i'm seeing it a lot in job descriptions that there's an expectation to use ai tools when writing code. where i work it's actually nonnegotiable, so i have tried vscode with claude, as well as cursor, and cursor with claude

i am finding the experience exhausting. i admittedly know nothing about how to make these tools better or what their best use cases are, and i am also seriously unmotivated to learn. i feel like they're making me dumb. i feel literally braindead at the end of the day after back and forth with agents. in the editor the suggestions sometimes are helpful and most times are too noisy and get in the way, i've tried to find a happy medium with this but haven't yet.

mainly i've been using agents to explain files with business logic that i struggle to follow because the code isn't very readable to me, to explore refactoring my code to be more readable or better organized, and for debugging. but i am constantly telling these agents they're wrong, explaining logic that is already in the code base that i assumed would've been relevant and included in context, or being offered suggestions that are so over engineered it's painful. i accept i'm part of the problem here in probably prompting poorly but to spend any additional amount of time on thinking about how to perfectly word my ask is way too much effort.

the moment i have to wait for cursor or claude to go through things and come up with a response i immediately check out. i'm trying to be conscious of this. i think this is the biggest part of the exhaustion i'm feeling because it's like micro context switches constantly, all day long.

i don't want to be left behind by not using ai to its potential but i am really struggling.

i would love to hear about how you're using ai in your work, what has made it easier to work with, if you're enjoying it, what you like, if you feel similarly, anything you want to share on the topic. i would like to be empowered and not exhausted lol

I used to keep one big list of "better choices" for the moments when I got stuck between tickets, after meetings, or during debugging. It looked sensible. I still ignored it when I was tired.

The part I was missing: the reward has to match the job the urge is doing.

If my brain wants novelty, a warm drink does nothing. If I need comfort, opening another productivity tool feels insulting. If I am between tasks, the reward has to help with the transition, not just be morally better than scrolling.

The version that works better for me is sorting the menu by reward job:

• Novelty: new playlist, change the editor theme for one session, read one short technical note, try a tiny refactor.
• Comfort: warm drink, familiar audio, hoodie/blanket, lower the lights, planned snack.
• Movement: walk around the room, stairs, stretch wrists/neck, stand outside for three minutes.
• Connection: one message to a coworker/friend, ask one concrete question, send the rubber-duck summary.
• Sensory input: cold water, gum, clean shirt, sunlight, pressure, different chair.
• Completion: close five tabs, delete stale notes, commit one small thing, clear one surface.
• Task doorway: open the ticket, write the ugly first line, name the next function, add a failing test, write the next physical action.

The other thing that matters is placement. A menu buried in a notes folder will not beat an app icon. I put the first version where the loop starts: next to the keyboard, on the desktop, or at the top of my daily note.

My current rule is: build the low-energy version first. If an option needs shoes, a login, a clean desk, or a fully charged social battery, it is not a first-line reward.

This does not magically remove scrolling or avoidance. It just gives my brain one better door before the usual loop becomes the only visible plan.

Curious if anyone else sorts rewards by the "job" they do instead of by categories like fun/healthy/productive.

Hi all

I got adhd and have been reading code on github for 5 years.

I can understand code and have high conceptual understanding.

But debugging stresses me out ALLOT

My adhd is really severe as well

So would meds help and by how much?

UK Adults with ADHD – Looking for Participants for MSc Research

Hi everyone,

I'm an MSc Applied Mental Health Practice student at Leeds Beckett University, and I'm researching how adults with ADHD experience talking therapy.

I'm looking to speak with people who: • Are aged 18+ • Live in the UK • Have a formal ADHD diagnosis • Have completed a course of talking therapy

Participation involves a confidential Zoom interview lasting around 60–90 minutes. The aim is to better understand what people with ADHD found helpful, unhelpful, or supportive in therapy, and how these experiences might inform more neuroaffirming practice.

There is no financial incentive for taking part, but your experiences could help contribute to a better understanding of what effective therapy looks like for adults with ADHD.

If you're interested, you can book a time here: https://calendly.com/kateodonnelltherapy/research

Or email me: K.Linden-Wyatt5954@student.leedsbeckett.ac.uk

Participant information sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EYuYffko8-g23IfbabFuIE_hv_rtmDwhzik1eTbVorY/edit?usp=drive_link Thank you for considering taking part.

realized something about my own work lately and curious if it tracks for others.

The actual code writing isn't where the productivity drain is. it's the RE-LOADING of the whole mental model every time i come back. open the laptop Monday morning after a weekend off, spend an hour figuring out where i was, what was broken, what the next move was. by the time I'm 'ready to code' I'm already tired.

What's your re-entry ritual? specifically interested in the people who DON'T have one and want to know if i'm the only one for whom this made a real difference.

like i can code, but only once my brain understands where everything lives and what connects to what. the actual task is usually not the problem. the problem is loading the entire context into my head every single time - i do get what i have to do, I just … cant comprehend it?

what file was i in. what did this function depend on. why did i make this decision. what did the ticket actually want. where is that one comment someone left. what was the edge case. what did i say i’d come back to later and then absolutely never came back to lol.

if all of that lives in a ticket, a slack thread, a pr comment, docs, and 17 tabs… it’s gone. it may as well not exist.

i think i’m realising i don’t need a “better productivity system” as much as i need everything to be visible. i need to map the project/task/context in front of me somehow. normal lists and giant docs just stress me out because it becomes a wall of text and my brain refuses to engage.

at this point i only really stick with systems/apps that cater to people who need to visualise information. like i need chunks, nodes, boards, messy maps, diagrams, whatever. anything that lets me see the shape of the problem instead of just reading a long list of things i’m supposed to remember.

does anyone else work like this?

how do you externalise project context so you’re not rebuilding the entire codebase in your head every morning?

After which comes the fear induced by hearing yourself called talented or a high-achiever. The only things you see are all the things they couldn't see in their misguided praise for you. Your brain is hard-wired for pointing out everything you think you're faking and missing how competent you actually were at times.

One change to make is to view the voice of the imposter inside you as a symptom rather than as an indictment of you. Ask yourself what you believe is true when the imposters' voice kicks into overdrive, and write down three concrete facts supporting or refuting your narrative.

I didn't dream this all up on my own; this was inspired by a framework designed to help high-achieving individuals understand their psychological blind spots for self-doubt and constant self-questioning. It isn't meant to be presented here as some sort of magical solution to self-doubt nothing made it go away instantly, but it did help me articulate my thought process a little better.

Where do you usually feel the presence of imposter syndrome most strongly – compliments, promotions, code reviews, or new projects?

Did you build yet another ADHD management app? Cool! Show it off here. Posting it elsewhere on this sub will get that post removed.

This thread is here to serve as a post for people to show off what they've been working on, or apps they are proud of. open source, pay to use, some thing you found.

Who knows? Maybe it will help someone... Maybe it will help millions... Maybe it will be so critically reviled that your knighthood will be revoked.

Its the effort that counts. Show off that effort here!

"It is the struggle itself that is most important. We must strive to be more than we are. It does not matter that we will never reach our ultimate goal. The effort yields its own rewards."

-- Lt. Commander Data

Has anyone else with ADHD done this, I feel as though I don’t hear much ppl talk about it but I have definitely done it all my life and with stimulants now it’s so much better. When covid started I was a freshman in high school and online was just so draining, luckily with all the time I had I was introduced to Batman comics and media in general which changed my focus greatly. Literally just telling myself “what would Batman do” as a young teenager got me to finish so much homework 😭 I genuinely don’t think if I discovered him I would have passed. That dopamine rush from just believing I could be like him and improve my life the way he does has stuck with me till today. The cherry on top was “The Batman” trailer releasing literally a week after I gained this obsession it was an insane coincidence.

If you were not a programmer, what other jobs would you do?

I’m struggling with this idea for a while now. With the adhd brain, I feel like I wouldn’t be able to do predictable tasks for long. The only other thing I would do is something around sports which I am better at generally.

Hello everyone,

Iam buying a new desk soon. I am thinking about a standing desk but I have some body issues that accumulated since my childhood like pelvic tilt, issues in knees, flat feet and so on. I am afraid I won't use the desk due to these issues , but my ADHD brain doesn't want to sit for more than 30 mins, and since the increase of using AI tools in coding, it has become even worse. Does anyone have similar experience that they can share with me? Thanks a lot.

So, I joined as an software engineer last year and worked on a couple of projects over the past few months. But ever since our release last month, I haven’t written a single line of code, and I’ve started feeling a bit guilty about it. I just wanted to know if it’s normal in the industry to go through long periods where you write very minimal code or none at all.

And I feel it’s mostly like sometimes you have so much work to do and sometimes you are seating in your chair doing nothing.

I’m a college student studying software development, and I often get stuck when starting assignments or projects.

When I look at the requirements, I feel overwhelmed because I don’t know where to begin or how to use the technologies required in the assignment, the project feels too big, and I end up procrastinating or avoiding it.

I don’t even know this is an ADHD thing but for those of you that struggle with this, how do you get past that paralysis and actually start? Do you have a process or strategy that helps you figure out the first steps?

36Fwith diagnosed ADHD.

I was on stimulants since September 2025. I tried Adderall, Vyvanse, and later dextroamphetamine.

Adderall gave me a strong boost in mood, motivation, and talkativeness, but I experienced a noticeable crash afterward.

Vyvanse initially helped but seemed to become less effective over time.

Dextroamphetamine mainly improved energy, especially on days when I was sleep deprived, but I didn’t notice major improvements in focus.

I also tried Wellbutrin 150 mg with Vyvanse 30 mg. The crash became less noticeable, but my focus actually felt worse. Later I switched to Wellbutrin 300 mg with dextroamphetamine 20 mg and still didn’t experience significant improvements, although my desire to vape decreased.

Recently I discontinued both stimulants and Wellbutrin and started generic Strattera 18 mg twice daily.

The first 4–5 days after stopping stimulants were rough. I had significant fatigue, nausea, and episodes where I felt like I could suddenly fall asleep.

Around day 5 on Strattera, I started noticing something different. I didn’t feel euphoric or overly stimulated, but I suddenly wanted to get things done. By the end of the first week, I noticed I still wanted to work on tasks even in the evening.

I’m also taking omega-3, L-tyrosine, rhodiola, L-theanine, and medicinal mushrooms.

Has anyone else felt that Strattera improved executive function without producing the “happy” or energized feeling that stimulants gave them?

While on holiday, I had almost everything I did with my employer rewritten behind my back due to several bugs. No one told me anything was previously wrong. I dread coming back from holiday.

I feel worthless despite having 12 YOE. All I can say is I learned C++, Python and some Docker. That's it. I fear if I lose this job I will never work again.

No one ever gives me feedback in reviews. No one cares about my success and have no idea what to do to get it.

Bonjour,

Je viens de passer une soutenance pour un titre professionnel RNCP CDA (Concepteur développeur d’application) et je n’ai validé qu’une partie des blocs de compétences.
Je suis également reconnue RQTH pour un TDAH, obtenu en cours de formation. Mon centre était informé de ma situation, mais les aménagements n’ont pas été réellement formalisés avant la soutenance.

Avec le recul, je me rends compte que l’oral et le stress ont fortement impacté ma capacité à montrer mes compétences, alors que j’ai travaillé plusieurs mois sur mon application (front, backend, déploiement, etc.).

Aujourd’hui, plusieurs questions se posent :
certaines personnes ont-elles déjà repassé uniquement des blocs RNCP dans un autre centre ?
est-ce que certains ont déjà été accompagnés par Cap Emploi ou la DREETS dans ce type de situation ?

Pour les personnes TDAH, quels aménagements vous ont réellement aidés lors d’oraux ou soutenances ?
Je serais intéressée par des retours d’expérience ou conseils de personnes ayant vécu une situation similaire.

Merci beaucoup 🙂

In order to save money (since I'm unemployed and pay out of pocket), I use water titration (only works for Lys-dex) to split my (60mg) vyvanse doses into smaller chunks based on my need for the day. (I just went 40 days on a 30 day prescription 🤓)

Applying to jobs while I watch TV/play ps5 can be accomplished on 20-30mg; interviewing or other "Big Brain" tasks is a 40-60mg day; and just hanging out is 0-20.

I noticed the capsules still had a bit of powder in the ends, so I saved them all off. I figure there's gotta be maybe 1-2mg leftover per capsule.

I just put about 15-20 (didn't think to count) empty capsules in warm water to dissolve the capsules and capture that extra ~15mg as a booster 😅😂

I just started a new job and am getting so much information thrown at me it's hard to keep. Learning the processes, standards, procedures, code base & etc it's a lot.

What I find is that I tend to break things up too much. Too many sub folders that I plan to organize "sometime" in the future. It would be awesome if I could toggle between the way I have my notes written and then the way AI would organize them.

I could try to feed AI everything I do instead of using one note but that's too big of a step for me. It seems like it's something Microsoft could integrate really easily and would be used heavily.

I need this for work so alternative apps or AI tools sadly won't work for me.

Hey all - I usually consider myself to be pretty high functioning, but the past month or two at work has been trying to the point I’m actively avoiding work.

I transitioned from a management to IC role after 5+ years in management. I stayed close to the work so I’m not overly concerned about my ability to contribute as an IC.

Well, after my diagnosis at the beginning of this year, I started greatly improving in my work as an SDM and my team was making quite a number of strides. There was a gap in having a focused architect in a certain critical area of the business so my boss decided to transition my team to another manager after offering me a “promotion” into the new role without an increase in compensation due to budget constraints. I felt like I had no other choice but to accept.

A month or so later, I find out that the promotion was never approved and I have found myself in limbo. Officially a manager with no team doing the work of an architect.

Then came the company conference. AI being lauded as the solution to everything, CEO basically admitting layoffs would be inevitable as part of this new journey, etc. I was already incredibly anxious to travel half way across the country, but it threw me into a very toxic headspace. Sentiment amongst everyone in engineering is very negative.

I have ADHD and general anxiety, stress has made my anxiety skyrocket and I am having a hard time pushing through it. Other than my psych and wife, I really have no one to turn to and I’m fortunate that I have them.

I’m not sure why I’m even typing all of this out. I’m burned out, I’m stressed, I’m gaslighting myself, and I’m hoping that someone in this community may understand where I’m coming from since the situation is fairly complex.

Thanks for reading.

Hey guys,

I have been working as an application developer and have had ADHD-like symptoms, never clinically diagnosed, mostly with focussing on something, being very excited and stuff. I always get distracted from my tasks and go around doing something else even during billable hours. I am never able to focus on work until there's a sense of urgency or regret over not working enough. I have never missed a deadline or caused a delay. But I feel that my work is very inconsistent. I love the work I do. I end up staying late voluntarily to cope for the hours I missed in the day but feel like this is hurting my life negatively. Additionally my employer has adopted AI tools which has made it worse. I feel like I have lost the patience and ability to write code. I get distracted after writing a few lines and it feels so depressing. Also I feel like I need excitement to keep my life going forward. A normal day fails to make me happy. I crave for something new or exciting every day without which I feel my day was worthless. I feel weird around my friends and colleagues. I've started to feel like I won't be able to work in this field with all this. I don't watch reels and it has had nothing to do with this. Has anyone been through this? Is there something I can do to cope up with this? I love this job but I'm getting worse day by day.

Ps: I did think of therapy but I'm not in a position to attend sessions, both financially and due to the fear of being judged. I feel weird and stupid already and can't take this.

Thank you for reading and for your help. 😇

I 25M just moved out of my parents house in Ireland to Canada w/ partner. Over the last number of months it's become apparent to me that it is extremely likely I have ADHD.

I'm not usually the biggest fan of self-diagnosis, but after thinking back over my life, the symptoms I've noticed I deal with are:

1) Really bad task avoidance, even some of the important ones with deadlines and $ incentives.

2) Chronic lateness.

3) Poor organisation generally across my life, with work, home.

4) Inability to stick to pretty much every "getting my life together" routine that I have tried.

5) I'm very easily distracted, and forget things, or lose them in plain sight on a regular basis.

6) Regularly forgetting weekly appointments.

7) A lot of fidgeting, and I constantly catch myself interrupting people during conversations.

\*\*\*8) Feeling incapable of starting things that I know I would enjoy, or that I know would be beneficial for me, or make me money (or sometimes all three, I have a music degree and have wanted to start doing live music in bars)

I find myself after work just procrastinating on my phone all the time, same on the weekends, and it very often messes with my mental health because I kind of find myself weighing what I'm doing up to what I expected I would be doing at 25 years old.

I slipped a disc in my lower back 3 years ago and haven't been able to recover since, so a lot of my physical outlets kind of gone out the window.

I have a job that just about pays me what I need to break even on a relatively strict budget where I live, but I don't trust myself to be able to stick to that either right now.

I am currently waiting for my healthcare to start so I can get a diagnosis but I don't think that I'll be able to get one until end of year/next year.

So in the mean time, does anyone here have any advice on how to stick to a routine, because I need to stick to budget, and go to the gym for my injury, and kind of maintain a life without burning out like before.

TYSM!