Helping developers with ADHD thrive. Be more productive, get more done, and feel more in-control of your work and life.
One thing I’ve noticed about myself is that I really prefer written or asynchronous communication. I find it much easier to make friends online than IRL. I enjoy making deep connections with folks I talk to on the web, most of whom I’ve never met offline. And a big part of that, for me, is that my brain often moves too fast for my mouth. With in-person conversations, trying to track…
I keep thinking about this post about burnout (and the included video) from my web dev site. One of the things I’m really struggling with is that I don’t really know what makes me happy or gives me purpose anymore. I used to be able to say “turning my ideas into stuff through code.” Then, over time, it was “seeing my students launch and build careers they were proud…
Just before the holidays, I had the pleasure of chatting with my friend Kevin Powell about navigating ADHD as a developer. Kevin and I talked about… The prevalence of ADHD in the developer community ADHD traits The importance of diagnosis and self-awareness Strategies for managing ADHD Why ADHD can be a good things How my understanding of ADHD has evolved over time Watch the whole talk…
When you have ADHD, you tend to live in-the-moment a bit more, and follow your current passions and interests. That’s awesome! A lot of neurotypical folks really struggle with that, but it’s often just a part of who we are. However, it also means we sometimes don’t plan for bigger goals and wants too well. Once or twice a year, take a little bit of time to identify a few big…
My ADHD tends to manifest in two opposing forms… Jump right in. Thanks to a lack of impulse control, I’ll often dive right into an idea without worrying too much about “what it doesn’t work out” or “what could go wrong.” Deep research and overplanning. Sometimes, I want to learn everything I can about a topic first. It’s usually not from a place of…
One of the biggest struggles I’ve had with my ADHD is that growing up, your taught a bunch of “rules” about what you should do. Know what you want to be when you grow up. Have a five-year plan. Go to college. Work your way up the career ladder. Play the internal politics game. Buy a big house and settle down. And so on, and so on… It’s possible some of those are…
The other day, I wrote about how not everyone will like you when you have ADHD. Related to that, I’ve found I have a much easier time making friendships online than IRL. Like a lot of folks with ADHD, my brain moves really fast, and that can often result in me saying things aloud… In a way I didn’t intend. Without fully thinking through them, so what I said isn’t how I…