Keeping Focused

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Hey guys and gals, kiddos and kid...ettes....

I had a question.

I got diagnosed with Aspergers last week after years of wondering, but I was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid, which I understand is quite common. The medications I was on during childhood never helped, and I had significant academic impairment as a result of not being treated for the troubles I was actually having. They kept me in Learning Disability classes through ninth grade when I got switched into "gifted," but the troubles didn't go away.

I have immense, immense difficulty keeping on task if it's not something I'm genuinely interested in. I mean, I'm at work *right now,* and yet here I am posting. But since I'm apparently not ADHD, and the meds did nothing, what am I supposed to do?

Do you guys have any coping mechanisms for helping focus on the things that don't engage you?

Thanks,

Brian

I can relate with you about having attention problems. At first I thought I'd be diagnosed with ADHD because that was the main issue I was having with AS, but the psychologist explained how the extreme focus people with AS have for their interests is also considered an attention problem.

Yeah I'm supposed to be studying right now so I am nowhere near mastering this skill, but I feel like I can control it more when I do a bit of planning, so here are some tips that help for me:

Time management skills have helped me gain a long-term perspective on my daily actions:
-Set (write down) SMARTER goals for yourself: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time sensitive, Enthusiasm, Reward.
You can look up more about the acronym online, but the key here is to REWARD yourself at the end. This reward can be exploring your special interest, but if you have to be time savvy, set a time limit for yourself so you don't get caught up in your special interest.
-Plan your weeks ahead of time. Plan the specific hours of the day in which you will get things done, and set aside time for rewards or distractions if needed. Watch how you are actually spending your time. Adjust your schedule if needed, for example if you find yourself getting distracted frequently at a certain time of the day, maybe plan less important tasks for that time. Every week, I also need some flex time to just unwind and explore my interests. Plan that in as well.

Also, being aware of your attention problems is another skills you can make use of, so these are things I do when I get distracted:
-change my environment. Is it too loud, to crowded, or too comfortable? Generally, when I need to concentrate, I need to sit at a brightly-lit desk by myself in silence. Other times, I feel like I just need a change in environment.
-Do you need a break? When I start to get agitated and restless, I do something relaxing for 5-15 minutes and get back to work when relaxed.
-ask myself why I'm getting distracted. Do I not like what I'm doing? Am I stuck and need to ask for help? Is this a challenging problem? Could I approach this problem from another perspective? If you need to change something, change it, if not, make a note of your distraction and get focused again.
-set time limits for my activities and reward myself after with a break if I stay on task

I'm sure there's other material out there on time management and attention, as it can be a problem for NTs as well. These were some things I've picked up from reading material on those subjects.

I found headphones invaluable - if i get my music on and knock out the background noise - or lack of sometimes - i can focus on damn near anything. Just need to remove the excess stimulus and replace it with my consistant music.

I'm not sure whether I should "recommend" this to others, but often, deadlines and commitments are the only way to keep me focused. They make me work more efficiently.

Do the unpleasantest things first, and set a realistic time limit. For example, if you really hate washing the dishes and there is a huge pile of them, decide that you're going to spend at least 10 but no more than 20 minutes on them. It may not even take that long, once you get started. But often, just getting started is the hardest part of doing something you hate. This has helped me reduce procrastination.