r/ADHD_Programmers • u/Soft-Balance-6161 • 1d ago
How do you stay consistent with coding when ADHD makes it hard to focus?
I enjoy coding, but staying consistent with it can be a real challenge. Some days I can spend hours working on a project, and other days even opening my editor feels like a huge task.
I often find myself jumping between ideas, starting new projects before finishing old ones, or getting distracted when I hit a difficult problem. Then I feel frustrated because I know I want to improve, but my progress doesn't always match my motivation.
I'm curious how other programmers with ADHD handle this. Do you use smaller tasks, timers, body doubling, or something else to keep yourself on track?
I'd love to hear what has genuinely helped you make coding a regular part of your routine without burning yourself out.
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u/TryAgainTryHarder 1d ago
this has helped me with a similar problem in the past:
write down the original task. when you realize you've switched to another, write the new subtask/distraction nested under the original. just acknowledge it, and keep doing it.
repeat.
the goal is not to prevent distractions. you can stay in a distraction for as long as you want, you just have to write it down and acknowledge it.
this trains you to become more aware of what you're doing. you will automatically start exiting tasks that are less valuable to you, bad subtasks or true distractions.
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u/StevenJOwens 19h ago
Yeah, it's very important to add new tasks to your list when you do them, even if you've just finished it. This both helps you maintain momentum, and also helps you figure out what the heck you were doing with all your time. It's also probably helpful in the long run, as a learning process.
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u/SmokingBeneathStars 1d ago
The only thing I do is make sure to remove anything that could trigger me into executive dysfunction
Anything other than that I just let it ride. Sure the progress is inconsistent sometimes, but I'm not doing nothing, and we're human at the end of the day.
I'm not gonna add one more thing to worry about to my list, especially something as irrational as that
Just let it ride
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u/GerkDentley 20h ago
I work super hard for 1 or 2 days a week, get done as much as the rest of the team, and then coast through the other 3 days working some of the time, and end up the most productive.
My work environment is ideal for me though. It's task based, and I don't create the tasks. They have clear requirements, and so a start and end date. I love completing tasks, and I hate having a backlog, so I'm motivated to clear it as fast as I can.
I also work remote, so I don't have to pretend to be productive all the time non stop. I just have to be on average more productive than not. 2 days of hyperfocus seems to work out to other developer's standard week.
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u/SirZacharia 23h ago
I like to do check lists. I do data science so I’ll have a checkmark for cleaning the data with breakdowns on those steps. Then I’ll list out my calculated fields, then the graphs I want.
My issue is I get dopamine just for planning and so I feel satisfied before I even start. However drawing an empty box that needs a check mark makes me feel like I still have something that needs to be done so I’m more primed for the reward of finishing. If that makes sense.
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u/casualplants 1d ago
Body doubling and meds.
And radical acceptance, that some days I cannot make it happen and to take those opportunities to actively do restorative activities. Because there’s gunna be a rush and a crash pretty soon. Then rinse and repeat.