WORK AT HOME STRATEGIES FOR DISTRACTIBLE ADULTS

        Working at home presents some real challenges for those of us who tend to be distractible. As a psychologist, working with children who present with ADD, I’ve come up with some strategies to help them stay on task. I created many of these for myself, since I have often found it difficult to concentrate for long periods of time. As a youngster, in elementary school, my Ritalin was Sister Mary Agnes Claire. As an adult I’ve had to create my own SMAC in the form of structures to keep myself focused and productive. 

I offer suggestions from these experiences.

1.           Start the day with a handwritten list that includes some items that will be easier to accomplish. Checking those off helps build momentum. 

2.           Respect the rhythm of your work. Some people do better in segments of 30 minutes and then need to step away to assimilate what they’ve accumulated in the work period. Taking breaks is important and works better when we find a stopping point at a place that will be easier to reenter and then move forward.

3.           Consider your visual space. Classrooms with lots of ADD kids sometimes use cardboard partitions. The work at home version of that may just be clearing a space of interesting or distracting items. 

4.           Use a timer, kitchen or smart phone, for both time on task and break time. If I could get a timer that would holler, “Susan, you’re wasting time get back to work.” I would buy it. Clever smart phone users can probably rig up some version for themselves. My timer is currently jarring enough to remind me to get back on task.

5.           Find a listener for brain storming or talking through a roadblock. Some of us think better when our mouths are moving, so run it by someone.

6.           Talking yourself through a task can also be helpful in establishing greater clarity. For many of us who have difficulty concentrating, ambiguity is a huge impediment. The talking through helps identify specific goals and obstacles and increase clarity.

7.           Self coaching is an additional support for some. It’s like the old practice of doing affirmations. “I can stick with this until I……”

8.           Scaffolding is a strategy practiced by my young clients. Set up all the supports, structure and materials to proceed, so that glitches, neglected materials or information don’t throw you off task.

9.           I’ve written about what I labeled as a “yabut” list. Being explicit about why you can’t do something right a way and turning obstacles into steps, e.g. “Yabut I can’t do this until I get that.” So the step is get whatever “that” is. You can even put the goal at the bottom of the page and work your way up with a series of “yabuts” to possible immediate action and avoid procrastination.

10.      Have a list of tasks you’ve been avoiding, when you need to step away take on one of those and you will be more inspired to get back to the task you are originally avoiding. (Did my taxes this way.)

11.      Reward yourself. Completion of the task can be quite rewarding, but something more tangible and pleasant can also be part of the structure. Like most species we respond to positive reinforcement. Implement an “As soon as” policy, e.g. “As soon as I finish this letter (or report or session) then I can ....” This could also help to compartmentalize what is work and not work.

12.      Dealing with children requires its own set of strategies, but their presence can even serve to provide some of the structure to accomplish work tasks. Specific times and activities for them can create a plan that helps us focus and help them increase their concentration. An example “Read quietly for 25 minutes and when the timer rings I’ll play a board game with you.” (But it’s hard to imagine any task worse than a session of Candy Land.)

13.      Experiment with music. Some people have their own musical pairings for different activities. I’m sure Pandora has a special play list for working at home.

14.      The time honored practice of breaking a job into specific parts helps one have a clearer pathway. It helps with clarity and the sense of accomplishment as parts are completed.

  Even people who aren’t distractible find structure and procedures helpful. For some laboring in a whole new setting, it’s probably even more important. In this context it’s worth a bit of thought about ways in which the elements of space, time, and reinforcers can function to create our own personal structure -- making working at home work for us.