Staying Productive When Surrounded by Distractions

I was diagnosed with ADD at 8 years old. I have 8 brain hacks that keep me highly-productive in office: 1. Noise-cancelling headphones ALWAYS (i.e. silence) I am highly sensitive to noise. If a pen drops, someone coughs, a coffee machine is turned on…you name it. I lose my train of thought and it breaks my laser focus. If I need to get something done, I NEED to have headphones on otherwise the task easily takes 40% longer (yes, I timed it lol). 2. Uninterrupted (no yapping) work time This is a follow-up to point # 1. I block my calendar so I can have silent headphone-only working time in order to get projects done. I am a yapper, I love to chat, and I can easily get pulled into a 100 different directions unless I have uninterrupted working time on the schedule. 3. Sit in the same place at the office When at the office, having a comfortable environment where I’m confronted with the SAME distractions every day helps me tune them out. Changing locations, changing desks means new noises, new people… you get it. 4. Sit around the most productive people This is the grown-up equivalent of sitting at the front of the classroom. Being around productivity helps improve my own. 5. Phone on “Do not disturb” ALWAYS I want to control when I look at my notifications, and keeping my phone on DND (unless for specific people like family, my partner) keeps me hyper-focused. Oftentimes I forget about my phone until I’m ready to take a break from whatever task I’m working on. 6. All major “to-dos” must be done before lunch Mornings = highly productive. I plan all of my absolute musts before lunch because it works in hyper speed before my first meal of the day. 7. Multiple screens Flipping through a million tabs = distractions. I need at LEAST two screens (at home I have 3) so I don’t have hundreds of tabs open, get overstimulated, then lose productivity. 8. Jewellery, rings, or something to keep in my hands I have a very rich inner world (🤣) and during long meetings, keeping my hands busy stops my mind from wondering. While also a fashion choice, having something to fidget with like my rings helps keep me locked in. I used to feel embarrassed about things like this, but my ADD and I are very good friends. Now that, over the course of (nearly) 31 years, I’ve learned how to manage it, I have turned in into a superpower. Because I had to compensate for other skills growing up, my emotional maturity skyrocketed at a very young age which has turned me into a great manager: ✨I’m a fantastic listener and communicator (i.e. how big sister was born). ✨ I am very comfortable with big feelings. Being different is a gift. What are some of your BEST productivity brain hacks?

After YEARS, I finally admitted the truth: I was addicted to interruptions. Every email notification = immediate response required. Every phone call = must answer right now. Every colleague stopping by = drop everything to chat. I thought I was being responsive and professional. I was actually destroying my productivity. Here's what I learned the hard way: When you let yourself get interrupted every 10 minutes, you never get into deep work mode. That brief that should take 2 hours? It takes 6 hours when you're constantly switching tasks. That research project? Gets pushed to "tomorrow" for weeks. My wake-up call came when I realized: No email is so urgent it can't wait 2 hours. No phone call requires an immediate answer. People don't know if you're in court, in a deposition, or out of the office. What changed everything: • Closed my office door • Told my assistant: no interruptions for 90 minutes • Put my phone on silent • Ignored email completely The result? I got more done in 90 focused minutes than I used to accomplish in half a day. Nothing catastrophic happens when you don't respond to an email for 2 hours. The world doesn't end when you let a call go to voicemail. Your colleagues will survive if they can't interrupt you immediately. But your productivity will transform when you protect your focus time. Stop choosing to be interrupted. Your most important work deserves your undivided attention. #ProductivityTips #LawyerLife #FocusTime

Coworkers keep tapping you on the shoulder? Drop this 2-word boundary. "Focus Block" But it only works if you back it up with systems: 1️⃣ Headphones are like my office door - AirPods Pro, Sony WH-1000XM5s, or a $20 pair of construction headphones whatever kills the background noise. - I loop the same lofi playlist so folks see the cans + hear zero talk = “Max is in the zone.” 2️⃣ Zero notifications - Email, Slack, Teams, iMessage, Socials? All turned off. - Phone calls and teams calls are the only notifications that are enabled. - I also use the app "Laps" on iOS to handle blocking apps I don't want notifications from, and track my focus over time 3️⃣ Calendar armor - Focus Block #1 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM - Focus Block #2 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM - Catch-up window 4:15 PM – 4:45 PM (this is when I actually open inboxes/ IMs etc). - Status flips to Do Not Disturb so those “quick sync?” invites auto-decline 4️⃣ The polite deferral If someone still taps me on the shoulder, I typically say: “I’m in a focus block, can you give me (insert however much time is remaining) and I’ll swing by.” #deepfocus #productivity #softwareengineer

As a software engineer juggling ADHD and PTSD, I've had to get creative with my work habits. Here's a peek into the strategies that keep me productive. 👨💻🎧 🔊 Loud Music for Laser Focus Forget lo-fi — give me that high-energy beat to lock in my concentration and keep my mind from drifting. 🖥️ Single Screen, Singular Focus Despite the popularity of multi-monitor setups, a single screen minimizes distractions and maximizes my coding flow. 🚫 Strategic Meeting Minimization Meetings can be a significant flow disruptor. I now schedule a dedicated four-hour block for uninterrupted coding, significantly boosting my output. 📴 Phone Coffin: Out of Sight, Out of Mind My phone goes into a literal coffin, and my watch gets docked. If it's urgent, Slack or Teams is the way to reach me. 🔕 Do Not Disturb: My Silent Ally DND mode is non-negotiable during my focused coding blocks to keep those pings and dings at bay. ⏲️ The Countdown Timer Technique A physical timer sets the boundary for my work sprints, helping me stay on track and reminding me when to take a break. 🤖 AI Tools: My Secret Sauce From scheduling with Motion to note-taking with Notion, AI tools help me stay organized and in the zone. And Copilot? It's my co-coding companion that lets me stay in my editor longer. These are my adjustments to keep me coding at my best. If you're navigating similar challenges or seeking focus-enhancing tips, I hope these insights inspire you. Stay productive, and keep coding! #CodingWithADHD #ProductivityHacks #SoftwareDevelopment #MentalHealthAwareness