How to Focus Again?

Don’t rely on your GP for mental health. Look for a local clinic with a PMHNP-BC who can diagnose and treat you without a delay. There are telemedicine options for this as well.

1. Change your environment so you’re not working in a place with distractions. 2. You can also buy modafanil online, but make sure you’re informed before you do.

Sounds like the work might not lead somewhere you really judge is useful, or judge will be painful.

You don't mention a life partner.

I’m super productive when I’m relaxed, happy and working on something I value. When I’m feeling depressed, I just can’t. It took me a while (10+ years) to learn how to feel my emotions and take them into account when trying to understand my own behavior.

@keikobadthebad already gave a good answer, but I'd like to expand upon it a bit.

> Sounds like the work might not lead somewhere you really judge is useful, or judge will be painful.

As someone with ADHD I have realized that my executive function goes to zero if I think doing something isn't worthwhile. Not if I consciously think it's worthwhile, but if I know deep down that it's pretty much pointless. Thankfully my brain is a pretty good judge of what is worthwhile. The value of doing something doesn't have to be intrinsic, it can be extrinsic. Right now I am thinking about a potential architectures I could implement at work, even though I'd like to enjoy the weekend. But it's easy to hyperfixate on because it delivers immediate value and gives me a consistent hit of dopamine. Before this job I was unemployed for 6 months, and became unproductive after 3 months and just started wasting the days. I was concerned that I would come back into this job and be unproductive. Nothing could be further from the truth. My brain just quickly learned that there was no carrot at the end of the stick (no impact of my software) as long as I was unemployed.

All that to say, it sounds like whatever you have been doing has been fruitless, or at least appears this way to the man in charge of your brain. Either you haven't been hitting consistent milestones, or the payoff isn't really rewarding.

A practice that has helped me determine which tasks are going to be easy for me to do is to think about how measurable a success metric is. If the success metric is just "learn a new skill" then I probably wont do it. If the success metric is to make something that will make my life or the lives of others easier, or something really kick-ass, then it becomes really easy to do.

You probably should sit down and think about what constitutes "success" or "completion" for each of these projects and think about why you think you want to do them in the first place.

You might be simply fatigued or a bit depressed. 1. Try to meditate for some time. 2. Go out on a trip. Try something new.

ADHD is a big something. Don't be stupid.

Did you get ill between these two states? COVID perhaps?

Question: did anything happen between now and when you had this capability?

Because to me it sounds a lot like how I experienced burnout, and it sounds like you’re the sort of person who tends to work extremely hard.

where do you live (country)? I am in the USA and was able to get prescribed/diag in 1 meeting.

If procrastination is the problem, I suggest the book The Now Habit:

https://www.amazon.com/Now-Habit-Overcoming-Procrastination-...

Any prolonged pattern of distracted behavior will get you an ADHD diagnosis, provided you say it's (1) part of a pattern dating back to childhood and (2) affects multiple areas of your life. That in turn will get you a prescription for powerful stimulants, and it's up to you to decide whether the artificial focus those provide is a solution to your problem, or a cop-out from it. (I personally don't believe there's such a thing as 'ADHD', though I don't doubt the existence of the constellation of feelings and behaviors that cause people to seek out that label.)

Have you considered taking a vacation, maybe one without any use of computers or cell phones? It's not a cure-all, but stepping away like that will give you a fresh perspective once you get back to your day to day, and that in turn might bring insight into what has gone wrong. And if the real issue you're facing is burnout, then it will go a long way to fixing the problem.

I used to get excited by side projects, but at this point I can't get motivated unless I'm 100% sure it'll have a payoff. That could mean scratching my own itch, or doing a proof of concept for a major change at work that already has buy-in, but side projects that are just to learn a tech stack, pad my Github or a "maybe" side hustle are non-starters.

Part of that is mild depression and part of it is early burnout, but the majority of it is recognizing that most side projects are a waste of time, and if I'm going to "waste" time I'd rather it be hanging out with my kid or playing video games.

Just to mention if you're in the UK (I'm assuming so) you can exercise the Right To Choose to ask for a referral to an external organisation like Psychiatry UK. RTC is still "free at the point of use", you're just making the elective choice to be referred there.

https://psychiatry-uk.com/right-to-choose/

(It can be easy to misread because you can also approach PUK and pay for assessment. However, that doesn't affect where you'd end up in "the queue" - just how you enter it.)

Full disclosure: I used their service, but am otherwise unaffiliated.

Unfortunately it appears they've stopped accepting new ones for now, but the information is still valid.

If you really want to get a diagnosis from a professional, you don’t need to wait two years. That’s absurd. I just had a call with a licensed professional in Portugal for a €90 fee out of pocket. It took one hour session over Zoom to get an answer. I’m not a Portuguese resident. Just a country I was in at the moment.

A lot of people in this thread point at motivation or mental health issues. The issue is likely not so complicated.

You have forgotten how to focus. We live in a world where we are constantly distracted. This is forced on us. The apps we use compete over our attention, our workplace expects quick replies over Slack, our free time is always accompanied by a smart phone pushing us notifications.

These effects are getting stronger. Technology evolves new attention taking techniques. Our remote work culture expects faster replies as you are, in theory, always at your desk.

You can address this focus deficiency, but it isn't easy. Put your phone always on Do Not Disturb. Use site blocking extensions to limit time wasters (yes, even Hacker News). Stop being so responsive at work.

The first few weeks will hurt. You won't instantly be able to focus, and you will feel less productive due to the lower response time. But after some time, you will be able to do work others cannot. You can complete the big work you are struggling to right now. Relearn how to focus.

I think it's worth asking at this point if you can't find the focus or motivation to do the side project to really meditate on whether or not there's something deep inside you telling you that you shouldn't be bothering? Like you need to have what actually motivates you to do it front and centre in mind as a sort of guiding light to see what it is you need to do next, if that's not on then where are you even going with it?

ADHD meds won't help you there. You'll just end up cleaning the house way harder. Think about what motivated you in the past to get those MVPs you did out the door and think about what you can modify in whatever it is you're doing now to get that back. If that motivation from days yore is forgotten or lost somehow then it's time to sort out what you can be excited about next.

Are you burnt out? I watched that happen. They also have ADHD, but once they burned out, even interesting worthwhile things couldn’t hold their focus for more than a few minutes, and they were constantly procrastinating several levels deep. That lasted months.

Dopamine detox. Cut caffeine, porn, social media, unnecessary screen time, etc cold Turkey for 7 days. Hard - and temporary- but will give you a glimpse of what your focus COULD look like if you change your lifestyle.

I recommend using FocusMate.

Start with manageable # of sessions per day. 2 or 3.

Repeat every day. If you’re able to focus for the full hour each session, increase number of session.

Stay consistent and you will improve.

Turn off slack & email for solid blocks of time (4+ hours) during working hours. Build back the ability to focus during work, and your weekend time becomes easier, because you're more in the habit.

If you're in the United States you can get an ADHD diagnosis in under a month. There are many online psychiatry services which can provide an ADHD diagnosis and stimulant prescription following a 30 minute zoom call.

Stimulants are a mixed bag. For me, Adderall provided a sense of agency I've never felt before, and I'm willing to live with the side effects and potential long-term consequences.

Be kind to yourself regardless of the path forward. Self-flagellation is common and unhelpful when feeling unproductive.

> Today I wanted to really knuckle down and make some real progress on my side project. I've updated my iPad, fixed the leg on a tripod, cut the grass, cleaned the mower, scrubbed the driveway. Guess how much progress I made on the side project?

It seems to me that, instead of working on a side project, you did many things you still had to do anyway. This could be an issue if you have an hard deadline approaching, but if you don't have one, is it really that bad? If it also significantly affects your work then sure, maybe you have to do something about it, but if you just procrastinate side projects by doing chores, then I don't see much of an issue. Doing other useful things instead of working on your main task is what I heard called "productive procrastination". I would say this can be an issue only if it really prevents you from working on what you would like to work on, but if you're just procrastinating every now and then by giving priority to other tasks on your to-do list, maybe it's a non-issue.

Have you had Covid? Long-Covid can manifest as brain fog or the inability to focus, get frustrated, or become panic about it. I’ve known a few people who had Covid and the following year suffer from undiagnosed long-covid brain fog and anhedonia.

> I've updated my iPad, fixed the leg on a tripod, cut the grass, cleaned the mower, scrubbed the driveway. Guess how much progress I made on the side project?

Hal fixes a light bulb: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbSehcT19u0

a huge cold brew with extra espresso helps me focus

i guess the focus comes about because the caffeine helps me realize that the little 'side-side quests' are actually meaningless, making the 'real quest' actually attainable (since now there's no 'worthless' things to occupy my time)

I lived almost 40 years with undiagnosed ADHD inattentive type. I had terrible grades, I couldn't organize anything in my life, terrible rejection sensitive dysphoria. Luckily, programming and computers have always been a consistent source of dopamine for me to hyperfocus on so I've done reasonably well in my career. It started impacting my marriage so I recently decided to talk to a mental health professional and got a diagnosis. I started a low dose of adderall which has helped a bit with some of those things, but it also sometimes has the side effect of making me hyperfocus on the wrong things. My diagnosis took one visit, maybe the laws are different in your state

Motivation. You are aiming to money or productivity, instead of what is moving you forward.

MVP is a term from a decanter Western world that is only governed by production and mercantile values, completely forgetting its spiritual part. Then you will wonder why you are lost and you will have to resort to drugs because no sentient being could be subjected to such torture organically.

I have no answer, but if anything worked for you in the end, I would greatly appreciate to share what that was

theres no replacement for a cougar in the back seat. take more risks and put yourself in uncomfortable situations

focus is a muscle, you have to retrain it

Consider getting a blood test if you haven't already. At the very least, it'll help you knock off any possibilities that you may be low in iron, vitamin D, or vitamin B12. For me, that turned out to be the case and taking supplements fixed the issue.

And this goes without saying but have you tried, and I mean REALLY tried the following (be honest with yourself):

- Cut down on your phone time. Delete your apps for at least a month. Cut down on news. Cut down on distractions. Even your normal apps you find useful, turn off any notification sounds or popups.

- Exercise regularly.

- Eat a healthy diet, nothing that spikes your blood sugar like sugar-heavy or processed food.

I'm not saying this is the solution for every one and the solution for everything, but there have been multiple times in my life I haven't felt like myself and returning to these "basics" really helped me.

Focus used to mean buckling down and adding a lot of effort and output to a task. Push big rock hard to build pyramid, or smash hard thing with hammer, means adding a lot of energy to the task.

Focus means now to subtract out everything that isn't.

Everything that isn't the answer to your task.

And don't hold the stuff you got rid of.

Find the valley where the answer to your question fits.

As soon as you feel the desire to add things, or feel any desire really, you'll be back onto tasks that categorically can absorb additional energy. Cleaning the mower, cutting grass, tripod'ed the iPad while talking off your gf's ear (or whatever).

Descend the mountain, get to the bottom of all relationships, use critical thinking to lighten your workload, not add more analysis. Let go of having a full working map of your code in your 'mind' as you go... or at least your process for finding a code answer is along the same path as letting go of juggling multiple concepts in your mind until there's just one left.

Complete opposite of how I grew up working.

Oh gosh I'm doing it now by over explaining this. Good luck!

i have ADHD, you have a different life than before (you have more responsibility, less free time, and are older(less energy)), interesting new things make easy to stay focus now life is more stressfull and static than when we were 18

some of my tool belt (some of them are from professionals), but is maybe a good starting point, some of this won't work on you.

select space for work and space from leisure, and place for meetings, set time to reply, i replay twice a day and the rest of the day is close.

meditations help me a little i also like it.

do exercise this is more important than you think, you will have more thinks done at the end of the day, even if loos this time.

set low number quantifiable thinks, i read at least 3% of the book a day.

if you can shorter task, read short books, if you can make project whit small scopes and short time, this isn't as easy at it sounds, but you can negotiete this, and split objectives.

use calendar (i use google, or paper, i'dont reccommend both)

simplify process ( use single source of truth even if isn't as practical as using two (yes if you want to have paper calendar over you all day, or stop the meeting to add it in google calendar)

create stimulus for what you need to do each time i open my browser the first thing that apear is my calendar

like other say reduce stimulus, go to Coffe shops work for me, don't hear music whit lyrics(in langues that you understand), i cant have full silence, i need constant noise(totally personal) while working, not podcast or radio.

have nice day

I had this problem. But I bounced back and doing as expected in my life:

1. Read "Deep Work" by Cal Newport. Follow the guidelines as much as you can.

2. Exercising and meditating made me focus much better. Read "Mind Illuminated" by Culadasa.

I can really vouch for the books and the methods as they worked.

At the most basic level, distraction is the opposite of focus. If you want to do deep work, you must eliminate all distraction and just focus on that one thing you are working on. So no HN while working for instance and even something as seemingly innoncent as grabbing a snack randomly can mess with it big time and start a distraction loop. Other than that you can practice focus deliberately, like for example zen meditation of counting exhales 1 to 10 - you will notice how easily distracted you get, but it's normal - you just get yourself back to focus on the most boring thing. And make sure you get good sleep, it's easy to become chronically sleep depleted and live in denial that no more sleep is needed, but it actually is needed badly - and it's very difficult to focus, if I get worse sleep I especially pay attention I do not have anything distracting around and usually choose to work on one big thing as multiple smaller tasks can prove to be too distracting to handle well.

Regaining focus involves a few simple steps. First, identify distractions and eliminate them or create a conducive environment. Prioritize tasks by setting clear goals and breaking them into smaller, manageable segments. Use techniques like the Pomodoro method, which involves working in focused bursts with short breaks. Practice mindfulness through meditation or deep breathing exercises to calm your mind. Ensure adequate sleep and maintain a balanced diet for optimal brain function. Lastly, stay organized with to-do lists and schedules to reduce mental clutter. With discipline and consistency, you can effectively refocus and enhance productivity in both work and daily life.

There is the countervailing influence of social media upon attention. One area we overlook, however, is the affect of maturity on available attention. We mature, we assume the responsibilities of profession or parenting or homeownership or elder care… it adds up. Many of the “distractions” you mentioned were tasks that somebody needed to tend to. You’re probably just as capable of focus when you have available time, but now you have more to be accountable for.

Jessica McCabe is very good about helping people with it. [1] America's experiencing a ADHD medication shortage (perhaps it's global) and some of her work involves how to address things without medication. [2]

I also would suggesting trying to adopt the concept of monotasking / unitasking wherever you can. Multitasking is a myth. [3]

[1] - https://www.youtube.com/c/howtoadhd [1] - https://howtoadhd.com/ [2] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD9qK8-sMGQ [3] - https://www.google.com/search?q=multitasking+v+unitasking

I'm not sure I see the problem here. You hoped to accomplish one thing and instead accomplished five things. Having a well-maintained, clean living space is important. This doesn't sound like ADHD to me. My wife has ADHD. She stays in bed falling down YouTube rabbit holes more often than and I do virtually all of the cleaning and fixing of what we own. She needs amphetamines to do chores, not to avoid doing chores.

It sounds like you may have just gotten bored with launching products and found other things are important, too. It's good to switch it up. Given these are side projects, that implies you're already doing the same thing professionally as a W2 employee. Long-term, I don't think you want to base your entire life around doing your job also as your hobby, at least not permanently. Most likely, the drive to do this one specific thing will come back on its own, but you can't force it.

Are you getting easy dopamine fixes? Read up on supernormal stimuli and the hedonic treadmill.

1) Disable notifications on your phone

2) Delete apps that steal your focus like TikTok and Instagram

3) Stop playing online multiplayer games that require lots of attention (e.g. league of legends, overwatch) and never "end"

4) Stop listening to podcasts passively

5) Stop multitasking - even listening to music while doing a task

As commented a minute ago, I spent a year aggressively muting distractions (then kept doing it when they pop up): https://nicolasbouliane.com/blog/silence

This helped a lot, although a lot is left to discipline.

Another aspect is creating the right conditions for focused work. That means a quiet environment, a well-rested and fed body, and possibly an advance planning of meals and other necessary distractions.

If you want to stay in the zone, make the zone a comfortable place.

It could be ADHD, or just your regular brain on years of "cheap dopamine" (or vitamin deficiency, or under-stimulating goals, or a dozen other things).

Exercise and periods of extreme boredom followed by some mellow stimulation (a good book, a conversation with an interesting person) never fail me.

I start with "extreme silence mode" - no music in the car, no podcasts, no checking social media. Just silently moving about my day. Tackling tasks if I can and giving myself silent rest in between.

From there, small achievements stack up and start an upwards spiral.