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Ask HN: How to Focus Again?

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Re: Ask HN: How to Focus Again?

#71

Post by charred_patina »

brainrot wrote: post #65
charred_patina wrote: post #5

@keikobadthebad already gave a good answer, but I'd like to expand upon it a bit. > Sounds like the work might not lead somewhere you really judge is useful, or judge will be painful. As someone with ADHD I have realized that my executive function goes to zero if I think doing something isn't worthwhile. Not if I consciously think it's worthwhile, but if I know deep down that it's pretty much pointless. Thankfully my…

> All that to say, it sounds like whatever you have been doing has been fruitless, or at least appears this way to the man in charge of your brain. Either you haven't been hitting consistent milestones, or the payoff isn't really rewarding. You know, this really hit home. I have very much failed to set milestones, or even properly break down the project into smaller chunks - in my mind it's just "the project" and som…

> I'm going to map it all out, then tackle it in smaller chunks. I'll hit the easy, quick tasks first

I didn't even get into coping mechanisms, but breaking things down into lists helps a lot. I am a one-man team at work but I still do stories and tasks and epics just to give a sense of progression.

I taught at a summer camp over the summer helping kids make games and all of the boys had serious attention issues, using a physical task board with sticky notes helped keep them on track and prevented them from losing morale.

> maybe those small wins will give me the motivation to tackle the bigger tasks

It sounds like you know exactly what to do. Usually I find starting is the hardest part, once I'm deep in the task it becomes effortless.

Finally, I wanna say that introspection is really helpful. I got diagnosed as a kid and never got medicated or anything, I never gave ADHD any thought until recently when I did some introspection and tried to understand /why/ I operated the way that I did, and how I could work around that. Asking why X was so easy but Y seems so hard is usually a good place to start. Good luck!

Re: Ask HN: How to Focus Again?

#72

Post by rtuin »

brainrot wrote: post #62
nick0garvey wrote: post #26

A lot of people in this thread point at motivation or mental health issues. The issue is likely not so complicated. You have forgotten how to focus. We live in a world where we are constantly distracted. This is forced on us. The apps we use compete over our attention, our workplace expects quick replies over Slack, our free time is always accompanied by a smart phone pushing us notifications. These effects are getti…

This makes a lot of sense, thank you. The expectation to always be available on teams, to reply to email quickly is very strong at my workplace. My apple watch means that even if I'm making a cup of tea, or using the restroom I still see when people are trying to contact me, or when one of the systems sends an alert so I'm never truly offline.

For this reason I don’t wear a smart watch, but wear a smart ring to monitor vitals and heart/sleep trends. Just FYI.

Re: Ask HN: How to Focus Again?

#73

Post by danmarsh01 »

Regaining focus involves a few simple steps. First, identify distractions and eliminate them or create a conducive environment. Prioritize tasks by setting clear goals and breaking them into smaller, manageable segments. Use techniques like the Pomodoro method, which involves working in focused bursts with short breaks. Practice mindfulness through meditation or deep breathing exercises to calm your mind. Ensure adequate sleep and maintain a balanced diet for optimal brain function. Lastly, stay organized with to-do lists and schedules to reduce mental clutter. With discipline and consistency, you can effectively refocus and enhance productivity in both work and daily life.

Re: Ask HN: How to Focus Again?

#74

Post by hammock »

danmarsh01 wrote: post #73

Regaining focus involves a few simple steps. First, identify distractions and eliminate them or create a conducive environment. Prioritize tasks by setting clear goals and breaking them into smaller, manageable segments. Use techniques like the Pomodoro method, which involves working in focused bursts with short breaks. Practice mindfulness through meditation or deep breathing exercises to calm your mind. Ensure adeq…

Chatgpt?

Re: Ask HN: How to Focus Again?

#75

Post by danmarsh01 »

hammock wrote: post #74
danmarsh01 wrote: post #73

Regaining focus involves a few simple steps. First, identify distractions and eliminate them or create a conducive environment. Prioritize tasks by setting clear goals and breaking them into smaller, manageable segments. Use techniques like the Pomodoro method, which involves working in focused bursts with short breaks. Practice mindfulness through meditation or deep breathing exercises to calm your mind. Ensure adeq…

Chatgpt?

yes

Re: Ask HN: How to Focus Again?

#76

Post by YujinkoToys »

There is the countervailing influence of social media upon attention. One area we overlook, however, is the affect of maturity on available attention. We mature, we assume the responsibilities of profession or parenting or homeownership or elder care… it adds up. Many of the “distractions” you mentioned were tasks that somebody needed to tend to. You’re probably just as capable of focus when you have available time, but now you have more to be accountable for.

Re: Ask HN: How to Focus Again?

#77

Post by alcaide-mor »

coffeefirst wrote: post #7

Question: did anything happen between now and when you had this capability? Because to me it sounds a lot like how I experienced burnout, and it sounds like you’re the sort of person who tends to work extremely hard.

That's what happened to me. I had a few health issues and surgeries, and suddenly some of my life goals weren't possible anymore. My brain knew about it and got demotivated. Never completely recovered. I might try to self brainwash into the "it's still possible" mindset, but my rational layer is stubborn and keeps saying to myself "I have to face the truth", even if the truth means less productivity. :/

Re: Ask HN: How to Focus Again?

#78

Post by MollyRealized »

Jessica McCabe is very good about helping people with it. [1] America's experiencing a ADHD medication shortage (perhaps it's global) and some of her work involves how to address things without medication. [2]

I also would suggesting trying to adopt the concept of monotasking / unitasking wherever you can. Multitasking is a myth. [3]

[1] - https://www.youtube.com/c/howtoadhd [1] - https://howtoadhd.com/ [2] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD9qK8-sMGQ [3] - https://www.google.com/search?q=multitasking+v+unitasking

Re: Ask HN: How to Focus Again?

#79

Post by nonameiguess »

I'm not sure I see the problem here. You hoped to accomplish one thing and instead accomplished five things. Having a well-maintained, clean living space is important. This doesn't sound like ADHD to me. My wife has ADHD. She stays in bed falling down YouTube rabbit holes more often than and I do virtually all of the cleaning and fixing of what we own. She needs amphetamines to do chores, not to avoid doing chores.

It sounds like you may have just gotten bored with launching products and found other things are important, too. It's good to switch it up. Given these are side projects, that implies you're already doing the same thing professionally as a W2 employee. Long-term, I don't think you want to base your entire life around doing your job also as your hobby, at least not permanently. Most likely, the drive to do this one specific thing will come back on its own, but you can't force it.

Re: Ask HN: How to Focus Again?

#80

Post by lylejantzi3rd »

GTP wrote: post #31

> Today I wanted to really knuckle down and make some real progress on my side project. I've updated my iPad, fixed the leg on a tripod, cut the grass, cleaned the mower, scrubbed the driveway. Guess how much progress I made on the side project? It seems to me that, instead of working on a side project, you did many things you still had to do anyway. This could be an issue if you have an hard deadline approaching, bu…

> is it really that bad?

Yes. Anything you do repeatedly becomes a habit, ie: becomes the default behavior. If you procrastinate enough for it to become a habit, then the next time you try to do something you need to do, you'll instinctively procrastinate instead. You can try to make the bad habit work for you (ie: "productive procrastination"), but it's better not to let the habit develop in the first place and if it's already in place to replace it with a more productive habit.

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