---
title: "Discussion on \"Coding and ADHD - Can't Keep Going\" | Hashnode"
description: "Discussion on \"Coding and ADHD - Can't Keep Going\". The idea that anyone should be able to sit down and focus for four hours on command is a dangerous myth. Any brain requires glucose to keep your brain going and breaks to keep you engaged. ADHD brains add an extra hurdle when you're trying to focus o..."
url: "https://hashnode.com/posts/coding-and-adhd-cant-keep-going/6298b7b073bf2e0f1abca352"
---

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Discussion

# [Coding and ADHD - Can't Keep Going](https://abbeyperini.hashnode.dev/coding-and-adhd-cant-keep-going?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed)

The idea that anyone should be able to sit down and focus for four hours on command is a dangerous myth. Any brain requires glucose to keep your brain going and breaks to keep you engaged. ADHD brains add an extra hurdle when you're trying to focus o...

Jun 2, 2022 · 6 min read · abbeyperini.hashnode.dev  
Updated Jun 22, 2022  
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-   [#computer-science](https://hashnode.com/tag/computer-science)
-   [#programming](https://hashnode.com/tag/programming)
-   [#productivity](https://hashnode.com/tag/productivity)
-   [#mental-health](https://hashnode.com/tag/mental-health)

## Written by

[Abbey Perini](https://hashnode.com/@abbeyperini)

@abbeyperini · Atlanta, GA

  
[View profile](https://hashnode.com/@abbeyperini)

Full-stack Web Developer

Abbey Perini is many things - a metro Atlanta native, person of many hobbies, full-stack web developer, accessibility advocate, international speaker, and technical writer with ✨over 500,000 views.✨ She's full-stack in the truest sense - give her a problem and she'll figure it out. She's happiest problem solving in the front-end, back-end, and all the APIs and microservices in between. Passionate about accessibility, she's worked in Vue, React, and even AngularJS (2013). She's spent her development career rectifying tech debt in existing codebases.

## Responses 14

Markdown supported · ⌘↵ to post

[Onuralp Taner](https://hashnode.com/@onuralp)

[Jun 14, 2022](https://hashnode.com/posts/coding-and-adhd-cant-keep-going/6298b7b073bf2e0f1abca352/comment/62a8376260eeb002ccef7f28)

My routine;

-   Put on a noise cancelation headset and play a lo-fi playlist
-   Start with a todo list
-   Start time tracker ( in my case a Pomodre app )
    -   Integrate your tracker with Apple DND so you won't get distracted
-   Last but not least. Leave your phone behind

Bonus: If these don't work. Take 7-8 deep breaths or do a Guided Wim Hof Method Breathing

[Christian Knoll](https://hashnode.com/@christianknoll)

[Jun 10, 2022](https://hashnode.com/posts/coding-and-adhd-cant-keep-going/6298b7b073bf2e0f1abca352/comment/62a38721165482d2b3ee9f8c)

Also don't forget, speak with a therapist so you can possibly avoid some triggers, and because hearing from a professional will often be the push we need to avoid certain foods (if you have a sensitivity to artificial preservatives or gluten for instance) and to exercise.

Also, medication can really help! Even if you have been prescribed one in the past that didn't work for you, a medical professional can find one that may work better for you! There is no need to suffer if a medication could bridge the gap and help you!

[Andrew Baisden](https://hashnode.com/@andrewbaisden)

[Jun 7, 2022](https://hashnode.com/posts/coding-and-adhd-cant-keep-going/6298b7b073bf2e0f1abca352/comment/629f8b237c635062889373fb)

This was a really well written article [Abbey Perini](https://hashnode.com/@abbeyperini). Not sure if I suffer from ADHD but I can get distracted easily. So i'm using focus apps to stay on task as much as possible.

[Tedi Lowney](https://hashnode.com/@tediCode)

[Jun 6, 2022](https://hashnode.com/posts/coding-and-adhd-cant-keep-going/6298b7b073bf2e0f1abca352/comment/629e2f30a6bfa05457952798)

I love it, thank you Abbey!

[jessiebroke](https://hashnode.com/@jessiebroke)

[Jun 5, 2022](https://hashnode.com/posts/coding-and-adhd-cant-keep-going/6298b7b073bf2e0f1abca352/comment/629d29cb14a2e6466765ce5b)

I am in a similar situation (I still have undiagnosed ADHD) with two parents in healthcare who still don't believe me that I have always had and still have serious attention issues simply because I more often than not always find a way to do a little more than "get by".

I'm glad people like you continue to remain vocal about the struggles, realizations, and potential solutions for myself and other people who face a similar situation daily.

Throughout my entire life, I've found slow and hard-won understanding by failing many many times when trying to appropriate typical neurotypical approaches (heh) whilst always seeking to continually understand how my internal disposition was different.

Everyday I just try to improve the quality and rate of my "little wins" while hoping to build them into larger and larger successes over time.

I've personally found some of my solutions to be:

-   Body doubling (Discord partner calls)
-   Relying on pre-planned visual/auditory cues to guide me to context-shift through the latter part of my workday (device alarms buzzing in different locations to shift me to differently scheduled blocks of time to do different tasks)
-   Minimizing distractions when appropriate (system DND/Focus Modes used as needed)
-   Changing environments from time to time (coffee shop, library, etc. instead of working at home
-   Creating detailed To-Do lists of goals with time-tracking (Logseq), etc.

The information you laid out was easily identifiable, digestible and a fun read.

Thank you for sharing this quality post. :)

[Abbey Perini](https://hashnode.com/@abbeyperini)

[Jun 6, 2022](https://hashnode.com/posts/coding-and-adhd-cant-keep-going/6298b7b073bf2e0f1abca352/comment/629d29cb14a2e6466765ce5b#reply-629de911fdc0394c22fdd07a)

Thanks for reading! Sorry to hear about your struggle. I love the alarms in different locations and changing environments tips.

[Chibuzo Odigbo](https://hashnode.com/@Franklivania)

[Jun 4, 2022](https://hashnode.com/posts/coding-and-adhd-cant-keep-going/6298b7b073bf2e0f1abca352/comment/629bd73abd7d6337dc891e32)

This is all me. Its so stark! Classic music and good Jazz also helps, all the time.

[Leon](https://hashnode.com/@afrocoder)

[Jun 4, 2022](https://hashnode.com/posts/coding-and-adhd-cant-keep-going/6298b7b073bf2e0f1abca352/comment/629ba574cc5e93351386652a)

Thanks for sharing! I find podcasts to help me tune out but somedays it doesn't work out still finding ways.

[Daniel Cranney](https://hashnode.com/@danielcranney)

[Jun 4, 2022](https://hashnode.com/posts/coding-and-adhd-cant-keep-going/6298b7b073bf2e0f1abca352/comment/629b1f507ab2e32eed5b8ad0)

I love this series [Abbey Perini](https://hashnode.com/@abbeyperini)! I was diagnosed at 30, and this article (and the others in the series) does a great job of explaining what ADHD is and what it isn't.

Keep up the good work!

[Mfon](https://hashnode.com/@themfon)

[Jun 4, 2022](https://hashnode.com/posts/coding-and-adhd-cant-keep-going/6298b7b073bf2e0f1abca352/comment/629aa59670302328c80b64b2)

Hey Abbey! Thank you for sharing this. I see what you did making it into a series of articles.

[Tanish Shrivastava](https://hashnode.com/@Tanish)

[Jun 3, 2022](https://hashnode.com/posts/coding-and-adhd-cant-keep-going/6298b7b073bf2e0f1abca352/comment/629a69a1f3e81428fc189120)

I don't have ADHD, but your point about not everyone being able to focus for four hours straight on command is spot on. This is why I need to get up and take short walks. This is why I make blunders in three hours long chess games. And this is why I write buggy code when I've been sitting on my chair for several hours, doing the same thing.

[Kieran Roberts](https://hashnode.com/@kieran6roberts)

[Jun 3, 2022](https://hashnode.com/posts/coding-and-adhd-cant-keep-going/6298b7b073bf2e0f1abca352/comment/629a352f3096cc2656dfb887)

Great article Abbey! I myself don't suffer from ADHD but I still resonate with a lot of the points you mention.

I have my specific blocked times that work for me and anything outside of this is much more of a challenge. I also don't know where I'd be without my music, it helps keep me focused on the tasks at hand during those times. Habits are very important to me also and how I work, and I can only imagine how it would feel to struggle with this.

Thanks for sharing and I'm sure there are many others will appreciate it as well!

[Jorge Romero](https://hashnode.com/@JorgeRL)

[Jun 3, 2022](https://hashnode.com/posts/coding-and-adhd-cant-keep-going/6298b7b073bf2e0f1abca352/comment/629a1b103096cc2656dfb41c)

Thanks for sharing another post!

I've been coping with understanding my ADHD for a few weeks now. Being diagnosed after many many years of misdiagnoses 🥲

It warms my heart to see others are making an effort to understand themselves as well.

And even more to see that people are interested in understanding. Seeing that this post was featured!!!

---

ADHD is surprisingly hard to understand. I'm saying that as someone that has lived with it all his life, and even went on to study psychology at university.

May I suggest you share a little bit about Attention Deficit Trait? I think many neurotypicals often suffer from a lot of the same problems as us. In many cases though, environmental interventions can help a lot!

Here's an article by Dr. Edward Hallowell: [Overloaded Circuits: Why Smart People Underperform](https://hbr.org/2005/01/overloaded-circuits-why-smart-people-underperform#:~:text=They're%20suffering%20from%20a,decisions%2C%20and%20managing%20their%20time.)

Here's a small quote:

> "Unlike ADD, a neurological disorder that has a genetic component and can be aggravated by environmental and physical factors, ADT springs entirely from the environment. Like the traffic jam, ADT is an artifact of modern life. It is brought on by the demands on our time and attention that have exploded over the past two decades. As our minds fill with noise—feckless synaptic events signifying nothing—the brain gradually loses its capacity to attend fully and thoroughly to anything."

---

Hope this helps and adds a bit to the conversation :D

[Abbey Perini](https://hashnode.com/@abbeyperini)

[Jun 6, 2022](https://hashnode.com/posts/coding-and-adhd-cant-keep-going/6298b7b073bf2e0f1abca352/comment/629a1b103096cc2656dfb41c#reply-629deb3efdc0394c22fdd0e5)

Hey Jorge,

> I think many neurotypicals often suffer from a lot of the same problems as us.

I know you're probably coming from a good place and trying to normalize these challenges, but ["everyone is a little ADHD"](https://adhdireland.ie/fact-everyone-does-not-have-a-physical-difference-in-their-brain/) is a problematic view I've been getting in multiple comments.

I've found the neurotypical people may be having trouble understanding, but anyone with ADHD has been feeling seen. I've been doing my best to keep these articles focused on people with ADHD.

[Jorge Romero](https://hashnode.com/@JorgeRL)

[Jun 6, 2022](https://hashnode.com/posts/coding-and-adhd-cant-keep-going/6298b7b073bf2e0f1abca352/comment/629a1b103096cc2656dfb41c#reply-629e3179a6bfa05457952801)

[Abbey Perini](https://hashnode.com/@abbeyperini)

Thanks for taking the time. I agree completely with you. "everyone is a little ADHD" is very problematic.

I think It may seemed like I was defending that view. Not at all. As I have diagnosed ADHD and I know how hard it is for people to understand.

But I recognize that a lot of people suffer because of it. If it could be helpful. (thats why I suggested Hallowell's term, because it is explicit in making the difference)

I'm glad you are raising awareness. I will respect your intentions to keep this ADHD-specific :D

[Anuoluwapo Balogun](https://hashnode.com/@AnuoluwapoDS)

[Jun 2, 2022](https://hashnode.com/posts/coding-and-adhd-cant-keep-going/6298b7b073bf2e0f1abca352/comment/62993216448447175b8de7b8)

Glad you are really coming out stronger with this 🥺

I wish you more strength to code better

I do