What helps you focus on work?

[maniacmusician]

I get distracted very easily, and have a hard time in general focusing on work for very long. Case in point: I had to write a psychology experiment report last week for my midterms, and I've barely started it. It's now 1:30 AM and I'll have to explain in class tomorrow why it's so late.

It doesn't matter what I'm doing or where I am; I just completely lose my focus. If I work on something for an entire hour, that's a huge accomplishment. Unless I really, really enjoy my task, there's little hope of it getting done. It's easiest for me to concentrate when there's someone else here with me; their presence seems to bother me enough to let me do work for longer periods. However, I'm usually alone here, so that doesn't happen too often.

So my question is, what do you do when you can't focus? What helps you really get down to it and just finish the work? Any tips, tricks? Chemical substances, even? :) (Just kidding, I don't really have that kind of money at the moment!)Is there a special place where you can focus better? etc, etc.

So, let's hear it.

[MkfIbK7a]

i listen to an old time radio stream,
here paste it in amarok or whatever

http://grace.fast-serv.com:9022/listen.pls

[-Phi-]

Remove my wireless card or, if possible, avoid my computer entirely and go pen and paper.

- Phi

[Somenoob]

meditation always helps me enter a state of concentrated attention on some object of thought.

[jdhore]

if i need to focus on work, i like to listen to music...depending what the job is defines the type of music i choose:

i'f i'm hacking/cracking or coding, i like techno.
if i'm typing something or if i REALLY need to think i put on some relaxing music like Enya, Massive Attack, etc.

[Iarwain ben-adar]

Remove my wireless card or, if possible, avoid my computer entirely and go pen and paper.

- Phi

Here aswell.

I found that i could concentrate for 10 minutes when my pc is not in the vicinity (i know that 10 min is not much, but still an accomplishment for me :D )


Iarwain

[23meg]

Ambient music. Check out Brian Eno.

[Bezmotivnik]

Dead silence, or as close to it as possible. I wear over-ear hearing protectors much of the time...always when writing, usually when reading and frequently just because.

As someone afflicted with attention problems since childhood, I can say that music or any other source of noise utterly destroys my concentration.

[fuscia]

meditation always helps me enter a state of concentrated attention on some object of thought.

shows you how people are different. if i tried that, i'd wake up five hours later, with nothing accomplished.

[diepruis]

meditation always helps me enter a state of concentrated attention on some object of thought.

That works for me too.

Some good EBM or Metal helps me concentrate sometimes. A cup of coffee or a glass of water is good for sitting back and rethinking a problem. As for chemicals, you could try Ritalin or Adderal ;)

[RandomJoe]

Music can help, IF I can't hear the lyrics well (preferably there are no lyrics) otherwise I tend to focus on them. Type depends on mood, but I really like some heavy metal when I'm on a jobsite. Most of the time, though, "the sweetest song is silence that I've ever heard..."

Net access is iffy - if I'm not really into the work, it can be a killer to performance. On the other hand, if I try to focus too intently on what I'm doing I'll just wind up sitting there staring at the wall. Being able to flip over to a browser every once in a while for a few minutes helps keep me going. (Long as I don't wind up on a mile-long Slashdot discussion or something...!)

A private office/room with the door closed is best, anything going on around me tends to catch my attention - the less "thrilling" the task at hand, the worse. Just try to convince my workplace of this though, they want to rip out all walls and put everyone in one big bullpen of low cubicle walls... *sigh*

I work on HVAC control systems, programming them to do the various functions needed. I've found I do best if I just don't bother trying to get things ready ahead of time - I am faster and (oddly) more accurate if I just wait until I'm onsite, usually sitting at some sort of makeshift table in a hot or cold mechanical room. Part of it is having the project physically right in front of (and all around) me so the issues are much easier to visualize, but also it's more "RAD" - I don't have to write a program and in-theory step through what it does, I can just load the thing and see what happens!

[Tux Aubrey]

Fear of failure was always been a big motivator for me but I have had to develop other techniques because that's a real downer after twenty or thirty years.

I have always had a very short attention span and it used to worry me. I went to therapist about it and he did something really strange. He told me I should be pleased to have "Attention Deficit Advantage" because it stopped me getting bogged down in useless detail.

He pointed out that as someone who also is prone to being obsessive, a short attention span was also a necessary circuit breaker.

The real trick for me is to get REALLY REALLY interested in what I am doing. Even if I have to pretend. If that's difficult I just remember a time when I really threw myself into a task. I get into that "groove" and imagine what it would be like to have the same enthusiasm and sense of purpose with the thing I have to do now. It sometimes also helps to imagine how good it feel when I am finished and have done what I need to do to a standard that I can be happy with.

But I think we are all different and you need to give several methods a good try.

Good luck. Now stop reading this rubbish and get back to work.

[Iarwain ben-adar]

The real trick for me is to get REALLY REALLY interested in what I am doing. Even if I have to pretend. If that's difficult I just remember a time when I really threw myself into a task. I get into that "groove" and imagine what it would be like to have the same enthusiasm and sense of purpose with the thing I have to do now. It sometimes also helps to imagine how good it feel when I am finished and have done what I need to do to a standard that I can be happy with.

I'll try that right away!

Gotta learn all the countries and their capitals by tomorrow :rolleyes:


Iarwain

[EdThaSlayer]

I just turn off my monitor. I have the same problem as you, I can't get my homework done when I'm on the internet, thats why I rush and finish it during the 40 minute tutorials I get at school :).

[roderikk]

I have the exact same problem! And now that I am aware of it, it makes it only worse....


The real trick for me is to get REALLY REALLY interested in what I am doing. Even if I have to pretend. If that's difficult I just remember a time when I really threw myself into a task. I get into that "groove" and imagine what it would be like to have the same enthusiasm and sense of purpose with the thing I have to do now. It sometimes also helps to imagine how good it feel when I am finished and have done what I need to do to a standard that I can be happy with.

That indeed helps. I also should put a block on any site containing the word Ubuntu, it would save me hell of a lot of time ;-).

[tagginannie]

My kids future :-D

Suzy:KS

[koenn]

I usually can concentrate and stay focused quite well. Usually what i do is
- have coffee and cigarettes within reach
- imagine I'm explaining something to someone - it forces you to concentrate on what you want to say and how to say it, - so it's great for anything that involves writing, but it also helps for things like finding sollutions : imagine you're explaning someone else why the problem is so hard, where you'd have to start, where that would lead to, how to take that next hurdle, and so on, until you reach a conclusion/sollution/ ...
- pacing up and down the room, the hallway, ... (usually when i'm stuck and feel my attention slipping)
- have some background noise : radio on but not really listening, tv on but not really watching it, ...

[kevinf311]

I'm a first rate procrastinator. Usually, this is not a good thing. It's fine if I'm writing a paper (as my best writing is done between midnight and 5am). Other times it means I don't get something done.

Things that help:
-Coffee/Tea <--Steady Supply
-Music <--Low volume shuffle or Really loud classical
-Temperature <-- Cold enough to be less than comfortable but not so cold that you feel like you need to cover up

I also take brakes when I hit walls, everything makes more sense after I have checked my e-mail/the forums/etc.

Hope your project worked out!

[illu45]

If I really need to concentrate, I'll break out some Futurist music, which is actually a lot like classical, but faster. Lots of aggressive-style piano. Oh, and these (http://www.akg.com/site/products/powerslave,id,899,pid,899,nodeid,2,_language,EN.ht ml) certainly help. (I've actually got the K26P's, but those seem to have been discontinued)

[fuscia]

wasn't it schiller who kept rotten fruit in his desk drawer in hopes of helping him concentrate? dog mess might work even better.

[maniacmusician]

wasn't it schiller who kept rotten fruit in his desk drawer in hopes of helping him concentrate? dog mess might work even better.
lol not too sure about that one :)

interesting tips. I'll try to implement some of them tonight.

[rocknrolf77]

I have this problem too. How about unplugging your internet connection and put it away somewhere? Maybe the attic/basement? My scenario : Getting started, working for 5 to 10 minutes. Hmm, maybe I have to go to the forums or some place to check if there is something interesting going on. I think maybe we are a gang of net addicts. :)

[der_joachim]

Two additional advices:

1a: Be fit and healthy. For some reason I am most productive after some form of physical strain. Additionally, it's better to be physically tired than mentally. After a hard day's work I like to run a few kilometers and get very tired physically. I sleep better and feel better the next morning. If I don't, I have a more irregular sleep and have more trouble concentrating the next day.
A nice side effect of running is that you can put your brain to rest, which somehow enables you to view things from a somewhat broader perspective. In some ways, running is like meditation: you put your mind on screensaver, enabling yoy to empty your mind. It works. I've had my best ideas during long runs.

2. Clean air. Make sure your workplace is well ventilated. A recent study showed that children in well-ventilated classrooms are more productive than children in stuffy classrooms. I can give you a link, but it's in dutch. ;)