Have you ever sat down to get your work done, looked up at the clock and realized an hour has passed and you did nothing you set out to accomplish?
With all the distractions of daily life as well as our own internal thoughts, this can be a problem.
Most people ae sidetracked by distractions at one time or another but if you are someone with ADHD, this can happen more often than you like.
Where does the time go?
A client that I recently worked with liked to get her work done in a coffee shop. It was a nice comfortable setting where she felt that she was able to work on her projects but still be surrounded by people. Being in the coffee shop helped her to feel less isolated, as sometimes we can feel when working from home.
After an hour or so she realized that she hadn’t got any work done. What happened to the time? Because she really enjoyed working in the coffee shop a few days a week she came looking for suggestions.
If you have ADHD, you may suffer from “Time Blindness”, meaning you are not aware of the passage of time. This often leads to not realizing how much time has actually passed when scrolling on your phone or watching TV.
Tips to manage distractions:
If you find that this has happened to you, here are some things that may help:
- Start each hour with an intention. Before you sit down to work, think about what EXACTLY you want to accomplish in the next hour. Then write this intention down on a post-it note and stick it somewhere you will see it (on your laptop, back of phone)
- Set a timer . Decide how long you want to work on the task in front of you. Once you set the timer, get to work until it goes off. Be sure to plan in breaks. Try an analog clock if you like to be aware visually how much time you have left.
- LIsten to music. Some people work better with soft music playing in the background than in total silence. Take some time to become aware of whether total silence, background noise or music works best for your productivity.
- Turn off notifications. This is obvious but something that most of us have difficulty doing, especially as we become more attached to the digital world. First, turn off notifications on your phone then flip your phone over so you are not tempted. Turn off all notifications on your computer for the one hour that you have intended to work.
- Keep a distraction notebook. Many people are distracted not only by the external world but also by their internal thoughts. You are working for 20 minutes then a great idea pops in your head! You can be tempted to start researching this thought and “going down a rabbit hole”. Keep a small notebook by your side while you are working and everytime a thought pops into your head that you want to remember, write it down. That way you can research it later.
If you feel that you are having trouble avoiding distractions and getting your work done, contact me at lisa@lisademarcocoaching.com