Difficult to concentrate at work

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I primarily maintain databases, with a backup support role.

But I'm far too easily distracted. I moved offices about 3 years ago, and back then I was facing a wall - which I think helped a great deal. Now I can't focus on the task at hand.. I just can't *do* the task I'm supposed to - if another task comes up that I'm interested in, I can do that at lightning fast pace... it's really annoying. Perhaps it's the lighting in the room, it's different - maybe that makes me uncomfortable I just don't know.

How I ever get anything done it amazes me, but it feels like I'm wasting big potential here.

Do you have flourescent lighting in you office? How is the background noise?
Have you tried to do your least preferred task first then followed by something you enjoy?
Just some suggestions) The lights really affest me, background noise just totally wipes me out, and if I hurry up and get my work I hate done first I am usually good.

Do you drink caffeine? It really elps sometimes (to calm oneself down)

I was gonna suggest that too. A LOT of caffine and/or stimulant ADD drugs like Ritalin give me the mood & energy boos I need to get through boring tasks that don't interest me.

I'm the same exact way. I'll put off tasks that are really pretty quick and easy until they're way past due.. I just can't bring myself to do them because they're so damn BORING! But if a project is interesting to me, I'll work on it obsessively.

Drinking Caffine may be a bad idea as it is unlikely to improve your concentration and more likely to effect your distraction.

Try setting yourself timescales for completing work. you could give yourself a particular time frame (1-2 hours) to complete work, then allow yourself to be distracted for a maintained period, perhaps 15mins which will structure your work and level of distraction.

However, i agree with suggestions above, lighting and background noise do heavily affect concentration and ability to focus. perhaps you could approach a senior member of staff/management to enquire whether you would be able to move to an alternative desk?

I, much like yourself, am responsible for maintaining a database, writing queries/reports and all that fun stuff. I also do a lot of user support, so because of that I like to leave my office door open. However that means all of the office noise drifts in. I also have to deal with the fact that my office is next to the bathroom, and apparantly I'm the only one that can hear a conversation through a brick wall. So I constantly here girls laughing away and chitter chatting in there. It drives me nuts.

Two things that help me keep my attention:
1) Music - it drowns out the other noise, and I've even heard that if its a song you know the words to, it keeps half the brain busy as you sing along (whether its aloud or in your head) so that you are not so easily distracted
2) Green Tea - I love this stuff. Coffee has about 2-3x the caffeine, yet green tea seems to wake me up so much more. Just goes to show how amazing this stuff is. Since I also have ADD I know stimulants definately help me focus, and since I no longer am a slave to ritalin (got sick of the mood swings it caused) I can only rely on caffeine. Coffee works as well, just not as good. Plus I need 2-3 spoonfulls of sugar in it before I can tolerate it. That adds up to a lot of sugar by the end of the day.