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Comment by htilford | Hacker News Reader

> Also, I have ADHD. This is probably relevant, but I haven't quite figured out how.

Yeah, ditto but having been through these ruts many times in the past I can offer some advice

ADHD makes you incapable of settling into easy

You have work to do but it's easy. You have a side project but you've figured out the hard parts and so it's just the implementation grind, which is easy.

Find a challenge

switch your side project to a whole new tech stack. find a new job that you're not quite qualified for. take on job responsibilities at your job that you don't know how to do. mentor someone.

I also find going to meetups and conferences gets the spark back sometimes

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> You have a side project but you've figured out the hard parts and so it's just the implementation grind, which is easy.

I found a stupid mind trick for that. If I can't do it, then it isn't easy. I kind of found a satisfaction now in doing boring stuff, feels a bit like a super power. I find it useful at work as well - if there are very boring tasks to do I take them. Team loves me for that and these usually are so "easy" that I have more time to "procrastinate" and e.g. do my own projects as well.

Also about figuring the hard parts - when I start I get hyper focused on these and often I won't stop until I figure something out, that means working even 16 hours a day - which is not healthy! That's why I rather avoid it at work...

So just to clarify your mind hack is turning it back on itself?

Since you can't finish easy tasks, that becomes the challenge, therefore you make yourself finish it and it becomes interesting again because suddenly what was 'easy' in your mind you made yourself realise that it only counts if you finish it and you usually don't so the challenge is to be someone that finishes that stuff?

Sounds about right!

> ADHD makes you incapable of settling into easy

> You have work to do but it's easy. You have a side project but you've figured out the hard parts and so it's just the implementation grind, which is easy.

Oh no. That describes me to a T.

Is there a differential diagnosis for this kind of behavior?

A PsyD can assess your focus level using a few diagnostics and if you don’t have other problems that better explain your focus deficit (e.g. PTSD or depression) you will be diagnosed with ADHD.

Talk to your doctor about it. If you can get in with the PsyD the process is pretty easy and non-painful.

The hard part is adapting how you approach the world once you know that you have ADHD, but it’s absolutely worth it.

Also, realistically, having ADHD doesn’t mean you need to start taking meds or changing your life or something. Think of the word “ADHD” as recognizing that theres a class of people who fit these labels, are often predisposed to these issues, and can sometimes be helped by these solutions - it’s only a disorder if it causes problems in your life :)

I'd probably argue that the word disorder applies regardless of whether it causes problems, because ADHD is (as far as we know with current knowledge) pointing toward an actual issue in brain chemistry (compared to non-ADHD), and it's ok to acknowledge that.

That isn't to say people have to use meds/etc. to cope though, I totally agree with the rest of your statement. I just don't think we should imply that the word disorder must be a negative thing. I look at it as purely descriptive.

Keep in mind that ADHD is most likely a combination of a number of different factors that'll lead to a diagnosis. Many people exhibit one to even a couple of the factors, but that doesn't necessarily mean they have ADHD.

But if you look up some of the checklists or videos for "do I have ADHD" and seem to fit the bill of quite a few of the factors, it's worth talking to a therapist or psychiatrist who specializes in diagnosing it. There are many people who slip through the cracks in childhood, a lot of times because schools and docs are looking for the Hyperactive side, but many times the Inattentive side gets dismissed by a number of different excuses.

And as others mentioned, if you are diagnosed with it, that doesn't necessarily mean drugs or even therapy, but it can mean a better understanding of things you might struggle with and the reasons for that, which can better prepare you for coming up with healthy strategies rather than negative/unhealthy ones.

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