Context switching, notifications, random life pop-ups, Oh my! Life can throw a lot at you, and with remote work, smartphones, and many things needing your attention, how do you stay focused? As someone diagnosed with ADHD as a child, I know something about being distracted. So here are my top tips to stay focused.
Get Organized
At my worst, with ADHD, I would be a complete mess. Picture your trash can, laundry hamper, and shoe collection all over the place; this was me growing up.
As I got older, I developed OCD, and I’m not trying to undo that. Anything out of place is distracting to me. Being organized, cleaning clutter, and getting anything distracting out of my way keeps me on task and not randomly walking over to do something when I should 100% be doing something else.
Become a Morning Person
This is a nonnegotiable in my life. To start six days a week, I need to get a workout in. This means my alarm is sometimes going off before the sun is awake. Sound insane? Well, how nonproductive I am without this habit is more insane. During my workout, I get out all my unnecessary thoughts and energy; I wake up during this workout and start getting my brain focused on what matters that day.
I also can get more done since most people aren’t up yet; the early bird gets the worm for sure. I ask myself; what meetings do I have? What tasks are due? I use a PM tool for work, and I use the free version for my life, Asana.com; a short list on a post-it, in a notebook, or a notecard works well too. I check my work notifications (slack, Asana, G-suite) before 9 am.
***Bonus points here; MAKE YOUR BED! It's proven over and over that making your bed sets you up for success. By completing the first task of the day, it flows into the rest of what you have going on. What we say in my house "Winners make their bed!".
Use Notification Settings
I live on DND, and I do not feel bad about it. Nothing is ever life or death; if it was, I can’t do much for you through a phone call or text. When people mention it, I say, “if they are dead, they will still be dead in 20 minutes” I mute my group chats and any texts I have constantly going with friends or family.
I also have my computer notifications at work, adequately named for this post, ‘Focus.’ From 9-5. I keep my calendar open on one of my monitors to get into the meetings I already know I have quickly, so I don’t accidentally miss one when I hyper-focusing on something.
Set Focus Time
I time block my days. At the beginning of the week, I often grab chunks of time on my calendar and title them the work I need to complete. I started this in college, doing this in my planner (throwback to handwritten agendas and assignments)
During these times, I put in headphones and work for 20-30 minute chunks. If I am doing something requiring a lot of research and reading, I play a focus sounds playlist. If I am doing something second nature that is more just tedious, like dealing with many spreadsheets, I play a business or leadership podcast, so I can still learn, but it won’t be distracting.
Distraction is everywhere, but by building routines, you can stay focused.
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