I agree with the "blessing and curse" characterization. I owe my career to thousands of hours spent hyperfocused on learning programming languages for fun while I was supposed to be doing homework. On the other hand, I've come close to losing my job because of difficulty carrying out assigned tasks that don't matter to me.
Interesting contrast though: for me leetcode, certain exams, and interviews often trigger hyperfocus. Studying and assignments, as well as day-to-day work, rarely do. I take a fair bit of medication so I can do my job. I'm trying to pivot towards something which more naturally engages my interest, maybe SRE or security work.
Interesting how we're all affected differently. I recommend skimming "delivered from distraction" if you haven't already, there are some good tips in there on how ADHD folks can deliberately create the right conditions for flow.
Interesting contrast though: for me leetcode, certain exams, and interviews often trigger hyperfocus. Studying and assignments, as well as day-to-day work, rarely do. I take a fair bit of medication so I can do my job. I'm trying to pivot towards something which more naturally engages my interest, maybe SRE or security work.
Interesting how we're all affected differently. I recommend skimming "delivered from distraction" if you haven't already, there are some good tips in there on how ADHD folks can deliberately create the right conditions for flow.