DAE work nonstop when trying to fix an issue but procrastinate on other kinds of tasks?

Posted by hnnsSI@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 226 comments

I work from home. Lately I’ve become really frustrated with how much I’ve been slacking off and procrastinating during work hours. I’ve noticed that, whenever I have to solve an issue, especially those that take hours or days to solve, I can work nonstop. I'll skip my afternoon snacks, I’ll voluntary work overtime without pay, etc. The issue occupies my mind 24/7 and I only stop once I’m able to solve it. Other times, though, I need to work on planning, documentation and ‘research’ tasks. I know those tasks are important but I keep procrastinating on them. I take much longer to finish than I should. Instead of working on them, I’ll just read books or stare at the screen or browse the Internet. I don’t really know why but I find those kinds of tasks really daunting. I did engage in busy work at my former company (in person) but much less often and only when I really had nothing to do. Going to the office is not an option for me because my company is from a different country. I’m considering going to a coworking space but it’s extra money I’d have to pay, plus I would lose a lot of conveniences from WFH.

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alltheketoladies@reddit

Everyone keeps saying ADHD but it's also that for a lot of people - planning, documentation, "research" are not the interesting tasks of IT work. It's boring and can feel unproductive and doesn't trigger the same satisfaction as fixing something. I don't find it interesting in the least but it is necessary. I break it into chunks of time committed to these tasks and schedule them on my calendar just like a meeting and make myself accountable by ensuring someone knows the deadline for my deliverable besides me (it's usually part of my annual goals or something similar). This has helped. I'm never gonna love this aspect but it is nice to be able to be asked if i have something documented and go immediately, 'yah, here's the link'.

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kinoshitajona@reddit

> it's also that for a lot of people Perhaps OP wasn't articulating the extent of the "can't concentrate on mundane tasks" well... But as someone who has mild ADHD and works with people who have severe ADHD, there is a huge gap in the variations of "can't concentrate" Non-ADHD brains, of course, have trouble concentrating on mundane tasks. This is true. ADHD brains can be thought of as stimulation addicts, or non-stimulation-phobics. "I'm scared of spiders, but I can smush one with a paper towel when needed." vs. "If I see a spider I will cry in my room for 3 hours out of pure fear" are both technically "a fear of spiders" but the difference is obvious. Telling people "learn to cope with your ADHD brain" is like telling those two spider fearing people "learn to cope with your fear of spiders. I did it so you can too!" etc... The first person very well may be able to get over their fear of spiders one day, but the second person will probably need medication to help out if they will work/live in an environment where they face spiders all day. Similarly, ADHD is different for everyone "I'm a space cadet, but I can concentrate when I need to" vs. "It feels like 15 bosses are yelling orders at me all at once, and 13 of them are ordering me to do the weirdest things like watch TV or dust the top of the fridge or go to the store to buy a plant for my window sill" could both possibly be diagnosed with ADHD. That said, thanks for sharing your coping strats. Some people may get use out of them. I think it's important to spread awareness without judging people who mean well.

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alltheketoladies@reddit

I don't have ADHD. The steps I outlined are how I tolerate tasks in work that I don't like that are parts of the job. If that works for others, great! But not liking some tasks in your job can be normal and natural, and that's what I was expressing.

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Nagadavida@reddit

Exactly and I don't need medication to help me get through tasks that I don't find as exciting or appealing as others. That's just life. This friggin thread is scary as hell.

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Iintendtooffend@reddit

I'm glad you don't, but myself and many others do. This isn't a bunch of armchair psychologists trying to diagnose OP, but a bunch of people who struggle with executive function relating to the exact experience OP is having, and suggesting that OP may also suffer from the same disorder and not even know it.

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Nagadavida@reddit

It's normal to be more involved in things that interest you and less inclined to participate in things that aren't as interesting. It's human.

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Iintendtooffend@reddit

Yes, but hyper fixation and a complete inability to focus on stuff you aren't interested in is classic adhd. I know you can't relate to the first half of his post, spending hours focused on fixing a single issue, even pulling overtime juat to resolve it. That's hyper fixation.

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Nagadavida@reddit

Also by definition adhd is the lack of ability to focus on s single task. Attention deficit, that means that it's difficult to concentrate and a lack of attention to detail. In tech jobs and engineering work you must have the ability to focus, drill down, notice the smallest details and differences in such. It's not a flaw. It's something many people lack.

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Iintendtooffend@reddit

I have adhd, I think I know a little more than you about how it works. Hyper fixation is absolutely a symptom of having adhd. That's why I said you don't get it. You literally cannot understand how it feels because you don't have adhd. Don't quote the dictionary at me and pretend you get it, you don't have to live every day struggling to focus on the boring work that needs to get done.

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Nagadavida@reddit

Yes I do. We all have to do the boring work and in one sentence you say you are hyper focused for six hours and in the next you say you can't focus. No one likes to do the boring work. No one.

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Iintendtooffend@reddit

If you don't have adhd, you literally cannot understand what it's like. That's literally what is like sometimes. If you have an interesting problem it is all consuming, you'll be obsessed with it until you resolve it. But the moment is done and you have to change gears and work on something you're not interested in. It can be impossible to focus. I've literally spent 2 hours before reading and re-reading a Microsoft kb, because even though I read the words, it wouldn't stick in my brain. This isn't I don't like doing boring things, it's my brain literally will not focus and keeps wandering and thinking about anything else.

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Nagadavida@reddit

Ok

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Nagadavida@reddit

Having said all of that I am glad that whatever meds that you are taking make you feel better. Honestly

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Nagadavida@reddit

I'm a software engineer.

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Ok_Performance_2370@reddit

me when people have a worse life than me :O

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dnalloheoj@reddit

This is a great way of wording it. The phrase 'When you know, *you know,*' kinda comes here. And I think the issue is that a lot of the symptoms of ADHD can be very generic things like unable to concentrate on mundane tasks, or you get angry while driving, or you're impatient. They're all things that dang near everyone could say "yes" to if they were asked if that's ever true about them. But yeah, for people like myself, it's not that it's hard for me to focus on work while having small talk with someone, it's that it's as close to impossible to me as you could get. But that also depends on what it is I'm working on (Engaging? Leave me the fuck alone. Documentation? Let's talk while I work).

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quietweaponsilentwar@reddit

I didn’t know for almost 40 years because I am never hyper, mostly exhausted. It was a surprise to receive a diagnosis to me and the family because I am not “hyper”.

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dnalloheoj@reddit

I'm not the hyper type until it's something that engages me. Hence the comparison between work and grocery shopping. Otherwise, yeah, a very relaxed, laid back person, super easy going, super easy to please. But when something engages me and I fixate on it, a flip switches and it's go time. Literally and figuratively. And no, not at all. That's all part of this beast. I too love doing documentation though it's hard for me to *start*. But once I get about 20% into it, and I've got this not even half-finished mess, my brain *needs* to clean that up. And then at the end, I come out with a fancy night network diagram that I can sit back and be proud of, that's actually useful for the job.

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Specialist_Celery_46@reddit

It's eating your veggies, boring, you might not want to do it, but it is vital for good health.

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Cylerhusk@reddit

Yeah, I thought maybe ADHD was my problem, but after having a doctor prescribe me medication and it doing absolutely nothing as far as my productivity, I decided maybe it's just that I hate doing a lot of tasks.

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altodor@reddit

> "research" are not the interesting tasks of IT work. Research is an interesting part for me. I find that I use it a lot for building a task list of things to do in the future. Or I'll lab out whatever I'm researching if I can.

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alltheketoladies@reddit

Sure, I guess it depends. I was thinking of in the context of OP trying to procrastinate on it so it sounded like research that may not be interesting to them. I often have to research into frameworks or standards and I don't find that stimulating but do find new trends, threats, technologies easy to dive into.

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PhroznGaming@reddit

Everyone wants a reason why they suck. Sometimes you just suck.

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toadofsteel@reddit

ADHD is also not the only disorder out there that fucks with executive function either. I'm a high functioning autistic and I still have problems, especially in the soft skills area of the job. I actually liken autism to Linux (especially older and more niche distros). My mental OS is a bitch to configure, packages don't always exist for the functions and drivers you want, and documentation is scarce unless you write it yourself. My distro in particular has no multitasking capability, which means when more than one person is yelling at me that their shit broke, my brain starts page faulting. I also have a terrible time coming off the task before a task is complete, even if a server started exploding while I was on a different ticket. I'm also tired of the ADHD people coming out of the woodwork every time someone mentions executive function issues. I got tested, I'm on the autistic spectrum, I don't have ADHD. Stop trying to tell me that I do have it.

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techypunk@reddit

Cause that's also a huge thing with ADHD lmao

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100GbE@reddit

Issues consuming your mind until they are solved is certainly a hallmark of ADHD, regardless of qualifiers such as "well, nobody likes documentation".

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Rajvagli@reddit

Stop working overtime without pay, wtf man. You, and others like you, are making a toxic and unrealistic work environment for the rest of us.

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heisenbergerwcheese@reddit

Its also called salary..:

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Rajvagli@reddit

That’s not what OP said tho, they said overtime without pay.

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heisenbergerwcheese@reddit

Overtime without pay is how salaried workers have lived for generations...

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gregory92024@reddit

Have you considered going to a cafe, a library, or some other place where you can be away from home? That seems to help.

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hnnsSI@reddit (OP)

I have. But I assume I wouldn’t be able to have meetings in a library, right? As for a cafe, how long would I even be able to stay there? Not to mention that ordering something at a cafe every day ends up being more expensive than paying for a coworking space every month.

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gregory92024@reddit

Would your office pay for a co-working space?

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TYGRDez@reddit

Yep, you're describing me to a T. I was diagnosed with ADHD last year :)

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PopularPianistPaul@reddit

> I was diagnosed with ADHD ..and then what happens? Not american, genuinely curious. do you just take Adderall for the rest of your life?

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TYGRDez@reddit

I'm also not American - in my case, I take Vyvanse, not Adderall. And yeah, I probably will take it for the rest of my life - but compared to fighting ADHD symptoms on the daily, it's a much better alternative

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spacezoro@reddit

For me, i tried therapy for ages beforehand. It got the the point where they hit me with a persistant depressive disorder diagnosis. Got diagnosed with adhd, tested different meds and dosages sorted out. Now i just take meds as needed and life is pretty peachy. Hardest part is re-evaluating coping mechanisms i learned pre-diagnosis and sorting whats healthy and not. (Obsessive calendar usage, having something at noon to do and freezing until its done, 3+ alarm clocks, obsessively triple checking everything) Meds don't stop you from being lazy, it just makes it alot easier to just do things.

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chipredacted@reddit

ADHD Gang

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sussudio_mane@reddit

Rise up! Eventually! If it's interesting to us still!

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ka-splam@reddit

> At home, we are generally capable of doing modest chores, and of learning the skills needed to do them. And we put more effort into learning the chores that matter more. But at school and on jobs, we often self-sabotage and put in low effort on the biggest choices, in order to make failure less of a signal of what we could accomplish if only we’d try harder. I’ve done this many times in my life. Often I was most productive when I’d play hokey from one “should do” project to work on another “not supposed to be doing” project. - https://www.overcomingbias.com/p/we-sweat-the-big-stuff-badlyhtml

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ironpotato@reddit

Right here

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myalthasmorekarma@reddit

I've been told this behavior is synonymous with ADHD. It might be worth getting tested...

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doweactuallycare@reddit

It screams ADHD. Anyone who resonates with it should look into it.

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Bangchucker@reddit

I have ADHD and work in IT and this is me. I function much better when the sky is falling and I have an overwhelming number of things to fix. Lets me multi-thread and go go go. Those slow days where I could research or document are the worst, I will just sit there and get nothing done. Now I can get the boring stuff done if someone is depending on me and I can fully visualize how it will help them. I get a big boost of motivation from extrinsic factors. I like other people and being helpful.

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scienceproject3@reddit

I have it but the medication side effects for me are worse than ADHD its-self, they've tried everything and it makes me feel like I am on MDMA and can't stop chewing my jaw with the added bonus of my stomach feeling fucked and needing to take a shit for hours but can't. Even coffee gives me this feeling in the rare occasion that I ever drink it. Probably from years of cocaine abuse in my younger and dumber days.

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DarthJarJar242@reddit

Learning to live with ADHD and how to turn it into your super power is a huge bonus. Yes we have issues focusing on small things, yes we can be forgetful, we can be easily distracted etc etc. But you need me to work an issue until it is resolved completely, without stop? I got you. Living with ADHD is hard but if you learn to.mitigatw the bad we are uniquely equipped to handle ever changing environments without breaking a sweat. It can be just as big a boon as a problem.

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TacticalBacon00@reddit

>Learning to live with ADHD and how to turn it into your super power is a huge bonus. I'm personally not a fan of the "superpower" mindset when it comes to ADHD, but I won't tell anyone else they're wrong for using it. At the end of the day, Daredevil is still blind, Professor Charles Xavier is still in a wheelchair, and Deadpool still has cancer. Yeah, I can make connections between information I saw in an email 5 years ago with a printer not properly connecting to our SMTP server after a recent Windows server update... But did I remember to eat breakfast? Do I spend an hour rephrasing that email so the two sentences the C-suite actually read will come across perfectly? Did it take 30 minutes to recover mentally from a conference call before I can even look at my computer screen again? "Yes" to all of the above. That being said, learning to lean into the strengths, like hyper focus, while reducing difficulties from weak areas, like staying on task/impulsivity/poor working memory, is definitely the key to success. Edit: "get a planner" isn't the solution for everyone, but can help if that works for your specific flavor of neurospicy brain.

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spacezoro@reddit

Nothing better then extreme hyperfocus combined with being annoyed enough at a problem that i spend hours hunting it down.

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laser50@reddit

Some type of adhd medicine is literally an amphetamine, I forgot the name of it but can confirm these effects happened to me as well. (Must say I didn't take them for medicinal reasons though)

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anomalous_cowherd@reddit

And some heart drugs are deadly poisons. What's your point? The right drug in the right dose for the right patient can work wonders, get any of those wrong and you get the wrong effects. For the couple of people I've known with severe ADHD who are on the right medication for them they don't feel like they are drugged up, or stimulated. They just feel normal and able to focus on stuff. I'm definitely on the autistic/ADHD spectrum somewhere but luckily not so badly that I haven't managed to be fairly successful by weaponising both the hyperfocus and the massive multitasking side of it so I've never pushed for a formal diagnosis and medication. My career and personal life would undoubtedly have been way different if I had figured it out and got a diagnosis much earlier in life though.

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Mothringer@reddit

>Some type of adhd medicine is literally an amphetamine, I forgot the name of it but can confirm these effects happened to me as well. Many of them are. Ritalin and Adderall are the classic examples of Amphetamines used in the treatment of ADHD, but they definitely aren't the only ones.

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piggahbear@reddit

Ritalin is a not an amphetamine, FYI. Amphetamines work by preventing the reputable of dopamine and Ritalin is over another class that causes you to release more dopamine (so is cocaine. Each can work better for some people than others for that reason. Adderall is also a mixture of four different sulfates that include dextroamphetamine (which is what makes up 100% of dexidrine) and levoamphetamine (about 25%). Vyvanse is a prodrug that only turns to dextroamphetamine after being metabolized in the liver and so is only effective orallly). Methamphetamine is amphetamine with a methyl group that allows it to cross the blood brain barrier more easily. 15mg of methamphetamine roughly equivalent to 30mg amphetamine like adderall. The racemic mixture (dextro- and levo-) is less desirable for most users of methamphetamine which leads to … While they’re all crystalline structures, _Crystal_ methamphetamine really refers to methamphetamine that has been processed to not have any levomethamphetamine (100% dextromethamphetamine). This is only really possible with certain precursors like ephedrine/pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) which has been regulated enough at this point to effectively wipe eliminate crystal meth. It’s very hard to understand what it’s like to have an executive function disorder like ADHD unless you do but stimulants but they help by increasing dopamine levels. For someone with ADHD it really just evens the playing field and let’s them do things other people would feel is quite ordinary. Many people with ADHD go through life believing and being told they are lazy, stupid, etc and a lot of them never really stop believing that even if they are medicated. Stimulants have a lot of downsides but they are relatively safe long term at the fairly low dosages used these day. It is the difference between being functional not.

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FloridaIsFull@reddit

Wait until the adderall bots come and downvote you. There seems to be a big bot presence surrounding downvoting the promotion of stimulants for ADHD.

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elephanttrashman@reddit

People just love their stimulants and hate to be told that most people get really productive and less lazy when taking them, because that makes them drug users instead of "cured of the sickness of laziness". For the record, I'm not anti-drug, just anti giving people drugs under the guise of medicine.

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FloridaIsFull@reddit

For me it wasn’t laziness, but a lack of discipline. Adderall doesn’t cure discipline; it only gets you focused on whatever you were doing when it kicks in. The people downvoting are the ones who got a new prescription and don’t want to come to terms with the underlying issue. It’s ok to not like boring shit, but you have to find the discipline to do it anyways. Stay away from caffeine and exercise regularly. Magically, you’ll be able to focus better, then work on techniques to recognize when you’ve lost focus and practice regaining it. A Pomodoro timer cube helped me with that.

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FixerJ@reddit

I think it probably depends on your brain type or something. I absolutely hate straterra, but Adderall at least helps me to be functional without losing my personality it seems. I'm not a bot though AFAIK...

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FloridaIsFull@reddit

Adderall works until it doesn’t, just like any other stimulant.

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Real_Bad_Horse@reddit

The meds are so bad for you, I did the same. There are other ways to deal with it - coping strategies, certain kinds of day to day structure, etc. Plus the hyperfocus comes in handy sometimes.

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Ninja2016@reddit

I take Strattera(Atomoxetine), which isn’t a stimulant. It works pretty good for me, you might want to ask your doctor about it if you haven’t already.

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FixerJ@reddit

That is the only medicine I've ever taken that I've sworn to never take again, but happy that it works for you though. Made me feel like a robot, though a very productive one. Didn't feel at all like my normal self...

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bearded-beardie@reddit

You just put to words what I never could figure out how to describe. Exactly what Straterra was like for me. It totally killed my appetite too.

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FixerJ@reddit

Same. I can definitely see where it might work for someone that was exceptionally hyper / hyperactive, but my problem is primarily attention deficiency / distractibility, which is why i think it wasn't a good fit for me.

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Ninja2016@reddit

Yeah that’s what I was worried about as well. So far I’m still pretty much me, just more productive. Also my hands aren’t always sweaty now too? My wife has really appreciated that side effect.

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waka_flocculonodular@reddit

I raw dog life. Definitely talk to a doctor and get properly diagnosed.

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Right_Ad_6032@reddit

Stimulants like Adderall are useful for treating ADHD but as a rule of thumb the best solution is finding therapy driven solutions. In my case while the Adderall was extremely helpful at staying on subject, it did absolutely nothing for the actual quality of my work and in some respects it made it worse. What ended up being more useful was getting my work space in order and cleared of distractions.

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RemCogito@reddit

I agree that drugs don't help as much as creating a perfect environment, but the problem with that, is that creating that environment is a daily task. Which means I don't do it more than half as often as I should. Especially if someone asks me a question or wants to talk to me at the beginning of my day.

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dudedormer@reddit

i was doign my therapy exercises, then someone asked me a question, then i checked a new email, then i messaged somethign to a freind, who has a reddit link, 6 clicks late rim here and ive lost 20 mins. good

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screech_owl_kachina@reddit

They have non stimulant ADHD meds.

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NailiME84@reddit

Pretty sure the stomach feeling is just the drug being metabolized into the active ingredient. That is what happens with me too I have vyvanse… but I have got the same feeling when doing recreational drugs with the same action (where they are converted by your body into the drug your body then consumes and where the effect comes from) Sorry if this is confusing I’m tired and going to bed

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Real_Bad_Horse@reddit

The meds are so bad for you, I did the same. There are other ways to deal with it - coping strategies, certain kinds of day to day structure, etc. Plus the hyperfocus comes in handy sometimes.

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bearded-beardie@reddit

Love me some hyperfocus. It's great for pounding out code. I've found that I pretty much always have to have background noise too. Spotify going all day off I'm not on a meeting.

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Iloveyouweed@reddit

> it makes me feel like I am on MDMA and can't stop chewing my jaw with the added bonus of my stomach feeling fucked and needing to take a shit for hours but can't. Damn, does it at least give you the MDMA euphoria?

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iMR_W1z4rd@reddit

I was on Adderall for nearly a decade and during the pandemic decided I no longer wanted to be dependent on it. I had already implemented many tools to my daily life, such as using a calendar and task list. After a couple years of being off the meds, a friend introduced me to Lion’s Mane and it has been amazing for me and my adhd. I suggest looking into that as an alternative to meds and going no meds.

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Eli_eve@reddit

Resonates with me. I got a positive diagnosis for ADHD inattentive type two weeks Ago. No clue when the pharmacy will actually have my prescription in stock though.

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flattop100@reddit

I have a friend that will take a single 6-hour sudafed when he needs to do tasks he doesn't want to do. Not the healthiest way of dealing with the situation, but it works for him.

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PubstarHero@reddit

Uhh.... Got any good doctor recommendations?

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doweactuallycare@reddit

Therapy. Honestly. Research is good though, tons of videos talk about ADHD. https://www.youtube.com/@healthygamergg - They do a ton of content around it but its really down to what works for you. I've heard very good things about their ADHD course thing, but haven't taken it myself. Its on my to-do, along with everything else. I'll totally get to it... at some point

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dnalloheoj@reddit

Not that I'm recommending self diagnosis necessarily, but with ADHD I think the diagnosis is very easy to come by if you start reading into adult ADHD. But therapy of some sort to actually learn how to process how it effects you is absolutely advisable. And it doesn't have to be see a shrink specifically. I used to be a drunk so I go to AA. The addiction part is absolutely gone for me, not a problem one bit. But the groups are an awesome way for me to meet similar people and learn all sorts of different methods of coping, or embracing your little quirks. Ever been told ya have an addictive personality? Yeah, you'll find a few similar people there. The last year for me has been a shift to just embracing the hell out of it. I know it comes with it's downfalls but you can be damn sure I'm hyper aware of those, so embracing the things like hyper focusing, and *letting myself* do that, cause hell, why not. But also having a little presence of mind so that when I catch myself doing it, I can quickly set an alarm or something - just a small little reminder for me in a couple hours not even necessarily to stop, just a little 'hey, you still alright over there?? need anything? water? No? Okay back to it, I'll check back in 3 more hours.' It's fun, man. And IT gives you *so* many opportunities to work out that focus muscle.

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Lonetrek@reddit

I'd honestly go start looking up your local mental health resources. ADHD isn't just a 'kids' problem. Plenty of adults struggle with it.

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jacls0608@reddit

Yup this is me. Especially after my adhd meds wear off.

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Sdubbya2@reddit

Yep if you ask my parents or most people in my life if I have ADHD they would say yes, I find what helps me though is listening to music while I work or some sort of podcast that doesn't require super active listening. Something about it engages the part of my brain that takes me off task and helps me stay focused longer. I'll still find myself off task every now and then but its a night and day difference for me. For this reason I have headphones in my ear like 75% of the day.

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Jpeppard@reddit

I denied my diagnosis for 17 years through my adolescence and adulthood. Looking back, it was torture. It won't apply to everyone but I can say without exaggeration that my life has completely changed since starting medication.

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Sdubbya2@reddit

That is good to hear from the other side as well, I just hate the idea of being dependent on a substance I guess. I have been addicted to things in the past and that dependance on something is kind of scary to me, I guess that is part of what worrieis me.

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Jpeppard@reddit

The really scary thing is looking at studies on the high rates of substance abuse among unmedicated ADHD folks. If you are chronically dopamine starved you tend to get it somewhere. Excessive gaming, substances, risky sex, etc. I was apprehensive as well but \~12 months later I am still on the same dose I started on, I take weekends off the medication and have no problem stopping. Your mileage may vary but that is my experience.

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hubbyofhoarder@reddit

Same, only for me it was 30+ years. I got diagnosed in my 40s when my son was also determined to have ADHD My career has drastically improved with medication and no-shame coping strategies. Also, I've been able to raise my son without him being ashamed of his ADHD. He just manages his symptoms as part of his normal life routine, including meds when he needs them. He's a great guy, and I'm fucking proud of him. Breaking the cycle of being ashamed for being different for my son has been the work of my life. He's starting his 20s with a way better handle on who he is and how to live life than I did.

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Sdubbya2@reddit

I get that, and it makes sense. IDK if its so much that I'm ashamed of it, but I'm scared of being dependent on a medicine. I have been addicted to things in the past and having dependence on something for my day to day life kind of freaks me out. Are you able to go days without it or do you feel like crap without it?

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hubbyofhoarder@reddit

I have been taking my med for 13 years. I generally take my med on weekdays and don't take it on weekends or on vacation. I feel fine on days when I don't take the medication. I don't think I'm dependent; I don't experience physical or mental symptoms that I notice when I'm off. I *can* function without medication. However, it's also indisputably true that my career and life has gone better when I take medication regularly than before I did.

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qlz19@reddit

That hits me right where I live. Keep going brochacho!

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hubbyofhoarder@reddit

Orale, ese!

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th318wh33l3r@reddit

Same. It's been my way of managing it. Alone in a quiet room and I can't formulate thoughts, turn on a YouTube video in the background....computer genius. It's like our brains crave multiple stimuli to function correctly.

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vabello@reddit

OMG. Totally me. Having music on in the background makes me hyper focus and do tasks and solve problems much faster. I always thought it was a bit odd. Likewise, I find it far easier to fall asleep with the TV on than just in a dark room and silence.

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scottyp89@reddit

I’m similar to this and just attributed it to working better under stress, lots going on and I excel where others can’t cope, get a whole day to study for an exam and I just can’t focus at all

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countextreme@reddit

To be clear, I am not making this post to tell you not to seek proper treatment. A correct diagnosis and medication is life-changing, and the only people that can decide if it's right for you are you and your doctor. I just want you to be aware of some of the consequences of having this kind of brand on your medical record before getting tested and receiving an official diagnosis, because I wish I had known before going down the road I'm on now. I recently started training as a student pilot. You can start taking dual instruction with a flight instructor basically from day one, but one of the steps that needs to happen before you can solo and complete your training is that you need to get a medical certification from the FAA. Turns out that ADHD is a disqualifying condition for any class medical certificate, including 3rd class for private/recreational pilots. I'm six months into the process of trying to get a special issuance now, and all I can really do is wait for the FAA to process the mountain of invasive medical paperwork they requested from me. There is a chance they will reject my application and I will have to go see a specialized aeromedical neuropsychologist - at my expense - in order to take a battery of cognitive tests in order to prove that I do not have ADHD or that it is not "aeromedically significant". This is all despite this being a childhood diagnosis and not being treated in the past 25 years. I know there are similar restrictions in some other areas (it's disqualifying for certain military positions, for example). Again, I'm not saying that treatment and medication is bad - all sorts of people are able to live happy and productive lives due to treatment. Just make sure you research all the implications before you take the dive. It's all too easy to think that it's not a big deal and then find out there's a door closed to you that you didn't know about.

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rezaw@reddit

I know I have adhd and I do this. Not sure the diagnosis helps. You just need to take a different approach. What I’ll do is just use my calendar to dedicate time to these tasks. It doesn’t always work but it helps

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scsibusfault@reddit

> use my calendar Lol. Fuckin hate the calendar. Micromanaging that is such a pain in the ass when you're constantly changing tasks every day and bumping priorities around.

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rezaw@reddit

I don’t micromanage it I’ll just tell myself I’m going to set aside this time for “planning” and generic things like that.

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scsibusfault@reddit

I've tried, I really have. But, I'll put aside "tomorrow afternoon" for planning. Then a server will catch fire, and I'll blow through that time because it *needs* to be a priority fix. Then I'll forget about it. Or it'll nag me constantly until I move it to next week... when a server will catch fire, and I'll miss it again...

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Rawtashk@reddit

Being on medication for ADHD has been life chs going for me. 3rd best thing I've ever done in my life. I can not even describe how much better it's made my life.

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Milkshakes00@reddit

My wife, too. But getting her dosage the past half a year has been an utter nightmare.

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am0x@reddit

Really? I’m the exact same way but I’m in my late 30s. I’ve always gotten hyper focused on things I am interested in but just keep pushing back other things I don’t really want to do because they seem boring. I don’t think I would have made it this far with adhd.

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kokuryuha34@reddit

... Uh oh.

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PowerShellGenius@reddit

ADHD is not an on/off disease that you have or don't, it's defined by having more than a certain number of symptoms from a list, AND to an extent that impacts your functioning in various areas. Being able to function as well as any adult both socially and professionally, but finding boring work to be unpleasant and tough to focus on, is normal *to an extent*. Since there is no "cure" - only chronic medication - ask yourself if you would take that. All meds have some sort of side effect. The diagnosis itself could have side effects. As of right now, the only ones I am aware of are that it will be virtually prohibitive if you ever have a change of career (or just get rich and want to own a little prop plane) and you apply for a pilot license, or it may be a factor against you if you join the military, and may at least come up as something to discuss if you need a security clearance to do IT for a defense contractor. But the scariest part is that once the government has acknowledged they are willing to make exceptions to doctor-patient confidentiality, who knows where it ends? Maybe you don't care about flying planes, joining the army, or working on classified systems. How about your 2nd amendment rights? How about driving a car? How about custody of a child? There are lots of places where people are itching to put more "standards" in place on people who are not 100% normal. Once it is on your record that you have a mental "disorder" - even one as vague and sometimes normal as ADHD - it will still be there when the political winds shift further away from privacy and further towards "safety" from the "crazies" at all costs. If you need the pills, get tested. If you are just "curious" if you "have ADHD" just recognize it's a made up term for a set of symptoms and they are not actually going to test your brain chemistry and reveal some unseen magical thing.

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Nagadavida@reddit

It's not adhd. It's called this interests me and I enjoy the challenge versus oh this is mundane bullshit that bores me.

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RemCogito@reddit

I have ADHD, this describes me. Its why I work best with a few direct reports that I can farm repetitive work to. it seems my neurotypical co workers actually prefer solving problems that they have solved before. They get nervous when they don't know exactly what steps to do next. Meanwhile I only really feel alive when I'm solving novel problems. Let me figure out the issue, and then come up with a plan, explain the plan to my more organized and disciplined co-workers, let them poke any holes in the plan, and then let them do it, and support them whenever they run into trouble. They at least say that they think I do the hardest job, and that they think I work hard, and are generally excited to work on new things as long as I teach it to them first and they don't have to figure it out on their own. If its for creating something, like standing up new hardware, but I can't get myself motivated, I tell myself that this is a huge issue, because this hardware is currently not working, and that it needs to be fixed. This works around 60% of the time, which means that I don't get fired.

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Cacafuego@reddit

Well, shit

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cplusequals@reddit

Don't worry. I have similar behaviors and habits and I do not have ADHD. I just don't like doing the things I procrastinate on as they're not mentally stimulating/rewarding unlike problem solving. I also don't like context switching especially on a problem I think I'm "almost done" with and will work through lunch until around 2-3pm before eating anything if I grievously underestimate how long it will take me to finish the task.

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elephanttrashman@reddit

Well with symptoms like those, you can definitely find a doctor who will categorize your symptoms as ADHD and write you a prescription for amphetamine so that you can experience the crystal-clear focus and superhuman levels of motivation that everyone here seems to think is normal (totally not just what being high on amphetamine is like).

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haklor@reddit

I’m here with you, everything hit home.

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Orestes85@reddit

It is ADHD I have ADHD and this type of behavior is why my boss gives me all the weird problems that people can't figure out. He knows I'll go to my hole, shut the door, and won't stop working on it until I've fixed it, or at least figured out why it is broken.

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Master_Slav@reddit

As an adhd person. Op should at least get it checked out. Working my job I feel the exact same as they do.

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vabello@reddit

Wait, really? I’ve always operated exactly like this, and will pour countless hours into solving things and forgo sleep and sometimes eating. There have been days where I skip lunch because I’m too involved in what I’m doing. It’s like a nonstop dopamine rush. Other things I can’t bring myself to work on at all. Documentation sucks. I have months of expenses I have to file with receipts. My one son was diagnosed with ADHD and I additionally seem to have a mood disorder. I believe I may experience hypomanic episodes as well. I’ve taken various medications including lithium which definitely reduced the hypomanic symptoms, but I couldn’t operate the same and prefer to be off it as I am far more effective and comfortable that way. I’m still on medication for depressive symptoms which seem to be in check. I definitely am ineffective when I experience those.

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Local_Debate_8920@reddit

Adhd can cause both depression and bipolar symptoms.

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anonymouse66652@reddit

Instant internet diagnosis! Could it be a passion for solving complex issues? General dislike for other things like documentation/project planning? NOPE, ADHD!!

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TronFan@reddit

I do this. I have ADHD

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EVASIVEroot@reddit

Also, lie about any substance abuse problems you might have. I have diagnosed children but when I told the shrink about my early alcohol abuse, she said that I might have it but couldn’t diagnose me since the drinking happened during my frontal cortex development. That’s when I impulsively told her how I felt about her field which didn’t help lol It is weird that they cannot measure how much serotonin or dopamine is in your brain and they just use a qualitative system and run it against a system of what everyone else got diagnosed with.

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ThatDistantStar@reddit

Yup, it's called hyperfixation

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Right_Ad_6032@reddit

It's an extremely common symptom of ADHD.

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NotTodayGlowies@reddit

...or Austism.

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SenTedStevens@reddit

Is being a resident of Austin a disorder now?

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NotTodayGlowies@reddit

Oh man. I fat fingered that. But I'm sure the rest of Texas seems to think so.

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Jpeppard@reddit

Yep. Any time a new issue came in when I was on L1 and L2 I would devour it. The second time a similar issue came in? Who cares. Documenting the issue for others? Who cares. Once I got on L3 I could execute on the projects but it was painful. It took me weeks to respond to the vendors and I could never give more than a weeks notice for major changes. Now that I am medicated I can both troubleshoot AND spend the time to address the root issue, while also running several other projects. This felt impossible for most of my career.

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Sinless27@reddit

Well fuck me.

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Lonetrek@reddit

It is. Working the problem gives that dopamine hit and also the hyperfixation.

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Drumdevil86@reddit

Can confirm. I'm diagnosed with ADHD and do exactly the same as OP. Challenges and new stuff gets the dopamine flowing

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deadcell@reddit

...oh

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Real_Bad_Horse@reddit

100%. This is why I had to leave my previous career. The money was great, the job was easy... Too easy. The same repetitive situations over and over ad nauseum. Eventually I lacked any ambition to get up and go in at all, and I'm a pretty driven and hardworking guy normally.

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LifeHasLeft@reddit

This sounds like me to a T. I have been really struggling to find a workflow that keeps me on task because I get hyper focused on the bugs and issues that interest me, but I have some tedious documentation to comb through and I have been off and on with that stuff for weeks

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kumits-u@reddit

Lol you know that the dude who "discovered" ADHD admitted it was a hoax so pharma companies rake in some money ? Advice to OP - what you need is a plan. When you don't have tasks scheduled properly then you will procrastinate

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two4six0won@reddit

Second this. I have ADHD and OP basically just described me lol.

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GinAndKeystrokes@reddit

I was going to suggest the same thing. I think this field attracts us, for better or worse.

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alternativejohn@reddit

Yep, ADHD makes it very hard to focus on things you don't find interesting. Medication helps.

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th318wh33l3r@reddit

Mind sharing what? I didn't like anything they tried to prescribe before, felt too much like uppers. But I keep hearing good things about Vyvanse and want to give it a shot.

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alternativejohn@reddit

I'm currently on Adderall XR but yes most of them are stimulants and kinda feel like it too.

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InfernalCorg@reddit

Same. Amphetamines are good stuff. It doesn't 100% eliminate the challenge of focusing (they said, typing on reddit) but it makes it a lot easier. If tech companies could get away with it, I'm pretty sure they'd just have bowls of the stuff in every breakroom.

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cli_jockey@reddit

My boss is very against stimulants. However, we have a good relationship and we were talking health issues one day and I mentioned how I have migraines, thankfully much much less often than my teen years. The next day he comes in and gives me LSD lol. He raves about how it helps creativity and read they can help with migraines. Welp, if I take a tab every 3-6 months I don't get any.

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InfernalCorg@reddit

Interesting! You have a cooler boss than I.

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Right_Ad_6032@reddit

When I was first diagnosed I was put on Strattera. That lasted a hot minute because it was giving me vertigo. Then they put me on adderall. Which was reasonably effective, but I didn't like the side effects and the withdrawal symptoms were a bit extreme. Now I'm on guanfacine.

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Right_Ad_6032@reddit

I mean, that's normal. It's ADHD when you can't even focus on the things you *like* doing.

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alternativejohn@reddit

I misspoke, ADHD makes it extremely hard to focus on things you don't find interesting. I understand it's always difficult to focus on things you don't like but it's the severity that makes the difference. ADHD has many different forms and of them actually have something called hyperfocus but only for things you do find interesting.

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terAREya@reddit

> I’ve noticed that, whenever I have to solve an issue, especially those that take hours or days to solve, I can work nonstop. I'll skip my afternoon snacks, I’ll voluntarily work overtime without pay, etc. The issue occupies my mind 24/7 and I only stop once I’m able to solve it.  This has been me for 25 years. Despite also hating the other mundane tasks I have managed to be successful. I dont know if its ADHD or not. My take is I love the endorphin rush of being the one that solved the problem nobody could solve. I chase that high daily

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appmapper@reddit

>My take is I love the endorphin rush of being the one that solved the problem nobody could solve. I chase that high daily Word. This is pretty much me. I was hoping to find more actionable advice in this thread. Some way to trick my brain into doing the things my brain doesn't want to do.

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dhunna@reddit

Simply… yup

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ChippersNDippers@reddit

A lot of people have this problem. Work is easy to become addicted to, as the problems kinda come to you and you solve for them. When you're in your 'normal' life, problems exist, but the solutions are more complex and it often requires you moving forward yourself to decide to resolve them. No one is paying or watching you to solve the problems, the only reward is solving them and having them solved. Much easier to just take a job and do good at that and get credit for the work. Going to therapy and figuring out your depression is not going to get you paid or get you accolades by your boss. The only satisfaction is having done and a renewed outlook.

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UltraEngine60@reddit

Yes. I can be working on something and have the whole day go by in a flash because it's a genuine challenge. You'd enjoy working at an MSP. You're constantly fixing shit. Constantly. The burnout is real though.

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InTheASCII@reddit

The best way to address the tasks we want to avoid, in my experience, is a four-step strategy: 1. Put the task on your calendar 2. Shield yourself from incidents during task time 3. Make a checklist of what you need to accomplish 4. Work through the checklist **That's the simple version, but I've also refined some of my own habits:** Some tips for step 2 * Physically isolate yourself. Shut your door, move to another location, etc. * Ask a coworker to assist you with managing new incidents or entering tickets for you. * Put your phone into "Do Not Disturb" mode. * As tough as it is, try to close every open window on your desktop. It may be counterproductive overall, but it resets your frame of mind to help yourself focus. You'll first start opening the things you need for the task, which can help draw you into it. Step 3 can be both *easier* and *harder* than it might seem. The task might be as simple as ordering a new display, but maybe you are indecisive because it's for a special purpose. So, your checklist might actually be: * \[ \] Monitor Choice 1 \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ * \[ \] Monitor Choice 2 \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ * \[ \] Monitor Choice 3 \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ * \[ \] Pick Monitor 1, 2, or 3 \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Or, alternatively, you might be having a hard time deciding between features because no product has everything. Your first checkbox might be to build a comparison spreadsheet, with a list of all the high-priority features.

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Lokabf3@reddit

Same here. Now I work in the “Major Incident” space for a large enterprise. EVERYTHING is an emergency so it works well for me.

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scsibusfault@reddit

Oh I like this idea. Fires every day sounds like a super exciting way to give myself inevitable burnout 🔥❤️

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Armor_of_Inferno@reddit

Another possibility, aside from undiagnosed ADHD (which a lot of us seem to have) is that **you're burnt out**. I was really surprised to find that toxic behaviors like working unpaid overtime and skipping breaks are a common sign of burnout. Take some fully-disconnected vacation time to recalibrate. Take care of yourself when you get back by taking breaks, working as normal a schedule as you can, and charging every last second of overtime.

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hnnsSI@reddit (OP)

Idk if ADHD is supposed to be something you're born with but I had no trouble focusing and I had no issues with procrastination before college. I had depression and anxiety issues during my time in college (and I'm still recovering from that) so that may have been the trigger for my procrastination problems. I'd never considered burn out. I actually work two jobs and have very little actual free time during the week. I don't think a vacation would do me any good, unfortunately. Last time I took a vacation I spent all the time in my room browsing the Internet. I have no friends irl and I can't think of anything worthwhile to do during a vacation that would actually recharge my batteries. Sure, I could maybe go to a spa or something but I'm afraid of coming back feeling like I wasted my precious vacation time. I guess I'm waiting for there to be something which I feel would actually be worth doing during the meager 2 weeks/year I have.

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DaChieftainOfThirsk@reddit

That pretty well describes me. It's a novel task with an actual deliverable. In a sea of boring busy work that is something you latch onto because they don't show up often enough and you sure as heck are not going to let it sit there for someone else to take from you.

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CiscNoAmeraki@reddit

Why is every post like this met with a plethora of responses telling people they have mental illness? It is statistically impossible for everyone in IT to just have ADHD. The issues described here are problems "normal" people have all the time. Everyone I meet in tech fields is like this, it's why they're here. The answer is most likely just that solving problems is a hell of a lot more interesting than boring documentation. WOW something more stimulating interests you more. You must be ILL! I guess everyone in my department must have ADHD then. If it's the norm for everyone to have that issue then it's no longer a mental illness....

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MeanFold5714@reddit

Because it's a meme combined with social clout. Internet peer pressure. Don't you want to be one of the cool kids with a hip new mental illness?

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notHooptieJ@reddit

the type of work involved means we're almost predisposed to a computer or IT career. I'd wager that better than 50% of IT in general is undiagnosed ADD/ADHD, with another 20% diagnosed. the only ones off the spectrum are usually heads and owners and leads which tend to be the narcissism driven archetype that wants to manage. Im just lucky cause im the outgoing chat-chameleon during work hours, that then shuts down to a potato when im off the clock.

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mammon_machine_sdk@reddit

Well, you're way more likely to get responses that stem from experience on threads like this, as opposed to everyone else chiming in saying, "nope, not me." It's not everyone in the field, but you're going to see more people talking about it than otherwise. Also, if you don't experience this, it's likely hard to understand. Lack of focus doesn't begin to describe it. I will sit down and tell myself to just get through this 10-15 minute task in front of me, and I will subconsciously be clicking into reddit, picking up my phone to open reddit or check discord, put my phone down, and immediately pick it back up and go through the same threads, ad nauseum. I feel like I'm going insane, and I know when it's happening, but I'm powerless to just focus for ten minutes. I will sit on it until the last possible second, then hyperfocus at the 11th hour and solve it. Which is exactly how I handled homework, or even studying for tests when I was in school. Meanwhile, I have multiple side projects (paid part time consulting, cofounder for a funded startup that's a finalist for a local tech startup grant, misc personal projects that are currently stalled), and when I get on a roll with them, I can work almost indefinitely. No food, no sleep, I'll be wide awake at 3am coding... but if I was watching a movie with my wife, I'd have fallen asleep by 11. I'm not diagnosed with anything, but threads like this really make me feel like I should talk to someone about it. Thankfully weed is legal in Missouri somehow, and edibles just kind of slow me down to feeling normal, so that's been a bedtime ritual since legalization happened.

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f_society_1@reddit

drink salt water to improve focus

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morilythari@reddit

All of my current projects are behind schedule. Not because I'm procrastinating but because I'm having to work with vendors that either don't respond, respond at 4:45pm, or answer 1/4 of the questions I have. I'm keeping detailed notes and copy/pasting all these emails into tickets.

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GhoastTypist@reddit

> I work from home. Lately I’ve become really frustrated with how much I’ve been slacking off and procrastinating during work hours. I have ADHD and when I was working from home, I felt very much the same thing. Like I was slacking or at least sat there trying to think of what to do. At the office I always have reminders of what I want/need to do but at home, it was like oh I can put the TV on, or I could do some laundry or other house chores. The only way I was productive at a home was meetings and reports. I could not for the life of me get my head into creating projects or research. Not saying its ADHD but I am a firm believer "SOME" can do WFH and others cannot. I am someone who cannot for the reasons I've listed above. I can do a day here or there WFH but I cannot do a regular remote or WFH job. I hate it and I cannot focus on the job requirements.

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SteamyPigeon@reddit

When doing tasks that are 'understimulating', I either put on music to keep my brain a little more occupied, or I have a game open (something simple like solitaire, minesweeper, etc.) that I can click on to get that dopamine shot and then going back to documentation. It's not incredibly efficient, but way better than doing nothing!

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DadLoCo@reddit

Are you me?

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jesuiscanard@reddit

So this is extremely like me and resonates with my work practices. I am going through an ADHD assessment. Let me guess your school reports. "Bright kid, but should try harder"? I've discussed this process with my employers. They actually have me problem finding and creating processes based on huge amounts of research and policies, as the ability to hyperfocus (the hours and days without snacks) on the work tasks you find challenging can give you an edge. The old saying of "think outside the box", I told my employer "what box?" Get checked for ADHD. It's not a solution, but gives you answers as to what is happening, then you can make a strategy as to how to manage the workload. Oh, in a disaster situation, you would be the guy to lean on. ADHD has many strengths and a few challenges, so don't think if you get tested, it is a negative thing. In the right setting an ADHDer can thrive and perform far better in some situations than their peers.

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hofo@reddit

Of course. One is a challenge to solve, the other is just stuff that presents no challenge

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HTDutchy_NL@reddit

Well not to jump on the bandwagon of mental issues but I'll just state how my mind works. I've got ADD (somewhat medicated as a side effect) and Bipolar Disorder (medicated as lightly as possible). And I abuse the effects those two disorders have. Interesting technical issues are like a drug to me. A positive feedback loop occurs between a rush of manic energy and spurts of hyperfocus. It doesn't even have to be IT, it can be hydraulics or electronics. I just love that stuff. I fully acknowledge I'm a chaos monkey and just suck at planning and documentation. One way around that is forcing myself let documentation be what I work on first. But then I can't focus on implementation because it's all been figured out already. Another solution is offload the planning work to a team member. I lead technology, another person leads people. This way the business operates smoothly and I don't waste time trying to do things I can't focus on. But a warning. I used to do programming but quit because I REALLY couldn't let issues go outside of work hours. I'd have a problem slowly stewing in the back of my mind and get a solution at 4am. So I switched to linux engineering and eventually hosting tech lead. In the beginning I could switch off at 6pm. But the last couple months I've had a really interesting project and lost myself. And I watched myself knowing burn out because it was "just one more week". I fucked up. But I'm now recovering, extra people have been hired and my position has been permanently changed to something that will hopefully be more healthy in the future. I make decisions, do research and teach. I'll now only touch systems and code when shit hits the fan and a madman is needed to solve things.

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sh4d0ww01f@reddit

Yeah, thats me. I procrastinate for 5 weeks now, if you ignore the occasional problem/question/small task. I have to plan a completely unnecessary server location move and it just kills me.

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bahbahbahbahbah@reddit

Definitely saving this post to dig in later. This completely describes me at work.

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Gay_Boy_Gayness@reddit

... Are you me? Except for avoiding documentation (which I love because branding and SOP and I could go on and on), this is something I experience daily. And I get to have a very real conversation about it Friday. Hopefully you're doing better than I am :3

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doubletwist@reddit

As others have mentioned, welcome to the world of ADHD.

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CaterpillarStrange77@reddit

I work on the tasks that people are screaming at me about first. After that if I have the mental energy I do the others.

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Plenty-Wonder6092@reddit

ADHD 100%

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cyberdeck_operator@reddit

Yeah man all the time, it's called ADHD, we should have jackets made.

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pjustmd@reddit

My friend, speaking as an adult who has been diagnosed with ADHD. This is 100% typical behavior. Your mind is telling you to avoid tasks. I do it all the time. It’s a daily struggle because there are things that I just either don’t want to do or find tedious. There is a certain high that comes with solving an issue. So often I will gravitate to difficult problems as I am a higher tier person in my company. Unsolved issues are brought to me. I can work on them for hours at any time without breaks. There is no easy answer. Medication helps.

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Deiskos@reddit

Solving problems is fun. Doing routine maintenance and writing docs isn't. Speaking of which I really need to go update the network map, I've been putting off doing this for 2 months...

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dloseke@reddit

Hyperfocus plus an executive function deficiency....screams ADHD to me. I've been like this the past few months. I'd get evaluated.

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changework@reddit

Let me guess, it’s painful for you to fill an excel sheet with values unless it requires pulling from multiple reliable data sources and you feel challenged to automate it. NEVER enter values one by one. Who does that?!

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sofredj@reddit

The problem stuff is the fun stuff, the other stuff is just boring!

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psychokitty@reddit

Your brain receives a dopamine hit when you solve a problem. So solving problems literally trains your brain to enjoy doing that. Solve a problem - get a reward. Rinse. Repeat. Look for ways to give your brain that dopamine from the things that aren't break/fix. Open-ended planning, research, documentation - because the problem is not solved in a neat way at the end your brain doesn't get the same reward. Try restructuring this type of work so that there is a clearly defined goal at the end of it that you can reach in a short enough timespan to give your brain that chemical hit similar to what you might feel from solving a break/fix problem. Find a tool to help you do this - a daily planner along side a larger Kanban board might help. Start upping your game by listening to audible books that provide tips to help you reach your goals."Tiny Habbits", "The Spirit of Kaizen: Creating Lasting Excellence One Small Step at a Time", "The 6 Habits of Growth" are a few I can recommend off the top of mind

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Sir-Spork@reddit

.... its like someone else wrote a post for me. I justify it by saying when I am really needed, I am there.

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DarthJarJar242@reddit

A common symptom of ADHD is hyper focus. We are uniquely wired to be able to bulldog an issue until it's dead without stop. But can't focus on a littany of other issues. Get tested learn how to make it work for you. Welcome to the brotherhood.

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ProfessionalITShark@reddit

planning, documentation, "research" I find is easier when training someone, because it's like a project of troubleshooting some one's lack of knowledge

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cmgrayson@reddit

ADHD hyperfocus.

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heapsp@reddit

This post should be sponsored by concerta, you are going to have a thousand pasty dudes show up at their doctor's office over the next month asking about ADHD meds.

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IAmSnort@reddit

I found this helpful in trying to get myself on track. Ticketing really helps, honestly. Pomodoro technique is helpful. I did not like the meds. The side effects out weighed the benefits (weight loss!). It comes and goes in waves. One thing works well for a while. Then you fall off that wagon. Hop on a different wagon. Then a different one. Cycle through them.

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LocPac@reddit

It feels you are describing a day in the life of me, I really have to force myself to get the planning, Documenation and research stuff done in a timely maner, otherwise I'll just be sitting there staring into the void or finding some interesting youtube video to watch. One thing that has helped me a bit with getting those "mundane" stuff done is to create tasks for them in our ticketing system and set deadlines for myself, it does not completely solve the "stare into the void"-issue but at least it helps a bit.

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carl5473@reddit

Also create tasks, but not set deadlines. When I have downtime to work on the task list I tell myself I will work on task X for 5 minutes then I can stop if I want. I almost never stop. Getting started is the hardest part.

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shootsfilmwithbullet@reddit

what? my to do list of shame on BBedit isn't good enough?

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notHooptieJ@reddit

its mildly more effective when the list is public and other people can shame you too.

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shootsfilmwithbullet@reddit

Genius

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notHooptieJ@reddit

*MILDLY. all depends on your shame resistance stat. ive been doing this for 25 years now. I kinda remember Shame. A better motivator TBH is not having to f'n hear about whatever "it" is ... You get that crap done and done right, cause .. man, fuck that whole 'hearing about it later' bullshit.

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InvaderOfTech@reddit

Oh, Shit.

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zer04ll@reddit

I had to start working out in the morning and ditch the caffeine when I went to working from home and then I could focus

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Uncreativespace@reddit

Same here. I find background noise helps too. Used to work in pretty busy office environments with lots of TVs and chatty coworkers. Having a few regular podcasts, a playlist, and an active Teams\\Slack helps

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FixerJ@reddit

I concur with the other comments that it sounds a lot like ADHD. Before you get your opinions swung to heavily by the pokarized posts below, keep in mind that there's six different sub-types of ADHD, so what doesn't work well for one type may work well for a different type. Best of luck to you, I struggle with this myself!

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dloseke@reddit

Hyperfocus plus an executive function deficiency....screams ADHD to me. I've been like this the past few months. I'd get evaluated.

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scootscoot@reddit

I find balancing multiple things to procrastinate works for me. Lol

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notHooptieJ@reddit

i do this.. then it all comes to a head the day before a ticket review.. 10-15 tickets all in various stages of waiting for replies or needing a documenting... a flurry of closes and scheduled callbacks the day/morning before.

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dloseke@reddit

Executive function deficiency....screams ADHD to me. I've been like this the past few months.

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KiefKommando@reddit

So those sort of tasks fall under what’s called “executive function”, this line of work seems to really attract the ADHD section of the population so we tend to struggle with these sort of tasks, there are lots of resources out there for exercises that can help with this, look into some of them and see if any help for you, I find chaining works for me; breaking the task down into its individual steps gives me that satisfied resolution feeling when I can check things off even if it’s just a minor part of a larger task.

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superkevo@reddit

I read your title as “Disk Array Enclosure” initially… I need a break…

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gooseberryfalls@reddit

The problems are new, exciting, fun, engaging. With a clear and concise goal, and people who will appreciate you when you fix it. The other stuff is monotonous, thankless, has an abstract benefit, and probably isn't fun. No wonder you like the problems more than the documentation

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BoltActionRifleman@reddit

Give me a bunch of devices that for whatever reason have yet to be properly documented and I’ll avoid that task like the plague…inform me we have some strange issue causing emails to not get through to some recipients, I’ll go to the ends of the earth to solve it as quickly as possible. I don’t know what causes you to do this, but for me it’s as simple as avoiding mundane tasks when other issues are so much more interesting.

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Rawtashk@reddit

https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/1114113/im_a_sysadmin_im_43_and_ive_just_been_diagnosed/ Read this. Read the comments. ADHD diagnosis and treatment van be life changing. I know it was for me. I cna gr tmy mundane tasks done in good time, I have focus to get things done 100% instead of losing steam about 80% of the way through, and my anxiety/stress/negative thoughts are all but gone.

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Master_Ad7267@reddit

Same here I have adhd. I am not on stimulants but I think the medicine I am on guanficine barely helps and runs out in afternoon.

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zcomputerwiz@reddit

This is sounding familiar... I've found excessive amounts of caffeine will help sometimes, but not always. If it's not an interesting challenge or pressing ( like a phone call ) getting that initial kick to move can be difficult.

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Sunsparc@reddit

Echoing everyone else in saying it's ADHD "hyperfocus" behavior. When I'm interviewing and they ask "What is your biggest weakness?", it's what I say for mine. Hyperfocus and don't always know when to pull back and reassess.

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progenyofeniac@reddit

Yes, I do that like crazy. Yes, I think it's an indicator of ADHD though I haven't been tested. I'll just mention that I realized a long time ago that the differentiator for me is whether a task has a clear goal or not. Problems have a clear goal: fixing them. In the same vein, giving me a task to "change this setting on all PCs" has a clear goal--I can do that. But give me a task of "improve our O365 security posture" and I'll dick around on that for weeks without making any progress. So...yes, we should probably all get tested for ADHD. But then again, everybody works differently and I'm OK with the fact that I strongly excel at clear tasks.

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the_wookie_of_maine@reddit

Yup..all the time.

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hubbyofhoarder@reddit

This speaks to me. 2 things have (mostly) solved this for me: Admitting I have ADHD and everything that entails: medication, changes in how I work and remind myself of stuff, blah blah. Since I've been taking medication and dealing more realistically with my symptoms I've also gotten promoted more than a few times. The ratio of real work that's interesting to bullshit routine tasks or being someone else's report bitch is now well above 90%. Side note: over the course of my career, the tasks that always made me procrastinate the most are the report bitch tasks. Y'all know what I mean: run this report and send it to me on xyz date. There's something about running stuff for another competent adult who is capable of generating the results they claim they must critically have that frosts my ass more than almost anything else in my professional life. Bitch, I'm not your button pusher. Don't get me wrong, I still run reports. When I do so now, it's because the report has some nugget of data that *I* need to support some proposed course of action.

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Valdriz@reddit

I’ll be trouble shooting from what seems like 10 minutes to me but in reality - 40 + minutes. I have ADHD and find troubleshooting enjoyable. It’s stressful yes, but I get in the zone and try everything in my power to get something fixed

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Sin_of_the_Dark@reddit

I am 100% confident these are all signs of ADHD. How do I know? Because you described my life. There's nothing to be ashamed of if you do. A looooooot of people in IT have it to one degree or another. Once you understand that your brain just works different, it can be a huge asset in your day to day work. I highly recommend trying to find someone local to talk to and possibly test - search for therapists that specialize in and diagnose ADHD. Even if you don't want to get medicated, ADHD therapists can help you develop the right kind of habits to improve your daily life. Unfortunately, that's not always accessible to people. Whether their doctor or therapist is dismissive of ADHD (which is sadly too common[more proof of my ADHD. Parenthesize every extra thought!{how many parentheses are too many parentheses?!}]), or maybe there's nobody suitable in your area, or no one in the area takes your insurance, there are online alternatives. I'm in an area where the only doctors who take my insurance basically believe ADHD is fake, so I had to resort to [Cerebral](https://cerebral.com/). I pay a monthly fee that covers 2 therapy sessions and an appointment with a prescriber (if you and your therapist decide to go the medication route). I've heard some claims that they just push pills, but they had no problem when I initially didn't want to get medication, and have been super helpful sticking to my 'no stimulant' boundary.

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justgimmiethelight@reddit

Yup. All the time. Source: My autistic + ADHD self.

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TheFumingatzor@reddit

>DAE work nonstop No. My time on earth is finite but there will always be work.

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Manach_Irish@reddit

Agreed, though please avoid the lorries :)

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stolid_agnostic@reddit

I'll rephrase your question: Does anyone else here have ADD/ADHD?

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Hoggs@reddit

I have ADHD and you're describing how I operate. The (kind of) solution I found was to get into consulting. I now spend a lot if time solving problems for customers - but more importantly, there's a lot more deadlines involved. I know everyone hates deadlines, me too - but I've found them crucial to managing ADHD, and medical research backs that up. Under pressure we're at our most effective. :)

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mrj1600@reddit

Likely ADHD or some level of neurodiversity. Until you get diagnosed, try body-doubling with a colleague (i.e you both work on a similar task together), or if your workplace allows, YouTube/Netflix/podcast/etc, have a documentary or reruns of a show you've seen a dozen times playing as background noise. Working in a coffee shop or cafeteria can also be helpful. The second option only really works if it's something you've already seen or something that isn't fascinating enough to draw your attention. At least for my wife and I, having something that essentially amounts to steady background noise helps with focus. My mind doesn't wander as much as it does when I'm sitting in silence and I tend to get more done.

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sneakattaxk@reddit

this was the first thing that came to mind when reading your post [https://xkcd.com/705/](https://xkcd.com/705/) however to be fair i've been finding that when working at home i procastinate..working in the office seems to be more productive or if i'm in my dedicated workign space (read closet) but camped out at the dining table i just mess around

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QuadFlyer_@reddit

Yes, all the time.

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th318wh33l3r@reddit

Sounds like me and my adult ADHD.

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Interesting-Yellow-4@reddit

Yup

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StaffOfDoom@reddit

ADHD had me like…got some meds, much better focus, even if I don’t wanna! Plus it helps disconnect when time, so I’m not obsessing on the problem!

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AptCasaNova@reddit

I work the same way. What can help is to book checkins with your manager for projects or other things that don’t need immediate attention. That way you can’t procrastinate until the day before (or the day of, ahem).

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retirementdreams@reddit

At first when I started reading this post, I was thinking, oh look, my management is paying people to write articles about how unproductive we are working from home to push the current corporate narrative that work from home is bad. I work off the frog consumption productivity theory. If you have a frog to eat, don't look at it too long. If you have a bunch of frogs to eat, eat the biggest one first.

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ObeseBMI33@reddit

![gif](giphy|sQ3HV6ltlpF9ZZUumm|downsized)

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Crowded_Judgment_@reddit

![gif](giphy|vqmtEhZwZ7uaEGrk8M|downsized)

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Farmerdrew@reddit

All. The. Time. I hate anything to do with writing. I force myself, but only after weeks of procrastination.

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SearchingDeepSpace@reddit

Kinda? If the task come straight from Director, is a critical emergency, or genuinely interests me? Full attention immediately for as long as needed til resolved. Otherwise I do the mental math of "how urgent is this, how much time do I realistically need, and what is the availability of third parties / stake holders". Most of the time, I'll put these off for a few days and knock them all out in one big sweep to maximize my "holding pattern" chill state. Unless a coworker is somehow ahead of me in tickets solved, in which case all bets are off.

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ReindeerThick1862@reddit

I totally understand you, when you have a problem on which you have to focus 100% then you can't sleep peacefully until it is solved. Had weekends with 45 hour work time just to fix something important, working fully focused and also motivated. And then there are days with normal stuff to do like documentation where i can't get anything done. Basically just sitting around, watching youtube and hoping that nobody calls me. Might be some form of Autism but it actually can be very usefull to solve complicating, exhausting tasks which a lot of people couldn't do i guess.

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