Ask HN: Anyone else have trouble focusing? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Anyone else have trouble focusing?

11 pointsjonathancai1117 comments

My problem is I don't use my laptop "with purpose":

- I hop on the computer hoping to get x done, and then get sidetracked with y and z.

- I hop on the computer hoping to get x done, and then spend way too long working on x and don't give myself time for other important things

So I was thinking, a solution might be a MacOS app where:

1. On login, enter your purpose for using the computer and for how long

2. Notify you when that time is up

3. Track how well you are using your time

Any thoughts about my idea? Are there existing solutions?

Closest thing I found was something to track all MacOS behavior (https://qotoqot.com/qbserve/), and evaluate retroactively.

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Being able to focus is not something you can fix with software.

There are lots of techniques from the world of ADHD therapy. One of them is to make a schedule, so that you always know what you should be working on for any given chunk of time.

Often, there are underlying issues like anxiety that will cause people to be unable to focus. You just have to figure out what it is for you. It might just be that you need to practice it, which is increasingly common in a world of instantaneous, bite-sized entertainment.

Maybe not, but software can help. I personally block many time wasting websites that I impulsively browse (like hn...), when I’m working and it honestly helps a lot.

Hamster tracker with gnome plugin is the best tracker I've found. It reminds you what you're doing, it allows you to switch tasks, it stops when your screen goes dark, it allows you to review your prior work as logged. It does not require an internet connection at all.

These are things that I have discovered to help me in different levels at different times through my growing up with ADHD

In reality the things that help me focus are typically things that modify my physical world. I listen to Long tracks of noisy hydrophone data. I wear isolating ear plugs underneath my headphones. I have a hat that I wear if I need to limit my visual range. I have an hourglass that I flip prior to starting any project. my keyboard lights in a breathing pattern to remind me that that is where my attention should be. I have clay for shaping things when I'm stressed out. I have a very large desk, like comically large. I have an overhead desk lamp that drones out shadows from my field of view.

The absolute worst thing for my workflow currently is requiring 2 factor authentication through my phone, placing my phone in my work space

Aside from having adhd in general

You could just buy a cheap phone and put nothing but the 2FA account on it.

What you're pointing at can be identified on a psychological level as the big five personality dimension called "conscientiousness".

While it sounds good to have a definition to run with this only makes the problem worse as it points to something in your personality, your very identity that you say you want to change.

Sorry to suggest that it's a bigger problem, but I think solving it can help you out in more parts of your life.

Here's some reading:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/raising-your-...

https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/finding-new-home/201...

https://www.mgmt.ucl.ac.uk/news/becoming-more-conscientious

I sometimes wish operating systems would not multitask.

Neat idea. They could multitask background tasks as much as needed but keep just a single app on display. Like smartphones.

It's more than you ask for and has a significant learning curve, but Emacs' org-mode can handle that workflow. Just create a task, give it an effort estimate, clock it in, and when you reach the time you estimated, it raises a system notification.

In the agenda view, you can get it to output a clock-report in the form of a table for all the tasks you did in a given period of time. The columns are customizable with arbitrary expressions, so you can get it to tell you how well you did against your estimates in any form you want (percentage of estimate, 2 columns giving you both times, a time difference between the estimate and the time you took, etc.).

I'm using more or less the workflow outlined here:

http://doc.norang.ca/org-mode.html

There are some tools that "buzz" you for losing focus. Something like RescueTime or the Pomodoro Technique might do the trick.

But I find the issue is usually lack of rest. I don't mean lack of non-work activities. The brain doesn't get to rest if you're doing things like gaming, social media, or watching anime. It ends up 'fragmented'. Sleep and meditation helps, or even things like focusing on the road while driving without turning on a podcast.

> But I find the issue is usually lack of rest.

Yeah, I'm having so much trouble sleeping lately and it seems to correlate with the amount of work that I'm doing for my software dev projects. The mind keeps racing...

Most people do, you have to find out what works for you. Plan ahead of time, schedule your time, stick to it.

I'm finding it harder to focus based on my lack of belief in the system.

On a side note, I hear amphetamines are an option. I've thought about that.

>Are there existing solutions?

Adderall, Vyvanse, Concerta, etc.

While this works, I'd have to downvote because of the side effects. Like other medication, they're fine if they prevent you from destroying your life, but they'll degrade your life.

>they'll degrade your life

How so?

I could give some anecdotal stories, but it's best to search or consult a doctor. Adderall is an amphetamine and could result in addiction. Some cause other side effects, like heart problems, psychosis/aggression, loss of libido, depression.

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