Diagnosed ADHD-PI, professional software developer here; working on an agile team building SaaS apps for large retailers.

Answers:
It's been 4 years since my bachelor's and I have no professional experience; nothing to show for that time really, except a failed grad school project. Is there anything I can do so this doesn't look so bad to recruiters?

• Start putting all the code you're most proud of on your GitHub in public repositories, and try to finish at least one open source thing.
  
  
• Start answering questions on Stack Overflow.
  
  
• Hiring managers just want to see how you solve problems and work with other developers -- so contributing to open source is a huge one.
  
  What skills could I work on now that would prepare me for professional work? I hear people gripe about recent grads having no experience with version control, continuous integration, etc. I'm familiar with most of these
  
  
• Getting really familiar with Github, and some kind of workflow like git-flow is a huge one, but also read up on Agile because many companies are using that method to organize coding tasks -- see if you can learn a tracker like Jira or Pivotal in demo mode (would be a bonus)
  
  
• Try to get really checked out and well versed in at least one framework...(Angular, React, Vue, Laravel, Rails, etc) you can kind of pick one you're already pretty familiar with and there will be jobs out there for it.
  
  
• Again look for open issues on open source projects written in langs and frameworks you're familiar with, fork them, fix them, and submit PRs -- this will give you rep on GitHub and prove you can collaborate effectively. https://github.com/trending
  
  Should I mention my ADHD diagnosis and the difficulties I had, or just say that I took a year off for personal reasons and leave it at that?
  
  
• Our team lead talked openly about his ADHD during his interview and he still got hired. I have not mentioned mine as I got my formal diagnosis after already being at this company for a while but it's pretty common in the industry
  
  Do you ever have any doubts about whether you like programming enough? Like I said, sometimes I'm super enthusiastic about my projects. Other times I can't get started, so it makes me doubt myself.
  
  
• Absolutely. It really helps to work for a company that you KNOW supports learning and doing things the right way.... and a company that is working on apps that you have some interest in. If you can drink the kool-aid so-to-speak it helps keep you interested. I've worked for companies that made me question the career altogether, and now I work at one I really love and I'm glad I didn't change course. (they fly us to conferences, we do pair programming, there's lots of time for research and refactoring etc.)
  
  Do you have a particular workflow that works well for you and the people you work with? (pomodoro, break the day into 2-hour chunks, etc)
  
  
• I use the methods in this book to the best of my ability: https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Work-Focused-Success-Distracted/dp/1455586692... which is essentially find the time of day (or night) that you are sharpest and go into an increasingly long period of very focused work where you've created an environment free from all distractions (no phone, no browser tabs with reddit etc..) The rest of my day I break up into 30-40 minute chunks with walks and stretching in between. Nobody can write clean code for 9 hours straight. I also use WunderList religiously. I have categories in WunderList for every aspect of my life and I organize my days from start to finish as a "Today," list. I try to follow the list. Obviously life throws you curve balls but it's been a huge help.
  
  Do you ever lack perseverance when you hit a snag? If so, what do you do about it? I like programming recreationally, because if there's a bug I can't figure out I'll step away (sometimes for hours), and then see it with fresh eyes. In a professional environment this feels like I'm goofing off.
  
  
• This is a tough one.... the answer for me is yes....but I also tend to get so frustrated that I try to push through and solve the problem for too long past my ability to be effective. I continually prove this to myself because I eventually have to step away if it's really difficult -- and when I come back refreshed the solution comes pretty quickly.. (usually)... I often quit for the day having not solved something, do my evening tasks, sleep, and then wake up immediately knowing the answer.
  
  Any other relevant/interesting details you can share about your experiences will be super-appreciated.
  
  
• Stick with it -- it is very challenging for anyone to become a good dev -- and even moreso for us... but there are some aspects of the way our brains work that makes this the perfect career. Most ADHD people love a challenge when something sparks their interest, and the hyper focus bouts allow us to often come up with very clever solutions. Let us know how it goes and good luck.
  
  edit: I am prescribed 30mg IR adderall. I don't take it every day but I do use it often
  
  

>psychologist who I have only recently stopped seeing told me that a major symptom of ADHD was that I had to be unable to retain information

who the flying fuck quack of a psychologist is that? that's the most retarded bull shit I've ever heard.

>my dentist says that ADHD medication and SSRI usage has caused some permanent damage to my teeth (excessive grinding, plus the depression/ADHD made me rather apathetic to proper hygiene).

never heard that either. Perhaps the teeth grinding was caused by the anxiety that was caused by the Conceta? Likely.

Who am I? I read this comment of yours and have been reading your comment history. That was a truly incredible comment. I'm assuming that you've learned that being a history major. I'd like to learn more.

Oh, yeah. Me. I went to Landmark College, a school entirely for students with ADHD and learning disabilities like dyslexia, Asperger's, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia, etc. I just graduated from there with my Associate's last year. (This is their first year starting a 4 year program but prior to that it was a two year school). I know all about ADHD and could talk to you about it for hours. In return for your amazing Roman history comment you get a little something from me. I gotta go to sleep soon, though and won't give that much.

Umm... oh shit. I'm on my other account. Message me at ceramicfiver for questions about landmark if you want. I don't know when i'll get back on to onelasttimeitry... if ever. Other me, ceramicfiver, is the mod of /r/landmarkcollege.

I have ADHD inattentive type, but I can still explain a lot. I've been on all sorts of meds for adhd, depression and anxiety and none of them seem to work for me. That doesn't mean the meds for you don't exist.

However the truly best medication is exercise. This is not some anecdotal story but it's consistently verified by science. Get out and run, swim, bike, lift weights, kayak, mountain bike, play tennis, basketball... do whatever the fuck you want, preferably at least 30 minutes 6 days a week. The benefits of exercise are truly astounding and give you the same and more of the benefits that meds give. Umm.. here's a source i quickly googled just now if you want, but just trust me. Exercise helps with your working (short term) memory, long term formation of memories, energy levels, ability to execute ideas into action, helps with everything in your frontal lobe, shifting attention, sustaining attention, initiating focus, time-management, organization, self-esteem, attitude, general health, etc. etc. etc.

What else? Well, common sense stuff like nutrition (eat lots of veggies!), sleeping well and enough, are often taken for granted but are so incredibly important. Try meditation too, and /r/meditation is a phenomenal subreddit btw.

What works? Google the Master Notebook system, as well as Two Column note taking.

The Master Notebook system is a brilliant way to organize your papers in binder. Basically, organize notes by subject into different three ring binders, and then by type within the binder. Like, have a Notes section, a Handouts section, a Papers section, tests, quizzes, whatever. Maybe you already do this and figured it out on your own. If you go to Landmark for a semester or summer, check it out.

Two column note taking is essentially putting all the main ideas on the left, and the details on the right. I advise using lots of color too! Humans are very visual animals. Make use of that, and once you're done taking notes in class, go home and redo the notes into a graphic organizer, mapping out Historical cause and effect with color, big arrows, diagrams, charts, pictures, pictures, pictures. Expressing your thoughts into a different language (visual) is amazing for note taking and memory. By language, I meant the language of turning words into pictures and diagrams. Re-writing your notes into your own words is essential for understanding and comprehension. Putting it into fancy pictures is even better. It sounds childish but it works amazingly. And remember white space! Do NOT cram everything into one paper. Spread ideas out, make big ideas literally big and small details literally small.

The best way to remember something is making flash cards with the word on one side and on the other side, a definition, an example, and a picture. That trio cements the word into your brain.

One of the most important things I could tell you is the importance of self-advocating. In high school, it's the school's responsibility to make sure you don't fall through the cracks. But once you're in college, you are all on your own. Do not expect a college to do anything for you. You have to reach out and get the help you need on your own volition. The big problem is that disabled students enter college not knowing a single fucking idea how to go about getting the support they need. Advocating for your needs requires you to know the things you want to ask for. When you don't know the questions to ask, you won't get the right support. You gotta explore, push the boundaries, practically interrogate your school's disability support department and squeeze every bit of information and any accommodation they can give you. Ask for extra time on tests, separate, quiet rooms for tests, reduced course load (and retain financial aid. Some schools require a minimum credit amount for financial aid), priority registration (you choose your classes before everyone else does), a note taker, free software and hardware to help you out like Kurzweil 3000 that reads textbooks to you as mp3s, DragonNaturally Speaking where you dictate papers into a microphone, LiveScribe Pen that records lectures as you take notes, and plays back lectures when you click at a specific spot on the paper you are taking notes.

There use to be this amazing research paper open to the public here but it's behind some privacy wall for the time being... hope it comes out soon. It's titled, "A Model of Vocational Success for Adults with Learning Disabilities." a couple months ago. I found it here behind a paywall with an abstract: basically, control your environment as much as possible and you'll find success.

If you want to learn about landmark college, I wrote a shit ton about it here a couple months ago.

If anything, I would most recommend doing their [Five Week Summer Session for Visiting College Students] rather than doing a bridge semester in the Fall or Spring, so you can get a less expensive taste of landmark before you take the 30k a semester plunge.

Books! Check out:
Read everything this guy wrote, most especially Delivered from Distraction.
My psychologist actually wrote this book, Survival Guide for College Students with ADHD or LD.
Learning Outside the Lines is a classic.


Umm.. I just found this list of books... there's tons out there. Read the newer ones, at least within the past ten years. Before that, generally disregard it. There's been a ton of research in the past decade that has practically flipped upside down traditionally held views.

Hm.. I gotta sleep. Cya!

I'm 31. I've always knew I was lazy, a terrible procrastinator, not able to focus on tasks for a long amount of time, etc. I just thought I was a "smart slacker". At 27 I definitely knew something was wrong but I had no idea what it was. I didn't know what ADHD was (I thought it was the super active 12 year old from my school days). About a year ago, I saw something on reddit that made me learn a bit about ADHD-Pi and I realised I had many of the symptoms.

I procrastinated maybe 3 months, then spent 3 months doing research. I read More Attention, Less Deficit which is a very easy and satisfying read, even for us ADHD'rs. I also read Dr. Brown's A New Understanding of ADHD in Children and Adults. This is a very technical book but it allowed me to convince myself that there is scientific consensus about a) ADHD is a real disorder that can severely effect your life and b) that medication (ie, stimulants) really is a safe and effective treatment. I'd recommend the first book for anyone and the second book if you'd like to learn about the latest in ADHD science.

The next 3 months I spent finding and working with a psychologist. She was great. She gave me a diagnosis. It was a huge relief. I was finally able to know why I had certain behaviors I didn't like and she gave me motivation to work on them. Just discussing my problems, ie "talk therapy", actually really helped. She helped me find a great psychiatrist. It took me another 3 months to get in and I'm working with him now. He has me on a low dosage (5mg dextroaphetamine) and we're working on increasing it. I've already seen huge results. I procrastinate less, I'm able to focus, I'm less distracted, my mood has improved, my anxiety has gone done, I've become more social.

This was a long process. The system is set up to work against people with ADHD. You'll need to do research, book appointments, keep appointments, research insurance options, find doctors. This is not easy for an ADHD'r to navigate! However, even though its taken a year, I am so incredibly glad I've taken this journey. I've made huge gains already and I'm very optimistic for the future.

I think you could probably make huge improvements in your life if you worked on this. I'd recommend using a psychiatrist (over your GP) to make sure you really get a correct diagnosis, address any comorbidities and get a treatment plan that works for you. Although I'm happy to be improving at 31, I wish I had treatment at 27 (or you know, 12!).

Break it down into small steps:

• 1. January: Research ADHD. Order and read More Attention, Less Deficit.
     
• 2. February: (I assume you're American) Research your insurance options. Is a psychiatrist covered? are drugs covered? If drug cost is a barrier, tell your psychiatrist. [I'm currently on generic dextroamphetamine, which is $15 for a two week supply and my insurance overs 90% of that. Yes, that's right, $3/month for drugs]
     
• 3. February: Research Psychiatrists in your area. You mentioned you live in an expensive city, its very likely someone there specialises in adult ADHD. This would be your first choice for a doctor.
     
• 4. February/March: book your first appointment with your Psychiatrist. It will likely take multiple visits before you receive a diagnosis. Be prepared for this and focus on the future - you're almost there.
     
• 5. March/April: begin your treatment plan with your psychiatrist. He will likely start you on a low dosage and increase it over time (i.e. 5mg/week). Here's what a medication chart (PDF) looks like in Canada, I'm sure the US does something similar. You'll have to continue to be patient here as well. It can take time to find the right medication and dosage. This is a trial and error procedure that you'll work on with your psychiatrist.
     
• 6. May/June: Once you're on a medication plan that works for you, consider seeking out either ADHD therapy (psychologist) or coaching (ADHD coach). Again, make sure its a professional that specialises in adult ADHD.
     
     Is the above a lot of work? Yes absolutely. It may be costly too. You know what though, your quality of life will increase. You'll become a better employee and maybe get that big raise. You'll become better at relationships which lead to a happier life. And you could make serious gains by this summer. Think how fast summer is going to be here!
     
     My apologies for the wall of text. Hope this gives you some motivation and direction. /r/ADHD is rooting for you!
     
     

I have been thinking about this a lot lately. I am the same way. I worked for myself for a long time and had a rotating list of public places (coffee shops, library etc). It is fine once in a while, but there are a lot of limitations if you need to do a full day of work everyday.

(Apologies in advance for the long-windedness. I wanted to explain the background, so you can brainstorm ideas that will work for you.

The 2 resources I have spurred my thinking on this are:

• Lifehacker.com: Mise en Place Your Routine
  
• Book: 4 Weeks To An Organized Life With AD/HD
  
  The book talks a lot about using visualization and right brained thinking to help create routines. The article really got me thinking about my Mise en Place (set up routine for tasks) and Mise en Space (how do the visuals support my goals).
  
  The first thing I realized is that I have no set-up routine for anything and it really derails me from forming habits. So as I was trying to think about creating set-up routines for everything in my life (get out of bed routine, sit down and do some copywriting for my website routine, etc). The book really made me think about how my stress is all very left brain. It completely blocks me from getting to my right brain, which is where I do amazing work.
  
  So, here are some questions that incorporate those ideas to help you think of some ways to create a great space:
  
  

1. What kinds of things spur your creativity (right brained thinking)? For me, color is really important. I am looking for ways to incorporate color. Think about all 5 senses. What sounds will put you in a good work mood? How does the room smell? Can you add elements that will make the space appealing on all of those levels.
   
   
2. Are you surrounded by things you love? If not, what can you add to the room that will make you instantly happy everytime you see it? Maybe something sentimental or inspirational.
   
   
3. Does everything in the room have a job? If you move your clutter into 'organizy things', don't do it just for the sake of looking organized. Plan your routine for how you will use it. If you put your mail in a box, think through the full Mise en Place of the routine to go through it. When will you open the box? In the morning or night? What do you need access to when you are going through it? Visualize every step of the routine, then set a standard time you will do it. Always do the steps in that order. If something in your office doesn't have a job (ie you don't really need it on a normal basis) plan for how to store it in a way that you can easily get to it when you need it.
   
   
4. Is everything in the room visually pleasing to you? If you are going to add organizy things, personal items, color etc, First, visualize the whole room. Then plan it out as a whole system. I find that a lot of small storage buckets lined up on a bookshelf work really well for me. These are the ones I got. I find putting them on a regular shelf works better for me than the little cubby systems they sell. It is less constrained and gives me more flexibility on how many/how to arrange so they work for me.
   
   When I started to really think about the tasks I was struggling to accomplish, I came up with some ideas for things that really helped. One example, I applied the Mise en Place to my computer. I set up 4 different user accounts. (work, productivity (to-do list/budget management), research, play) For each, downloaded desktop wallpapers that would inspire me for that task and I got the software Fences to layout the exact things I need to accomplish those tasks.
   
   So, now, every morning for the last week, I have been working on creating the habit of logging into my productivity desktop first. Just that act is really helpful. As soon as I log in, my budget app, to-do list are right there. I have a really exact routine. I look at my bank balance, update my budget software, go to my to-do list. find the 3 things I am going to do that day. I write them down and think along with a timeframe for each. Then, I log out and log in to my 'work'.
   
   The jury is still out for me on whether the 4 accounts is too much hassle (file sharing, setting up apps for each user etc), but the concept so far is working great. Fences can actually set up the different desktops and you can just swipe to move to the next one. I am not sure I am disciplined enough to stick to my rules. The act of logging out forces me to make an active choice about what i am doing. Also, I will probably block some sites from users (ie - the 'work' user can go to reddit, facebook etc)
   
   I know that is long winded, but I hope it spurs some ideas for you to really personalize your space in a way that will support your work.
   
   
   
   
   tl;dr: visualize your daily routine, how you will get your mind into a great space and how your environment will feel. Tie them all together to brainstorm ideas.
   

Tldr: stop comparing, create your own path and be your actualized self.

you need stop comparing. True humanity is being humane. Nothing more. All those things you just listed are things people do to get some satisfaction and in the process we have made them ideals and therefore unreachable standards. Just think about how much ads we see a day, how we are trying to impress the others to look above average. The classical ideals of fame and fortune are utopian.

The thing to realize is that 90% of all humans are average in every aspect, 5 % exceeds expectations and meets the actual standards, the other 5 % is below average and don't have that great odds to get a more humane live. I am talking about genetics here, not about external factors like culture and location. This is evolution.

Where others don't have adhd, the chances are pretty high that they lack in other areas, think handicaps or other health issues or anything that one can hinder in being his true self.

I believe we need be proud to be average this makes us humble and thankfull for that wich we do have. Even the smallest things like seeing or thinking.
It can be hard to strive to those standards we are always trying to reach, for if not those ideals what else has meaning in life?

A tree. A tree is a tree, and nothing more. A bird is a bird nothing more. A amoeba is a amoeba. That's how nature works. Humankind is the only species among with a few other primates that strives to change its self into something else, something more. Why? Why should we do that? No one ever got happy from it and only suffered and made others suffer. That's what's most sports and war is all about.

So I say let us practice the 'modern' stoic way. Don't say I am in it to win it. But internalize your goals. Make it. I am Going to try to do my best. And what is your best? That's being the truest form of your self. See the difference? When you are in it to win it your serenity depends on something you don't control. It's better to put it somewhere you do have control over, like your expectations. Your own personal standards.

Humanity is being human. And you are you. So stand in it. Practice your actual self. With your abilities and disabilities. As is. Accept that. Do not compare it against society. Think of it like you are the only one on earth. How would you feel about your actual self if this was the case?

This is not something I figured out my self but the ancient Greeks and Roman's already lived this way thousands of years under the movement of stoicism.

I mainly got these techniques and thoughts out of this book wich I really recommend, it's a bit though but if are interested in the history is a good read else you can skip to part 2 or 3 of the book the guide to the good life - the ancient art of stoic joy by William Irvine

An other more modern take on certain aspects of stoicism is the subtle art of not Giving a fuck - an counterintuitive approach of living a good life

Note: self help books only help if you are open to them and want to read them, not if you are urged by an external peer to read them

especially for people with adhd these really help and give some solid techniques on how to handle life. It made me so much more confident in my self. From being a shy r/niceguys pushover to an independent man who knows how to love himself and not get upset by daily life. All the while being actually happy, content and innerly calm and serene.

Oh for you and the original poster /u/turqandpurp he asked for sources for some of the other things he and other people responded to.

Since I understand alot of this stuff is medicine based and can be very technical let me provide some sources. I am actually limiting all the sources I can provide so I do not info dump you and overwhelm you. Instead giving you sources that are comprehensive of all the options but are also selfcontained. If you want more sources I can give you more.

Here is a Google Ebook Link to Massachusetts General Hospital Psychopharmacology and Neurotherapeutics. While the entire book is not free, the free preview I linked to should cover the entire chapter 10 which deals with the medicine treatments for ADHD focusing on the stimulants but also covering those 5 other classes of medicines we use for ADHD.

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Some background feel free to skip to the next line.


That book I linked to is a treatment book for doctors that came out in 2015 on the latest on the best medicines and non medicine treatments for various psychiatric conditions such as ADHD, Depression, Anxiety, etc.

The Massachusetts General Hospital and their treatment books are a big deal, here is why

• If you are not aware Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. After you go to medical school and get your legal MD and can be called a doctor (since you went to medical school and then passed your medical training tests) many doctors then further specialize by doing an understudy at a teaching hospital or a specific doctor. Massachusetts General Hospital is a hospital and treatment facility but it is also one of the "teaching hospitals" where they specialize in further instructure with new doctors partnering with expert doctors and there the new doctors began a hands on apprenticeship called residency and then fellowship while the technically legal doctor becomes a further specialist in a field like Psychiatry, Surgeon, etc.
  
  
• Massachusets General Hospital is ranked the number #1 hospital system in the United States for several years now according to US News and World Report. Link
  
  
• Note this number 1 ranking in 2015-2016 is tied with another awesome hospital and organization you should pay attention to which is the Mayo Clinic Hospital System. The Mayo Clinic Hospital System started with a hospital in Minnesota and that is usually seen as the most prestigous of the Mayo Clinic Hospital System since it was the first. But since their founding a 150 years ago, they have since expanded and formed two other big locations equivalent to the Minnesota location, one in Florida, and one in Arizona, they also have smaller clinics and hospitals than those 3 main teaching hospitals with 70 other smaller satellite chains.
  
  ----
  
   
  
   
  
  Okay back to the subject after that explanation of who the source is for the people who did not follow medicine
  
  Ebook Link to Chapter 10
  
  You should be able to see the entire chapter about ADHD. If you are not a doctor I do not recommend buying that book for its meant for doctors, but if you want to read the rest of the chapters, I can show you in a private message on how to search that book get a preview chapter and read one of the other chapters about the other disorders such as depression, anxiety, etc.
  
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  Another good comprehensive book about the treatment of ADHD with meds (and covers some of the non meds stuff as well) is Dr. Stephen Stahl's Illustrated ADHD. Amazon Link
  
  Dr. Stephen Stahl, a doctor in University of California San Diego, writes some of the most well respected books for doctors on explaining the various pros and cons of how psychiatric medication work (see Stahl's Prescribe Guide) and a book directed at doctors to explain the current understanding of how these medicines work (Stahl's essential psychopharmacology) these are so well respected and so helpful to doctors that many people consider of the various other books on this subject to be "the bible" and usually one of the first three books you recommend for explaining how medicines that affect the brain how they work (the science of this psychopharmacology, as in the brain and the pharamacology of drugs)
  
  Dr. Stephen Stahl also writes more basic books explaining various disorders and drugs called the Stahl Illustrated Series. Instead of being directed at doctors it is directed at a more basic explanation similar to a 1st level undergraduate college course. It is meant to help to explain to patients the various aspects of their disorder. There are 8 books in the illustrated series and one of them focuses in on ADHD.
  
  It is a little more than a 100 pages long, and while the book is not free I gave a review of the book here.
  
  

  Link to my review
  

  
  Inside that review I showed images of 10 of those pages of the book and the sample images help you get an idea of the book and help you decide before you buy. Each page has is almost all that image and the accompanying text and while it is still medical it is written at a level that if you read slowly and pay attention to the pictures it explains everything you need to know to get a basic understanding of how these medications work. You do not need to be a doctor, a med school, or even someone who took a college biology course, you just need to be patient and read the book, and it is freaking cool.
  
  Well each page is like each of those figures I gave above with each page having 1 such figure and description and then some other text to help it being a narrative type style. There are over a 100 such pages.
  
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  Now I can link to other articles, most of them free, that go over the ADHD medicines but I find those two I linked above to be the most useful.

Fidget toys!

I went through a few and found fidget rings the most useful:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0019648V6

and this from StimTastic:

http://www.stimtastic.co/stim-jewelry/bike-chain-fidget-bracelet-heavy-weight

Or a yo-yo, and juggling balls. Anything physical helps us focus.

I'm 33yo, and running my own business, so don't worry about your friend being too old for this :)

On the other hand, I'd be careful with the planner, and possibly the portfolio folder and the post-it notes - personally, for me, that would be overwhelming and stressful. As in: more things to figure out how to use.


As for the other ideas - perhaps a book? I liked "Time Warrior", and "Drummer and great mountain". If he's trying to get back in shape too, then definitely "How to think about exercise".


And don't forget a card of course! If it were me, the best words of support would be to take my time, take it easy, and that my friends will be there for me.

You're an amazing friend for doing this!

I literally read this passage this morning

>An important, and often overlooked part of both learning disabilities and ADD is the social consequence of having them. ADD can interfere with one's interpersonal life just as dramatically as it does with one's academic or job performance. To make friends, you have to be able to pay attention. To get along in a group, you have to be able to follow what is being said in the group. Social cues are often subtle: the narrowing of eyes, the raising of eyebrows, a slight change in tone of voice, a tilting of the head. Often the person with ADD doesn't pick up on these cues. This can lead to real social gaffes or a general sense of being out of it. Particularly in childhood, where social transactions happen so rapidly and the transgressor of norms is dealt with so pitilessly, a lapse in social awareness due to the distractibility or impulsivity of ADD can preclude acceptance by a group or deny understanding from a friend.^1

You're in high school right? high school is a difficult time to be introverted, because everyone demands you live your life a certain way and act a certain way, and anything else makes you an outcast. Get through it. It is difficult, but life isn't like high school. In the real world you won't be interacting only with people within 2 years of your age. you won't be interacting only with people who want to go do things or judge people all the time. There are lots of types of people out there and high school is not a good slice of them. Get through high school, and head to the rest of your life.

It took me a while to realize that being an introvert is fine. Mostly because my fiance is one too. We sat down one day and both said "It's annoying that everyone wants to do things with us, why can't we just be alone with ourselves?". we are both introverts, and we enjoy it this way. Other people may not understand it, but we have fun, we enjoy life, and we have friends. we just don't need to jump every time someone mentions a movie or thing. We just don't need people the way other people do. It is hard to accept, but we came to understand it and are happy with it. It is hard for other people to accept, but we don't really care about that anymore. WE are happy, and that's all that matters.


^1 Driven to Distraction by Edward M. Hallowell, MD and John J Ratey MD^2: i'm only a chapter in and its a great book. find it and read it.^3

^2 The authors are psychologists and also live with ADD (at least one does, I haven't gotten very far). But they are considered the defining accessible sources on living with ADD.

^3 If you can't focus on a book like this very well, get Answers to Distraction this one is made in a FAQ format in smaller pieces.

No problem! You don't come off as a brat at all. You're asking for help, and that's a step most people won't even do. They just sit in their little, sad situations and struggle for no reason. You're not like that. Chin up.

College is the first time I'm getting a support group offline. My parents refuse to acknowledge any and all kind of "mental illness", as they call it. So I definitely had to deal with a lot of coping growing up.

I started scheduling because I read this book. I know it might not apply to you now, but if you're curious THAT book was the one that changed the course of my college career- mostly because of its explanation of scheduling. If I had never read it I would undoubtedly not have so much work done ahead of time. But anyway, I am currently a college student so everything here is from a college student's perspective:

I understand what it's like to not want to confine to a schedule, really. In fact, I don't think I've ever done everything I schedule in a single day. See: http://i.imgur.com/bHNx0m4.jpg

Boxed in red is my schedule for the day, circled in green is stuff I didn't finish-- and it's okay, because my life deserves some flexibility. Because sometimes, I don't want to do math at that particular moment.

So I don't do it.

ADHD doesn't always let me sit still and do work. However, I make an effort to do something else productive, like some other assignment or drawing or reading. Something that's not Reddit. My rule is that I work 5 days a week, from 8 am to 8 pm. This is how I get ahead. I know 12 hours seems like a lot but I set aside an hour for lunch usually and I try to give myself 15 minute breaks every 45 minutes of work, Pomodoro style.

Sometimes I'm not even able to make myself productive. I Reddit or navel-gaze or sleep for a couple hours. It happens. It's okay. I'm usually ahead anyway. Let myself have a break.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, scheduling doesn't have to be this completely restrictive thing. It is actually very freeing. I am much kinder to myself now than I was before without scheduling-- because back when I didn't schedule, I ended up with a lot of backlog, which meant that I often was forced to work for hours on end. It sucked.

tl;dr: Scheduling, and doing work when I feel like doing work, allows me to make free time later that I can mess around with. It's like karma! Do good now, and you can reap the benefits at a later time. And what I do:

1. Look at stuff that's due soon
   
   
2. Schedule that stuff for your day, with time ranges (2:00 - 3:30 pm - Classics reading)
   
   
3. Do stuff when it's that time.
   
   
4. If unable to do #3, do something else productive.
   
   
5. Relax if you can't finish everything because you've probably done plenty today anyway.

Are you getting any treatment aside from medication? If not you might want to combine your medication with ADHD therapy/coaching and/or focus on developing coping skills.

There's this mindfulness for ADHD workbook and also this Cognitive Behavioral Therpay for ADHD workbook. I haven't used them but they look like they might be useful.

The book 4 Weeks to an Organized Life with AD/HD was very helpful to me when I read it several years ago. The second half of the book is a 4 Week program that gives one simple task a day to help build skills to cope with ADHD (you don't have to read the first half of the book, you can just do the program). If you choose to do this, you might want to ask someone to help remind you to do the daily exercises and be your accountability buddy.

As far as reading goes, I find that writing a paragraph summarizing what I read right after reading helps me to stay interested in what I'm reading. I would guess it might help with other hobbies too.

no definitely not confusing. I used to take medication and it was the same for me. Lack of appetite and felt like compete shit after and a little bit during as well. like i felt off during. but i say get a lower dose and try using caffeine it’s a natural stimulant that may or may not help. You’ll probably need a lot. like. a lot. but could work definitely has helped w me and if it makes you tired don’t be surprised it’s kinda weird w adhd my ex’s dad told me how it’s the opposite in the brain bc ADHD ppl take meds to calm them down where as if other ppl take them it’ll do nothing or hype em up. If others drink coffee they get jittery and we chill tf out. but in summary that dosage is very high and could be too strong. if you wanna make the most of it I say get a pill splitter like this one https://www.amazon.com/Apex-Ultra-Pill-Cutter-Retracting/dp/B000EGKTGK and take 20 mg in the morning and 20 at lunch or something. and tell guardian how you think it’s too strong. best of luck.

This is a great question!

The most important part of this is the idea of "okay to ask for help".

The truth is, this has more to do with who you're asking than it has to do with you.

ADHD is difficult to come to terms with because its effects are so hard to pinpoint; they're mixed in with all of the other confounding factors that make life a struggle for everybody.

This is unfortunate because you can never completely blame ADHD for anything--there's always the possibility that you could "just try harder" to make The Thing happen.

On the other hand... no one can ever completely blame you, either! Because there's always the possibility that your executive faculties are just not running at full capacity, and absolutely nothing you do will make The Thing happen on a faster timeline.

So, how do you manage this balance? What do you do when there's never a straight answer?

In short: you have to learn the boundaries of each person in your life, how much they're willing to help (whether "help" means "listening to me bitch and moan" or "coming over to help me stay focused"), and whether they feel like you're leaning on them too hard.

You have to learn to have those awkward uncomfortable conversations where you put your emotions on the line intentionally, because it's actually safer to do it this way than wait until people blow up on you and say "UGH, JUST TRY HARDER!"

I say a lot of things like:

---

> I feel like I've been bugging you a lot lately. I just want you to know that if you ever need some space, you can just say "Hey, my plate is full--think you'll be OK without me on this one?"

---

> Yo, is it cool if I vent about my productivity a sec? (afterward) Phew, all right. I feel a little better, thanks. How are you?

---

> I really appreciate how much you've been willing to help me out with my struggles lately. Is there anything I can do to help you out in return?

---

> Hey, I'm really sorry I went MIA yesterday. I should have let you know I was having an off day. Are we cool?

---

If you're looking for reading material, I suggest:

• Nonviolent Communication - Basic overview of some useful concepts
  
  
• Anger, by Thich Nhat Hanh - Very "woo-woo" at points, but full of detailed strategies for communicating when you're full of emotion.
  
  
• Driven to Distraction - Classic must-read for ADHDers.
  
  
• Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength - I never finished reading it, but it made me feel better about how progress can feel so slow sometimes!

I was just reading this book which was recommended on this subreddit (thanks guys!) and I found it kinda mind-blowing. The basic thesis of the book is that for people with ADHD, it's okay and maybe even a very good idea to sacrifice some aesthetics for efficiency. This means:

• as much as possible, purge (donate/trash) mercilessly, instead of finding space for stuff that you will then have to take care of, sucking up valuable attention bandwidth
  
• prioritize "easy to put away" vs. "easy to access": this often means leaving things organized but visible, even if they might be a bit more aesthetically pleasing in a closed container; hooks for hoodies and coats instead of a closet, open-front non-stacked containers as a middle ground between piles and cupboards, etc.
  
• get rid of the need for certain chores entirely if you can (having only one set of sheets in the rotation so you never need to actually fold your sheets unless you have guests or the stomach flu, lol; go down to one type of daily wear sock so you almost never have to actually match and roll sock pairs)
  
  With your guest bathroom, there might be a middle-ground solution (if you can afford the $10 I'd look in the section of the book under craft projects rather than under bathrooms, which is more about getting your bathroom routine down to the minimum possible and is aimed at folks for whom make-up is more functional and less of a "project", for lack of a better term).
  
  I found this a lot more relatable than Konmari, with its emphasis on kind of a devotional approach to housekeeping. I tried that sock and underwear folding method and like -- I'm glad I learned it (esp. for packing!) but as far as daily routine goes, it's the kind of thing that's out the window the second I get preoccupied with something else. Also in general we tend to be kind of hard on ourselves because our "resumes of failure" with organization/mess are kind of long, so it was really great to hear someone say "hey there are other options between Real Simple/Dwell centerfold and total grungey chaos and it's OKAY to use them!"

Other comments have talked about the medication topic (trying to adjust your dosage if it's not enough or switching medications), so I'm going to focus on being able to do habit-forming, as that's often a difficult task even once medication's figured out.

It sounds like you've already identified the things you need to be doing and the things you end up doing instead of that first group, which is a start. The next step is that you've got to start enforcing the rules you're trying to set for yourself and hold yourself accountable to them right then and there. Some things I see from your description of a day that could be useful:

• Establish set times that you're going to go to sleep and wake up, no matter what. If you decide you need to be awake at 10am and want 8 hours of sleep, make sure that every single night you're not gaming anymore by 12:30am or 1 so you've got time to physically go to bed and maybe read a book or do something else that is intentionally boring/relaxing instead of stimulating. This will help with the next item:
  
• Set only one alarm, but make it something loud and obnoxious (I used the drowning music from Sonic at first, hand to heart), then put your phone across the room so you have to get out of bed to turn it off. Having multiple alarms just makes you more likely to sleep through them all, because it's easy to convince yourself "oh this isn't so bad, even though I slept through this one there's my 4th/5th/6th alarm left, it's fine." Set a goal in your mind that "alarm goes off" means "get the fuck up," and then you need to hold yourself to that.
  
• Even if you don't move your sleeping times around, don't beat yourself up for "half the day being gone" just because it's midday. You already mentioned that you don't sleep until 3-5am, but wake up around noon; your halfway mark isn't until 7:30pm. People who work night shifts deal with things like this all the time, and it's important to recognize that while half of the sunlight might be gone for the day, your "day" is different and adheres to different times.
  
• Write down a schedule of what you need to do in the first 30-60 minutes after waking up. If having exact times helps, add those too (e.g., wake up around 8am, and have breakfast scheduled from 8:10-8:30). Then (and this'll be a repeated theme) you need to hold yourself accountable to that schedule. If you realize you ought to be eating breakfast or showering right now and you're gaming instead, do whatever you need to do to go from what you're doing to what you need to be doing ASAP. Quit the game, alt-f4, or if it's a single player thing just pause and walk away.
  
• While I tend to find that scheduling the first and last parts of my day helped the most since the task list for a day can vary hugely, from your description you already know what the main parts of your day should encompass (job hunt, project brainstorming), so look at setting daily goal lists in addition to the schedules. I'd recommend sticking to 2-3 things as "main" goals for the day based on their importance, not on how long they'll take. If your three things for today are "Get a haircut, apply for 5 jobs and walk the dog for 20 minutes," you could have all of those wrapped up by lunch and have the rest of the day off to do whatever you want.
  
• Understand that even though you're trying these new things, you're still going to fail at them sometimes, especially at first. Establishing a new habit is hard even for people who don't have ADHD, and you're going to have stumbles along the way. I'm currently on week 3 of trying to make myself run every morning as part of my morning schedule, and I've had a couple of days where I woke up late, took too long eating breakfast or just stared at nonsense on my phone for half an hour and didn't have the time. It's fine to be upset when those things happen - you're trying to succeed at this, so not liking failure is totally normal - but you're not a worthless person for being bad at a new skill. Attention span, routine and habit are all skills that have to be actively trained and paid attention to, and sucking at something is the first step at being sorta good at something.
  
  Most importantly, you've got to let go of the anger and remember that you can do this. If you started doing all or some of this tomorrow, that's day 1 of working to be better, not day 500 of being terrible at it. If you only do half of them on day 1, that's still more progress towards your goal than you had on day 0. You'll get better at consistency, you'll get better at holding yourself accountable when you fail but being fair about it, and will start to be able to define the more specific things that work for you rather than this long-winded advice from a stranger on the internet.
  
  A lot of the above came from things I learned while working with a cognitive behavioral therapist (while I was finding medications) and this book. If you think it'd be helpful and can't afford it, PM me shipping info or a wishlist link and I'll buy you a copy. I've been where you are, and it does get better.
  
  (edited to correct a typo I didn't notice I'd made at first)

Haha dude, I can tell you're taking stimulants. :P

I think you would really enjoy these two books if you don't already reference them:

• Stahl's Essential Psychopharmacology: Neuroscientific Basis and Practical Applications
  
  
• Stahl's Essential Psychopharmacology: Prescriber's Guide
  
  I love these. I have read Essential Psychopharmacology cover to cover and it's such a great introduction. I used to reference the prescriber's guide all the time, especially when I was taking an MAOI. I was feeling so bad when I saw you typed all that stuff because you could have left it at "neurotoxicity risks" and I would have gotten it, but you're clearly into it, and other people find it helpful.
  
  One thing though: 2-3 hours for Vyvanse to kick in? That's a joke, to me. I can't believe so many people accept that?

Sometimes I invite people over just so my place will get clean... jk but also it's kinda true.

I throw this book out here on this sub constantly (still waiting for my kickbacks...) but Susan Pinsky's book for organizing with ADHD literally changed my life. I'm still a hot mess, but everything is easier to clean and keep organized. I started going crazy when I transitioned to working from home full time. I need a clean environment to work but everything in my nature works against that. Her book really seriously truly helped me get things to a better baseline.

I can't link for some reason in-text, but here's the amazon link https://www.amazon.com/Organizing-Solutions-People-Revised-Updated-ebook/dp/B007ETD7GO

Use one hand to hold the book/turn pages and fiddle with something in your other hand, works wonders for those impulses to get up and do other stuff. I usually spin two juggling balls around in my hand, though whatever satisfies your fidgeting will work-Silly putty is good, and I know people who use Tangle Therapy toys and really like them.

Tuckman has two books on adult ADHD:

More Attention, Less Deficit: Lots of text but split into bite-sized chapters to make it easy to dip in and out, whatever sections interest you. If you read it all the way through it will seem repetitive, but that's intentional. Still my favorite general book on adult ADHD, maybe tied with the Ramsay/Rostain book The Adult ADHD Toolkit.

Understand Your Brain, Get More Done: A workbook, with much less text and lots of space for writing to do the exercises. I haven't gotten that much out of it since it contains basically the same strategies as the first one, but doing exercises can help you tailor them to your own life and get your thinking clearer. Maybe I should give it another chance.

By all means read Hallowell/Ratey! Hallowell is very enthusiastic, but he really knows what he's talking about and doesn't go overboard like the people going on about hunters and farmers, all the advantages of ADHD, we are just right and the rest of the world is wrong, etc.

Tuckman, Barkley and Ramsay/Rostain all emphasize the problems and challenges of ADHD more (and in more detail what to do about them). Whether you call that "realistic" or "pessimistic" may be a matter of perspective.

I really like imaginitive ways to beat procrastination. I think boredom is a big factor for adhd'ers and making a silly game of things is just more interesting than trying to constantly will yourself through it.

A couple of my favorite resources along those lines:

1. https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/Y8KL82jrxzatz2aky/travel-through-time-to-increase-your-effectiveness
   
2. https://www.amazon.com/Focused-Forward-Navigating-Storms-Adult/dp/0996983902/ref=sr_1_1?crid=MYSX3EXWTO0E&keywords=focused+forward&qid=1558490865&s=gateway&sprefix=focused+forward%2Caps%2C149&sr=8-1
   
   ​
   
   The focused forward book was really good (and I've read many adhd books). One of my favorite tactics from that was to imagine an 'advisory board' in your head. This would consist of some of your favorite people (real life or fiction) having discussions about what you should do about 'X'. I've found that to be a very powerful tool when you are just stuck in a problem loop (can't see a solution or direction) or just aren't motivated. And even if it doesn't work it's fun to imagine absurd scenarios like your high school shop teacher, Einstein, and Ghenghis Khan arguing about you can't just sit down and finish your taxes.

My son is 7 with ADHD. He is currently on focalin XR and does therapy every other week. We have little routines in place that help him "DO THE THING". For example, to get him dressed in the morning, we've taken two pictures one in his pajamas and one completely dressed for school and they are on his wall next to his closet. Visualizing the finished product really helps him get going in the morning. When he gets dressed, he checks his outfit to his picture to make sure he has everything.

I don't know if your son negotiates like my son does but I'm convinced that my son is going to be a lawyer. We use a "magic cube" timer. When he has a task that I want him to do or need him to do, we set his timer and he has to work on it for that long (usually 5 to 15 minutes depending on the task). Then he gets a 5 minute play break. I actually use the magic cube at work also, and it helps with my ADHD tremendously.

If you ever want to bounce ideas off of me, shoot me a message.

That sucks... You should look into Modafinil. It's being used as an alternative to amphetamines and can be readily imported in some countries without a prescription.

As for subjectivity, the truth is that ADHD and the brain aren't really understood well enough to have clear cut instruction manuals. You'll have to pilfer from different places. A book that I found useful in understanding some of the dynamics at play was Willpower. It does use a lot of qualitative examples but they are backed up by scientific literature https://www.amazon.com/Willpower-Rediscovering-Greatest-Human-Strength/dp/0143122231

Good luck.

A New Understanding of ADHD in Children and Adults: Executive Function Impairments by Thomas E. Brown is one of the first books I read after I got diagnosed (by the author actually). He's considered a pretty big authority in the field. The ADHD Advantage: What You Thought Was a Diagnosis May Be Your Greatest Strength by Dale Archer is also another good one that I'm getting through.

If I'm listening to music I'll dance (I'm literally dancing as I type this) I do it for fun at times like this. But I'll also dance while I do work because it helps keep me awake and focused.

In work I use this thing as it's a little more subtle.

So you actually did hit the kid then? Why? Just wondering. By the way, this book is an excellent source on Stoicism. It is a philosophy that will help you cope with life by adjusting your value system.

http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195374614/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426315250&sr=8-1&keywords=stoicism

Yup! Stuff like spinner rings, stress balls, silly putty, interlocking ring toys, really anything small and quiet that keeps your hands busy. A lot of the google results are geared toward kids, but there are some good office-appropriate ones out there too. :)

I experience basically the same inattentive symptoms and anxiety too. I’m not hyperactive but quite fatigue throughout the day so my motivation is quite low.

Anyways, I’m not sure of any apps but I do know a great workbook that has been quite helpful for me, which was suggested by my therapist. It would be even better to use it with someone so you have someone to be accountable to and check in with.

[Mastering Your Adult ADHD](Mastering Your Adult ADHD: A Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Program Client Workbook (Treatments That Work) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0195188195/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_PeSMBbE3XETX3)

It will not change who you are, it will just correct a chemical imbalance in your brain. Say someone is near-sighted, they would wear glasses to correct their vision. Yes, the world will look different, but it will help you function on the same wavelength as everyone else.

I would suggest giving it a chance. You can always stop taking the medication if you don't like the way it feels. Speaking from experience it has helped me tremendously, and even after going off the meds after taking it for an extended period, you will retain many good habits you built while taking them.

If you do decide to take the meds, its all or nothing. Don't go into it expecting it to change you, or it will.

And if you are really opposed to taking the meds I would suggest the Book answers to distraction, written by Doctors who specialize in ADD. Hollowell has ADD himself so he also has a lot of insight to offer.

http://www.amazon.com/Answers-Distraction-Edward-Hallowell-M-D/dp/0307456390

I've recommended Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.? Stopping the Roller Coaster When Someone You Love Has Attention Deficit Disorder
by Gina Pera and forward by PhD Russell Barkley numerous times. I've found it very helpful. It doesn't scapegoat the person with ADHD, nor does it expect the non-ADHD spouse to "parent" the ADHD spouse.

My husband has ADHD, I don't. We've been together 26 yrs. He was diagnosed and medicated as a kid, but stopped medication as he got older. Maybe because of the idea that people outgrew ADHD? His being unmedicated was hard on our relationship and exacerbated my anxiety. A lot of ADHD symptoms can look like disinterest, ignoring, disrespect to spouses.

It took me a long time to realize that my husband's ADHD symptoms were just that and not something else. Forgetting important things I told him. Not acknowledging what I said and instead jumping to another topic. Not making eye contact with me when I'm speaking. (He does this so he can focus better on what I'm saying without getting distracted by my facial expressions.) Forgetting to do things he said he'd do. Outburst that are more extreme than the situation calls for. Getting absorbed in something and forgetting I exist.

The fact that my husband sought treatment for ADHD/depression and takes medication has made a big difference. I know he is committed to improving our relationship and he has made real changes. The symptoms improved a lot. He is much more self-aware and considerate. I don't take it personally anymore when a symptom affects me. That said, his ADHD changed who I became and it affected the choices I made in life about careers, children, travel, etc. It damaged my self-esteem much more than I realized. We had some really rough times where I wondered what the hell I was doing staying and where he wondered why I was staying if he made me so unhappy.

If your couples therapist isn't versed in sex therapy, I recommend finding a different one. Holy crap, it makes a difference. It would also help if they're familiar with adult ADHD. We came back from the edge, so it is possible.

Focused Forward: Navigating the Storms of Adult ADHD https://www.amazon.com/dp/0996983902/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_wCqBDbE9V4HMB

Cant recommend this book enough. I’ve read (well, listened, I get audiobooks) a bunch of adhd books in my life and hands down this was the most life changing in terms of helping me accept and embrace it.

As I mentioned before: pills aren't skills. You still have to put it the work even when you don't feel like it. THIS IS KEY. You won't always feel like following through. But the difference between failing and passing is putting in the work.

Here are a couple guides that I heartedly recommend: A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley. This book will give you the basis for effective learning, and not just for science or math students.

How to Become a Straight A Student by Cal Newport This book defines the genre of what an effective student guide really is. Study tips abound, but the real lesson here is about effective time management and scheduling.

The following products also look good/interesting to help me. I have absolutely no financial interest in these, I'm just keeping track.

A cube for quick 5, 15, 30, 60 minute timer (link).

A popular digital kitchen timer (link).

A pager-like alarm/countdown (link).

"4 Weeks To An Organized Life With AD/HD"
http://www.amazon.com/Weeks-To-Organized-Life-With/dp/1589793269

Ostensibly a self-help book, but the first half or so talks about case examples from the authors' lives and really delve into some of the issues associated with not only having ADHD but not getting properly diagnosed and learning to be confident with your abilities.

The first edition of this book was fantastic for me! (I didn't know there's a new edition.. Something to check out!)

Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD, 2nd Edition-Revised and ... http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007ETD7GO/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_Ty92tb18D9BS9

Some potential ideas...

• Set an alarm in your room (so you can hear it) and another in the next room over so you're forced to get up to turn it off
  
  
• Pair getting up with something positive - maybe you get up and go right to Starbucks, or do something you enjoy even if it's singing in the shower or whatever.
  
  
• It always helps me to NOT turn on the computer, NOT have my phone in the room, and to turn on some music and open the shades as soon as I get up.
  
  
• You might want to check out the book called "Willpower". It's on Audible too if reading is difficult for you.
  
  

Good question.

I've been on meds for only a small percentage of my life. So I just try to remember that, although there were some really bad times off medication, there were also many really good times. Taking meds is a choice I made and continue to make so I can accomplish things in the way that I want to accomplish them--not to appease society or even family.

Also, this book might help: "ADD: A different perception" by Thom Hartmann. It talks about how the characteristics of ADD/ADHD are extremely well-suited to things like hunting and fighting, and non ADD/ADHD folks are very well-suited to things like farming. Now, most of us don't have to hunt to survive, and many jobs and schools are "farmer-like." It's helped me appreciate some aspects of my ADHD, even though there are still moments of terrible frustration and difficulty.

I'm looking to become pregnant around the end of the summer, so I'll have to go off my meds (my doc's advice), and so I'm starting to prepare by using my medicated times to develop structures that will work for un-medicated me.

Hey I saw this post a couple of days ago and I just found a few that might help you:

• Learning outside the lines
  
  Whit a forward by Ed Hallowell M.D., so pretty good endorsement.
  
  
• One Page at a Time
  
  
• Ad/Hd and the College Student

Get a fidget toy! The medication does help with it for sure, but I also use one of these (Tangle Toy). It is quiet, you can do it under a desk, not distracting others, and it provides tactile stimulation.

Look around on Amazon they also have therapy putty and many other similar items.

"Understand Your Brain, Get More Done" by Ari Tuckman provides plenty of concrete strategies that can be applied to various executive dysfunctions. It's more of a behavioral workbook, so it would probably pair best with a cognitive workbook.

Get a pill cutter. Great things.


https://www.amazon.com/Apex-Ultra-Pill-Cutter-Retracting/dp/B000EGKTGK

Try talking to your boss. One of the most important jobs of a manager is to make sure their employees are productive. Talk to your boss about how the interruptions are very challenging, and talk to them about this idea called deep work. Basically, you schedule time every day or every week where you insulate yourself from all interruptions. With this philosophy, you don't even need to mention the ADHD.

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

Podcast about deep work.

I find that Essential Psychopharmacology: A Neuroscientific Basis and Practical Applications is a very good resource for acidpHarm's line of questioning

This booked help me out a lot you should check it out: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/0767922719

That feeling of hopelessness after a series of failures, it's called Emotional Distress Syndrome. it leaves you feeling like you can never succeed again, and is compared to PTSD. My wife, who also has ADHD, suffers from it, and it has kept her from doing a lot of things she's wanted to do. We only identified it literally last week, but it's a clear fit.

The book we learned about it from is Focused Forward: Navigating the Storms of Adult ADHD

Here are some citations. It was discussed in Dr. Thomas Browns A New Understanding of ADHD and here is a link to the article he cites page 37. In the article there are further citations to studies based on clinical experience in prescribing stimulants to ADHD patients.

Understand Your Brain, Get More Done by Ari Tuckman

I can't think of anything else that comes close in a self-coaching format.

It was my life saver during school : http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Outside-The-Lines-Disabilities/dp/068486598X

[medication time indicator bottle] (https://www.amazon.com/Automatically-indicator-Auto-Repeating-Medication-Non-Adherence/dp/B004W8EQC4/ref=pd_cp_121_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B004W8EQC4&pd_rd_r=TSS9AWN1P3Q6VGG7BXWZ&pd_rd_w=iQxpk&pd_rd_wg=ambPG&psc=1&refRID=TSS9AWN1P3Q6VGG7BXWZ)

I found this https://www.amazon.com/Automatically-indicator-Auto-Repeating-Medication-Non-Adherence/dp/B004W8EQC4/ref=sr_1_18_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1481128223&sr=8-18&keywords=electronic+pill+dispenser

http://www.amazon.com/Tangle-Creations-300-Therapy-by/dp/B000F8I5AE/ref=cm_lmf_tit_26_rsrsrs0

This is essentially what Thom Hartmann posited, some years ago. We were discussing this in another thread a few weeks back.

> Gladwell's point reminds me of Thom Hartmann's book on ADD, which came out in 1993, Attention Deficit Disorder: A Different Perception. This is a book which is really worth reading, if you haven't already.

I have been there. That really sucks, I'm sorry.

If our brains are similar then you may find some solace in stoicism. Listen to this on audio book "http://www.amazon.ca/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195374614".

This too shall pass.

This is probably the single resource that did the most to help me understand myself and my struggles as a failed adult with undiagnosed ADHD.

Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.? Stopping the Roller Coaster When Someone You Love Has Attention Deficit Disorder https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0050JCA7C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_GKz3Bb22A8NGQ

As far as splitting concerta goes, I'd call your pharmacist and ask. Then, if the pharmacist says no, you have it from his mouth, and not strangers on the internet, and you can go back to your psych with that.

About cutting pills in general, they make pill cutters that you can use to cut pills in half.

Read: Attention Deficit Disorder: a different perception by Thom Harttman which explores this idea.

Here is an article by a professor at a medical college and an anthropologist talking about this.

Tricky the way that I project you asked this question, but personally I do believe that.

However, the way I hear your question is with the 'just' re-arranged is:

"Do you think that just practicing mindfulness solves this(add) entirely?"

The way you have it written even I project as, "adding this ingredient fixes this." Just add sugar to make it sweeter?

My personal belief, based on observation, is that one who has deeply developed his or her mindfulness will not suffer any forms of add - like at all. However, that in itself is a serious undertaking that one does not 'just' sit down and do (even thought that's kinda exactly how you do it). I am talking about someone who has had a consistent mindfulness practice for the last 20 or 30 years.

I meditate every morning for 20 minutes and it helps a TON, but I still struggle with adhd and executive functions. I have worked with very very experienced meditation practitioners - Bhuddist monks who have lived on a monastery in the wilderness for 30+ years - and they very very well may have been individuals who once suffered from ADHD but definitely no longer do so.

So if one becomes like an NBA level mindfulness practitioner, then yes, I personally do not believe one would suffer from ADHD, but then again, one doesn't just get in the NBA without a LOT of dedication.

Having said that every bit of practice up to that point has a benefit. So there are benefits all along the way.

This book helped me:
http://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Prescription-Adult-ADHD-Strengthening/dp/1590308476

As well as this text, but it's a bit more esoteric.
http://www.amazon.com/Concentration-Mastery-Mouni-Sadhu-pse/dp/0879800232

Don't actually recommend the second text until one has conquered distractions. Otherwise it can just be demoralizing.

Biggest recommendation I have regarding mindfulness and intention is beware of the effect distractions have on re-wiring your brain. The content of distractions are innocent, but the process of being distracted attacks the adhd mind in multiple ways. There is no such thing as a harmless distraction.

Waiting in a line and bored? Not being comfortable with that boredom and instead checking facebook on your phone is literally re-wiring your brain so it will be intolerant of boredom. When you have to write a paper or something that is boring it will be difficult. This comes from the work of Cal Newport in Deepwork, which has been extremely helpful for me personally. http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Work-Focused-Success-Distracted/dp/1455586692/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1462196019&sr=1-1&keywords=deepwork

Computer and phone alarms are crap. So easy to dismiss without breaking your attention properly.

You could try putting an alarm in another room, with a sticky note next to it for what you will do instead of going back to your game.

You could try having a warning alarm to start drawing you out, give you a minute or two to tie up loose ends so that you won't be compelled to go back "quickly" - and then get sucked back in!

If you want keep your alarm close by, something that requires you look at it, and is visually interesting might help a little. This I think you might even need to pick up to turn it off quickly/easily.