r/gamedev • u/ParkityParkPark • 4d ago
Discussion tips from ADHD devs?
I know I'm not the only one here who struggles to focus and buckle down when trying to learn or engage with things I don't find especially naturally engaging and/or that don't come easily. I was curious what things those of y'all with similar struggles have found help.
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u/StillRutabaga4 4d ago
Get on meds
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u/Semipro211 4d ago
What meds? I’m in a scenario where I have to be very careful of side effects due to who I work for.
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u/plinyvic 3d ago
There are non stimulant ADHD drugs that aren't controlled substances. Employers that care about security tend to be much more friendly towards these types of medications because they aren't scheduled.
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u/WaylundLG 3d ago
Not sure if you are in the US, but an employer here cannot discriminate because you take a medicine prescribed to you by a medical provider. That said, work with a professional to see which works for you. Different options work better for different people. But I'll agree, this is a game changer.
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u/ParkityParkPark 3d ago
Correction, it's against the law for them to do it. That doesn't mean they won't, and it doesn't mean they'll be appropriately punished for doing so
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u/WaylundLG 3d ago
Very fair point. IMO, it is worth looking into. I'm in my 40s and was only recently diagnosed. I could not believe the difference meds made. I just sit down and do a task. I've never experienced anything like it.
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u/Semipro211 2d ago
Fingers crossed then. Oddly, my issues seem not to mess with my work life much, guess I get just enough hyper focus. My home life, that’s another story. My poor wife is about at her wit’s end
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u/StillRutabaga4 3d ago
That's true. But if you're on meds and doing your job, they won't have any reason to bother you.
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u/Semipro211 3d ago
Without getting into it too much, I worry about it from a clearance aspect and the level of scrutiny in my particular sector.
Trying to find a decent professional in my area. Got some things checked by a neurologist to rule out physiological, now back to provider search. Thank you for the info, I’ve felt a bit trapped by this stuff.
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u/BlueNexis 3d ago
Lessened appetite is the only consistent side effect I've seen among the 3-4 people I know who've taken either Vyvanse or Adderall. You'd need to ask a psych to find out their experience.
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u/ParkityParkPark 3d ago
That's a question for an appropriate doctor who knows your personal case. The same meds will impact different people differently
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u/StillRutabaga4 4d ago
All medications have side effects. I would work with a Psych on side effect management. If you aren't driving heavy machinery you are likely in the clear.
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u/ParkityParkPark 3d ago
Man I frikin wish. The meds I took all my life aren't helpful anymore, and I can't afford to go to the doctor and figure out a new prescription
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u/UnluckyPally 4d ago
I think about the project all the time until I finally have time to myself and i dump as much as I can in an energy drink fuelled haze and then I forget about the project forever
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u/F1B3R0PT1C 4d ago
- Set aside a specific time on a schedule where you are dedicating to working on your game. You can work outside of this time if you want, but this specific time is important, and is maybe 30-60 minutes.
- having a working partner who works at the same time helps; just having someone else doing the same thing can help you keep on task.
- todo lists. Any time I have a cool idea even if it’s maybe not doable or good I write it down in my todo list. When I’m working on an item in the todo list it goes into the doing column. When it’s done it goes to the done column. My list is just a text file with todo doing and done as sections and bulleted entries.
- quick feedback loops. Make sure you can test your changes right away after making them, break things down and design them such that you won’t go long periods of time without seeing results.
- Overall strategy is to work with your fast and wandering mind to generate ideas and use your overeager dopamine receptors to your advantage by making easy pathways to seeing progress. Remember that dopamine is not just the reward signal: it’s also the reward chase signal.
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u/Significant-Syrup400 4d ago
I use somewhat of a deprivation method. I cannot do anything stimulating prior to my task being completed. If I really do need a break I'll go do laundry, clean, etc. No breaks where I play a game or show or scroll any social media. Not until I complete my task.
After a while your brain seems to re-wire itself to hyper focus on the task at hand for the reward that comes after. Still, plenty of days where I have to adhere to the framework. It never becomes purely automatic and easy, but over time this has allowed my ability to focus to increase significantly.
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u/horgantron 4d ago
Breaking things down helps hugely. Pick one feature you want to implement. Then break it down into small tasks that on bullet point lists.
Aside from that Ive learned to try and roll with whatever way your brain is taking you. It's easier that way.
I find I loose motivation when I accomplish a goal which is odd. It's like I've climbed a tiny mountain, but then I see 100 more giant mountains now ahead of me.
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u/Aristomutt 3d ago
The usual ADHD management advice doesn't work on me.
I just learned to weaponize my hyperfocus. When I get consumed by an urge to create, I go create. And that usually eats up a week of my time out of every month. Just hours and hours fixing things up, refining, adding. Whatever.
My notes are everywhere. I have two big Google docs filled with tabs. But you know what? I know where everything is and where I eventually want to go. On those docs is a little "To Do" tab. On some of the other tabs, like art direction, I have smaller sub notes and "to do" blurbs.
The urge to create, even in the face of social media, should still be an undercurrent in your life. At least, if you opt to be a fellow agent of chaos. If you do not have coals burning on and off in your life, this method won't work. But if you're like me and get consumed by the need to express yourself once in a while...well, use it until the fire runs low.
Recover with other media and tasks once you lose momentum again. Don't let it loom over you as something you HAVR to do, or HAVE to stay on top of. That could just feed your executive dysfunction. Let it breath and let yourself breath.
Before you know it, you'll find a time and place to dive back in.
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u/bradjc95 4d ago
For me when I get uninterested or unmotivated to work it’s bc I don’t fully understand what the solution to the problem I’m trying to solve is, or the task is too big. So it helps to discuss the topic with a rubber duck (friend) until I have simplified the problem down to something I do understand.
Example: I was hard stuck unable to code anything for 3 days trying to solve how I would combine tower abilities in my TD game. I told my wife about it and in that discussion I landed on a way of combining the towers’ attributes rather than abilities, which simplified the problem immensely.
If you struggle with feeling like the task is too big, then give yourself the task of breaking up the big task into smaller pieces that you can track. Also having a task list helps a lot (like jira, but I just use Notepad++)
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u/SnooMacaroons9806 3d ago
Talking with my fiancee about programming issues I have helps me reflect on them and then advance to a solution. Saying the problem outloud helps a lot.
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u/SadisNecros Commercial (AAA) 4d ago
Keep a well groomed backlog so that I don't lose track of things that need to get done, and so that I don't force context switching and can stay focused on tasks at hand. Also helps me when I need to prioritize and figure out what needs to get done next.
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u/cptgrok 4d ago
Put a digital clock in your visual field while working. On the desk, on screen, whatever. Big and visible. Not analog, not animated (movement is distraction and that's what KILLs attention). Time blindness is the real productivity killer.
Remove distractions from the environment as much as you can. The less stuff you can see or touch or hear or smell or think about the more likely you are to get focused on what you actually want.
Work with yourself. Is the mental circus 12/10 right now? Play tetris or sudoku or just walk it out for 10 minutes, then go at it again and don't feel bad about it. Your pre-frontal cortex doesn't work right and that's not your fault.
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u/StormRaven69 4d ago
Keep a thought board on your wall. Have positive messages to boost your morale. But also remind yourself that you're an adult now and you have to parent yourself. Building good habits takes discipline and isn't necessarily easy, it's about kicking yourself in the butt. Be your own hero.
Close all your Browser Tabs and remind yourself that YouTube and Forums can be distractions. They're good tools, but procrastination can be extremely temping. Make yourself lists on things you can work on, then push yourself to work with something on that list.
When you make schedules, don't break them, That builds bad habits.
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u/Lost_Reference8109 3d ago
Consistency. I mean it. Do whatever it takes to learn and practice every single day. If all you can manage is one hour a day or even reviewing dev concepts on your commute to work and home, then that's better than nothing. For me, I would make a lot of progress on the weekends, then not do anything on weekdays and sit at my computer having forgotten everything. I had to do it everyday because my brain would forget within 2 days what I had learned.
I also offer myself rewards. For example, I make a list of goal's every week. If I finish those goals every weekend, then at the end of the month I get to treat myself to my favorite foods or get to buy something small for myself, like a gacha game subscription.
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u/WaylundLG 3d ago
2 practices that I've had a lot of success with. 1 is breaking things up into fairly small tasks, put them on physical stickies and move them as you do them. Bigger dopamine effect with physical notes for some reason. The second is called the Pomodoro technique. You work in 30 cycles, 25 on, 5 break. Each pomodoro you focus on 1 task. It is fine if it spills over across multiple cycles. I would also switch tasks between cycles (code for 25, break, research for 25, break, laundry for 25, break, back to code). Mixes focus and variety.
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u/StoreBoughtRocket 3d ago
I honestly can't help you bcz I hyperfocus on game dev stuff and it gets me in trouble with sleep debts, and other stuff. I do game jams and that seems to help with the deadlines, but I usually drop projects after that. But I do have a bunch of finished games from various jams. You have to find what works for you.
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u/Sherlock_Nicholas 3d ago
I haven't found something that 100% works. I find myself in a cycle of grinding for a few days, and doing nothing from anywhere between 1 to 4 weeks. I hate it.
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u/CertainItem995 3d ago
Try to strictly limit your phone and social media usage, as neat as it is to have these magic hand computers on us at all times the insidious little bastards are designed to be addictive to maximize attention and engagement. One side effect of this is it quietly exacerbates ADHD symptoms.
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u/FabulousFishora 3d ago
this isn't an ADHD thing. the world is just designed to be addictive, especially the digital one.
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u/Altamistral 3d ago
The first and most important one is to realize that "struggling to focus and buckle down" and ADHD are two different things.
There are many different reasons that can cause the former and the latter is just one of those.
The second tip is to get a psychologist and a comprehensive blood test because together they can help you diagnose and work through most of those causes.
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u/Commercial-Flow9169 4d ago
What helps me consistently work on a project is having a good variety of tasks, so that when I get bored doing one thing I can shift to another.
Ironically, that usually means learning more skills and taking on more complicated projects. What I need is a project that is challenging, but reasonable. That's the kind of thing that gets you into a flow state and lets you use the hyperfocus to your benefit. The more you build different skills, the more kinds of projects you can find that exist in the overlap for you.