Abbey, thanks for approaching this difficult topic in a warm, personal and relatable way. Though I should know better by now, I'm still frequently surprised that so many people out there experience problems and difficulties similar to mine. While I don't like the fact that so many of us struggle, it certainly makes one feel less lonely in this world.
I particularly like your "divide and conquer" strategy for dealing with tasks and have been trying various ways to trick my brain along these lines for some years now. Checklists work well, particularly when there's a nice visual gratification that the brain can't miss. Being mostly an Emacs person, I really love Org-mode with its low-friction style. But even pencil and paper do work, provided one can muster the discipline to have the same "paper" around at all times.
I also remember from university days that mild sleep deprivation actually helped me with exams, cause it hampered my natural tendency to scatter my thoughts all over the place. Well-balanced fatigue (but not overt exhaustion) worked miracles "tunneling" my attention to the one thing it was supposed to be focusing on.
Anyway, it was a funny coincidence today. I was thinking about avoiding distractions and checked my email. And a link to your blog popped up a moment later. Looking forward to the next part. Good luck!
Oooh I'm being fairly cautious about naming any particular organization system or tool while writing the "Can't Remember" part of this series, but I should ask people to comment with ones they like! I hadn't heard of org-mode and it looks right up a developer's alley!
Hahaha Diet Coke and sleep deprivation helped me get through High School, for sure.
just while reading this article and the comments I'm realised why my adhd brain used to perform bad during my initial days of school and why I outperformed the whole class in the later stages - all because of the sleepless night. I used to study the whole night before the exam and go write the exam without any sleep.
Man! strange how some things help us in ways we don't even realise at times.
Some comments have been hidden by the post's author - find out more
For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse
We're a place where coders share, stay up-to-date and grow their careers.
Abbey, thanks for approaching this difficult topic in a warm, personal and relatable way. Though I should know better by now, I'm still frequently surprised that so many people out there experience problems and difficulties similar to mine. While I don't like the fact that so many of us struggle, it certainly makes one feel less lonely in this world.
I particularly like your "divide and conquer" strategy for dealing with tasks and have been trying various ways to trick my brain along these lines for some years now. Checklists work well, particularly when there's a nice visual gratification that the brain can't miss. Being mostly an Emacs person, I really love
Org-modewith its low-friction style. But even pencil and paper do work, provided one can muster the discipline to have the same "paper" around at all times.I also remember from university days that mild sleep deprivation actually helped me with exams, cause it hampered my natural tendency to scatter my thoughts all over the place. Well-balanced fatigue (but not overt exhaustion) worked miracles "tunneling" my attention to the one thing it was supposed to be focusing on.
Anyway, it was a funny coincidence today. I was thinking about avoiding distractions and checked my email. And a link to your blog popped up a moment later. Looking forward to the next part. Good luck!
Oooh I'm being fairly cautious about naming any particular organization system or tool while writing the "Can't Remember" part of this series, but I should ask people to comment with ones they like! I hadn't heard of
org-modeand it looks right up a developer's alley!Hahaha Diet Coke and sleep deprivation helped me get through High School, for sure.
Thanks for reading!
just while reading this article and the comments I'm realised why my adhd brain used to perform bad during my initial days of school and why I outperformed the whole class in the later stages - all because of the sleepless night. I used to study the whole night before the exam and go write the exam without any sleep.
Man! strange how some things help us in ways we don't even realise at times.