What To Do When You’re Losing Focus
Living with ADHD can present unique challenges, particularly when it comes to maintaining focus and concentration. Distractions, racing thoughts, and difficulties staying on task can make it feel impossible to get anything done. What can you do when you’re losing focus? Fear not! In this blog, we will explore practical strategies to help you regain focus and enhance productivity when living with ADHD. Remember, you are not alone in this journey, and with the right tools and techniques, you can successfully manage those challenges in maintaining your focus.
Understanding ADHD and its Effects on Focus
The National Institute of Health in the UK succinctly defines Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder as being marked by an ongoing pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development. Symptoms of ADHD include having problems with maintaining attention, difficulty organizing and finishing tasks, and being easily distracted and often forgetful. All of these symptoms can contribute to losing focus by lowering your general attention span and levels of concentration. Not being able to maintain focus at times that you need it can be extremely frustrating and discouraging. Especially if you don’t have a clear idea of how to manage the lack of focus.
Signs of losing focus can include moving from one task to the next before the original task is completed, intentionally finding new and interesting things to distract yourself to stay off task, finding yourself giving up easily, and daydreaming or fantasizing.
The environment of the modern world can seriously affect our ability to focus. Phone notifications taking our attention with constant pinging and ringing, general noise pollution, the draw of social media and the urge to constantly be on some kind of screen for work or for pleasure can add to a general feeling of lack of focus for most people.
Those of us with ADHD, however, tend to experience this lack of focus more frequently and in a more concentrated way. This lack of focus can also occur during periods in which the general environment is not necessarily distracting. My clients have reported that they can go without a lack of focus for days at a time, regardless of the external circumstances. They report that it sometimes feels like there is nothing they can do to stop or change the lack of focus. It can be a very frustrating and hopeless feeling.
Ways to Improve Your Focus
What can you do when you’re losing focus? Are there ways to improve our focus? I believe that there are. Listed below are strategies to try in order to improve your focus. You’ll probably find that some work better for you than others. I’d encourage you to try them all a few times in order to determine which ones work best for you.
Body Doubling
Body doubling is a technique that can be helpful for many people trying to improve their focus. In its simplest form, body doubling is working at the same time that another person is also working. Very little interaction is involved, although there may be times that you could schedule times to interact. Many people, myself included, have benefited from working at the same time as another person. You don’t have to be doing the same thing, you only have to be doing it together at the same time. Body doubling can be done in person, or over a videoconferencing platform. I’ve also known people to schedule working at the same time without actually seeing each other in the process. It is not totally clear why body doubling works, but something about doing work when others are also working instead of doing work in isolation can add to motivation and improve your focus.
Chunking
Another strategy that can be used to create more focus is called “chunking”. Sometimes a lack of focus can be caused by having a task that feels overwhelming to finish and accomplish. When a task feels overwhelming, the key is to break the task down into the smallest possible chunks. Once you have the tasks broken down, it’s much easier to focus on the smaller tasks and to drill into the small, measurable task at hand. If you lose your focus, you can go back to the small task you were originally working to complete and let your attention be taken up by that task. If you lose your attention, it becomes easier to know what task to go back to. It takes some initial work to break down the tasks, but after breaking the process down into the smallest possible chunks, whatever process you are working on can become much easier.
The Pomodoro Technique
The pomodoro technique can help when we’re losing focus. It consists of ridding yourself of all distractions: phone notifications, social media, etc. and then setting a timer and working for 25 minutes. After you work 25 minutes, you take a break for 5 minutes. One 25/5 minute work period is referred to as a “pomodoro” Do 4 pomodoros and then take a longer break between 10 and 30 minutes. I use this technique quite often. In fact, I’m using it as I write this blog. One helpful aspect to this technique is that if I feel myself getting distracted or losing focus, I tell myself to try to hold out on getting distracted as I’ll be getting a break soon, which is true. When I’m taking my break , I do my best to actually take one. This can mean that I check my phone but I also try to get up and move around and change my point of view for a few minutes. Then I find that I’m ready to come back and take on the task at hand again. If I find myself getting distracted by something else I want to do during my 25 minute work period, sometimes I will write down those distracting things so that I can come back to them during my longer break.
Monitoring and Restructuring your Thoughts
Another helpful strategy in dealing with lack of focus involves restructuring your thought patterns when you are having difficulties with focus. Tell me if this sounds familiar: you are having trouble focusing and you tell yourself, “You should be able to focus. What is wrong with you? Why can’t you just get in there and do this thing? Everyone else can. You must have a serious problem.” Then you proceed to follow a spiral of negative thought about how you should be able to focus. Then you have trouble focusing and also feel lousy about yourself. So not only are you having trouble focusing, but your thoughts about your lack of focus negatively affect your ability to focus! Something you can do to help if you are in this situation is to give yourself grace and acceptance if you’re having trouble focusing. Tell yourself, “Yes, you are having trouble focusing right now, but this is not a forever thing. You’ve focused before and you’ll do it again.” Sometimes it helps to give yourself a break from trying to focus. Set a timer for 5 minutes and let yourself think about whatever you want. When the timer goes off, try to go back to focusing on the task at hand. Sometimes you are going to go slow at a task and have difficulty focusing on it, and that’s okay. If you get into a negative thought pattern, keep going back to the positive thoughts and continue to encourage yourself.
Utilize Natural Focus Times.
Throughout your day, watch for times of higher focus. When it comes to natural times of focus, are you a morning person? Are you a night owl? Keep track of those times that seem easier to focus. Can you focus more easily in the morning? Some people focus well a few hours before going to bed. If you have a sense of your focus “sweet spot”, do your best to use it. You may find that you save time focusing in during your focus time, because you’ll naturally be more efficient and your ability to stay present and engaged with a task will happen in a more natural way.
To conclude, living with ADHD doesn't have to mean constantly struggling to focus. By implementing these practical strategies and seeking support, you can regain control over your attention and thrive in various aspects of life. Embrace strategies that work for your unique makeup, and with patience and persistence, you can overcome focus challenges and unlock your true potential. Remember, you can do this!
