Hi, as per title really. While at work it seems I have trouble being focus. A lot of time my mind just wanders. It hasn’t been a problem so far being an academic, but now in the real world, it’s very problematic. It has basically cost me my first contract, as my client wasn’t too happy about the few bits of code I have produced and the time I am spending on it. Mistakes happened mainly due to lack of focus, lack of double checking and not being 100% into it.
So if anyone can help me with that I’ll very thanks-full.

Send me a cheque, I know everything you need to…

I think you needed to be more focused while writing the thread title .

Unless you’re a delivery driver.

In which case just buy a sat-nav.

Don’t just arrive at work and start writing. Spend time working out what you want to have done at the end of the day. Review where you are at lunchtime. Lack of focus is sometimes caused by lack of clear direction, especially when you are providing your own direction.

Easier to say than do though 🙁

if there is one thing STW knows F all about it is surely this
yours slacker

I’m a sufferer too. I spend hours speccing bikes rather than doing proper work that earns me the money to pay for the bike I just specced!

Retire ?

Speak for yourself Junky… I’m a highly motivated career orientated go-getter.

Perhaps you’re just not cut out for coding ?

Quit your job and do something you enjoy?

I think as leffeboy says ( altho is not my world at all) – you need to plan out what you are going to do and break it down into small sections. Double checking each part as you complete it then another check when its complete before handing it over

I have no idea how you have gotten away with this amount of posting tbh and in the hard nosed real world of the private sector I salute your endeavours

as leffeboy said, plan and set goals for next hour(s), day(s), week(s). Put them on a wall planner or diary next to your screen.

what you need to do is.. uhh.. ummm…

…

no he needs to procrastinate much much more than that whilst making his plan.

Procrastinate – this is what the P stands for iirc

I have found a good nights sleep and no alcohol during the week works wonders for my focus. As above, I used to have real problems motivating myself to work but now I really have to (a child, wife and mortgage are great motivators!) the fallout of not putting in 100% would be rather severe. Try setting yourself mini goals, 90 minutes of non-stop work earns you 10 in Singletrack etc…

set yourself a goal for the morning – afternoon and end-of-day, match this goal with a treat – say chocolate, cake, latte etc.
then set yourself a weekly target to complete the goals above, match this target with buying some new bike bits.

job done.

I found the carrot approach never worked with me. I’d promise myself a cheeky mid-week ride if I got such and such done, but I never went on the ride as I never did the thing I was supposed to. So, one time I went for the ride anyway and got back to the office and did the work. Winner! A bit of a weird one, but maybe the feeling of guilt having ridden but not worked was what did it for me.

I went to an all boys Catholic boarding school, so that may explain the feeling of guilt bit! 😀

no idea how you have gotten away with this amount of posting tbh

I’ve got a spreadsheet of 1000 ‘posts’. I just pick one from there and copy/paste.

This post was last used on the 5th March 2010.

How much do you get on the dole in France?
How much do you earn when productive?
Subtract one from the other.
Imagine life without that amount of money.

Now – how “focussed” do you feel?

leffeboy has the broader idea, I think.
Personally I also find listening to good music (generally something fairly unintrusive, either light on lyrics, or more immersive) helps. It seems to stop that part of my brain that would wander from wandering so much.

I suggest a career change. There must be something that motivates you that can be turned into a bread winner. Computing holds my personal record from starting a job to leaving. Two hours were all it took to know that particular temping mission was way above my tedium threshold. I returned to the agency and they sent me off to play with the computer the Mormans were running their financrs on, that mission I completed with a smile.

If I **** about at work people can die. That’s enough to keep me on the ball.

Chainsaw at full throttle keeps me pretty alert.
Singing along to the radio in the tractor I’m pretty oblivious, sorry if I clip your car/house/pushchair.

This was probably of no benefit to the OP.
Do what you enjoy and it comes easy.

You need a bit discipline……….a bit of marching will sort you out sunshine.

Juan – ever thought about ADD? Look it up – if you recognize any of the symptoms it might be worth looking into more seriously

Jesus.

It’s quite simple really; stop fannying about and do the job that you are being paid to do.

That’s it.

It’s not about anything other than that, there are no clever answers or theories, just get the job done.

I suspect you’ll still be paid more than me for being a useless idle thing, so have some self respect and get on with it.

I have the fantastic combined personality traits of being highly competitive and
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A lazy arse..!

Consequently, I do naff all and am always p—ed off when others do better than me.

Fortunately, I tend to pull my finger out at the last minute and over deliver.

RamseyNeil.. if he wrote it all in french you would have probably found no mistakes. He doesnt live here!

Juan, i have been feeling like this for quite a while now. I get on better when working alone. Looking back, if i have no distractions i can think a few steps ahead and not have to go over the work ive done. Sometimes it might be three times over.This was brought home a few weeks ago when i swapped my frame over in the shed with hardly any tools.. yet i still managed to do it quicker than i would have probably done it at work as full concentration was on the bike build.

I cant say that distractions at work are the main and only problem, it could be ADD like 16stonepig has mentioned. Its now getting to the point where i think i would enjoy working for myself,alone,doing the job from start to finish with no interruptions as,like the bike build has shown, i get more done with less faff happening around me and next to zero faff running through my head.. to the point of it being mentally healthier.

ok, thanks for all the usefull comments. I shall look into ADD.