Finding Focus

I've subscribed to Men's Journal for a couple of years now. I don't always find it terribly enlightening, but I do like the "Ask Dr. Bob" column where readers write in with questions for Dr. Bob Arnot, the magazine's "in-house doc." A reader this month worries because he has trouble maintaining concentration at work that he has ADHD and that he probably had it has a child. The first part of the reply doesn't do much for me because it involves tests and medications (that I wouldn't sit still for!), but the rest of it hits home:

But even if you're not an ADHD sufferer, there are steps you can take to improve concentration and performance on the job. First, get some help organizing your work environment so it provides the fewest distractions. Save Web surfing and e-mail checking for your lunch break, and don't engage in those extracurricular activities until you've completed a certain number of tasks. Create the next day's to-do list the night before so you come into the office with a game plan. Another good tactic: Before finishing a task, project, or an e-mail, tell yourself to focus for a few more minutes. This will help you increase your attention span and become better at focusing. And although multitasking is often championed, it's usually better to focus on one job at a time.

Sounds good to me. I'll see what I can do.