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If you are like me -- It's something you have to chip away at slowly, because your brain is probably so used to having sudden, increased rushes of pleasurable a

If you are like me -- It's something you have to chip away at slowly, because your brain is probably so used to having sudden, increased rushes of pleasurable activities -- whether that's habitually checking HN, facebook, reddit or whatever quickly, or reading an interesting topic or checking out an interesting book -- yes all these things are great, but if they aren't directly, tangibly helping you towards achieving your goals, however insightful or educational they might be, you have to be able to restrain. You can actually learn to concentrate again. It will take time and work, just like anything else in life. If you want to get in shape and start running, you don't start running 3 miles right out of the gate, no you start with maybe one mile, where you split between jogging and walking. Then you jog a full mile, then run a mile, then 1.5, etc. Same with being able to intently concentrate for long periods of time -- you have to learn how to do it. How? By trying to concentrate intently on smaller, tangible things. The better you get at it, the more you will be able to do it. That's why I like things like the pomodoro timers. On my good days, I am able to just sit down and blaze through a couple of pomodoros and not even notice the timer went off long ago. Most important thing I have found is setting tangible, short, achievable goals that all point to a larger goal, and then setting aside a reward. We are so used to having our reward now, now, now, but we need to retrain our minds that the reward comes after. There are more aspects to procrastination I have found -- fear of failure, fear of success, fixed mindset, all these concepts are great, but at the end of the day, in my opinion, I treat my brain like it is a muscle, and you can train it to do things just like anything else in life.

digler999 10y ago
Thank you for the tip. I will give it a try. I see procrastination/concentration impairment coming from so many directions: caffeine, information bombardment, interruptions from coworkers, noise, stress, meal-planning, simply being human and needing to rest, staying at home too much. It's overwhelming to manage. I will try pomodoro and just setting a small concentration goal and building on it.
- treehau5 10y ago
  Thanks I am glad you found it helpful. Write something down on actual paper and hang it up on your refrigerator or bathroom mirror. Write the steps down. Focus on single steps. Reward yourself in proportion to the size of the task, don't do one little thing then go on a netflix binge. Yes distractions are always going to be there. Sadly, and I really mean sadly, the open office concept won, and even people my age (millennials and younger) are starting to become indoctrinated with the concept. In any case that's another story for another day -- focus on what you can control. Caffeine doesn't impair your concentration, but overuse can, and it isn't a replacement for sleep. Information bombardment is a problem, stop it! Is it helping you achieve your goals? Set it aside for another time, or use it as a reward. Coworkers interrupting? Place headphones on. That doesn't work? Drag a whiteboard over to block off your desk from the main traffic. If you are getting work done and knocking things out, people don't have a problem with someone focusing on getting things done. It's only when you are unproductive, do the petty things start coming in "Oh well, Jimbob is just not a good team player, he isn't making himself available enough" etc... don't focus on what you can't control and what people will say, only focus on what you can do and control, and the rest will work itself out, I promise.
codethief 10y ago
This is great advice. Most of the ideas you mentioned are also explained (and expanded upon) in "The Now Habit" by Neil Fiore – which I wholeheartedly recommend OP to read.

digler999 10y ago

Thank you for the tip. I will give it a try. I see procrastination/concentration impairment coming from so many directions: caffeine, information bombardment, interruptions from coworkers, noise, stress, meal-planning, simply being human and needing to rest, staying at home too much. It's overwhelming to manage. I will try pomodoro and just setting a small concentration goal and building on it.

treehau5 10y ago
Thanks I am glad you found it helpful. Write something down on actual paper and hang it up on your refrigerator or bathroom mirror. Write the steps down. Focus on single steps. Reward yourself in proportion to the size of the task, don't do one little thing then go on a netflix binge. Yes distractions are always going to be there. Sadly, and I really mean sadly, the open office concept won, and even people my age (millennials and younger) are starting to become indoctrinated with the concept. In any case that's another story for another day -- focus on what you can control. Caffeine doesn't impair your concentration, but overuse can, and it isn't a replacement for sleep. Information bombardment is a problem, stop it! Is it helping you achieve your goals? Set it aside for another time, or use it as a reward. Coworkers interrupting? Place headphones on. That doesn't work? Drag a whiteboard over to block off your desk from the main traffic. If you are getting work done and knocking things out, people don't have a problem with someone focusing on getting things done. It's only when you are unproductive, do the petty things start coming in "Oh well, Jimbob is just not a good team player, he isn't making himself available enough" etc... don't focus on what you can't control and what people will say, only focus on what you can do and control, and the rest will work itself out, I promise.

codethief 10y ago

This is great advice. Most of the ideas you mentioned are also explained (and expanded upon) in "The Now Habit" by Neil Fiore – which I wholeheartedly recommend OP to read.