FOCUS

[AlyCat231988]

What are some ways to help me focus better on the task I'm currently working on? Ideas would be appreciated.

[ZtoThePhour]

if the music is loud enough, i can usually make it through the task, even if i have to dance a bit.

I can listen or I can think, i know where thinking can take me

[Figitandhum]

I recommend Focus Mate, an online service that matches me up with someone who also has a task they want to focus on. I use it every day, picking the 25 minute session or the 50 minute session depending on what I need to focus on. You do need a camera I think. It's super simple. Schedule a session and turn on the app. At the time you see your partner, tell what you will be focusing on and theytell you, then both mute your microphone and get to work, knowing they are working at the same time. I usually keep their picture in a small screen to remind me. It is free for up to two sessions a week and $5 a month for unlimited sessions. As I said, I use it every day, sometimes 3 or more times, and is the most effective way for me to focus on a task and get it done. The task can be anything from cleaning up email to washing dishes to writing a thesis. And it's 24/7 'cuse people all over the world use it.

[G7BK]

I think this is the main question for us all.

Ive tried so many things.

Currently this is where i am at, with 'the problem'.

It's like an addiction or even a sports event. some questions cant be answered 'in the moment'. But only answered before, days before.

Addicts and athletes are screwed to do anything at the time of decision, the only thing that helps, is in training for the 'event' The power and control we all have lies here and no where else.

So where is our power over 'this'? Where is our control and discipline over this seeming inability to just perform?

My path has currently taken me to here, that discipline and entering a state of work, focus and getting the ability 'to do anything or priority' happens in my what happened yesterday and the days before that

If i'm rolling from day to day with no strict organisation, no exercise, eating ok, sleeping not so well and not in a positive and driven mindset, then tomorrow I dont have a choice, im powerless.

However if yesterday and the days before i have momentum, a positive and hopefull mentality and looking after myself, then today i at least have a choice.

BUT

you know all this, So one bit of advice I can maybe add to the 'pot' of strategies is this, and its huge;

Every single 'succesful' person on earth has been annalysed by multiple coaches and mentors, and they all share similarities, many have adhd, and this one thing sticks out to me hugely:

Every morning all of them have a routine and every single morning and sometimes through the day they have to inspire themselves 'to do', podcast, article, inspirational talks, anything that gets them into that mindset of doing the task.

This was a big one for me, as i always thought you cant be that bothered if you need inspiring to do something you love, but no, its just us humans and how we are. again you may know all this but the last thing was works and has really helped me snap out of the bs, just go for a walk and chuck on a motivational thing for 15 mins, can be naything, think the brain needs a workout like the body too!

Hope that helps

[bernerDad]

In my experience, problems with focus doesn't always imply a problem with attention. I'm sure you've experienced a much greater ability to focus on tasks that you find interesting or enjoyable than on another you might feel is tedious or even unpleasant.

If the problem is truly with attention and difficulty with environmental distractions, then creating a space that is more conducive to work may be helpful.

This, however, may not be as useful if most of your distractions are internally generated. Though people with ADHD have problems with internal distractions, many "neurotypical" people will periodically find it very difficult to concentrate.

What's the cause of this? Well, there can be physical reasons such as illness, pain, or hunger, but probably the most common physical reason is inadequate sleep / rest. Sleep is completely foundational and even a mild sleep deficit can cause significant impairment in normal functioning.

If you are healthy and sleeping well, you might want to focus troubleshooting your mood and anxiety. Perhaps the actual problem isn't the inability to focus but task avoidance. The current thinking on task-avoidance and procrastination is that these are (unproductive) adaptations to effect short-term improvement in mood and anxiety. That task you find unpleasant may be exacerbating the poor mood that you are experiencing or heightening the worry you have about something else.

Of course, there is an entire constellation of medications and a variety of therapeutic interventions that are used for long-term control of anxiety and mood, but those don't really help in the very short-term and often times the severity (or duration) of a mood / anxiety issue doesn't warrant extensive treatment.

What to do then? Well, the first step is to understand why you're doing what you're doing. Are you stressed out about something else, or is it that the mere thought of doing what you have to do anxiety provoking? Are you experiencing low mood and find it difficult to sustain mental effort because your mood worsens with the task? Do you find the amount of work you need to do overwhelming and don't know how to best organize your time?...

There are several techniques and tricks that have been shown to work in some situations. In order to address procrastination (if that's what's occurring) you can try to: 1) cultivate curiosity, 2) consider the next action, 3) make temptations inconvenient.

1) By "cultivating curiosity" I mean think about your thoughts and feelings around task avoidance. If you’re considering procrastination, try to pay attention to the sensations arising in your mind and body. What feelings are creating the desire to procrastinate? Where are these localizing in your body? Do they remind you of anything else? What happens to your desire to procrastinate as you become aware of it? Does it grow? Fade? Induce you to experience other emotions? How do these sensations in your body shift as you continue consider the tasks at hand?

2) Considering the next action is somewhat different than standard advice to break up a task you’re tempted to avoid into bite-sized chunks. Focusing only on the “next action” helps calm your nerves, and it allows for what is called “a layer of self-deception.” At the start of a given task, consider the next action as a mere possibility, as if you were method acting. Something like, “what will I do about this if I were going to, but I actually am not?” Perhaps, you would open your planner. Or perhaps you would put write the title of your document. The key is not to wait to be "in the mood" to do a certain task. It is commonly known that motivation follows action. i.e.: Get started, and you’ll find your motivation follows.

3) Make temptations inconvenient and less likely: The old adage of "it’s still easier to change our circumstances than ourselves" is generally true. So, we can take what we know about how we procrastinate and use it to our advantage by placing obstacles between ourselves and temptation. If you compulsively check social media, lock out those apps or set a really complicated password with not just five characters but 10. By doing this, you’re adding friction to the procrastination cycle and making the reward value of your temptation less immediate.

And the theory is that is what it's really about -- procrastination is the way to receive immediate reward that one experiences by deferring a task. By eliminating the immediacy of the reward, we greatly the diminish the drive to do it.

There are many other approaches and there is no shortage of other advice you can find to help. Some of those can be found here: bit.ly/3D4Mipn and here: childpsi.com

Hope this helps!

[ureshii24]

Focus mate: online partnered accountability. Has been great for me.

[ureshii24 in reply to ureshii24]

Sorry- that's focusmate.com