January 13, 2026
Brains, Coffee & Side Quests
ADHD. How do you manage the constant stream of thoughts and ideas?
Founders confess: side quests vs focus, meds vs meditation
TLDR: The article says ADHD’s chaos comes from a daydreaming network in the brain that won’t quiet, and suggests meditation, sleep, and structure, with meds helping but not curing. Comments split between tool-first discipline, brain-training purists, and people embracing “side quests” until a breakthrough idea arrives.
The thread lit up like a neon brain scan when one poster argued the real ADHD villain is the mind’s “Default Mode Network”—the part that daydreams—and it doesn’t shut up when you need to work. Cue drama: team systems vs team brain training. One side says “lock it down with tools,” the other swears by meditation reps, sleep, and changing your relationship to the thoughts themselves. There’s even science-y spice with talk of the Default Mode Network being the main intruder.
Founders piled in with confessions of “exploration brains” built for ideas, not upkeep (plutodev). The vibe: ideas everywhere, deadlines nowhere. In classic Reddit fashion, someone coined the meme of going on endless “side quests,” and yes, coffee made a cameo as “the real prescription.” The medication debate simmered: caffeine and Vyvanse got nods, Adderall got side-eye for rough side effects, and multiple voices insisted meds help but don’t magically make you finish boring stuff.
A heartfelt subplot: folks debating whether to get diagnosed, with one user nervously eyeing “late developing ADHD.” Meanwhile, the productivity purists went full boot camp: spotless desk, one app only, timer on, “main thing” or bust. The funniest hot take? Wait for The One Right Idea™—because when it hits, the chaos was just research all along.
Key Points
- •ADHD-related idea overload is linked to unreliable suppression of the Default Mode Network (DMN) during tasks.
- •Meditation (focused attention practice) is presented as neuroplasticity training that improves DMN suppression; sleep is foundational for DMN regulation.
- •Reframing intrusive thoughts as arisings rather than commands reduces their influence on behavior.
- •Environmental minimalism, a single daily priority, and strict contextual stability help reduce distractions and conserve executive function.
- •A robust capture-and-execute todo system, regular exercise, scheduled outlets for side ideas, and prescribed stimulants (e.g., Concerta) support functioning but are not standalone cures.