[appleiigs]

Working from home really helped me. I use the Tomato/Pomodoro technique, but backwards. I let myself be distracted for 10 minutes first, then I work for 20 mins after. Distractions such as laundry, reading news come first, which relieves the feeling that I need to do something else, calms me down. Then I can do 1 work task for 20 mins. Then when I feel restless again I spend another 10 mins doing what my mind wants (eg. brush dog)… then back to 20 mins of work.

For me the point of the timer is to snap me out of the distraction or I’ll be on Hacker News for an hour.

[danShumway]

> For me the point of the timer is to snap me out of the distraction or I’ll be on Hacker News for an hour.

Timers are such a big deal with ADHD. It's not news to anyone that people with ADHD suffer from time blindness, but even knowing that I'm constantly underestimating how much it affects me. Even if I'm not doing a scheduled task, having something that regularly beeps or vibrates to shake me out of whatever I'm focusing on so I can ask, "how am I feeling, what am I doing, when was the last time I drank water, have I eaten today, what should I be doing right now" is very helpful -- at least until the brain learns to tune out the beep and you have to find a new sound.

I highly recommend people having trouble with focusing or distracting to get a cheap wristwatch or some kind of timer and setting it to beep or vibrate every 10-30 minutes. Doesn't solve every problem, but helps a lot with staying just a bit more rooted in reality.

[dpig_]

I live and die by the timers on my watch (whenever I can remember to set them).

[scns]

I set the Calendar from Simple Mobile Tools to repeat Notification till discarded. That way i have to switch it off and look what needs to be done.

[brailsafe]

I've been reflecting on how the last few years have been going for me, regarding my tendency to have no structure, no consistency, plenty of burnout, and no job lasting longer than a year and a half, and have consequently been reversing course on what you describe, especially now that I have medication. Long, long before I had an ADHD diagnosis, I struggled with the same pattern of working intensely for whatever amount of time it took to get any arbitrary thing done, and with the impulse to get up and do something else, watch a video, or check the news. Naturally I came across similar suggestions, just embrace the impulses a bit. But there are too many traps and too many addictions that we all just take for granted, and don't take seriously enough.

So, I've been going in the opposite direction, and prioritizing the things that I feel are important, including finite but not periodic windows of arbitrary entertainment, and a cutoff to my work day; I'm essentially experimenting with aspects of deep work and systems thinking. The phone stays out of sight or completely off unless I'm expecting a call, or it's scheduled downtime, and the rest of most days are spent deliberately on things I get the most value out of.

For things like laundry and basic chores, I just don't consider those distracting, and have been batching them at the beginning or between periods of focus during the day. They're not distracting because they don't necessarily take me out of any state of immersion. I'm still thinking about the code or decision or whatever, whereas an email or text message or internet argument fully put my brain resources somewhere else.

Any videos I need are mostly downloaded for offline viewing beforehand, articles saved to pocket, but realistically I never read them anymore, and most break time during focus periods is an actual book or silence, not for the purpose of productivity, but because I want to read books and the way I've been living hasn't enabled me to have the space to focus on them. One chapter at a time. Any random ideas or searches I try to just note for later. Sometimes I revisit them, sometimes not, it usually doesn't matter.

It's also not worthwhile in my opinion to measure short term progress, so in terms of how these systems work for me, I'll see where I am in a few months or years, assuming the specifics will change gradually.

[appleiigs]

I see what you are saying. You can indulge too much. There is a certain amount of discipline required. In my method, I have to work for the 20 mins. Essentially practice focusing, work through the restlessness.

I also have things during the 20 mins to help me stretch it out - such as sitting outside while working (or have window wide open) or TV and music on for the background noise.

For the 10 mins of distractions, definitely have to be strict about it. Can't stretch that. It goes by very fast. Can't go out to do errands just because I feel like it.

As an aside note, doing 10 mins of house chores multiple times a day really adds up. Lot of satisfaction, and more importantly focus gained!, when the house is tidy.

[brailsafe]

> As an aside note, doing 10 mins of house chores multiple times a day really adds up. Lot of satisfaction, and more importantly focus gained!, when the house is tidy.

Agreed. Most chores only take 10 mins if you're going for it.

[jihiggins]

I think our approaches aren't entirely dissimilar, despite the language around "impulses." e.g., I've had trouble letting myself take breaks when I feel like I'm behind at work, and it often turns into a feedback loop. For me, "following my impulses" here means letting myself off the hook for long enough to recharge. I have a cutoff for work hours (or at least, I let myself give up for the day after a certain time.) I try to spend time on things I think are valuable, but in a way that avoids constantly fighting with myself.

When I've tried Pomodoros / structured time management, the task paralysis has always shifted to encompass the techniques themselves, and I tend to easily tune out alarms.

I think it ultimately comes down to having that space for experimentation and failure