Ask HN: What helps you focus and get things done?

I like a physical notebook list, a 30" 16:10 monitor, a MS sculpt keyboard, a very good chair, good coffee, and a bit of exercise and sun every day.

But the overwhelming biggest factor is jow much autonomy I feel like I have over my work and my day. If my manager is "popping in" or asking for updates frequently, it creates a constant feeling of failing to keep up, and I get less done.

Other than that, being either alone or surrounded by a lot of people, and just otherwise being comfortable. I also like feeling like I've done something for myself first. My life isn't for my employer, the more I do for me, the more productive I am.

At age 35 I was diagnosed with ADHD. Woah! I try to minimize medication.

A few tricks..

1. An ADHD diagnosis looks at 5 areas, Activation, Effort, Memory, Attention and Affect. I struggle with Activation and Effort.

If I am inactive, I now know enough to say, "Activate!" And this gives me a trigger to change my behavior.

2. ADHD folk oft describe a phenomena where they excel under pressure or when doing tasks for others. There was a recent thread on /r/adhd where people offered to clean other's houses because they recognize they don't do things well for themselves!

As a mental trick, I externalize myself. I create myself as a person I want to do things for. Part of this is recognizing that when we do things for others, like cook a great meal or do a spring clean, we don't expect them to appreciate every detail of our work. We just want to impart a feeling of deliciousness or well-being. Similarly, do not ask your future self to marinate in every detail of your work- the goal is the overall feeling.

3. Thanks to life experiences, medication, and a lifelong infatuation with builder games like Factorio, I know what I am like and what I can do when a project engages me and I give it my full effort. Identify, Organize, Create/Act, Debug, Repeat. I now understand that moments of inspiration, medication, and grit & discipline are different paths to attain this state. Thus I have some control over summoning that state directly.

4. I now understand there is an emotional signal sent by the cerebellum that facilitates executive function- the impulse to get stuff done. Physical exercise, eating well, sleeping well, core things that reduce depressive feelings are correlated with improving executive function. Embrace it, treat your body well.

4. ADHD research & brain scans have identified two key mental states. The first is DMN, a passive-receptive state where memories and stimuli flow more freely. The second is TPN, when we become focused on tasks and the brain inhibits these stimuli. In people with ADHD, the DMN rarely quiets down. So now I can recognize that engaging with memories, good and bad, and various stimuli, are a part of how I function. I can somewhat identify that function, accept that its happening and maybe interfering, and politely ask it to relax.

I hope this helps.

Sorry to take this in the wrong direction but I don’t meet enough pro pianists.

Concert pianist, teacher, studio musician, what?

How much do you practice per week? Have you avoided repetitive stress injuries?

Are you a good enough site reader that you can always read through a piece fairly well are you a 2 measure-a-time grinder like me and almost every Chinese piano student?

For me, survival and insecurity. Going through a day without getting something done means maybe I’m not going to pay my property taxes or add to my retirement account.

I think this is an outmoded way of thinking and not helpful to most people, even me. But you asked ;)

Just blocking all websites except what I'm working on. I use Freedom.to

Setting it for very small bits of time helps. Like I know I need a couple hours. But I set it for half an hour in an hour so it's not threatening. I often find I get absorbed in the work in that half hour. Continue till I hit another block. Again set it that in half an hour everything else is blocked for another tiny bit of time.