Any advice - how to focus on work?

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So, I'm at work.

But today my special interest is taking over my thoughts ... and I can't seem to redirect my focus on to my work.

I feel guilty for not doing my work. Which is making the special interest feel "bad".... which I really don't want it to ... and in turn making it even more difficult to focus on work.

Any suggestions how I can get my focus back to work? What do you do in this situation? Any advice appreciated!

I do the same thing form time to time. Sometimes you just gets carried away and it's hard to focus on work. What I do is usually to make a schedule in my mind: Like, "okay, so now you get that done, and afterwards you can take a break and pursue your interest". Then I cycle between these two, and in the end it's actually motivating to know that after I have done this, there is a reward. Sometimes I gets to tempted during the work cycle and tend to snap back into the interest. But I really try to keep it this way.

I suggest try to think up something motivating other than money or getting fired yourself if you don't do your task. For example, try to find something in your work that you like (or raise one if you haven't any). For me, it's programming in VBA or training myself to search for discrepancies in financial figures and find solutions.

I almost do the same thing but I make a list and colour code it.. things I have to do before I go home and things that can wait until next shift. I break it down as much as I can and tick it off. I do the same at home too, if I don't I can't motivate myself to do anything.

Thanks.

These are all good ideas.

All techniques I regularly use - I also use timers a lot to help me focus. I actually love my job.

But today I just can't seem to get the focus there in the first place in order to implement any of those techniques.... pfffffffft.

I did this for 11 years. The only time I was focused was when I had something to get my teeth into. The only thing that worked for me was to make a to do list and score out the jobs one at a time. I also got more achieved when my boss was out of the room, but I don't know how you can get them to do that. Remember to take regular breaks (just take some time out to collect some water).

I look for other work related tasks if I am really stuck or not feeling so good. I had quite a varied job so had a think about what work there was to do and usually found that there was something easier e.g. taking that trip down to the storeroom I had been putting off.

Do you enjoy your work?

Anything I've ever done successfully I did by either naturally letting it or forcing it to become meaningful to me by putting it in context of my interests.

Is that possible for your work?

Caveat: I would not be able to do a job I wasn't 100% interested in indefinitely. I have not been able to.