Is ADHD Bad For Programming?

This is just a story about how I got my adhd and turned it into my own super power
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[@NicoleCtirad]

I was diagnosed with ADHD since my teenage, spent my whole life fighting ADHD. Also suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Not until my mom recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 8 years totally clean. Never thought I would be saying this about mushrooms.

[@RaymondEMartinez]

Congrats on your recovery. Most persons never realizes psilocybin can be used as a miracle medication to save lives. Years back i wrote an entire essay about psychedelics. they saved you from death bud, lets be honest here.

[@laurj09]

Can you help me with the reliable source. I'm 56 and have suffered for years with addiction, anxiety and severe ptsd, I got my panic attacks under control myself years ago and they have come back with a vengeance, I'm constantly trying to take full breaths but can't get the full satisfying breath out, it's absolutely crippling me, i live in Australia. I don't know much about these mushrooms. Really need a reliable source!! Can't wait to get them.

[@RubenDuate]

YES very sure of Dr.benfungi. I have the same experience with anxiety, depression, PTSD and addiction and Mushrooms definitely made a huge huge difference to why am clean today.

[@Edennnn926]

100% agree I used to have Psychosis and paranoid thoughts like "people thinking about me talking about me etc. Very odd behavior after getting off Adderall from 7-16. Antidepressants at 18-29. 31 now. I took way to much, but took about 20g of Gold caps (Psilocybin containing mushroom) I analyzed my entire life. The emotions that came out helped me understand behavior etc more. Wont ever need to do it again because I'm happy and contempt forever, but I wish more people did this to alter their perception of reality. Would help with healing much trauma

[@JaimeGlaze]

How do i reach out to him? Is he on Instagram

[@__idan__]

I'd add and say, allow yourself to have fun when learning, if you decide that you're in control of your life and you're having fun while at it, you can achieve great things.

[@ThePrimeagen]

Totally agree

[@ekr990011]

Not to rain on the parade but..... Just "allowing" yourself to have fun and actually having fun are two different things :P Sure after you grind through something you may actually come to enjoy it. But the thought of I may have fun picking up trash never translates into having fun picking up trash :P

[@__idan__]

@@ekr990011 true, only a sith deals with absolutes :D My point is I've also failed many times in the past, doubting myself and stressing out to a point I didn't enjoy programming when I thought it was my passion, turns out I was over thinking and following a path that worked for others, not me. This advice might not resonate with everyone, but for me working on my well being as much as my studies made the difference.

[@ekr990011]

@@__idan__ Haha fair enough. Glad you were able to find your own path that works, completely agree.

[@HighZenburg]

@@ThePrimeagen yea I'm literally in the same boat I feel as you. I even tried drugs to increase my attention span for studying and suckes in school. Also like you, I can sit down and play video games from morning to night with no issue. This was a great video.

[@jotim7191]

Your story is scary close to mine. All my life I've struggled with severe ADHD (24 right now), doing all kind of crazy things. I was also addicted to many things back then. My teacher actually told me that he did NOT understand how I could get through highschool due to my problems. I could never get the stuff he said into my head, I almost failed every test, and I skipped school 33% during all years in total. But the crazy part was that I did not feel "stupid", I just felt un-motivated and "under stimulated". When I was 18 years old I got a "summerjob" at this IT-company in my city where they taught me C# and SQL. After 3 month they hired me without any degree, I finally found something that was fun to do. 5 years later I've jumped from knowing nothing about code, to develop large scale systems at this company and my life have turned around completely. As soon as i look into a new framework, I just learn it in 2 days. This, was unheard of when I was younger, to all people I was just a kid with problems and will never do anything good in my life. A tip to all ADHD people out there. "Find something you love, eventually you will master it better & faster than anyone else, and then find a way to make it your job". We all ADHD people are extremely hyper-focused when it comes to thing we enjoy doing.

[@nerothos]

Yep, for all the struggles - as soon as I find something I'm passionate about and have an adequately supportive environment around, I pick that shit up so fast it's kinda shocking even to me.

[@navaneeth6157]

Do you think you would do Masters? Structure isn't something that is suitable with ADHD, stuff like maths, useless assignments etc. Do you recommend it?

[@tims4654]

This!!!

[@arian6565]

I hope this will be the same for me

[@TheBiggestMoronYouKnow]

“Just get hired with no experience” 🤡

[@marcusoverstreet8059]

As a 35 year old person with ADHD…I 100% agree. The ramp up is much harder than a neurotypical person but on the back end you can learn almost anything. Also one thing that helped me was learning that ADHD isn’t an attention disorder, it’s an executive function disorder. I was at the mercy of a smaller execution tank that takes stimuli to fill back up. This is why I could game for half a day without any issues. For me the solution was really simple…study or work in packets or projects instead of time based effort. For example if I was working on a coding project but wasn’t motivated, I would sit down to just get one thing done, if I wanted to stop after that I did. Sometimes it was 5 minutes and sometimes it was hours. Today, I have mastered this internal process so well I can code for 4-5 hours straight without any problems because I know when to take a break and when not to.

[@ServetTonga]

Same story here. I managed to focus by deciding on particular tasks instead of time based working/studying. I can't focus if I don't have an aim.

[@NoraNekos7]

Will try to do that

[@dakotakeast59]

That's a fantastic way of putting it. I'm struggling to code and learn even though I really want to and have been looking for a way to do it without the sandpaper against my brain when I do it feeling. I'll have to try what you did.

[@marcusoverstreet8059]

@@dakotakeast59 I recommend coding specific projects start small and work up. Coding is building thousands of little skills and then combining them together like legos. Over time you’ll write the same functions so much that it will begin to feel like you’re playing an instrument where you don’t think it just flows. If you know nothing about the basic structures of coding (loops, conditionals, etc) then you need to learn all those. But once you know how to do those then build small projects and break down the project into small steps. If you can mentally piece together the code necessary to write a full program (pseudo code) then you can piece them all together and build bigger and bigger projects. I coded a JavaScript game this way from scratch in vanilla JavaScript and it only took me a month or two after a year of coding. Lastly, think of coding like martial arts or a musical instrument, practice the basics over and over and over and over and a deeper level of intuition will become so natural that coding becomes incredibly fun.

[@Victor-kv4jt]

What do you do if you hit a coding groove and it's 9pm?

[@victorgabr]

There are studies showing that unmedicated ADHD kids are much likely to "self medicate" using hardcore drugs as teenagers, which is sad. I am glad I fixed my ADHD at a psychiatrist and taking Concerta 36 mg/day, then I was able to hyperfocus in coding, not only games. I am glad you conquered it bro, there are cases that people can handle it just by aging and practicing. You directed hyperfocus from games to coding. Congratulations

[@simbadlemarin1815]

I have ADHD and am prone to depression, makes for a bad and very unproductive life, I got medicated at age 32 and finally discovered my passion for coding about 6 mos after starting medication. I was on a path to no where before, now I have finished a very difficult SE program and am building a medium size application in Rails, and will start apply for jobs once it is finished. I don't see any way I could have gotten this far without medication.

[@victorgabr]

@@simbadlemarin1815 congratulations and stay strong !

[@thefekete]

Definitely agree, I had some bad experiences with medication and just kept smoking for the last 20 years.. finally found something that's working and am trying to quit smoking, but it ain't easy! Don't give up on meds, they're way better than drugs, and won't get you in as much trouble either!

[@bellabear653]

​@@thefekete there is no such thing as meds they are all drugs it's just just one is legal the others are not.

[@TheScoobysteve]

My psychiatrist says that self medicating is the most useful diagnostic tool for adhd literally bar only familial histrory.

[@cristobaljavier]

Fellow "alternative brain configuration here." I started watching your videos bc I thought they were so entertaining and useful but man you are such an inspiration 👏👏👏

[@ThePrimeagen]

Thanks bud :)

[@RetroGenetic]

@@ThePrimeagen while I agree with him, and this was amazing bit of info wrapped up nicely. Yet I am obliged to tell you "FUCK YOU" and have AN AMAZING day!

[@Victory63219]

I have struggled with mental illness and my mental health since I was a kid. Before I even knew what those terms were. After years of ADHD, depression, anxiety, and even an attempt to take my life, I never thought I would be able to live without SSRIs medications. I clung to them because it was the only thing that made my mind quiet, but it also made me a zombie. Microdosing has given me control of my mental health for the first time, and they essentially gave me my life back.

[@annemoore4461]

I’ve been researching on psychedelics and it’s benefits to individuals dealing with Anxiety, Depression, ADHD and from my findings, they really work and I’ve been eager to get some for a while but its been difficult to get my hands on them.

[@ohmakure4716]

The Trips I've been having really helped me a lot. I’m now able to meditate and I finally feel in control of my emotions and my future and things that used to be mundane to me now seem incredible and full of nuance on top of that I'm way less driven by my ego and I have alot more empathy as well

[@dilara4130]

I was having this constant, unbearable anxiety due to work stress. Not until I came across a very intelligent mycologist. He saved my life honestly

[@dilara4130]

His name is *DR Adolf Petter*

[@ryancihet555]

@ohmakure4716 I feel the same way too. I put too much on my plate and it definitely affects my stress and anxiety levels. I am also glad to be a part of this community.

[@twhiting]

ADHD + perseverance is definitely a super power. I feel that it takes literally years of effort to understand that as Mr. Prime is talking about in this vid. Like many I experimented with adderrall and whatnot, it did help but I felt hindered on it. Like I unlocked that superpower but it was only while depending on a drug, I was also way to irritable and suffered from TERRIBLE headaches. Only years into software development and after finding ways to motivate myself and sleeping enough (no more late nights!) did I realize I was able to really dig in and finish something complicated at a high level. Situations where my peers struggle and I was able to see the bigger picture. ADHD fam we run the world.

[@ardasevinc4]

Can you give some examples for the ways you found to keep yourself motivated?

[@twhiting]

@@ardasevinc4 for me it was a mix of getting away from screens in my off hours, working out and learning that I enjoy putting forward my best work (not necessarily 'the' work at times!). I struggled getting uninteresting work done for a long time due to motivation / distractions. I realized that I felt the uninteresting work was "beneath" me. When I thought of some peers I look up to they didn't seem to have this problem, they seemed to thrive making simple changes really elegantly and clean. They seemed to enjoy any change they made. Truly masters of their craft. This shift in my mindset was probably one of the most important moments in my life. I'm struggling to fully communicate what it is that motivates me personally, so i'm going to attempt to visualize it for all of you. Let's all think of a master carpenter, someone who truly makes incredible things out of boring old wood. Maybe today it's a cabinet. Maybe tomorrow it is a desk. The master does not care, the master crafts. There are a lot of carpenters. Most just 'make' cabinets and desks. But then there are those folks who truly enjoy what they do and somehow make that cabinet or that desk **really** shine. Realizing that I enjoyed the craft of engineering as a creative endeavor and not necessarily the act of engineering as a job was truly what did it for me. Let me be clear, it was no silver bullet. I still struggle at times as we all do. But I find I struggle most when I havn't taken care of my basic needs like moving my body, sleeping, and socializing.

[@ardasevinc4]

@@twhiting That's really helpful. Thank you

[@bruh-rr6pl]

damn this is me rn

[@La0bouchere]

@@camerondeere9752 Not the OP, but I'm using Adderall for habituation and am halfway through coming off of it (4 days on, 3 days off). There are two things that are working extremely well for me: - Only do things you want to reinforce when you're on the medication, especially when it starts hitting you. Meds will make things stick easier than normal, so use them to build the habits you want to stick. Don't just do things that you would normally do, and definitely don't do things that are easily enjoyable dopamine factories like games or social media. I made sure to always be working on hard things in the morning when the first dose hit me. Now it feels weird to not program in the mornings, even on weekends. - Meditate. A few months after starting meds, they seemed to start wearing off easier. I started meditating every day for 15 minutes, and the focus I get from them is now stronger than when I started. On days where I don't take meds, the meditation still gives me around 4-5 hours of focus that's almost as good as being on Adderall. I also started building the habit of shorter meditation throughout the day, like spending 15 seconds quieting my mind if I realized I went down some distraction rabbit hole. This has made it way easier to start tasks and focus without meds, though it only seems to work well if I did the 15 minute session in the morning. This also gives you a very easy way to break out of hyperfocus states if you need to, but it's something you need to practice daily and won't work that well at first.

[@schuylerasplin3744]

Ya lately I’ve been thinking of my adhd as being a momentum based learner. The task switching/ starting is a deadly zone of distraction, but once I’m 4 hours into a leetcode problem I’ll cancel plans and skip meals to keep working on it. I also think adhd makes me get overwhelmed by too many options (like every restaurant menu) and that can make project setup or deciding which personal projects to start and stick with very challenging. Once I get the project up and running, I can start building up momentum. Love this video thank you for sharing some of your story!

[@kodyako00]

It's pretty wild how similar your approach was to mine. I've never been diagnosed with ADHD but what you just explained was my exact reasoning and how I changed. I would spend 24 hours straight in a video game and wouldn't bat an eye, yet when it came to doing something I didn't like it felt like my brain literally couldn't do it. I would fall asleep in a chair while doing something I wasn't interested in like 30 minutes because I couldn't pay attention no matter how hard I tried. (So I thought) Next I just started grinding through that state all day every day. I would get tired and set an alarm for 15 minutes, fall asleep get back up and try that task again. I wouldn't ever do anything other than sleep and that task because I knew I wouldn't go back to the task. Now people say there is no way I could have ADHD because I can force myself to focus on a task for insane periods of time. I feel like while I learned to code I spent the first year learning how to learn.

[@simbadlemarin1815]

Hyper-focus is a well known trait of ADHD, most people just think ADHD = super hyper distracted by anything and everything all the time. Its actually just a dopamine imbalance.

[@udemyaccount4082]

That's crazy. That's also how I do it! Bro.. Literally, I will not do anything else but programming and sleeping because I know that's how I will stay focused on it. I grinded through that state of mind for years until I broke it.

[@benheidemann3836]

@@simbadlemarin1815 I'm starting to wonder if I have ADHD lol... I remember my new boss saying to me that nobody can code from 9 to 5 without breaks. I just nodded and changed the topic. I'd coded from 8am to 8pm the previous day without a break, had dinner and then went back to coding until 2am. Other times, I feel I can't concentrate on anything even for 5 minutes. At uni I literally cried one time because I was "studying" for the whole day and every 2-3 minutes my mind would just wander and I couldn't get it to focus on what I needed it to focus on no matter how hard I tried. I didn't know what was wrong with me... I felt like such a failure and I was so angry at myself. I had the same with my dissertation where I felt I couldn't do anything for weeks at a time and I'd bring myself to the point of tears. But then every now and then I'd have a few days where I'd be able to push through that and once I did I'd reach this hyper focused state where I felt like I could just be operating at 110% without breaks for 10+ hours at a time. Now that I'm writing this stuff down, I realise I can think of dozens of examples like this 🤔

[@thefekete]

@@udemyaccount4082 Dude, I feel you, but don't give up on meds. They will help and there's others out there that aren't so harsh. I seriously understand, but I wish I'd have found the meds I'm on now years ago instead of smoking my lungs out the last 20 years for my dopamine fix... If your doc only wants to throw hard stuff at you, find another doctor!

[@ThePrimeagen]

Same story

[@joebuydem]

This video was made with VScode. Love you dude!!

[@ThePrimeagen]

How did you know?

[@vaisakhkm783]

​​@@ThePrimeagen waaaaaaaaaat?? vscode? how can you 😔

[@jaredsmith5826]

I love the point about the asymmetry between success and failure: just a little bit of success can be more important than a whole lot of failure (and you can't have the former without the latter).

[@ThePrimeagen]

Fully on the same team there

[@blackfrog1534]

prime, the more i hear about your life, the more impressed by you and your skills i become you are in my kind the best tech guy to follow keep being a real one ♥️♥️♥️

[@harshalp24]

Love this video. Found it relatable and inspiring as a fellow ADHDer. Keep the videos coming.

[@texoport]

Thank you for talking about this. As someone with ADHD and BPD, it was so incredibly easy for me to just feel like a victim and just wallow in self pity for far too long. It took some absolutely horrible incidents in my life for me to start trying to control my impulses and to get my life in order. I feel like if there's one thing that pops into mind when I think of you, it's just the love you have for everything you seem to do on stream, and it's absolutely infectious, so watching you really helps when my own reserves are running dry. Love you, man.

[@evgeniiegorov261]

Holy shit, man, from vid to vid you're covering all the problems i face and fight right now! I'm appreciating so much those vids!

[@empresagabriel]

I love real talk like this. Like when you tell stories of rough stuff you faced, and how you overcame some (or all) of it but some of it still may linger on. Those are the stories that are filled to the brim with real lifeness and authenticity

[@somnvm37]

oh thank you so muxh! you uploaded this vid at tge exact right time really helped me

[@panoskatsos5454]

Props to you primeagen, you are such a great and sincere man. I have always admired how you can deliver so much wisdom on your videos, while still keeping a light and entertaining tone! I am really glad to hear that you have snapped out off your toxic habits and addictions. Stories like these just make me feel how insignificant my problems really are and how in the end everything is going to be ok. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!

[@dzienisz]

Thanks bro for this video

[@Nada-uc1ce]

Dude, really, thank you for all the content you put out. It usually puts me in a better mood and helps me stay motivated.

[@scraper1000]

Thank you for being so real in this video. Crazy how similar our experience has been yet I thought I was alone

[@stephenreaves3205]

It takes a lot to admit the things you've admitted in this and other videos. Thank you for your honesty. You're such a good role model in our community.

[@jordanferraris5715]

God bless you man! Thank you for sharing some of your testimony 😁❤️

[@berrywarmer11]

Thank you so much for sharing this Primeagen, I appreciate hearing of another dev who is completely honest on just how much they sucked until they didn't. I'm a software dev now but the educational system tried its best to gatekeep me from becoming a dev. Got my Computer Science bachelors but it took me 6 years with the lowest GPA in my graduating class. 3 of those years were community college where I was doing nothing but remedial math just to get to Calculus I which most CS majors start with in freshman year. I failed Precalculus twice, but the third time taught me something you learned too, Primeagen: I wasn't gonna get through this college thing until I sit my ass in that seat in the library from 3:00pm - 10:00pm and get the homework done that took other kids an hour. One thing I don't agree with you is that there's no silver bullet. For me, it turns out there was a silver bullet: proper diagnosis & medication. The month before I graduated, a friend of mine from CS (also with ADHD) told me that I almost certainly have ADHD and I should get checked out for it, and so I did. I quickly got a diagnosis since I checked off basically all the boxes. Then, when I got diagnosed, I then got treatment. Medication immediately gave me the ability to sit down and do what I wanted to be doing. I got the diagnosis too late to do well in school but early enough that I was able to get an internship, crush the internship, and get a full-time software engineer offer at that internship all in the span of 2 months. I quickly came up to speed with the modern UI & React stack (SoyBoy JS dev and proud tyvm) and within half a year after graduating college as the worst student in my graduating class was owning most UI tickets for my team. I wouldn't have been able to do this without the medication; I wish I hit that "maturity epiphany" that you hit during your third attempt at college! Today, I strongly advocate for anyone to get themselves checked out if they have ADHD. Medication works better than any other method of managing ADHD and isn't something to be ashamed of! For anyone looking for more info about ADHD I absolutely recommend checking out "How to ADHD" on KZbin (kzbin.info), Jessica is an inspiration and has a huge amount of knowledge and content to share!

[@Kaar]

Your life story videos resonate very well me with. Maturity did the most for me. Continues improvement is the key. If there is a silver bullet the answer is, let it take time.

[@TheMrNomadus]

So I was subbed for Fireship and stumbled upon a video of your collaboartion with him. I also was diagnosed with ADHD 2 weeks ago and I'm currently trying my best to go from UX-design to Data Engineering. So I just opened this video and shocked about the timing of it. I also had a call with my mom today where I explained ADHD to her and she told me to treat it like a gift not a curse. This is what I needed. ADHD struggle is real and I'm glad to hear motivation from you. Thanks.

[@cd-stephen]

Prim. You are an inspiration for me. And I always feel like I won't give up because of what you accomplished and went thru in your life

[@Shri]

I really understand and feel what you are saying bro. I am going through this for the past decade and a half. It is a constant struggle. Only for the past month have I gotten some amount of hold on my severe ADHD. I haven't been officially diagnosed but I know it quite well that I do have ADHD. I used to spend countless hours playing CSGO at one point. This went on for 3 full years. I effing bunked my end semester exams to play CS 1.6 in my college days. Had to retake the entire semester. Couple gaming with smoking weed, and being in introvert, is all an guy like me needs to totally destroy myself. Every time I gave up an addiction, I took on another addiction. The only positive about it was that I kept taking on less harmful addiction compared to the last. My other big issue is that I am a Knowledge seeker which has been my steady addiction for past 8 years or so. I just can't stop myself from reading stuff, pouring over hundreds of KZbin videos every single day. I have opinions ranging from politics, philosophy, religion, economics to which is the best straight razor to buy. I would argue and fight with random strangers in the comments section of KZbin. For hours. I was drowning in my addiction. Have always been my entire life. It only changed last month when I decided to control myself. This last month has been so effing productive. Finally building software that I am proud of. I am happy but scared at the same time. Because I don't want to relapse. I don't know for how long this streak will continue. You and Theo have helped me a lot in this. Your energy/enthusiasm and Theo's opinions (even if I don't agree with some of them) have inspired me to keep myself focused. Because if you guys can I can. I still have a lot of issues that I need to sort out. But this is a great start! Took a lot for me to admit this. Hope no one reads it. But feels good to get it off my chest!

[@bacacho123]

Thanks! I've been searching how to get it and this is brilliant :D

[@maxteer2800]

Lord... I appreciate your candidness about this. I have had, and still have similar struggles. It's so great to hear someone who's overcome it talk about it

[@kylenelson5552]

This is great man I can attest to this exact thing. 28 and diagnosed with ADHD most of my life. I always knew there were certain times I couldn't stop learning certain things but only in the last couple of years have I really started to apply it. I've grown massively and still have more room to grow but this message is a fantastic reminder. Thanks man.

[@veebeeTV]

Ty , ADHDeagen Damn bro... you got me in the feels 😢. Didn't expect the video to describe my life. This video though short, has helped me more than countless other videos.

[@asimov647]

Congrats on 100k!!!

[@boody8844]

You don't know how much I needed this. Thank you!

[@pauldudley1273]

Thanks so much for this video, ive been struggling hard to get through new programming concepts and feeling stupid for not making progress faster. Good to know that multiple people out there have been in similar boats but with enough effort could get through it.

[@mrzvaniga3851]

love you bro, thanks for the insight.

[@matthewvaccaro8877]

Love you dude. Thanks for being open!

[@cassondradegraff2020]

I fing love thissssss great work

[@lynguist]

i'm very thankful, to have stumbled upon your channel. you know your shit and you're a human. plus: trippy outros = subscribed

[@huntboom288]

Sometimes you just gotta buckle down, have time in the saddle, and try to prime your environment to have as few distractions as possible. March on brother. Thanks for sharing your story primeagen.

[@actesb6748]

Damn, it's like you got my own story and spit it in my face. I've always looked at my ADHD as a 'extra hard' mode on-top of the game of life; like an additional preset that I just have to learn to work with until it helps me. In my scenario it was much similar to where I had to learn my own method to utilizing it, for me personally I've found that I have to lure myself into any and every subject mentally and at-least pretend it's interesting. Once I establish that first little adrenaline spike of "Oh this is fun", I go absolutely mental on the topic and learn everything about it ( I joke with my friends that it's starting the engine ). Amazing video, made my day.

[@Zzznmop]

I would say there are a lot of us who have the same path. Personally, I found your stream about 3 years ago when I was just starting to get that feeling of wanting to be better in my heart. Now, The startup is reforming actual degenerates into ones with good intentions for the world and the people around them. I’ll remember this journey forever. Thanks for everything Prime, you’re truly a legend to us all

[@raarky]

I only recently discovered your channels and only just now stumbled onto this video. Your story resonates heavily with me as it seems we've walked the same path. Thank you heaps for your content, it helps motivate and remind me where and what I as a dev.

[@Mr4yda4ok]

Thanks for sharing man, can't imagine that you had such challenges in life, you're doing great from what I can see and hope you will achieve even more in the future. BTW, you can make video about your learning technic, books recommendations, etc.

[@dd-v]

Thank you Prime :) really needed this one

[@io_inc]

Thank you... I needed this!

[@bobbytaraantino]

You're the goat 🙌 hope I can overcome this struggle too and it's too hard ngl

[@1grommedia715]

it's actually super refreshing to hear this, as a college student currently who can relate to much of your story it's so nice hearing it put as a positive versus a negative.

[@lightprogrammer]

I'm glad I encounter your channel, you're an inspiration to follow

[@Borsting89]

When you shared your hot take I was so surprised. Because I agree. Maturity is so important, but it so so easy to use the excuses when you fail. Keep pushing yourself towards the maturity and dont let the excuses control your mind. You can do it!

[@scottg6564]

My respect level for you just went up by like 100x. It's not that I didn't respect you before obviously lol, but I related so much with everything you said. I agree with everything you said and have often tried to tell people the same thing. It's seemingly very powerful once a person really understands the principle/philosophy behind it. Your life sounds very similar to mine in many respects. Good video.

[@aadishgoel]

glad to find this video, I also could learn a tremendous amount of info but not when I needed it, it's like delaying the most important tasks, I guess working maturely and taking accountability is the only way to unlock the superpower

[@dindoleonard]

Your video made me realize that this is true, the gaming and studying part is very relatable. Am now reinforced that my ADHD is actually a gift and proud to have it.

[@joelkorpela2706]

ThePrimeagen the effort to put out videos like this is incredibly appreciated. I've had more genuine life lessons and inspiration from your content than any other single source. My family was trash, and I've never had someone with the capacity to speak positively into my life. You've really helped me course-correct and spark positivity for the future.

[@olivier5293]

You're a good man!!

[@ionk3588]

Damn, I feel you so much, your story matches with mine almost perfectly (I never dropout college) but in my case, at some time I started to use the ADHD meds to get my first job as a Web Developer and then slowly get off all the shits I was doing, now I work as a Full Stack Developer (tbh it's mainly FE) and it's amazing, I really feel like those meds combined with a mature mindset made me a good dev.

[@robertoconnor7877]

Thanks for sharing your story, ig hits really close to home for me.. I am about 1 year out from getting help for my adhd at 33 after more than a decade of the "cursed" cycle and my life has gotten a lot better. I'm not where I want to be yet and lately I feel like I've hit a wall but seeing stuff like this inspires me to keep going. WAGMI

[@fortwalawala]

I'm right there with you, I got dismissed from my college about a year and a half ago after two semesters where I basically didn't do any work. It hurt a lot. After taking some time to learn about ADHD and about myself what helped me was accepting that I had a disability that would negatively affect me. I learned to be kind to myself when I failed but also to use my failures to find ways to improve myself so they wouldn't happen again. It has taken an immense amount of hard work and I still struggle daily but I'm back in school and doing well for myself. There is power in acceptance because then you can make it your own and work with it. Thank you for sharing your experience with us.

[@iseDaniel]

Loko me estaba guardando mi suscripción para formar parte de los que pasaron los 100k, ahí va. Saludos

[@patricklarose]

One of the biggest things I can recommend is taking time to seriously contemplate your values and your life purpose. Once you truly feel like you know what you need to be doing, it's easier to stay focused and not dabble.

[@ze2like]

I totally feel you ! It's like concentration is a muscle and with ADHD you need to train harder to get results, but once your training is complete, you unlock the hyperfocus ability and you're able to go deeper and crush problems. I'm also convinced it's all about maturity, as you said. The hardest part for me was to be able to remain calm when someone interrupts. Sometimes I still want to bite :D

[@haydenmitchell9260]

I KNEW IT, as someone who has it myself and has a similar career path, i know the struggles. its just funny that i picked up on it a few minutes in to the first of your videos i watched

[@kylerrasnick]

Wow, we've gone through virtually the same exact thing. Just got diagnosed with ADHD last year and my life has improved dramatically since becoming medicated. Thanks, this video was motivating.

[@minerscale]

I procrastinated off getting diagnosed with ADHD for the longest time. Now I have a diagnosis, I've been putting off getting treatment for the longest time. I swear to god I'll book an appointment soon. Shit I was gonna do that tonight. It's too late now I'll do it tomorrow.

[@DragonNZG]

So did you ever do it?@@minerscale

[@minerscale]

@@DragonNZG Aww thanks for asking, yes! After a five month trip on the waiting list I got my psych appointment and was put on dexamphetamine. I believe my life is better for it and I'm certainly much more productive and I feel like I waste less of my time. I have my first followup in a week !! I still struggle with many things most principally time management and getting ready to leave for things but it's been good. I think my university results show as well.

[@forfreee2222]

Love the straight talking content too prime always got a good story

[@josephp2083]

as someone with adhd, I've found that i can focus better when i enjoy doing something

[@wiredvibe1678]

For me, i often *know* i enjoy something but i *cant* enjoy it when I need to... and it's impossible to learn. Need to get better at remembering i have ADHD and forgiving myself for those moments but often I feel like a failure and a looser because I can't read a chapter or get through 3 or 4 math problems. People would tell me "if you enjoyed something you would do it" and that would drive me crazy...

[@Matty0187]

Bruh, this was great! Thank you for doing this content. I feel the same feeling about impostor syndrome

[@izydor1365]

It's actually amazing how I literally watched like 3 random of your videos and thought "He is one of us. I wonder if he knows". Glad I was right and glad that you know :D

[@marioandresheviacavieres1923]

All this is true. My experience is similar. Thanks for sharing. I have share this with my other ADHD friends. Muchas gracias!

[@thelonelyshredda475]

I needed this :) Watched your video on why not rust first and you personality gelled with me so I subscribed then I saw this video and was like holy sh** someone else like me!!!!!! I wasn't diagnosed till I was in my 20's and left school at 14 so the not so great side of it and addiction etc is very close to me. I'm on like 80mg a day of the only stuff they allow in nz for ADHD and without it work would be hell!!!! But pulling apart a motor in the weekend or playing around with electronics until they work well that could be the whole weekend 0 meds New season on Halo new mod packs in Fallout 4 to mess with I'm good for days. I think you are right the grind is real but maybe when I start having fun and seeing results or understanding the code it could lead to good things :D THANKYOU

[@joeleblanc]

I didn’t expect to hear “cross between Joel Osteen and Luke Smith” in this video, but I absolutely LOLed when I did! 😂 Seriously though, thank you for sharing your story so candidly. I do not have ADHD (that I know of), but I’ve known many people who do and am learning so much about how it is misunderstood.

[@nontraditionaltech2073]

I really enjoy ur content, but this is one of your best 5 minutes I’ve seen so far! I graduated w my CS degree at 38 (42 now) and fought ADHD the whole time. I just started being seen for it but I’m not sure if I’ll stay and use meds or go my own way. I mean I’ve always been able to overcome I just wish it wasn’t so difficult lol

[@loo_9]

your perspective is very uniquely catered to me that this speaks to me, especially where i am in my life. i’ve overcome my impulse to like almost no youtube videos (because i cannot like them all) to like this video.

[@kylestubblefield3404]

Awesome video, thanks for sharing.

[@brick4667]

This type of very real content is superb. Revive the vim videos Keep doing this stuff Nix the webdev speedtests

[@tenbitube]

Feels like one of those videos where you hyper focus on the success as oppose to understanding the failings. The most important thing to understand is that doing nothing brings your opportunity down to zero. However so long as you are trying you still have a chance. That is better than nothing. Also understand that people in higher positions and reached their goals have had extreme amounts of luck and sometimes even money to keep them afloat through the painful stuff. Risk within your own means. Make sure youre happy but also dont give up. Live isnt worth hurting yourself in hopes for something that "may" happen. You'll have to learn to do it for yourself. Dont give up and youre better off than you were yesterday.

[@thahrimdon]

Just found out about your channel but holy hell I’m basically you at 21. I’m formally diagnosed with ADHD, think I definitely have very slight dyslexia, am in college, have had major substance abuse problems in the past (still battling with it, but not as much), am in college, and have such a passion for computers and that in general. Always have. But didn’t realize it fully until I had to have my jaw replaced and couldn’t do anything for 2 years. While all my friends were playing games, I was trying to learn all different aspects of computers, from general CS to photoshop, to Python, you name it. This video really helped me out man in the sense I feel less alone in this and trying to find my place in the world. I don’t meet many CS people or people who have/have had my general hobbies/vices/issues, because I’m not just all about learn learn learn, because I myself enjoy video games as well. I know you probably won’t see this but it’s a breath of fresh air to me seeing someone accomplish what I want too under pretty much the same circumstances, with the same issues, vices and all. You, Mental Outlaw, and Fireship are people to look up to. Well done man, couldn’t be more happy for you!

[@edgymarshmellow8493]

I agree with you 100% I also struggled for years with this. I started to excel when I found the right friend group and we all pushed each other to do better. As a result a lot of us are actually doing pretty well.

[@jd4codes]

Thank you for this video!

[@MySachincool]

Thank you Budha!, I can't say enough how much your advice helped me, don't play the victim card! It's a gift, Thank you for sharing your story,

[@CyberBoy8799]

I have 20 exams in the next month and I'm about to fail my year for the third time. My ADHD has been killing me so badly in the last couple of years, but I'm not gonna drop out because I know I'm not the only one who suffered through these problems. Seeing you overcome these hurdles and climbing from the bottom to the top keeps me going. You're such an inspiration prime, you trully make my day better.

[@rhatalos1997]

I failed my year twice and was about to fail again. I didn't know what to do and didn't see a future for me. It was the worst time of my life. I removed my pc, phone and everything distracting from my desk and managed to baerly pass the tests. With hard work my grades got a bit better and in the end I graduated. Now I'm about to get my Master's degree in university. Don't give up, you can accomplish so much more than you think. There will be a better future, however it might look like. I wish you all the best -Daniel

[@maynardlim7812]

Make sure you are getting enough sleep and eat well and stay hydrated! Ask for help from family to help make u food, if needed. All the best of lucks!!!!

[@kiyu3229]

So? How did it go?

[@danocedani]

Thank you so much for this video. This was the first time ever i felt someone related to me so much. My motivation is kicking through the roof now so im gonna dive in a new schedule and update you guys in a year or 2. I hope all of you find that jumping motivation spring and reach your goals. ADHD FOR THE W!!!

[@curtisflaming8625]

hits hard. thanks for being vulnerable. exact thing i'm going through night now.

[@ViniciusSoaresBatista]

Pretty wild. I feel the same and still walking. This video is energizing

[@NathanHedglin]

Love ya ThePrimeagen!

[@eternalnight9453]

Thanks for this video man. Very likely that I have ADHD too. I know I have high functioning depression that sometimes gets really morbid. It's so hard to focus or feel any sort of "love" or "engagement" in things.

[@marcolerena456]

Hey Prime! Just wanted to tell you I have felt much more connected to you ever since I learned you didn't have a dad growing up. I have been in the same position my whole life. I'm 25 now and still have a lot to teach myself. But thanks for being there to contribute!

[@mon_codes]

I have a similar issue with myself. Thankfully I found this channel and thanks to your optimistic approach regarding on this matter.

[@Kodlak15]

Ive never been formally diagnosed with ADHD, but I relate to this video to a rediculous degree. Our early lives had a lot of similarities, at least from what you have shared in this video. Thank you for sharing your story and for the encouragement :)

[@fakezpred]

Definitely consider looking into a formal diagnosis if you would like treatment (medication or not) and accommodations if necessary

[@Kodlak15]

@@fakezpred I think it would be interesting to discuss with my doctor. Whatever it is that makes me a bit odd has become more manageable as Ive gotten older. I definitely dont want to go the medication route, but it would be helpful to get a formal diagnosis (or lack thereof) so I am better informed as to how to manage my mental health. Thank you for the advise 🙏

[@Gahlfe123]

this video really helped, i am diagnosed with MDD and there have been a lot of talks about ADHD, but their are so much similarities in your experience to mine. its hard to focus on one task when im constantly being triggered by my environment.

[@mhc4124]

Kindhearted video. Your success is well-earned.

[@krismatic_]

Totally agree, some call what you're describing as "Hyper Focus." I've known for at least the last few years that hyper focus enabled some of my best work. Hours spent 'error correcting' a song or design or a layout, likely yields a very polished or creative result. This feature is a gift, without question.

[@jan0195]

You made me feel better and more confident with this video.

[@wew8820]

i'm watching this again to get pumped to study but before that just want to drop this thank you note. something about the advice in this video just really resonated with me. after watching it i had the best study session i've had in recent memory by just being mindful of my adhd. when i feel the distraction creeping in i just reengage by looking at the problem from another way. i guess it's like my mind is moving quickly on the problem and getting "bored" with it, so the new angle is the new stimulation to keep me engaged? i dont really know. but the point is i actually learned an "advanced" level CS concept in just an hour yesterday by doing this. i had been in a spot recently where i can spend days studying but not absorbing anything, so this is huge for me. now that i feel like i'm actually on a path to being able to harness my adhd, as opposed to being controlled by it, i feel like i'm going to become the best version of myself, LFG! btw i also dropped out twice, but just finished a masters, worked in big tech and now starting a PhD. it can be done Thanks prime!

[@neuro5261]

am so glad i found this channel

[@SamirAbuLina]

Thank you for this. I have almost exactly the same experience, although I was gambling instead of using hard drugs. I still have problems with many aspects of ADHD, but at least since I got medication I can somewhat focus on my work. I was diagnosed at the age of 35 or so (now 40) and felt like a failure most of my life before that. One of the reasons was what you also mentioned, that "I did not want those things". I did not want to gamble. I wanted to play games in a healthy manner like most of my friends, not like an addict. The most important thing was getting diagnosed. I did not take medications first few years afterwards, because just the diagnose itself was such a relief. Knowing that I am not a failure was such an incredible moment. So I recommend anyone having a suspicion to go to a doctor. But be aware, there are symptoms of ADHD that can be induced by the way we live our lives currently (a whole app industry with billions of dollars trying to make us addicts via dopamine highs in their apps). So be prepared for that and be happy if you get another reason for your struggles then ADHD. ADHD cannot be cured, but changing your lifestyle can "cure" whatever harm was caused by addicting apps & co. Cheers.

[@DanielLopez-et3vc]

I thought you were just a funny guy with a weird voice and cool vim tricks. I was wrong. Your story is inspiring and you have a kind heart. Thanks for sharing Prime!

[@Biddybud]

turning on the minecraft ost while listening to this hits different in the best possible way. thank you for this video.

[@emmaeilefsen7214]

youre right. i recently got a job as a IT/Network Tech, and it wouldnt have happened without the maturity i have built up over the past year or two. i will use this in the future to grow into a developer role. thank you

[@brianginn1993]

Finest thoughts I’ve heard. Well said.