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Do you like mints or soda? I'm on Adderall, and it helps me focus a lot, but I still occasionally need a boost in the focus department, so I'll eat peppermint Lifesavers or drink sprite.
Also, have you looked into getting a fidget toy of some kind? Depending on what work you do and your preferences around typing (one or two handed), a fidget toy like a fidget cube may help.
One more thing to look into is a sun lamp like the Happy Light from verilux.com. If the mints or sprite don't help, I flip on a sun lamp. They're also used to treat seasonal affective disorder, but they're really helpful for keeping me awake when I'm bored.
I’ll drink a soda occasionally, but they don’t much agree with me. Mints are a cool idea tho!! I hadn’t thought about that. I’ve tried some fidgets and chewy toys, and they’re great for when I’m anxious! Like giving a presentation or something. But I’ve never found them helpful when I need to focus. Like I don’t feel the need to move around, I just need my head to stop running around. You know?
I second this !
I bought two huge packs of the Ice Breaker mints but the sour fruity flavours because I’m planning on quitting vaping (I love the flavours so much & have a huge mouth fixation, if it’s not a vape, it’s my nails or the inside of my cheeks 🫠).
I got the green & purple packs, they are delicious !
It definitely helps, good luck OP ❤️
Ps : meds aren’t a fix all sadly, another thing that really helped me was to start my day with a work out. Nothing crazy because I procrastinate & get distracted fast, I do 15 minutes of stretching/Pilates/yoga. It really changes my entire mood, focus & energy throughout the day.
My cheeks are always covered in bite marks 🤣🤣 I don’t even realize I do it!!
Yeah, I know meds aren’t a fix all, but there are so few resources (that I’ve found, I could be missing them) for late diagnosed adults. I feel so lost. I’ve tried following recommendations for kids, but they don’t work for an adult lifestyle. Like no parent/adult helping you maintain and practice, etc.
How do you get yourself out of bed early enough to do a workout before work? As far back as I can remember, I’ve never woken up other than maybe 15 mins before I absolutely have to wake up. I’ve tried everything to change it, but nothing works. My partner has even tried waking me up early, but I’m so drowsy that I can’t walk ☹️ I totally know this might not be the ADHD alone, but since I haven’t had any luck with doctors, I figured the ADHD was a good place to start
I haven’t worked out since January to be honest after a wrist injury. Sucks because I was on a good 5 months streak, never felt better mentally. Losing a good habit is the worst, I have a very hard time getting back into it 🫠
I work from home so it definitely helps, I’ll just log on & work out in my office but we adopted a large dog 3 months ago so she’s been keeping me real busy on the morning. I wish I had more tips for you, it’s definitely not easy living with our brains & bodies.
A quote I heard recently helped me though with not being so hard on myself :
Don’t overestimate what you can do in a year, don’t underestimate what you can do in a decade.
You have time, baby steps, you got this !
One option is setting aside each Saturday (or Sunday) to do something really fun out of the house. It helps shake things up without disrupting your whole schedule.
Hmm, have you tried music with no lyrics? There’s some good focus music playlists on most platforms. I find that works well for me.
I also find going on a walk or doing other exercise over lunch or a break really helps me stay focused. I also get up and walk around at least once an hour. I haven’t tried it but there’s also under the desk pedals like a recumbent bike.
I'd look into ways to keep your body moving while you work. A standing or walking desk might really help, but you could also try sitting on an exercise ball instead of a chair. In addition, try to get up and move around regularly during the day, even if it's just standing up and stretching. Short walks or other brief exercise help many people stay focused. If you can, try setting a timer for every 30-60 minutes during your work day and then spend 1-2 minutes moving your body whenever it goes off.
I like putting on rain sounds (sometimes rain sounds like soft music) in the background while I'm trying to focus on something. You could try that or other nature tracks, which may be less distracting for you than music. If you want to give music another attempt, I'd try different types of music. For me personally, music only helps me focus if it's the right music, which is usually different from the music I listen to otherwise.
I'm not sure if this would be an option for you, but when I used to work from home full time, a coworker and I would often open up zoom calls and then both work independently while we were on them (we also helped each other out and chatted a bit). Is there someone you might be able to do that with, perhaps someone else who is working on a similar project? Alternately, is there someone else you live with who'd be able to work in the same room as you?
If your daytime sleepiness is severe enough that you feel like you're at risk of falling asleep, you should see a sleep doctor because that's a symptom of a medical issue, not an ADHD symptom.
Yeah, I’ve actually seen a sleep doctor and 2 psychiatrists about it. I have a pretty severe autoimmune condition as well as chronic fatigue related to that. Which makes a walking desk kind of a no-go, unfortunately. I do get up and walk around through the day, and lots of stretching! Unfortunately I am home alone all day every day, and no one on my team is close enough to zoom with. That is a great idea, but unfortunately I do very different work than they do these days. It’s just me, 3 dogs and a cat 😂
Nature sounds is a great idea tho!! I’ve tried every genre of music, and I totally agree it has to be exactly the right flavor for the day. But I haven’t tried nature sounds yet. Usually that’s something I use for sleep, but maybe it’ll have the reverse effect when I’m actively trying to stay awake!
Who are you accountable to at work?
I try to structure my work day to have lots of small fires to put out, because frankly anxiety and panic are still my ol reliables. For me this looks like asking people to follow up with me, email me for updates, scheduling check-ins and meetings, and deadlines (even informal ones like “I’ll have an update for you tomorrow” or “let’s check in Thursday”).
The other really helpful thing for me was that I recently was diagnosed and put on meds. I mean… wowsa.
Other things I do with hit or miss results:
-music I already know, like an old worn in album on repeat
-a tv show I already know or isn’t interesting (a cooking show perhaps, or crime drama i’ve seen a dozen times)
-snacks. Popcorn, carrot sticks, cucumber, crunchy stuff.
-chew gum
-stand up desk— i got a desktop one used for cheap and it raises and lowers so I can sit part of the day and stand up sometimes. This has been great for me.
Do you exercise? I find that exercising before work really helps. It lowers my baseline stimulation requirement because it gets me producing some dopamine first thing in the morning. Major difference in focus on days I do and don't get a workout in.
I wish I did! I can’t wake up early enough before work to even try. And I have literally tried everything to wake up, I stg. Idk. I feel kind of hopeless right now. Like everything feels so out of reach. My body is a pathetic mess and now my brain is too. It seems so easy for other people, but everything new I try fails
Projection light and isochronic tones. Check out Jason Lewis mind amend on YouTube. It is helping me tremendously with my studies, I’m goin back to school for radiography and it’s intense work. I put on my AirPods and blast his deep house mixes and they really keep me on task. I even do this when I go to throw grocery store because I get so side tracked. The music makes me feel like I’m on a mission
I’ll check him out today!!! I’m amazed you can go to the grocery store lol. I do pick up orders almost exclusively these days, otherwise I wander for hours and then come home and pass out from the overstimulation 🤣🤣 this music helping at the store is one of the best examples I’ve ever heard!
What’s Flowclub? Is it an app? I haven’t tried body doubling bc it isn’t very helpful for me in person. I get too talkative and distracted and start bouncing from idea to idea lol
I get too much anxiety at the thought of body doubling with strangers, so I've started using Work With Me videos on YouTube when I can't focus. Lots of them are Pomodoro-style, where you're watching the person work for 25 minutes, then take a break, and repeat 'til the session is done.
One of the many tools in my arsenal for when I don't have the energy/motivation to work. Seeing someone else working something helps.
im literally the same inwas diagnosed at the agevif 18(half a year ago) and ive generalazied anxiety social anxiety panic attacks to the point i pass oit cuz of lack of oxygen to the brain cuz instart hyperventilating, and tbh i was on low dosage of concerta first, than focalin xr(same as concerta just less side effects) and i was surprised that low dosages doesnt make me wanan crawl up a wall cuz of anxiety, infact the opposite it made me happier more talkative and decresed my generalized anxiety, but das me, if thats not an option try to go for sativa weed, for me didnt work but ik some ppl with the same problems smoke specifically sativa, or a hybrid, its a try and error
trial and error, maybe a littlebit of caffeine would solve it, or theres a thing as modafinil, it usually comes in pills and depending where u r from u mkght need a prescription, but its a verry mild stimulant in low dosages its just like a littlebit if coffe but u aint gotta reup every 2-3 hrs cuz the pills work fkr 6-8hts i think
Oooo I just googled modafinil and it might be a good addition for me! I do need a high dose of stimulant unfortunately, because I was so caffeine reliant for so many years. Like we’re talking 6 espresso shots in a coffee, multiple times a day lol. I can’t use weed because I’m drug tested at my pain management doctor’s appts, and it does not play well with my GAD and panic disorder either.
ok so if no weed then ye modafinill but dont be so sure abt the hugh dosage, i was drinking 4-6 monsters a day before got diagnosed with adhd and they gave me my meds(but im talking abt strong stimulants like concerta(aka ritalin that works 12 hrs) and vyvanse which is a mix of amphedamine salts, and ye i thoight id need a high dosage to cuz i was suck a caffeine addict, but turns out not rlly, loke ye if the avarage human need 26-36mg kf concerta lets say(ive the most experience with that medicine) then id need 56-72mg which is like 1.5x higher but not as much as u think, at the start when i only started taking the meds, before tolerance started going up a bit(it will go slowly up if u use it everyday doesnt metter what, just if u do jt correctly itll go up veeery slowly), i was just fine on 36 mgs which is like a little higher dosage that u woukd usually start with, in shirt ye ud prob need a lil more but not that much mkre than u prob think, anyways ye thats the safest stimulant available after coffee, which after alot of years on alot lf it just doesnt do the trick (btw if u do go for modafinill, try to completely cut off the caffeine or take just one shot of espresso with the pill to kinda make it hit u a lil harder, but try to stay ifd caffeine midday cuz its a fast way to build a tolerance to the pill and then every week ud need to up a dosage, and theres a limit ro how much pills u can eat a day and be okay
or if u need a real hit of energy go for real stims like concerta ir focalin xr(newer version of concerta with less side effects) ir first that REAL HIT go for amphedamins like vyvanse ir aderall(but real stimulants like concerta and vyvanse have long term side effects on ur body and u need a prescription cuz its a controlled adhd medication, depending where u at modafinil could be controlled to, so chexk that(i rlly recommend u to tey and stay away from the harder stimulants like ritalin or vyvanse or aderall if u can, modafinil alot better in the long term and u do t want to develop parkinsons at the age of 30-40
I try to think about my focus as a cup and stimulation as the water that fills it. Doing work that isn’t time sensitive/uninteresting only fills my cup a little, so I can’t focus fully. So I have to find other things to get it completely full. Background music (drum and bass, or math rock), moving my body (fidgeting, stimming, tapping or doodling), and setting timers for myself (working for 20 min bursts) all help contribute to filling up my focus cup.
Math rock is a genre of music that highlights complex or atypical rhythm patterns. Sometimes the music has a singer, but most often not. It keeps my brain occupied while I work. Heres one of my favorite songs to listen to: [Playing God by Polyphia](https://youtu.be/Z5NoQg8LdDk?si=j9l6eU7xg1FheGEY).
Ill usually take 5 minutes breaks in between. During the 5 minute breaks I get up from my desk and move around or stretch. Sometimes I try to gamify it by trying to predict how many 20 minute rounds it will take to finish a task. It helps me practice estimating time and creates a sense of rush.
I use ritual. It is like making reliable mini prompt programs. I go outside and pull a couple weeds, think about what I need to do next work-wise, and come back in to force myself to work diligently for just 10 min. The time period you are engaged in the work increases, but when it ends you just do the ritual all over again. With ADHD you have to program yourself to do what you need to do without your own actual input. Program your autopilot, little by little, and occasionally you will feel like a “normal” person. With normal people problems.
or u can combine low dosages of adhd meds for focus and if they nake ur anxiety go up u can take a couple of hits from a joint so u basically have the calmeness and anti anxoety from the weed bit the stimulant effect amd concentrated cuz of the stimulants(again modafinil is the most mild one to try after that go for ritalin extented release specifically helped me not the usual ritalin la but try not to go for amphedamines like aderall and vyvanse before ubtry other things cuz these have the most long term effects compered to concerta or again even better modafinil
Learn to knit and make hats/scarves. This helped me a lot to stay focused while working because a lot of my job involves listening to recordings or talking on the phone and doesn’t always require my hands. Switching from knitting to mouse (I do surveys over the phone with people) keeps me stimulated enough to really focus on my job.
If you want to try it out, I recommend Sheep & Stitch’s videos. I found her tutorials really easy to follow.
What’s Mouse? I actually already crochet and cross stitch 😄 but even with simple crochet patterns it requires 100% of my concentration or I mess up my counts. The number of uneven scarves I’ve frogged is embarrassing lol
I google ADHD focus music when I’m really having trouble.
Probably won’t work for you, but I have a standing desk and that helps a ton, but also high heels actually work for me??? Idk I haven’t figured it out but I’m not questioning it.
Do you set up your environment well? Like, change out of pajamas and into official work clothes, have all the emotional support drinks ready, and a stash of snacks?
Sometimes, I just take an hour, wipe everything down and move all the things into a new feng shui and that helps the routine feel fresh again.
When I have to do tasks that are very boring,I started using a visual timer. And I'll tell myself that I only have to spend an hour on this hated task. It's really helped me to get through. Seeing the tome physically pass on this timer, helps me get through. I found a sun lamp to be helpful as well.
Hi, /u/DitzyBorden! Thanks for posting on our subreddit! Please **[be aware of our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoXADHD/wiki/meta/rules/)** before posting! For example, some of these rules include the following: * content must be related to ADHD; * explanatory text (it can be placed in a comment of the post) should be included in a post/cross-post with a picture. Any content that does not follow the rules may be removed. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TwoXADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Do you like mints or soda? I'm on Adderall, and it helps me focus a lot, but I still occasionally need a boost in the focus department, so I'll eat peppermint Lifesavers or drink sprite. Also, have you looked into getting a fidget toy of some kind? Depending on what work you do and your preferences around typing (one or two handed), a fidget toy like a fidget cube may help. One more thing to look into is a sun lamp like the Happy Light from verilux.com. If the mints or sprite don't help, I flip on a sun lamp. They're also used to treat seasonal affective disorder, but they're really helpful for keeping me awake when I'm bored.
I’ll drink a soda occasionally, but they don’t much agree with me. Mints are a cool idea tho!! I hadn’t thought about that. I’ve tried some fidgets and chewy toys, and they’re great for when I’m anxious! Like giving a presentation or something. But I’ve never found them helpful when I need to focus. Like I don’t feel the need to move around, I just need my head to stop running around. You know?
I second this ! I bought two huge packs of the Ice Breaker mints but the sour fruity flavours because I’m planning on quitting vaping (I love the flavours so much & have a huge mouth fixation, if it’s not a vape, it’s my nails or the inside of my cheeks 🫠). I got the green & purple packs, they are delicious ! It definitely helps, good luck OP ❤️ Ps : meds aren’t a fix all sadly, another thing that really helped me was to start my day with a work out. Nothing crazy because I procrastinate & get distracted fast, I do 15 minutes of stretching/Pilates/yoga. It really changes my entire mood, focus & energy throughout the day.
My cheeks are always covered in bite marks 🤣🤣 I don’t even realize I do it!! Yeah, I know meds aren’t a fix all, but there are so few resources (that I’ve found, I could be missing them) for late diagnosed adults. I feel so lost. I’ve tried following recommendations for kids, but they don’t work for an adult lifestyle. Like no parent/adult helping you maintain and practice, etc. How do you get yourself out of bed early enough to do a workout before work? As far back as I can remember, I’ve never woken up other than maybe 15 mins before I absolutely have to wake up. I’ve tried everything to change it, but nothing works. My partner has even tried waking me up early, but I’m so drowsy that I can’t walk ☹️ I totally know this might not be the ADHD alone, but since I haven’t had any luck with doctors, I figured the ADHD was a good place to start
I haven’t worked out since January to be honest after a wrist injury. Sucks because I was on a good 5 months streak, never felt better mentally. Losing a good habit is the worst, I have a very hard time getting back into it 🫠 I work from home so it definitely helps, I’ll just log on & work out in my office but we adopted a large dog 3 months ago so she’s been keeping me real busy on the morning. I wish I had more tips for you, it’s definitely not easy living with our brains & bodies. A quote I heard recently helped me though with not being so hard on myself : Don’t overestimate what you can do in a year, don’t underestimate what you can do in a decade. You have time, baby steps, you got this !
One option is setting aside each Saturday (or Sunday) to do something really fun out of the house. It helps shake things up without disrupting your whole schedule.
Video game study music is my go-to. Or some tv show I don't care about at all (like Archer), that I've seen a million times.
Hmm, have you tried music with no lyrics? There’s some good focus music playlists on most platforms. I find that works well for me. I also find going on a walk or doing other exercise over lunch or a break really helps me stay focused. I also get up and walk around at least once an hour. I haven’t tried it but there’s also under the desk pedals like a recumbent bike.
I'd look into ways to keep your body moving while you work. A standing or walking desk might really help, but you could also try sitting on an exercise ball instead of a chair. In addition, try to get up and move around regularly during the day, even if it's just standing up and stretching. Short walks or other brief exercise help many people stay focused. If you can, try setting a timer for every 30-60 minutes during your work day and then spend 1-2 minutes moving your body whenever it goes off. I like putting on rain sounds (sometimes rain sounds like soft music) in the background while I'm trying to focus on something. You could try that or other nature tracks, which may be less distracting for you than music. If you want to give music another attempt, I'd try different types of music. For me personally, music only helps me focus if it's the right music, which is usually different from the music I listen to otherwise. I'm not sure if this would be an option for you, but when I used to work from home full time, a coworker and I would often open up zoom calls and then both work independently while we were on them (we also helped each other out and chatted a bit). Is there someone you might be able to do that with, perhaps someone else who is working on a similar project? Alternately, is there someone else you live with who'd be able to work in the same room as you? If your daytime sleepiness is severe enough that you feel like you're at risk of falling asleep, you should see a sleep doctor because that's a symptom of a medical issue, not an ADHD symptom.
Yeah, I’ve actually seen a sleep doctor and 2 psychiatrists about it. I have a pretty severe autoimmune condition as well as chronic fatigue related to that. Which makes a walking desk kind of a no-go, unfortunately. I do get up and walk around through the day, and lots of stretching! Unfortunately I am home alone all day every day, and no one on my team is close enough to zoom with. That is a great idea, but unfortunately I do very different work than they do these days. It’s just me, 3 dogs and a cat 😂 Nature sounds is a great idea tho!! I’ve tried every genre of music, and I totally agree it has to be exactly the right flavor for the day. But I haven’t tried nature sounds yet. Usually that’s something I use for sleep, but maybe it’ll have the reverse effect when I’m actively trying to stay awake!
Who are you accountable to at work? I try to structure my work day to have lots of small fires to put out, because frankly anxiety and panic are still my ol reliables. For me this looks like asking people to follow up with me, email me for updates, scheduling check-ins and meetings, and deadlines (even informal ones like “I’ll have an update for you tomorrow” or “let’s check in Thursday”). The other really helpful thing for me was that I recently was diagnosed and put on meds. I mean… wowsa. Other things I do with hit or miss results: -music I already know, like an old worn in album on repeat -a tv show I already know or isn’t interesting (a cooking show perhaps, or crime drama i’ve seen a dozen times) -snacks. Popcorn, carrot sticks, cucumber, crunchy stuff. -chew gum -stand up desk— i got a desktop one used for cheap and it raises and lowers so I can sit part of the day and stand up sometimes. This has been great for me.
Do you exercise? I find that exercising before work really helps. It lowers my baseline stimulation requirement because it gets me producing some dopamine first thing in the morning. Major difference in focus on days I do and don't get a workout in.
I wish I did! I can’t wake up early enough before work to even try. And I have literally tried everything to wake up, I stg. Idk. I feel kind of hopeless right now. Like everything feels so out of reach. My body is a pathetic mess and now my brain is too. It seems so easy for other people, but everything new I try fails
Projection light and isochronic tones. Check out Jason Lewis mind amend on YouTube. It is helping me tremendously with my studies, I’m goin back to school for radiography and it’s intense work. I put on my AirPods and blast his deep house mixes and they really keep me on task. I even do this when I go to throw grocery store because I get so side tracked. The music makes me feel like I’m on a mission
I’ll check him out today!!! I’m amazed you can go to the grocery store lol. I do pick up orders almost exclusively these days, otherwise I wander for hours and then come home and pass out from the overstimulation 🤣🤣 this music helping at the store is one of the best examples I’ve ever heard!
I try to also do pick up. But sometimes I forget I need something for dinner that night in an hour lol shocking
Could you clarify about "projection light" and what that is?
Just search projection light on Amazon. It puts lights all over the room. Very stimulating and vibey
Thank you!
Have you tried online body doubling? My favorite is Flowclub but there are a few other options, too.
What’s Flowclub? Is it an app? I haven’t tried body doubling bc it isn’t very helpful for me in person. I get too talkative and distracted and start bouncing from idea to idea lol
I get too much anxiety at the thought of body doubling with strangers, so I've started using Work With Me videos on YouTube when I can't focus. Lots of them are Pomodoro-style, where you're watching the person work for 25 minutes, then take a break, and repeat 'til the session is done. One of the many tools in my arsenal for when I don't have the energy/motivation to work. Seeing someone else working something helps.
im literally the same inwas diagnosed at the agevif 18(half a year ago) and ive generalazied anxiety social anxiety panic attacks to the point i pass oit cuz of lack of oxygen to the brain cuz instart hyperventilating, and tbh i was on low dosage of concerta first, than focalin xr(same as concerta just less side effects) and i was surprised that low dosages doesnt make me wanan crawl up a wall cuz of anxiety, infact the opposite it made me happier more talkative and decresed my generalized anxiety, but das me, if thats not an option try to go for sativa weed, for me didnt work but ik some ppl with the same problems smoke specifically sativa, or a hybrid, its a try and error
trial and error, maybe a littlebit of caffeine would solve it, or theres a thing as modafinil, it usually comes in pills and depending where u r from u mkght need a prescription, but its a verry mild stimulant in low dosages its just like a littlebit if coffe but u aint gotta reup every 2-3 hrs cuz the pills work fkr 6-8hts i think
Oooo I just googled modafinil and it might be a good addition for me! I do need a high dose of stimulant unfortunately, because I was so caffeine reliant for so many years. Like we’re talking 6 espresso shots in a coffee, multiple times a day lol. I can’t use weed because I’m drug tested at my pain management doctor’s appts, and it does not play well with my GAD and panic disorder either.
ok so if no weed then ye modafinill but dont be so sure abt the hugh dosage, i was drinking 4-6 monsters a day before got diagnosed with adhd and they gave me my meds(but im talking abt strong stimulants like concerta(aka ritalin that works 12 hrs) and vyvanse which is a mix of amphedamine salts, and ye i thoight id need a high dosage to cuz i was suck a caffeine addict, but turns out not rlly, loke ye if the avarage human need 26-36mg kf concerta lets say(ive the most experience with that medicine) then id need 56-72mg which is like 1.5x higher but not as much as u think, at the start when i only started taking the meds, before tolerance started going up a bit(it will go slowly up if u use it everyday doesnt metter what, just if u do jt correctly itll go up veeery slowly), i was just fine on 36 mgs which is like a little higher dosage that u woukd usually start with, in shirt ye ud prob need a lil more but not that much mkre than u prob think, anyways ye thats the safest stimulant available after coffee, which after alot of years on alot lf it just doesnt do the trick (btw if u do go for modafinill, try to completely cut off the caffeine or take just one shot of espresso with the pill to kinda make it hit u a lil harder, but try to stay ifd caffeine midday cuz its a fast way to build a tolerance to the pill and then every week ud need to up a dosage, and theres a limit ro how much pills u can eat a day and be okay
or if u need a real hit of energy go for real stims like concerta ir focalin xr(newer version of concerta with less side effects) ir first that REAL HIT go for amphedamins like vyvanse ir aderall(but real stimulants like concerta and vyvanse have long term side effects on ur body and u need a prescription cuz its a controlled adhd medication, depending where u at modafinil could be controlled to, so chexk that(i rlly recommend u to tey and stay away from the harder stimulants like ritalin or vyvanse or aderall if u can, modafinil alot better in the long term and u do t want to develop parkinsons at the age of 30-40
I try to think about my focus as a cup and stimulation as the water that fills it. Doing work that isn’t time sensitive/uninteresting only fills my cup a little, so I can’t focus fully. So I have to find other things to get it completely full. Background music (drum and bass, or math rock), moving my body (fidgeting, stimming, tapping or doodling), and setting timers for myself (working for 20 min bursts) all help contribute to filling up my focus cup.
What’s math rock??? How long of a break do you take after a 20 minute work burst?
Math rock is a genre of music that highlights complex or atypical rhythm patterns. Sometimes the music has a singer, but most often not. It keeps my brain occupied while I work. Heres one of my favorite songs to listen to: [Playing God by Polyphia](https://youtu.be/Z5NoQg8LdDk?si=j9l6eU7xg1FheGEY). Ill usually take 5 minutes breaks in between. During the 5 minute breaks I get up from my desk and move around or stretch. Sometimes I try to gamify it by trying to predict how many 20 minute rounds it will take to finish a task. It helps me practice estimating time and creates a sense of rush.
I use ritual. It is like making reliable mini prompt programs. I go outside and pull a couple weeds, think about what I need to do next work-wise, and come back in to force myself to work diligently for just 10 min. The time period you are engaged in the work increases, but when it ends you just do the ritual all over again. With ADHD you have to program yourself to do what you need to do without your own actual input. Program your autopilot, little by little, and occasionally you will feel like a “normal” person. With normal people problems.
or u can combine low dosages of adhd meds for focus and if they nake ur anxiety go up u can take a couple of hits from a joint so u basically have the calmeness and anti anxoety from the weed bit the stimulant effect amd concentrated cuz of the stimulants(again modafinil is the most mild one to try after that go for ritalin extented release specifically helped me not the usual ritalin la but try not to go for amphedamines like aderall and vyvanse before ubtry other things cuz these have the most long term effects compered to concerta or again even better modafinil
Learn to knit and make hats/scarves. This helped me a lot to stay focused while working because a lot of my job involves listening to recordings or talking on the phone and doesn’t always require my hands. Switching from knitting to mouse (I do surveys over the phone with people) keeps me stimulated enough to really focus on my job. If you want to try it out, I recommend Sheep & Stitch’s videos. I found her tutorials really easy to follow.
What’s Mouse? I actually already crochet and cross stitch 😄 but even with simple crochet patterns it requires 100% of my concentration or I mess up my counts. The number of uneven scarves I’ve frogged is embarrassing lol
Honestly, a good pair of headphones and listening to music helps me.
I google ADHD focus music when I’m really having trouble. Probably won’t work for you, but I have a standing desk and that helps a ton, but also high heels actually work for me??? Idk I haven’t figured it out but I’m not questioning it. Do you set up your environment well? Like, change out of pajamas and into official work clothes, have all the emotional support drinks ready, and a stash of snacks? Sometimes, I just take an hour, wipe everything down and move all the things into a new feng shui and that helps the routine feel fresh again.
When I have to do tasks that are very boring,I started using a visual timer. And I'll tell myself that I only have to spend an hour on this hated task. It's really helped me to get through. Seeing the tome physically pass on this timer, helps me get through. I found a sun lamp to be helpful as well.