The Simple Shift To Help You Stay Focused and Avoid Distractions
Case Study
Malcolm has built and sold 2 businesses by the time he joined Optimize Your ADHD Brain.
Yet, he was constantly getting distracted while trying to do work.
He’d find himself remembering he needed to do a quick task and before he knew it, he would be down a rabbit hole far away from the task he actually had to do.
With a simple switch, Malcolm changed the way he dealt with these distractions and was able to stay focused on the task at hand for longer periods of time.
Thinking Skills
While you are doing any task, you (without even realizing it!) are using your 28 thinking skills.
When the thinking skills you need to use are strong, doing the task happens easily.
If the thinking skill you need to use is weak, doing the task will be a challenge.
The struggle that Malcolm had, came from a weak thinking skill of self-control.
Self-Control
I don’t think I’ve ever met a person, who can’t improve in the area of self-control.
It shows up different ways for different people but we all know at least one area where we can improve our ability of self-control.
Staying focused on the task hand, especially when there’s a little voice in the back of your mind yelling *do this now* comes from self-control.
Reinforced Action
Now before you come at me and say “I’ve got ADHD. I can’t control my thoughts. It just happens without my consent.”
Let me remind you: Every time you do an action, it gets reinforced in your brain, making it easier to do that action next time.
You literally make those neuron connections stronger.
You’ve been so used to doing the action the moment you remember it, that those neuron connections are super strong.
You simply need to create a new neuron path in your brain and it that one stronger, till it’s easier to stay focused then it is to do the other task.
Getting a Handle on the Distractions
Practically this is what you’ll want to do -
Create a system where you keep track of those little tasks you remember, because my guess is, a big part of the reason why you do it right now is that you might forget it in the future.
Malcolm had a sticky note on his screen where he would write down what he remembered and then then go back to his work.
Personally, I write out my schedule every day and keep that paper near me on my desk. If I remember something, I write it down at the bottom and know I’ll see it when I look at my schedule throughout the day.
Other ideas clients have used is having a notebook with sections to write what you remember in different sections or keeping a running google doc of information remembered.
What’s super important is to have ONE system to keep track of it all.
The moment you start keeping information in more than one place, your brain has more information to keep track of and forgets what’s where.
Pick ONE system and stick to it.
I will add, part of being able to stay focused on the task at hand even when there are 100 other thoughts coming in, is related to the thinking skill of categorizations. You can learn more about this in episode 461.
Your Challenge
Every action we do reinforces in our brain that action making it easier next time.
If you’re finding it difficult to stay focused when you’re brain remembers random thoughts, remind yourself you’re used to jumping from task to task and that’s why it’s hard now. You can train your brain to stay focused.
Your challenge this week is to pick ONE system you will use to keep track of your thoughts or tasks you remember. It can be a notebook, a google doc, whatever is best for you.
Then when you’re focusing on a task, any thoughts that come in go on in the place you’ve decided and you stay in the task you told yourself will do.
In the beginning this will be hard. It doesn’t mean you can’t do it.
Malcolm would share session after session how challenging it was, yet he didn’t give up.
Over time it became easier, especially when his brain started seeing the benefits of staying focused on the task at hand.
Cheers to Peak Brain Performance!
Hi, I'm ST,
Just like you, I want to be more efficient and effective.
Most entrepreneurs want to grow their business but already got a lot of stress.
At LifePix University we help you rewire your brain to become more efficient and effective while experiencing more inner peace.
Learn more here.
Your Essential Guide
to Cognitive Functions
This guide will give you all you need to start improving your cognitive functions. Learn what all 28 thinking skills are, how they apply to you and what you can do today to begin improving them.
Cognitive Functions Assessment
Thinking is not one big thing. Thinking is made up of 28 parts, called cognitive functions.
Take the FREE assessment to see where each of your cognitive functions are currently at.
We're on for 1M downloads
By the end of 2025
Can you help us reach our goal?
Share this podcast with someone you love!
The Simple Shift To Help You Stay Focused and Avoid Distractions
Case Study
Malcolm has built and sold 2 businesses by the time he joined Optimize Your ADHD Brain.
Yet, he was constantly getting distracted while trying to do work.
He’d find himself remembering he needed to do a quick task and before he knew it, he would be down a rabbit hole far away from the task he actually had to do.
With a simple switch, Malcolm changed the way he dealt with these distractions and was able to stay focused on the task at hand for longer periods of time.
Thinking Skills
While you are doing any task, you (without even realizing it!) are using your 28 thinking skills.
When the thinking skills you need to use are strong, doing the task happens easily.
If the thinking skill you need to use is weak, doing the task will be a challenge.
The struggle that Malcolm had, came from a weak thinking skill of self-control.
Self-Control
I don’t think I’ve ever met a person, who can’t improve in the area of self-control.
It shows up different ways for different people but we all know at least one area where we can improve our ability of self-control.
Staying focused on the task hand, especially when there’s a little voice in the back of your mind yelling *do this now* comes from self-control.
Reinforced Action
Now before you come at me and say “I’ve got ADHD. I can’t control my thoughts. It just happens without my consent.”
Let me remind you: Every time you do an action, it gets reinforced in your brain, making it easier to do that action next time.
You literally make those neuron connections stronger.
You’ve been so used to doing the action the moment you remember it, that those neuron connections are super strong.
You simply need to create a new neuron path in your brain and it that one stronger, till it’s easier to stay focused then it is to do the other task.
Getting a Handle on the Distractions
Practically this is what you’ll want to do -
Create a system where you keep track of those little tasks you remember, because my guess is, a big part of the reason why you do it right now is that you might forget it in the future.
Malcolm had a sticky note on his screen where he would write down what he remembered and then then go back to his work.
Personally, I write out my schedule every day and keep that paper near me on my desk. If I remember something, I write it down at the bottom and know I’ll see it when I look at my schedule throughout the day.
Other ideas clients have used is having a notebook with sections to write what you remember in different sections or keeping a running google doc of information remembered.
What’s super important is to have ONE system to keep track of it all.
The moment you start keeping information in more than one place, your brain has more information to keep track of and forgets what’s where.
Pick ONE system and stick to it.
I will add, part of being able to stay focused on the task at hand even when there are 100 other thoughts coming in, is related to the thinking skill of categorizations. You can learn more about this in episode 461.
Your Challenge
Every action we do reinforces in our brain that action making it easier next time.
If you’re finding it difficult to stay focused when you’re brain remembers random thoughts, remind yourself you’re used to jumping from task to task and that’s why it’s hard now. You can train your brain to stay focused.
Your challenge this week is to pick ONE system you will use to keep track of your thoughts or tasks you remember. It can be a notebook, a google doc, whatever is best for you.
Then when you’re focusing on a task, any thoughts that come in go on in the place you’ve decided and you stay in the task you told yourself will do.
In the beginning this will be hard. It doesn’t mean you can’t do it.
Malcolm would share session after session how challenging it was, yet he didn’t give up.
Over time it became easier, especially when his brain started seeing the benefits of staying focused on the task at hand.
Cheers to Peak Brain Performance!
Hi, I'm ST,
Just like you, I want to be more efficient and effective.
Most entrepreneurs want to grow their business but already got a lot of stress.
At LifePix University we help you rewire your brain to become more efficient and effective while experiencing more inner peace.
Learn more here.
Your Essential Guide
to Cognitive Functions
This guide will give you all you need to start improving your cognitive functions. Learn what all 28 thinking skills are, how they apply to you and what you can do today to begin improving them.
Cognitive Functions Assessment
Thinking is not one big thing. Thinking is made up of 28 parts, called cognitive functions.
Take the FREE assessment to see where each of your cognitive functions are currently at.
We're on for 1M downloads
By the end of 2025
Can you help us reach our goal?
Share this podcast with someone you love!
