Ask HN: How to deal with constant interruptions at work (with ADHD)

My setup requires multiple monitors. Having at least 2 monitors then a laptop on the side. Turn all notification sound off and make sure the slack red dot stays on laptop screen, on the edge of your peripherals.

While focusing on work it will be harder to notice the red dot but won't be turned off.

Music helps when it's hard to focus, I prefer some genre of instrumentals.

I think there isn’t a miracle solution for increasing the focus. Is like a muscle you want to make it stronger. It needs lots of discipline and practice.

This is a list of things I’ve done on and off for the last 2 years and feel like it improved my focus.

- get rid of possible distractions (phone-turned off all the notifications) - read books constantly (I made a rule to read at least 1 page a day) - meditation - morning pages (is more like a journaling, but continuous flux of thoughts written on 3 letter pages every morning)

The morning pages I think helped me the most not only for my focus, but also for my mental wellbeing.

- Ignore your inbox: Unless you're in a support role, most company emails are not as critical as you might think. All of that noise between blathering newsletters, GitHub notifications, calendar events, various service updates, and alerts from failed CI jobs are mere distractions. You can configure your mail to filter these out or, like I do, not bother checking them for days. If something's actually important, you'll probably find out on Slack.

- Unless someone is coming to you with an urgent ask, either delay getting back to them or just tell them that you need heads-down time right now.

- Pause notifications in Slack. On top of this, add your phone number to your Slack profile and make it clear to everyone that they can still reach you if everything's on fire.

- Mute most of the Slack channels you feel obligated to join. Why companies and even individual employees believe that more channels is better, I have no clue. Complete waste of time.

- Invent reasons to skip your daily standup. Even a 15 minute interruption can disrupt you from being in your zone. Screw these lame ass status update meetings in disguise.

- Just say no to pair programming if you're in a flow, unless the other person needs urgent help.

- If you work in an office, find a hallway or room deep in the bowels of the office building where no one seems to go and do your work there. There was an office I worked at once where there was a concrete hallway way in the bottom corner of the building where almost nobody went but it had a treadmill desk, so I worked down there a lot in peace. Some lady eventually figured out I was doing this and started spreading rumors that I was creepy or that I had quit. Just ignore idiots like this if that happens. That office environment was loud.

- Observe what area of the office floor is the least noisy (and possibly furthest away from your interrupt-happy team members) and ask management if you can switch to a desk over there.

- Recognize when being distracted isn't a bad thing. Everyone's mileage may vary, but personally, being ultra-focused all the time made no impact on my career versus working diligently but not punishing myself if I felt like stepping away from work for a while. Time spent at the keyboard doesn't have a one-to-one relationship with productivity in tech. Above all, you're not a cog.

> DND for a limited time,

Limited time? Who thought that was a good idea?

Maybe phrase it more like you’re actively discussing a problem with them instead of making it sound like an ultimatum, but I agree that talking to your manager about this is a good idea. The managers I’ve had have always been fine human beings that cared about my well being as much as my productivity, and OP’s problems include both of these aspects.