Comment by marshallbananas | Hacker News Reader

Comment by marshallbananas | Hacker News Reader

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marshallbananas

Oh man, I'm in the exact same spot right now. I'm 35, sold first website when I was 17. And I don't even have "regular" job now, just working on my own projects and I still completely dread starting to work every single day. Sometimes it takes around 6 hours for me to just get started and write a line of code. Only to stop an hour later because I'm exhausted from doing nothing.

The only time I am able to regain that "in the zone" feeling from 15 years ago is when I try some completely new stack/framework/language on a fresh project. The problem is I can't do that all the time because I've started dozens of projects and wasted years without finishing anything.

I will be monitoring this thread for any help. This is a serious problem for me.

Get tested for ADHD if you haven't already. Most people think ADHD means hyperactive children but its more an attention disorder where it can be very difficult to get things done if they don't actually interest you or there aren't severe consequences like failing a subject. I've felt the same as you, and it was a 'wow' moment when I started reading about ADHD and people's experiences who were diagnosed as adults.

If you have ADHD there is a rich set of literature on managing it, supplements to investigate (lots of discussions in the nootropic community) and the meds can be a life changing tool when used responsibly.

what is the test?

You can get a referral to a psychiatrist from a doctor who will get you to fill a number of multi choice forms and look at your past school reports to form a diagnosis. This may be more or less involved depending on which country you live in, some places irresponsibly hand out adderall like candy.

IMHO the best approach if you suspect you may have ADHD is to do a lot of googling for adult ADHD, there are good videos on youtube, discussions on reddit and various forums. If you still think this might apply to you, then search for ADHD test.

Thanks - pretty sure there is no ADHD test in my country

I'm a bit past the try-new-stack. I have a stack that I'm very productive and happy. I feel like I've finally found what I love to use, am capable of using with huge productivity, but don't feel like using :-)

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