
Ask HN: How do you focus at work? - parvatzar
Ambient noise generators like mynoise and noisli have been a great help in getting dev and documentation work done amidst noisy workplaces. What about you? Is there anyone out there who doesnt need noise cancellation headphones or ambient noise generators to get focus intensive work done?
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takemypills
Addy. 5 mg. Every other day.

I know this will be down-voted, but I've been having issues focussing at work
and completing projects for the last 10 years or so.

Visited a Psychiatrist (in Palo Alto). After listening to my situation, she
followed it up with a detailed Q & A. She then prescribed 5 mg XR (extended
release) of Adderall. Apparently "mild ADHD" is a thing with software
engineers in their 30s and up...

The difference has been night and day. I'm completely focussed now, in the
zone. I've even gotten side-projects that were languishing for many years,
done and shipped over 2 weekends!

I take it only on days I need to focus and get something done. I also take
weekends off and also take 1 week per month completely off. This keeps me from
building tolerance. Also 5 mg Addy is like the LOWEST dose dispensed, so I
feel ok with it.

~~~
arthurcolle
Adderall works but I find Vyvanse to be less intrusive and allows for greater
behavioral flexibility which is a must if youre doing any kind of teamwork

Its been around for a while but compared to dexmethylphenidate, or Adderall
proper, it doesnt have as much of the euphoria that makes it difficult to
objectively assess work output, what with the slower acting formulation (but
this seems kind of a given, since its a prodrug after all), it doesnt
completely change your personality and you can more effectively context switch

edit: i have a perscription, due to attention span of a drosophilia
melanogaster

~~~
takemypills
Thanks for sharing.

Do you get good sleep with Vyvanse? The only -ve side effect I'm feeling from
5 mg XR Addy is that I fall asleep somewhat late (like mid-night or later) and
wake up a couple of times, and get only 7 hours of sleep. Don't have headaches
though, but I would love to get a deep sleep while on it.

~~~
arthurcolle
I've been supplementing with a lot of vitamins despite the evidence that
suggests that absorption of supplements is not the same as the ingestion of,
for example, fish products to get naturally synthesized omega 3 protein. I've
found that a mix of good foods that you enjoy eating, as well as other dietary
changes mentioned above, has been a huge boon. Furthermore, any kind of
exercise is good but I have found positive mood related changes as a response
to recently getting an electric bike which has helped to get regular bursts of
exercise throughout the day when I get bored of being around my apartment.

Much like how interleaved learning is a key trick to use to deeply learn
subject matter, I've found interleaving a diverse set of activities has been
key to finding that physical "balance" \- human body itself is more than
sophisticated enough to handle the self regulation itself but without the
right component inputs your jets aren't going to be running at peak
performance

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jaysonelliot
This sounds like a silly trick, but I literally put a post-it on my monitor
with the name of the task I'm currently working on.

It's very easy to get distracted by things in my environment and on my screen,
and just seeing a sign in my line of vision that says something like "making
redlines for mobile screens" helps me re-focus.

\---------

Edited to add: the task needs to be something specific, not an abstract like
"doing UX work." I take advantage of Asana's sub-tasks to try and break down
all my work into the most robot-like steps possible. That keeps me focused on
the task itself, instead of figuring out what my next step is.

~~~
wool_gather
It's not silly at all; it's a good trick. It's one that the Pomodoro technique
uses, and at least one piece of productivity software (Vitamin-R) that I know
of. Having a clear immediate-term goal is very valuable for getting stuff
done. Just _defining_ it is a good start; having it in front of your face
can't hurt either.

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hhh
I listen to a lot of music and try to make myself work at late hours, when
nobody else is around. ADHD medication helped me over the years as well, and
allows me to function well every day.

The best way I've ever been able to explain my thought process is as a
branching tree, in which the trunk is the primary focus and the branches are
the wandering paths that I think of along the way. Unmedicated I cannot help
but only suggest where to think, but when medicated I can choose.

Luckily I can make my own hours or else I can't really manage much social
interaction without needing to leave.

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Thaxll
Get a Bose QC 35, it will change your life and also your future flights.

~~~
maerF0x0
Many have said that noise cancellation does not work for coworkers' voices. Is
that your experience or are these for another reason?

~~~
CrI0gen
The QC's don't completely wash out background noise. If you listen to your
music loud enough (which is probably too loud), you literally won't hear
anything around you. But normal use, I find that it muffles outside voices
enough not to get distracted, but not so much to the point where if someone
says my name I can respond. An added plus, is people will bother you less if
you're wearing them. Sometimes I like wearing them without listening to any
music, just to create a quieter environment.

~~~
vorticalbox
I do this too, sometimes I just don't want to listen to other people in the
other.

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btilly
[https://musicforprogramming.net/?two](https://musicforprogramming.net/?two)
is something that my wife uses with success.

~~~
theon144
Can attest to musicforprogramming's effectivity, I literally only remember the
first 5 minutes of every mix before I totally zone in.

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codewritinfool
Ozric Tentacles. Psychedelic Space Rock. Maybe two songs with lyrics in 30
years of albums.

~~~
jaysonelliot
Thanks for the suggestion. I've never heard them before, this is great
focusing music.

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micky_25
At my current work my main distraction is in my peripheral vision as I can see
every move made by co-workers either side of me. I'm seriously considering
buying sunglasses with side shields or some type of goggle, similar to a race
horse. In the spirit of Cato the Elder, Open Offices must be destroyed!

~~~
zwieback
I have a pair of Julbo sunglasses I use for skiing - those would work great
and they stay on your ears even during frenzied hacking sessions.

------
jeffail
When I'm struggling to focus I just walk away from my desk. It doesn't matter
where I go or what I do. I spend up to 10 minutes letting myself think about
whatever my mind naturally brings to the table. Usually when I return to my
desk the distractions I was struggling with no longer bother me.

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tombert
I just don't focus and bounce around everywhere :D

But seriously, I try and psychotically keep Jira updated. It probably drives
the PM crazy, but it's very satisfying to see your progress grow, and
especially satisfying to close a ticket.

~~~
idoh
Kudos for keeping JIRA up to date. As I PM I am fine with that. If devs just
kept JIRA a little up to date then it saves me and them the hassle of checking
in on the status of things, I can just look it up.

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bargl
Pomodoro timer.

I work for 25 minutes at a time then take 5 minute breaks. This is more to
help me start getting into flow. I know I don't do it right, but I'll start
the pomodoro and that's my minimum. If I'm really into what I'm working on
I'll see my time is up and commit to an additional work cycle or two.

It also helps me track what I'm working on and how long each task takes me.
And gives me set breaks in which I get to write comments on HN, like this one
:-)

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c2h5oh
Active noise cancelling headphones. Monitors set up to block rest of the
office including peripheral vision. Wall behind my back.

Slack notifications and all in browser notifications off.

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acconrad
Communicate with your team a physical signal for what is focus time and when
you're open to "office hours." The simplest example could be "if I have
headphones on" or you can have some sort of trinket on your desk that shows
when you're free or when you need to focus.

That combined with proper away messaging on Slack/IM, you should be able to
get focused chunks of time

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pmarreck
1) A bit of Adderall 15mg XR on the days I need it

2) An excellent automatic-time-tracker app, the transparency into your own
habits is life-changing:
[https://www.rescuetime.com/](https://www.rescuetime.com/)

3) NC headphones: Sony WH1000XM2
[https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B074KDJVS2/ref=oh_aui_se...](https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B074KDJVS2/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
ORRRR apple's AirPods

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swah
Every trick helps, but when you actually get to work and into the flow, the
room might be noisy or you might be hungry and you don't even notice. So I try
to achieve that state more frequently. Its hard..

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hluska
I hope that this isn't the culprit for you, but I was having a lot of trouble
focusing. I kept finding lifestyle reasons for it (a life of attention issues
plus a newborn baby were near the top of the list), but then my health went to
hell.

Turns out that my blood pressure was through the roof. I fixed that and I can
focus again.

I genuinely hope that your blood pressure is fine, but seriously, if this is a
new thing, it might be a good idea to see a doctor for a checkup. From
experience, it's far better to catch blood pressure early than when you end up
in a cardiac unit...

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Artlav
As someone who grew up next to a highway in a place with constantly-on TVs, i
don't notice most kinds of noise, so i can't offer any advice on that front.

What was a distraction in my case was internet browsing. This got solved by
having a dedicated tablet for all sorts of non-essential browsing, and the
work computers never having anything but work-related links.

You'd think that's not going to matter, but the little bit of friction that
created was enough.

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Adamantcheese
By work being more interesting than being bored out of my mind. If the work's
boring though, an album or two from my collection; C418's One is pretty great.

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b3b0p
For me, I have found it hard to focus mostly only when I have another
externality in my life on my mind or something outside of work causing stress
(mentally).

I also like to listen to video game music via rainwave.cc (OCRemix Radio
basically), Bandcamp, or (this may be strange) the classic Retronauts podcasts
(still available on Archive.org, not the new ones).

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kostarelo
\- Disabled notifications. \- I take long walks, frequently. \- Cancel noising
headphones

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bartozone
I found this post on HN (and ensuing comments) maybe the most ironic of all
time.

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amorphous
Oh, yes, ambient/white noise has changed my life. I even use white noise for
sleeping (via sleep headband), much better than ear plugs

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baq
Have kids at home.

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peelle
Currently I get my best work done in a cafe. Usually, without using
headphones. There is the usual cafe background noises.

I find it hard to work from my small apartment, whether family is around or
not, music or no music.

I forget the term but I think it has to do with the fact that I use this same
room to watch TV, play video games, sleep, and eat meals. My desk and bed are
only inches apart.

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rwcarlsen
I try not to read/post on HN.

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bassman9000
Classical music or alpha waves, with a pair of decent Sennheiser over-the-ear
headphones.

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fanf2
Goa trance

~~~
thinkxl
Wow, surprised to see this genre here, I listed to Goa Trance/Psy Trance music
when trying to focus at work.

~~~
rzzzt
I'd also add techno and albums/mixes of any genre which I have listened to a
lot previously.

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misiti3780
i use self control app and [https://www.noisli.com/](https://www.noisli.com/)

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chuckdries
not reading hacker news lol

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mkempe
Playing _London Calling_ , on repeat. Turning the volume up to 9, not 11.

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aidos
Meta: Curious how a dup of this comment is downvoted into oblivion under a
different account and this is at the top.

~~~
sctb
We detached this comment from
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17545540](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17545540)
and marked it off-topic.

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captain_perl
The OP makes it sound like inability to focus is a normal thing, but it's not.

I've never used white noise or headphones to improve focus, and it's rare that
co-workers ever use headphones.

So maybe investigate whether the problem is you or the office. Or if you
really understand what you're being paid to do - I can write documentation and
diagrams effortlessly.

~~~
loco5niner
> The OP makes it sound like inability to focus is a normal thing, but it's
> not.

But it is normal. When there are noises and distractions all around your desk,
of course it's hard to focus.

It's also normal to be able to drown all those things out, and completely zone
it out and focus on work.

It's also normal to thrive on activity, getting your best work done in a busy
environment.

It really depends on the kind of work you are doing, and the kind of person
you are. There is a wide spectrum of what is "normal".

There is a simple reason that libraries/exam rooms/lecture halls are not full
of distraction. People focus better without distraction.

