AI versus Marshy - A Quick Primer on ADHD

Welcome to this standalone article about ADHD, where I’ll be sharing some insights and ideas. As someone who’s explored this topic in previous newsletters, I’ll try to break it down in a way that’s easy to understand. If you’re new to this topic, don’t worry - I’ll try to keep it concise and informative. Let’s dive in and explore what ADHD is all about. Time blindness Hyperfocus Easily distracted More sensitive to sights/sounds/smells Need much more stimulation heaps more A shortcut for explaining it to a neurotypical person is: Think about how you receive bits of information over the course of your day Boss wants this, a social feed on the way to work, what am I having for lunch today, loved one’s birthday this weekend, Greg has a new puppy etc. And you know how your brain automatically sorts what is important and what isn’t important Yes, that’s called living every day life Marshy. Not for someone with ADHD - everything is the same level of interesting, so you’ve got to find other ways to determine what’s important. Because your brain just doesn’t have that function. The good news you are programmed to take in a lot of information (at speed), the bad news is if you have no way to channel that you’re going to burn out, get frustrated, have tantrums, etc. The book ADHD 2.0 calls it a Ferarri brain with bicycle brakes. Creepy and surreal - like a lot of AI-generated “art” But… this newsletter is about AI right? An idea that won’t go away is the idea of some sort of goal machine that keeps knowledge workers with ADHD on task so they can achieve more. Originally appeared in newsletter : AI versus Marshy #37: ADHD edition