What It Feels Like To Have ADHD As A Programmer

The contents of this blog are purely based on personal opinions. Any similarities to existing contents are of pure coincidence. Any materials used for the blog belongs to their rightful owners.

Take note that I do not explicitly say I have ADHD as I am undiagnosed. But then again on an outsiders perspective I might as well have it. And it wasn't even news for me when I learned about it, it simply felt like everything made sense. My journey to programming with such personality was short of a mixed experience.

What Is ADHD?

ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how a person regulates attention, impulses, and activity levels. It can show up in different ways—some people struggle with distractibility, others with restlessness, and many experience both.

Common symptoms include difficulty focusing, forgetfulness, impulsivity, and challenges with organization. At the same time, people with ADHD can also experience periods of intense concentration, known as hyperfocus, especially when deeply interested in something.

ADHD isn’t a lack of intelligence or ability—it’s simply a different way the brain processes and prioritizes information.

- ChatGPT

The Rush of Starting Something New

There’s nothing more exciting than a fresh problem. I open my editor, and my brain is buzzing. Suddenly, I have 10 ideas at once:

• “What if I optimize this function?”
• “Wait, that bug from last week—I bet it’s related.”
• “Actually… should I rewrite this entire file?”

It’s thrilling. My brain isn’t walking through problems, it’s sprinting, leaping, connecting dots that aren’t even on the same page.

My brain constantly seeks new things, and in result I have countless of project ideas, which usually ends up pending or scrapped, although not in a bad way since most of the curiosity has already been dealt with and there's nothing left to stay on that matter for.

Inattention vs Hyperfocus

Yeah, my middle name might as well be bipolar too. I cannot count how many hours I have wasted scrolling through social media, doing random stuffs, learning random things, watching useless content I know I am only going to be interested for a couple of days, which made my life a living hell. Unfinished tasks, messy room, unproductive days etc.

But on the flipside, once I tap into hyperfocus and flow state, everything is just done in a fraction of the time it should have been completed. Though I rarely tap into flow state these days, they are my lifeline specially for tight deadlines. ADHD makes you the type of person that waits until the last day before taking action, but you become a piece of art when you have the right amount of pressure and focus.

Sadly even I still don't find the right balance between the two. And I'm still looking for the answers.

The Emotional Side Nobody Talks About

Programming with ADHD isn’t just about focus—it’s emotional whiplash.

• Frustration: when simple tasks feel like climbing a mountain.
• Shame: when I miss deadlines because distractions stole my time.
• Anxiety: when you're being lazy and unable to even have a shred of discipline.
• Joy: when I hit flow state and build something I’m truly proud of.
• Pride: knowing that once you get intrigued and interested into something you'll learn about it almost spontaneously.

It’s not just code. It’s a rollercoaster of self-talk, doubt, and small victories.

My Workaround

Living with such a complicated brain structure was never easy. What seems to be an easy task is probably a mountain to climb barehanded for us. So I naturally came up with some countermeasures in dealing with it as I continue living with it.

• Doing the work's first step instantaneously without thought - Helps in rewiring my lazy thoughts into thinking "since I already did the initial steps, might as well finish it", my greatest example would be soaking my laundry so I can't avoid doing them.
• Deliberately changing my algorithm in social medias - A clever way into feeding your brain the right things, if you can't beat distraction then at least make sure it's a healthy one. What I usually do is follow coding channels or something similar so that every time I scroll, at least I learn something new.
• Having 2 or more personal projects - Everyone get's bored when you constantly do the same thing every day, so I usually have around 3 things I can do and gradually contribute to, that way I don't feel forced to do it and keeps me entertained and focused.
• 1 Minute Rule - Without thinking, directly prepare the necessary things for the work, toss out distractions or move your phone far away from reach and sight. We're not distracted, we're simply holding the wrong things.

When it comes to coding it's not an easy profession, having to deal with a lot of things you don't know about or not having a certain clue, or having a massive scope you don't even know how far it stretches, and then there's your ADHD making things worse. But then again it's the joy's of life, pressure precedes growth and living such a chaotic life may not be as bad as you'd think.

That's all of it for now, I'm sure there's still a lot of things I can say but at the end of the day, it differs from person to person. Do you also have ADHD or at least have an inkling that you have?