Brain Hacking, ADHD, Technology
I recently answered a question on Quora about having Attention Deficit Disorder while being a computer science student. There are parts I’ve written about already to help other programmers with ADHD, and a ton more. Check it out. Continue Reading
Soon after I was formally diagnosed with attention deficit disorder several years back, I became vigilant in finding natural alternatives for treating ADHD. Vipassana Meditation is what I’d say to be one of the most effective approaches that I’ve personally tried.
For those who haven’t heard of it, Vipassana is a type of meditation that is related to mindfulness meditation. The technique is in effect a step-by-step guide on how to pay attention. Continue Reading
As a professional web developer, I work for big firms and make decent money. I have healthcare, I own a home. I’m far from rich but I’m doing ok for someone that occasionally gets on the subway going in the wrong direction.
Still, no one at an income level likes to throw money away. And the ADHD impulsivity makes all of us want to kick ourselves now and then. It seems like once a month I’ll look at my credit card bill and ask myself, “I spent how much money? On that??” Continue Reading
I despise being thought of as “lazy.”
Having ADHD and LD, I’m a bit slower than the average person at times. “Slow” in the literal sense; my brain sometimes takes longer to process things. “Slow” does not mean “stupid.” Continue Reading
The more I research, the more evidence I find that you can have a real effect on any learning disability, attention deficit or other shortcoming of your brain. It’s not as easy as taking a pill. But it’s certainly achievable, and from what I gather, the changes are lasting or even permanent.
Hold on. If I have ADHD, the only treatment is drugs. Except diets, meditation, and yoga which don’t really do much. Right? Continue Reading
In Norman Doidge MD’s book The Brain That Changes Itself, he details amazing stories of how people were able to overcome learning disabilities, brain failure from stroke, even deafness and blindness.
All this revolutionary change comes from a new understanding of the way the brain works. Neuroplasticity, the idea that the brain is not only changeable (contrary to the belief held by scientists for decades), but in fact VERY changeable at any age. Furthermore there are actual techniques and tools to develop your brain in the same way you would a muscle. Continue Reading
Those of us that work in a busy office are constantly reminded of our distractibility. Someone walking in front of us will cause our heads to turn, and draw attention away from our current task. A sensation on our arm, and we pause to inspect it. Sudden sounds derail our trains of thought.
In the case of distracting sounds, I’ve found a useful tool: binaural beats. Binaural beats are sound recordings that supposedly trigger certain brain waves when you listen to them on headphones. Continue Reading
I’ve got ADHD. My brain gets bored easily. And who could blame it? Until the side business takes off, I have to shovel metaphorical crap to pay for all that caffene and Ritalin. Don’t get me wrong, I like my job as a programmer. But at the end of the day I’d rather be inventing businesses than code-jockeying. Continue Reading
Two of our biggest challenges as ADHD people are remembering things and organizing appointments. Enter: Google Calendar. Continue Reading
Imagine what it would be like if you never forgot anything. If you’ve got a memory like mine, that dream sounds less likely than Jessica Simpson getting a PhD in Quantum Mechanics.
But, alas! Technology can help us fill the gap between our shrunken hippocampi and the information we must retain. Continue Reading