Any tips for maintaining focus and concentration

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Some Sam
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Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2016 5:36 pm

Any tips for maintaining focus and concentration

Post by Some Sam »

Hi all,

I was diagnosed with dyspraxia quite young and have always been able to manage. Whilst I have a touch of most of the symptoms considered dyspraxic, I particularly struggle with concentration, focus and this one from the dyspraxia foundation website:

"Slow to finish a task. May daydream and wander about aimlessly"

I work as a programmer and as a general rule, I enjoy it (I really enjoy programming in my own time, too). I'm not unintelligent - I've been able to demonstrate, to myself, if nothing else - a technical knowledge on a par with those I work with. But I feel as though I'm letting the side down.

I didn't declare my disability (something I'm partly regretting now) when I started because it usually ends up in the company giving me extra-support chairs and rainbow-coloured keyboards without asking if it'll help and then being frustrated when I don't want them (because I don't need them). My acute co-ordination is quite good and keyboards like that just add a learning curve.

I feel if I tell them, they'll support me and keep me on but will then not hire the next person like me to apply because "why should we pay them the same if they're only achieving 85% of the work?" I know it's not my job to worry about the next person, but yeah.

So, my quality of work is fine, but my quantity is not. Whilst they haven't expressed a big concern (I'm just a bit slower than other people), they have said that I'm slower than other people and I put the fact that they haven't made an too much of an issue of it down to my manager being a nice guy.

I often find myself distracted by the world around me, the internet, or day-dreaming blankly at the screen.

Anyway, the reason I came here was to ask, does anyone have any tips for these things that might help? Something chemical (with a side-effect of euphoria) would be great, but regular old tips and ticks would be wonderful.

Many thanks,

Sam
Ram
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Re: Any tips for maintaining focus and concentration

Post by Ram »

I find that yoga eye exercises help me get some focus back especially when stressed. They are mainly designed to improve your eyesight, but I also find improved concentration to be a welcome side-effect.

If you look on youtube, there are some clips on yoga eye exercises that may be of help.
Tom fod
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Re: Any tips for maintaining focus and concentration

Post by Tom fod »

Hi Sam and welcome

Things like a quiet corner and noise cancelling headphones might also be ideas to consider. I too work in an office but am resistant to technological solutions that I mostly won't use for very long, if at all. I think the most important thing is having management who understand your abilities, are approachable when needed, will back you up and who won't try to micro manage you or make assumptions because of any label you might have.

If your manager is not regularly comparing your output unfavourably with that of your colleagues, are you perhaps being too focussed on comparing yourself with your colleagues who may have subtlety different roles, strengths and weaknesses?

I'd say try to limit temptation and be clear what job-specific elements/info you need to find from the internet before you access it and remember to take breaks and make sure what you have been tasked with is defined clearly enough.

As far as medication goes, speak to your GP.
Tom
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mediastar
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Re: Any tips for maintaining focus and concentration

Post by mediastar »

To get out of the door in the morning, I set a kitchen timer for ten minutes at a time, this helps as I know most tasks take ten minutes and if I over run, I know I am going to have an easily distracted day. What I have recently bought for work, is a wobbly cushion for "active sitting", it is like a pilates exercise ball, just the top tenth, but having tried it for a couple of days I was less fatigued and more focussed for longer than I can usually manage. For a fiver off Amazon, and even less off Ebay, it may prove to be the bargain of the year, as I am being micromanaged to the point where I am stressed at the idea of walking into my work place and starting to want to shut down and leave a job parts of which I know I am really good at but the admin side I fall down on consistently. good luck to anyone in the same position.
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