Finding focus when it feels elusive
How I facilitate focus as a neurodivergent person
Imagine: you’re an aspiring author with lots of fantastic ideas. But you have difficulty actually sitting down to write. Maybe making time and space feels inaccessible. Or maybe every time you do manage to start writing, you get distracted, either because you have too many ideas or because other tasks or people or environmental factors keep pulling your focus.
Writing is an activity that requires sustained attention over a long period of time. But sustaining focus as a neurodivergent person can be challenging, even for an enjoyable creative endeavor. Executive dysfunction, sensory sensitivities, rejection sensitivity dysphoria, and chronic health complaints are among the many reasons that the smallest task can feel like an uphill battle for neurodivergent individuals, myself included. Sometimes, progress can feel impossible.
Everyone is different, and so everyone has different needs and challenges when it comes to focus. I’ve spent the last few years really paying attention to what I need for focus to feel accessible. I’m still figuring things out, but I’ve identified six core items that help boost my ability to focus. To be clear, these items are in addition to the basics of making sure that I’ve had enough food, water, and sleep (the struggle is real).
Your focus facilitation list probably won’t look exactly like mine; what works for me may not work for you. But hopefully, seeing how I’ve considered my difficulties with focus and found accommodations for those difficulties will help you to find your own solutions.
Before I dive in, I want to pause here to acknowledge two big factors: capitalism and my personal privilege.
This post is not about focusing so that you can participate in capitalism. I wholeheartedly reject the idea that an individual’s value is tied to their ability to produce something which can then be sold to someone else. Focus is just a nice thing to be able to achieve if and when you want it.
Secondly, like many neurotypical people who are not able to work in traditional ways, I am reliant on the financial support of a family member. My husband’s salary not only enables me to work part-time, but also affords us the privilege of a home with enough space for a dedicated office. This is not the case for many people, and I do not take that for granted.
So, on to my focus list! The things I struggle with include executive dysfunction, sensory sensitivities, and multiple chronic conditions that result in pain and other neurological complaints, including fatigue.
Here’s how I facilitate focus:
I have a dedicated work space. I am fortunate enough to have space for an office nook in my bedroom. While some days I feel more comfortable working from bed or at the kitchen table, being able to sit down at a desk signals to my brain that I’m there to focus. Additionally, being able to close the door and have a space that is child and pet-free significantly reduces distractions.
Being in a smaller space, rather than working in a shared family space, also allows for a higher degree of control over my environment. My office nook is set up in such a way that my needs around room temperature and lighting are easily met. The only clutter it accumulates is my own. It remains organized in the way I like; no one else moves things around.
It is much easier to control my desk in this way than it would be to set up the entirety of my house, which I share with other people, to be ready to meet my unique needs for focus at any given moment.
I prioritize my to-do list and keep it flexible. One of my favorite mantras is “plan, and plan to adjust.” Some days, it’s okay if I let myself veer off into a distraction spiral. Some days, with a deadline looming, it’s most important that I stay on task. Knowing what tasks I need to complete in the week and which tasks are most important is helpful because then I know from the outset of my day how much flexibility I have to get distracted.
To achieve this, I write a new to-do list each day while eating breakfast with my family. Often, I am simply re-writing the same tasks that I didn’t complete the day before. But the act of writing them out again forces my brain to reconsider each task and its importance within my day and week.
Having a prioritized and flexible to do list is also essential as a person with multiple chronic conditions. Some days, focused work is just not accessible. Staying in touch with a prioritized to-do list helps me to know what, if anything, must get done, and which tasks I should tackle first when I feel up to it again.
I get dressed. One of the reasons I work for myself is because it allows me to work from home and to set my own schedule. There are many days when I never leave the house. As a result, my attire usually consists of comfy pants, t-shirts, and sweatshirts: inside clothes.
On days when I want to focus or accomplish something specific, I’ll get dressed in outside clothes; this is nothing fancy, usually jeans and a sweater. But it signals to my brain that we will be Getting Things Done, not resting comfortably.
I clean my workspace. If I know I have a task that requires more than a few minutes of concentration, I’ll start by organizing my workspace. This means clearing clutter on my desk and in the room to reduce visual noise.
Sometimes, starting to clean leads to an episode of organizational hyperfocus. Before I know it, I’m in the kitchen organizing the canned food and I have no spoons left for my original task. This is great for my household, but not so great for whatever it is I set out to work on in the first place. To reiterate, this is why it’s so important to have a prioritized and flexible to-do list.
I clear my mind. After cleaning my space, I like to clear my mind. For me, this means energetic meditation to help ground and center me and to connect me to the deepest, knowingest part of myself. This process also helps me to clear mental and energetic clutter, and to connect with what’s going on in my body so I can give it appropriate attention. All of which means there are fewer things distracting me when I sit down to complete my task.
I use music to set my mood. Once I’ve written my to-do list, I’m dressed, my space is clutter-free, and my mind is clear, I’m finally–finally!–ready to work. The last step is to put on a curated playlist. I’ve found that certain music helps my brain slip into a hyperfixated state and acts as scaffolding to sustain my focus. It’s kind of like a neverending waterslide, if that visual is appealing.
I have two playlists that I use for this purpose: one is high energy dance music and the other is slower in tempo but with a steady, upbeat feeling. The playlist I choose depends on a lot of factors: how my body is feeling, how my brain is feeling, what the weather is like, if the sun is shining, if my task has a physical component or not, etc. I use these playlists to influence how I want to feel, not how I may actually feel at the beginning of my task.
Importantly, I pay for a music streaming service. This means I can listen to my playlists without my flow being interrupted by any distracting ads. Subscription costs add up fast in today’s world; I’ve found music to be such a useful tool that I’ve prioritized this expense over other streaming services.
And there you have it—I’m focused and ready to work! I won’t pretend that I do this every day, or that every attempt at finding focus is successful. Another important lesson I’ve learned is to practice self-compassion, and to remind myself that even when focus is elusive, I still deserve grace.
I know that this list will grow and shift as I continue to explore the needs of my body and my brain. A few areas that I’m currently considering include other sensory input, like smell and texture, fidget toys, and physical movement.
What about you—what helps you to focus? Do you find it challenging to sit down to write, or can you easily find hyperfocus with your creative pursuits?
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