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How to stay focused at work and on things you like doing?

Inah

Hi, I had started a discussion about attention problems a couple of days ago (sorry, don’t know how to link to it, if it’s possible, let me know and I can add that later). Main problems are not focusing very well if it’s something I find boring, thoughts that creep up about other things I want to do or are going on and also being pulled away by thoughts or stuff I’d rather do (the wash!) when I am facing something hard or challenging (like a complex analysis at work or I am learning about something I like but it turns out to be much more/ complex than I thought). At the moment, I have 2 audiobooks open, a game not finished, videos I wanna watch, or - at work- reading emails, doing the wash (WFH) rather than reading up on something or doing analysis (it’s worse at work because even though I know in theory it’s meaningful or important, it’s not self-relevant for me, so I automatically care less). I am autistic and not found to have ADHD (perhaps some traits). 

How do you improve focus? What makes you stay with a task you have to do (but find boring personally)/ with something you like to do (but have 4 other things you also like to do OR other thoughts that come up that are fear driven)/ how do you read an academic paper (I work in research and it’s supposed to be a core tool but it’s very difficult for me)? I am trying to find a pool of options that help others.

What I tried myself (with varying success) is

  • noise cancelling headphones
  • focus music/ sound
  • working in the dark
  • lying on the floor OR covering my eyes when listening to something 
  • closing other apps like Outlook, Teams 
  • DND mode
  • switching to audiobooks 
  • telling myself to stay with this task 
  • putting my phone away
  • pomodoro 
  • assign tasks to designated slots in my calendar 

All I can think of currently. But most of the times, these are not enough or helpful over the course of a whole working day. Thank you!

  • in reply to Inah
    Inah said:
    coffee shop background noise

    Perfection! Yeah, ambiance can be a great inspiration for focus.

    Inah said:
    Do you mean pomodoro?

    That sounds right! I used to do it a lot when I was in high school / college and back then I called it “gamifying” work by breaking up homework with a few minutes of video games or music composition.

    Now this isn’t much help for you without a diagnosis in ADHD, but the biggest help for me has been medication. So again, I personally think getting a second opinion would be a good idea.

  • in reply to profdanger

    Yeah I cannot function either if it’s vocals, the best for me has been this one https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=jvM9AfAzoSo&si=6ZIVB7n7cDPZ4XlV or coffee shop background noise (for some reason I find it soothing if I cannot make out one speaker but when it blends into one mash - also I hold a special place for coffee shops in my heart.

    Do you mean pomodoro? This is literally what you describe, you’re on for a few minutes and then take a break. If so, yes I have. I found it works for some tasks but not for all of them. Like if I work on something which has a chunky structure (eg working through sections of data where I can identify a break) it works, but not if I need to read an article or write a paper, both requires more flow or sustained attention.

    I do struggle with keeping the willpower to finish the current round of pomodoro if I am not engaged (which is likely the reason I used the technique in the first place) though. I think the crux is finding it personally meaningless or externally dictated that gives me a hard time staying focused. And I know that you cannot pick your favourites when you are employed but still find this fact hard to accept (sorry bit of a tangent here)

  • Inah said:
    focus music/ sound

    This is usually a good one for me. However, I cannot focus on what I’m doing if it is vocal music (UNLESS I am playing the same song over and over on repeat). I find that video game music does very well for enhancing focus, since it is usually instrumental driven. If you’re into Nintendo, I’d recommend the Nintendo Music application, it’s a great resource for tons of music. You have to have a Nintendo account for that, though.

    Have you tried giving yourself sensory breaks? I think there’s a specific name for the process (I forget), but you could focus in on your work for say 15-30 minutes, then allow yourself five minutes of a break. Then repeat. It takes willpower to get yourself to switch between tasks, but for some people (myself included) it sometimes help.

  • in reply to Iain
    Iain said:
    It helps to remember that you are being paid to do the job and be focussed on what the company tell you to do, not to do only the bits you enjoy.

    Hi  thanks for replying. Re the above, I obviously know this and it adds to stressing me out *because* I have problems with focusing. So reminding myself of that isn’t quite helpful (I get where you are coming from though). It helped that my manager said to me a while ago that nobody can focus for 8h straight and that she also sometimes does other things (she also works from home). I think if you’re isolated at home, you can quickly imagine other people being like robots, making me feel incredibly lazy!

    Iain said:
    I suggest having a workplace clear of distractions - use that space to keep your focus and only when the task in hand is complete can you stop for a coffee break, to stretch your legs etc so it encourages you to focus on completing the task before the reward.

    I think this works in theory but in practice it’s exactly what I struggle with. The distractions aren’t just external but often internal (thoughts, urges etc) so how do you clear your mind workplace of that? I take your point on meditation - I went through phases of it but haven’t done it for a while, and there may be no harm in going back to it. Is there a particular one you can recommend for focus? No problem if not, I am sure I find something. 

  • Inah said:
    Main problems are not focusing very well if it’s something I find boring,

    It helps to remember that you are being paid to do the job and be focussed on what the company tell you to do, not to do only the bits you enjoy. All of it needs the same attention so I use an approach where I will keep focus on the dull stuff to get it out the way then reward myself with the fun stuff.

    Inah said:
    At the moment, I have 2 audiobooks open, a game not finished, videos I wanna watch, or - at work- reading emails, doing the wash (WFH) rather than reading up on something or doing analysis

    My recommendation is to lose the distractions. They are distracting you from what you are being paid to do so in a way you are cheating the company and if they catch you they can legitimately punish you for it.

    Background music is OK but anything that takes your focus away from the job is adding to the risk of you being (rightly) punished.

    Audiobooks draw you into following them and steal your attention so distract you from where your focus needs to be.

    I suggest having a workplace clear of distractions - use that space to keep your focus and only when the task in hand is complete can you stop for a coffee break, to stretch your legs etc so it encourages you to focus on completing the task before the reward.

    I find a bit of meditation can keep me in the zone with long, boring reading sessions. Writing summary notes as I go gives me a change of focus and lets me capture the essence of the info, cementing the ideas in my mind and helping me see another chunk completed to encourage me onto the next one.

    If you do find you cannot keep your attention focussed then have you checked if you have ADHD? This does cause this sort of trait and is something that responds to medication for many.

    These are just my thoughts on the subject.