What I Learned About Distractions, Focus and ADHD During the COVID-19 Crisis

We can all relate to being distracted whether you have ADHD or not

I should file this article under the category of, “I Should Have Known Better.” Having written a book with the title, Overcoming Distractions, you would think I would be fully prepared to deal with the distractions that have come with running a business during the COVID-19 crisis. But as we have all found out, there was no real playbook for this time in our history or how to deal with the ultimate distraction, a worldwide pandemic. Can you think of a bigger distraction?

With all the systems in place and the lessons I’ve learned over the years about how to stay focused, keep on track and stay out of the rabbit hole that many of us can go down in the course of a day, all that seemed to slip away in very short order. Schools were closed and stay at home orders placed into effect. Most of us were thrown into survival mode, and depending on your business, we were seeking ways to stay in business, adjust our offerings and business model and survive this pandemic. And at the same time, get some work done.

I’m a firm believer in that, if life is treating you well, you’re in a great career or a business that you love, and your stress level is low, then you have less distractions in your life. When you love what you do, and you go to work every day excited, you are more focused.

When life hits the fan, you’re left with an influx of emotions and survival tactics and it is much more difficult to stay focused. I’m no neuroscientist, but that’s just my opinion from life experiences and interviewing countless others over the years. You may have though you had good systems in place, but this was the ultimate test.

I’ve tried very hard to make it all work. Aside from being an author and podcast host, I execute professional content marketing for a number of companies. I’ve had to make sure that I respond to client needs, adjust course in very short time, work when I can get my client’s attention and create the type of content that helps move their business forward in the COVID-19 environment. Typical “office hours” were thrown right out the window. (of my home office…)

Also, if you have children, then you know the challenges that have come with homeschooling or at the very least, keeping them on track. I already had trouble understanding some of my son’s homework and now a pandemic. For most of us, this is new territory and not a place we ever thought we would be. If your student/child is not somewhat self-directed, then it is up to you to keep them on track, along with your own responsibilities. Are you tired yet??

So, what have I learned about distractions and staying focused from the COVID-19 crisis?

Guard Your Time

It started to seem too easy to get to 7:00pm in the evening and not be able to cite a single thing accomplished. Trying to respond to everything going on in the business and in the home in real time was not an option and it was killing productivity and any momentum. If I was going to get anything accomplished in a day, I had to guard my time and I needed to re-discipline myself. I’m already a big fan of protecting my time as it is a huge factor in getting any size project completed and it is something I regularly practice. It slipped away during these months and I had to get it back on track.

I work best in the morning hours so until 12 noon, it was office hours and focus time. Anything such as writing or other tasks that required some thinking and creativity, needed to be done mostly in the morning. One, I can get far more done with a fresh brain and two, I can get a head of steam and get a ton of work done. And three, I make less mistakes when I’ve had a good night’s rest. And if I had to have number four, it would be getting into a flow with work.

Flow is very important to my work. As I do a lot of long form writing, I need to get a good stretch of time to dig in. I cannot write in five-minute bursts and then get interrupted. I’ll lose my thoughts and it will take me ten times as long to get any project finished. And quite frankly, my writing will suck…

I have also tried my best to schedule any meetings in the afternoon when possible. Meetings rarely take any type of brain power, so afternoons are perfect for hopping on a video chat and conducting business.

While I really pride myself on getting back to people quickly, I needed to make separate times for this as well. As we all know, email is a huge time suck and if everyone is working from home, that email avalanche can be much larger than before. Depending on what I am involved in, I will either hold off and do email at a set time of the day or, I will take small breaks, maybe after 30 minutes of focus to clear out emails so I don’t have a mountain by the end of the day. Again something I would normally do but had to regain my commitment to it.

Tip

Whatever your focus time is, let others around you know. I know it’s hard sometimes to tell your kids that you cannot be bothered, and I hate to do it but you have to set some boundaries around your time. That goes for those with or without ADHD.

Routines

Again, this sounds so basic, but for many with ADHD, routines are critical, but I needed to set some new routines given our circumstances. Before, it was “get Junior on the bus at 7:00am, and then off to get work done.” I had a good seven hours or more of uninterrupted time to focus. Not anymore. No one was going anywhere, and the house was rarely quiet. We tried to have Junior get schoolwork done while we were working but realized that more support was needed and the schoolwork was also taking much more time than it should have.

We established school hours. Now I know many others have already done this, and we thought we had a good system already in place, but we needed to adjust our routine. Now, we create a list of schoolwork in the morning, written by hand and then until lunch, we are all free to get what we need or want to get done. At 1:00pm, school starts, and we are there to offer any support needed. So far, it seems to be working.

If all goes well, I go back and get work done in the afternoon and in the evening, I try to accomplish tasks that are quite frankly, mindless and require less brain power.

The only way to get a consistent amount of work done, done right and on time is to create routines. You have to analyze your own circumstances, your surroundings and your responsibilities and create routines that allow you to be as productive as possible. Routines also help you guard your own time and set boundaries so you don’t get taken off course too often. Stuff happens as we know sometimes, but routines help us stay on track and can also set the tone for the day.

Fresh Air

If you know anything about ADHD, then you know that the neurotransmitter dopamine is a major factor in having ADHD. Simply put, we lack it sometimes. However, we all thrive on dopamine. Just ask any social media company. They are experts in dopamine and what triggers it in the brain. It makes us feel good and gives us energy to do more.

Dopamine keeps us focused and engaged on the things we need to be taking care of and it is a major factor in our executive functions. Again, ADHD or not…One of the best ways to increase the flow of dopamine to the prefrontal cortex is exercise. During the COVID-19 pandemic, gyms across the county were shut down and a major source of dopamine for millions was shut off.

I’m far from a muscle head but I like going to the gym and working out. I feel better when I leave, and I am far more productive for hours after I get in a workout.

You have to find your dopamine. Whatever it is. If it is exercise, you need to find another way if you cannot go to a traditional gym. Like many, I turned to walking. When it isn’t raining, I take at least a hourlong walk at a fast pace. I need to get moving but I also need that fresh air in my face. After being in the house forever it seems, I need to get some air and movement. It doesn’t totally take the place of the gym but it is a good alternative.

Lessons for Years to Come

Whether you are reading this during the COVID-19 crisis or long after, I feel there are and will be many lessons taken from this time in our history. As a society, there will be huge lessons learned, but from a productivity lens, I feel we have had to figure out how to conduct business in such a different environment. Some of us will become far more productive and adapt and others may continue to struggle.

And for many, this has presented an opportunity to pivot, get clear about their future and find new ways to accomplish great things.

I have many expert podcasts on how to thrive with adult ADHD. Even if you do not have ADHD, you’ll take away a ton of value about distractions, focus, and how the brain works from my expert guests. Check them out at: www.OvercomingDistractions.com