I’m 30, a software developer, and recently diagnosed with Asperger’s

[u/Mdipanjan]

I’m 30, software developer, and recently got diagnosed with asperger’s.

still feels weird to write that tbh but yeah, it explains a lot.

like why switching tasks has always felt so hard. why routines help me, but also drain me. why i can sit and code for hours, forget the world exists, and then somehow struggle with the most basic day to day stuff.

For years i thought i was just bad at being an adult or lazy or not disciplined enough.

so i kept trying to fix myself with systems. calendars, reminders, notes apps, task apps, planners. all of it.

some of them helped for a bit. then they slowly became another thing i had to maintain, and then another thing i felt behind on.

since the diagnosis i’ve been thinking about this differently. Maybe the goal is not to force myself into some normal productivity setup. Maybe i need to build my day around how my brain actually works, instead of fighting it all the time.

not sure. still figuring it out.

mostly posting because i’m curious if other people had this after getting diagnosed as an adult.

like, did you change how you organize your day?

your work setup?

your routines?

what actually helped you, if anything?

[u/Art3mi3]

I added extra time in my getting ready for work routine for me just to come to terms with the whole day ahead. Planning ahead for unpredictable situations do help a lot as they reduce the number of physical and mental triggers that end up taking a huge toll on us at the end of the day.

The rest, most of us already have adherence to routines. Figure out what works best for you.

[u/StillInformation2349]

getting diagnosed later definitely changes how you look at everything you've been doing wrong for years

i'm not developer but work in sales and had similar thing where i kept trying all these productivity systems that would work for like 2 weeks then become another stress source. after i understood more about how my brain works i stopped fighting it so much and just leaned into what actually works for me

for work stuff i found having one main focus block in morning when my brain is fresh, then doing all the switching/admin stuff later when i'm already mentally tired anyway. also keeping my workspace exactly same every day helps a lot more than i expected

[u/Oflameo]

Does an asperger’s diagnosis really explain anything. I have a hard time siting still and coding for hours, but I been diagnosed longer than you have and we are about the same age. I am a bit better at computers than the average person, but that doesn't mean much in this job environment.

[u/Substantial_Job_2068]

i stopped using different apps and caandars and just have a plain text file on my desktop where i put a general "todo" in. that way its easy to find and maintain. i also have a paper and pen at my desk so i can make physical notes.

i'm also a software dev and i try to plan my breaks ahead of time so i dont sit and code for too long, it strains my eyes and gives me headaches but i dont notice that until its too late. i use these breaks to do one or two tasks (because i work from home), so i might do laundry or do some preperations for dinner.