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Learning things

I ask everyone who signs up for my newsletter

How is your ADHD stopping you from living your best life?

One of the more common responses I get back is something along the lines of…

I have trouble keeping up with new technology/learning new things. It feels boring, and I keep losing interest.

Sometimes, it’s that the topic itself is just not something you’re interested in.

That to me is usually a signal that I should shift my attention elsewhere. I’ve gotten a bit better at listening to those over time.

But other times, it’s that you’re trying to learn an interesting thing in isolation.

Learning JavaScript because you’re trying to build a UI component that can toggle the visibility of a password field on-and-off is a lot more fun that “learning JavaScript fundamentals” without a goal.

This is a variable. This is a function. This is what scope is.

Useful to know, but kind of boring on its own.

When you can learn in the context of solving actual problems, things are a lot more fun. Even the boring stuff!