r/ADHD_Programmers

guys I’ve done it all!! I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 15 and noticed it in my inability to focus in classrooms but I could always get stuff done (medicated) at home. However, when I got to college I found it much more difficult to remember to do things, even if I really wanted to do them. Here are the things I have done that have really changed my life:

1. I really struggle waking up in the morning before my meds kick in so even taking them without falling back asleep is hard. I sleep with my pillbox in my bed with water directly beside me. It minimises the risk as much as possible. When I’m dating someone, I often ask them to wake me up to give me my meds so I can fall back asleep and wait for them to kick in.
2. I also sleep with my planner in my bed so that I look at the planner instead of random shit on my phone. I find it pretty hard to even remember my name most mornings so it really helps me set my intentions or at least remember 2-3 important things to do.
3. I also don’t remember any of the things I have done that I have successfully completed, both large and big things. Every day I write down what tasks I did in my notes app so I am aware that I am making progress and am not just floating aimlessly through time and space.
4. Everything showers twice a day 🌟 I cannot do a morning routine sequentially. I don’t know what it is, but I do something different every time. Like I put my socks on and then brush my teeth and then stop to do something else and then I don’t remember to do the rest until way later in the day. So I just keep all of my face wash, toothbrush and etc in my shower so I can just do it all in one go. For me, it has made a huge difference.
5. One thing I do in the kitchen is use a pour over coffee maker. The time it takes for the water to boil, I can usually do the dishes and pick up my kitchen. Crazy how quick you can do it under the timer. It's like last minute procrastination for me.
6. I really struggle with interrupting people in conversation and an insane trick I learned is crossing your fingers if you need to say something and the other person is still talking. People with ADHD often want to blurt out the thought to “get it out” often to not forget it. Doing something small and unnoticeable (someone suggested crossing their toes) helps your brain acknowledge what you want to say. This helps not only give your brain a pause so you can better regulate when you speak but also remember what you wanted to say.

I still struggle with this but it has really helped me.

been thinking about this for a while and wondering if anyone else gets it every time I use a habit app the same thing happens build a streak, have one bad day, see the reset, feel immediate shame, never open the app again. and I keep blaming myself for it but lately I'm thinking the streak mechanic itself is the problem. like it punishes you for being human instead of showing you how far you've actually come I've been sitting with this long enough that I actually started building something around it details on my profile if you're curious does this pattern sound familiar to anyone here?

I keep ending up with a pile of long-running terminal sessions: deploys, log tails, migrations, and lately a bunch of Claude Code runs. The annoying part isn’t starting them, it’s figuring out which tab/session actually needs me.

This was useful because it treats terminals as persistent sessions and adds a simple “needs action” layer on top, so the ones blocked on input/approval float up instead of getting lost in the pile. Under the hood it’s basically ttyd + tmux, but wrapped in a way that makes reopening from a browser/desktop/phone less janky than my usual setup.

A couple things I liked:

• sessions survive browser closes and reconnects cleanly
• grid view is handy when you want to watch multiple jobs at once
• descriptions are auto-generated, which is nicer than trying to remember what dev-7 was doing
• sharing a session for pair debugging is less painful than screen sharing a terminal

Mostly posting because this feels relevant to the “too many terminals, not enough attention” problem.

This software's code is partially AI-generated.

Hello, I tried every possible combination with external monitors, external keyboards, different sizes and specs. I ended up with just my MacBook Pro 16-inch laptop, and sometimes my iPad as a second screen (like during calls or specific situations, but that's not very common), and I feel a sense of peace. Even though my work is stressful and I have a lot of stuff to check, limiting my setup just improved my life. Do you ever feel something like that? And in general, do you have any recommendations, from a software point of view, for someone who uses only a laptop setup?

(Originally written in Russian, translated to English to follow subreddit rules.)

This is more like an emotional dump. I’m not trying to get pity or anything like that. Maybe someone will see themselves in this.

I actually like programming. I enjoy learning new things, understanding how stuff works, building something on my own. But at the same time, I constantly feel tired.

I think it’s mostly because of this constant feeling of guilt — like I “wasted” the day. Instead of doing something useful, like solving problems on LeetCode or working on my project, I end up doing nothing important. And then I feel bad about it.

I’m also tired of all those “this video will change your life” or “watch this and stop procrastinating” videos. Most of them feel like empty content made just for views. Maybe they work for some people, but not for me.

What really annoys me is the feeling that everyone else is doing better than me. I know logically it’s not true — people struggle too. But it still feels like I’m the only one stuck.

I get these bursts of motivation where I start doing something, and it feels great. But as soon as it gets hard, or I lose focus, I just stop. Then I come back later, and the cycle repeats.

To be fair, I did finish my first project (a schedule automation tool), so I know I can do things. But it still feels like it’s not enough.

I’m honestly tired of constantly overanalyzing myself, trying to “fix” my behavior, and then falling back into the same pattern again.

Maybe something is wrong with me, maybe not. I don’t know anymore.

If you read this and feel the same — It's sad. This state really sucks, and I hope you’ll get out of it.

P.S. The text was posted in another community and was removed by the moderators. There was a comment about ADHD, so I'm posting the text here.

I’ve been trying to understand ADHD beyond the usual “just focus harder” advice, and honestly the emotional side is what hits the most.

That switch between hyperfocus and not being able to start anything feels impossible sometimes.

I’ve been testing different small strategies (like simplifying tasks, writing things down, breaking routines into really small steps), and some of them actually help a bit.

Curious — what has actually worked for you in real life?

​

​Seems to have began again.

Cloudy, gloomy, cognitive dim

(Am I grown—or just tired of the start?)

​Imagined the stars within reach of a pinch,

Conformity failure the unforgivable sin.

The forelock—lying, sinful forelock.

​Excited, started, decided—who cares?

3/4 of the way, maybe someday again.

Reminded, Rewinded, excited again,

The perpetual verdict: "He never has had have finished a thing."

​(Is it innate—or have I just learned to quit?)

Only, everything hits harder when its in the forefront;

The tactical blindness—Object permanence, the saving grace.

​Bought the house, laid with the spouse, societal norms.

Germination, procreation, raised these kids of my own.

Is that the paramount? Now have I grown?

​The one hard truth thats come to known;

Yes, everybody lies—save, I know where my fractures lie.

Is it only treatment to get by, day and day?

Or a cure found alone at the end of the days?

When the erasure stops, who is left behind?

Certain to die still at the starting line, will I never arrive?

When the erasure stops, who is left behind?

If eternity is the final place,

Will the resets continue to replay ?

​The end?

‐-----------------------------------------‐-------------------------------------‐-------------

​The Architect’s Note

​I wrote this in the space drifting between waking and sleep. It’s really an audit of own last 15 years. We’re taught that 'Maturity' is a destination—a house, a family, a career. But for the ADHD brain, those are often just biological and societal autopilots. Internally, the 'Rift' remains. I’m a 'Paramount' father on the outside, and a trade-school dropout on the inside. I’m questioning if the 'Reset' ever actually stops, or if we’re just 'Certain to die at the starting line.' This is the False Finish.

Sorrh not frontal, forehead*

Yesterday i learnt react for 1h and i got forehead pain, today i did the same and i got the same... Is it normal to get forehead pain by learning for 1h a day ?