The Neurodivergent Engineer's Guide to Productive Curiosity

As a Lead Engineer working hands-on with mobile app development in the agtech space, I’ve come to appreciate the unique advantages that come with a neurodivergent mind. What many might consider distractions — those persistent intellectual “itches” demanding to be scratched — I’ve learnt to harness as powerful catalysts for innovation and learning.

The Nature of Intellectual Itches

If you’re neurodivergent like me, you’ll recognise the feeling: a sudden, intense curiosity about a topic that seems completely unrelated to your main focus. It might be a programming language you’ve never tried, an obscure algorithm, or perhaps something entirely outside the realm of technology.

These “itches” aren’t merely distractions—they’re potential pathways to unexpected connections and insights. The challenge lies not in suppressing them, but in channelling them productively.

The 30-Minute Itch-Scratching Technique

After years of experimentation, I’ve developed a strategy I call “The 30-Minute Itch”: dedicating precisely 30 minutes each day to exploring these tangential interests. It’s just enough time to make meaningful progress without derailing my primary work.

Here’s how it works in practice:

1. Acknowledge the itch

Rather than fighting against the urge to explore something new, explicitly acknowledge it. I keep a dedicated “Itch List” in Obsidian where I record these curiosities as they arise.

2. Schedule the scratch

Each day, I allocate a consistent 30-minute block—typically mid-afternoon when my energy might otherwise dip—to work on one item from my Itch List.

3. Set clear boundaries

The time constraint is non-negotiable. When 30 minutes concludes, I document what I’ve learnt and any connections to my primary work, then return to my main focus without guilt or lingering distraction.

4. Cross-pollinate ideas

The most remarkable aspect of this approach has been how frequently these seemingly random explorations yield insights relevant to my work. The cognitive diversity inherent in exploring multiple domains creates a rich ecosystem for innovation.

Expanding Your Problem-Solving Toolkit

The beauty of embracing these diverse interests is how they gradually build an unconventional toolkit for approaching problems. Each “itch” potentially adds new mental models and frameworks to your thinking:

• Reading about architectural patterns might introduce concepts that restructure how you approach modular app design
• Exploring game design principles could offer fresh perspectives on user engagement in utilitarian livestock management applications
• Even brief forays into fields like ethology (the scientific study of animal behavior) might inspire new ways of thinking about animal behavior patterns that could improve how we track and monitor livestock through our apps

For neurodivergent minds especially, these cross-domain connections often happen naturally. The 30-minute approach simply provides a structured way to harness this tendency productively rather than letting it become a source of distraction or overwhelm.

When facing particularly stubborn problems in our development process, I often find myself drawing on this diverse mental library, connecting dots between seemingly unrelated domains . What looks like an unusual cognitive leap to others is often simply the result of these small, daily explorations.

Practical Implementation for Fellow Neurodivergent Engineers

If you’d like to adapt this approach to your own work:

1. Create a dedicated capture system for your itches—digital or analogue, whichever creates less friction.

2. Block time in your calendar for itch-scratching sessions. Consistency matters more than duration.

3. Set a visible timer during sessions to maintain focus and boundaries.

4. Document connections between your explorations and main work, however tenuous they might initially seem.

5. Share your discoveries with colleagues—what seems like a random tangent to you might be precisely what someone else needs.

Embracing Neurodiversity in Engineering

The traditional engineering career path often emphasises deep specialisation and linear focus. Yet the complex challenges of livestock management technology and mobile development demand cognitive diversity and unexpected connections.

By embracing rather than resisting our neurodivergent tendencies, we can transform what might be seen as a limitation into a superpower. Those intellectual itches aren’t distractions—they’re your mind’s way of seeking patterns and possibilities beyond the obvious.

In my experience, the most interesting breakthroughs happen not in the centre of our expertise, but at the edges where different domains and interests overlap. The 30-Minute Itch technique simply creates intentional space for those overlaps to emerge.

Remember that innovation rarely follows a straight line. Sometimes the most valuable thing you can do for your primary work is to temporarily look away from it—just be sure to set that timer first!