail" projects are a very good call. If the required endeavor for success is big and challenging, you are likely to get drawn back to it out proud, "just to prove yourself". It might help assuming it is your responsibility to get it done. The waves will keep coming regardless, but I found that even in the dark moments, you can still advance, if just a little, and sometimes you will be surprised by finding out a time of complete aversion was exactly what you needed to step back up. I can see you are self-conscious of those moments so maybe an "OK, I am depressed. What is the least I can do while in this state of mind?" is a good exercise.

I got involved into a project that might take many years to finish and I became obsessed with it in a way the great majority of my thoughts, regardless of how messy, fall into its reign. Many might tell you to shoot for Balance instead. That sounds nice, but as an ADHD myself, I am not afraid of saying singleminded dedication to a cause is not as bad as people might tell you.

One way I found to cope with it is to apply Gamification in my routine. Every finished mission is one step less towards the vision. Another strategy I use is to go the opposite way of the norm by removing all source of information instead of feeding on them. I really mean no books, no articles, no podcasts, no HN, no YouTube, Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, etc; you name it, anything that would likely bring you anxiety. In this state of mind your mission will be canalizing your thoughts into something you find useful. Repeat.

To finish, for what it comes to career as an Engineer/Artist, I would say that following a passion, even if inconsistently, will likely be a better lesson, both technically and creatively, than any job you could find in the system. I once got two very good job offers by basically saying "I am too adventurous. I won't ever fit your archaic corporative structure. Are you sure you want me in?". That said, nothing really beats the thrill of being a maker. Have you ever lurked into Systems Design?

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