ADHD AND HYPERFOCUS SOFTWARE
ADHD AND HYPERFOCUS CODE

As you work, you get concrete feedback on how it’s going: the code accomplishes what you want it to, or it doesn’t.

You get concrete feedback: When you’re writing code, you’re trying to get that code to do something specific.

The hands-on nature of programming allows both of those things to happen. People with ADHD often learn by doing and focus best when they’re actively working on something. Part of what drew me to studying computer science in college was how project-based it was: more of my time was spent writing programs, less of it passively memorizing information and zoning out in lectures.

It’s hands-on: Programming is a hands-on activity where you learn by making things and experimenting.

ADHD AND HYPERFOCUS SOFTWARE

When you see lists of good jobs for ADHD, software developer doesn’t seem to come up much, but I’ll suggest that programming can actually be a nice fit to the way the ADHD brain functions. That’s why I want to look at the contrasting sides of coding with ADHD: the good, the bad – and, of course, the hyperfocus! The good In other words, there are both positives and negatives to programming when you have ADHD. Put the two things together, and you have the potential for double the frustration. Anecdotally, other ADHDers I’ve met who write code seem to feel the same way.īut computer programming can be frustrating, too. As an area of study, a job, or a hobby, programming can fit uniquely well with how the ADHD brain works. Looking back, the decision might have been influenced by my ADHD symptoms as well.

At least, that was my thinking when I declared a major in computer science during college. It does not store any personal data.Writing code is a skill that you won’t ever regret having. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Performance'. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Other. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Necessary'. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Functional'. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Analytics'. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. So, what’s the verdict? Blessing or Curse? Post navigation I give myself breaks, so I don’t burn out. Now I try every day to use our systems to keep on track, but not overdo the hyperfocus. It’s one of my biggest challenges, and has been my whole life. Plotting my productivity on a graph would be waves of peaks and troughs. You aren’t even aware it’s happening until you hit a wall and burnout results. If you have ADHD, you’re using an incredible amount of energy to stay on task.

However, we both agreed that the fallout can be quite severe. We were doing a podcast interview on hyperfocus, and our guest was telling us how hyperfocus saved the day for her more than once.

The thing about hyper focus is that it can carry you through, so that you can reach your targets and meet your goals. It’s an anxiety I didn’t realise I had until I started talking to other people in our group about their experiences when they are trying to focus down on a project. I have this gut wrenching fear that if I lose focus, I’ll never get it back again. I barely hear what’s going on around me, and I’m single mindedly focusing on the task that’s taking my attention. He reminds me that the world is there, because I’m focusing so hard on what I’m doing that, I don’t notice time at all. Very often, Ross will have to bring me food and water. It can take me quite sometimes to get started. One thing I’ve always had the ability to do is really hyperfocus on a task that grabs my attention.

Adhd and hyperfocus