Hey everyone!

I’m working on a university project and looking to interview people who struggle with attention span and/or being productive to get some firsthand insights. The interview would be super casual, just 5-10 minutes over Zoom or Google Meet, and I’d really appreciate your help!

If you’re interested and available this week, please comment below or DM me, and we can set up a time that works for you. Your perspective would be incredibly valuable!

Thanks so much in advance!

This past weekend I made my way to Brooklyn to attend two full days of workshops at the Strother School of Radical Attention (SoRA).

If you’ve not heard of SoRA, it’s a non-profit formed in the past couple years that’s raising awareness about our relationship to attention, how disruptive technological forces have reshaped and commodified our attention, and what we can do as a collective to regain dominion over it in all its varied forms.

SoRA runs Attention Labs. These are workshops led by facilitators who guide participants through a series of ‘Practices of Attention’. The purpose is to highlight and engage with forms of attention that can’t be commodified. These ways of paying attention are less common for us in our day-to-day lives and so are both novel and sometimes even uncomfortable.

After engaging in a practice, you’ll sit in a circle with the other participants, share your experiences, and engage in a discussion. As the facilitators say, this is where the magic happens. Listening is where attention really shines.

During this past weekend SoRA also hosted their first ever ‘Train the Trainer’ workshops. These helped participants learn how to run their own Attention Labs to bring back to their communities. Facilitation is not something I’ve done a lot of in my life, but the space and everyone in it was so encouraging that I felt really comfortable as I led a few small groups through some Practices of Attention.

While SoRA is young and small, it’s fantastically well-run and well-thought out. There’s a strong philosophical and socioeconomic underpinning to everything they teach and do. The facilitators were highly engaging, warm, patient, and just really fun. And SoRa’s space (which they call an Attention Sanctuary) in DUMBO is beautiful.

What’s also incredible is that all these workshops were free to attend. 

(They do often some courses that are paid. I signed up for a three-week Attention Activism 101 online course that’s been tremendous so far.)

If you’re starting to question social media + Big Tech and how they’ve reshaped your attention for their benefit and your detriment, SoRA is a great entry point to explore this further.

I'll be sharing more of what I've learned (and continue to learn) over at r/attentioneering if you're interested.

I find my focus gets condensed and I don't move around a lot when my exam is near. When it is far away, I feel like I have a lot of time so I procrastinate. I hate myself more when I procrastinate has anyone else ever faced this? I would check out new books all the time, watch movies, check twt and all but right before the exams it all evaporates and I realized I procrastinate till the very end which is very stressful and I always end up feeling guilty.

If you have how did you maintain your consistency and focus for longer periods- weeks and months? I have certain things I have to crack this year- and those are all very near, so any tips on being steady?

hi I'm 17M and have a huge exam two months later, which I haven't prepared for at all. I have to cover the whole syllebus in two months. The problem is that i cannot study at all. Whenever i open my pc intending to watch lectures, 10 minutes later i find myself on social media scrolling or watching random videos, wasting the whole time. When i sit with a book open, my mind wanders and i cannot focus at all. Do i have ADHD? What should i do to combat this? My life kinda depends on this exam❤️

Is there a specific music genre, either within LOFI or another type of beat, that helps focus the most. I’m looking to find the most specific music/beat style genre that’ll have the greatest impact on my deep focus sessions

I am studying with my friend for an exam which has 4 levels of exam in them. Until last week we were studying together and I successfully scored quite handsome scores on 3 of the exam and this week I decided to study alone for the 4th module. However I have observed that my focus while studying alone is very low. every 2 mins I start thinking about something related to office,life future and wander around. how do I focus ??? As I will be appearing for a Competitive exam soon which is a bit hard to crack.

Advice pleaseee

I’m a PhD student who is six months in and already struggling with focusing on my work and life in general. I know a lot of it is because of my depression and lack of interest in my work but I desperately need some help and/or support.

Where it is ? Is it this rubber cap with gray triangle at the front of it (i wssume its the breather) or somthing different?

I have a problem I really should address. I struggle with lack of focus when learning or even just reading about new topics. This is especially the case with topics I have zero interest in. These things however are still basic, practical knowledge that I need to be succesful at, to just be a functioning human being.

I have been very depressed for years due to trauma and due to my working from home, I use technology a lot more than I should. I'm not sure how much is true about being on a screen shortening your attention span, but it certainly hasn't helped.

What is a contributing factor is that I failed this one exam multiple times, so now my brain is creating a block, kind of like studying for it again is futile and it brings back bad memories of failing in the past. Not being able to do this is also something I get judged very harshly on, because it's something a lot of people can do or seem to be able to do without much effort, but my mind doesn't really grasp practical, manual info very well. The shame, combined with the failures is creating a very unhealthy mindset. I try to set up plans for myself to get a certain amount done in a day, but I usually come up short, so everything is always delayed, because there's not really a set date to do it. This is a negative cycle and I really need to get out of it, because I am slowly ruining my life. I want to improve this, I need to.

Hello guys how can i improve my focus ? The noise around me is high and i cant control them

give me a way that aint need technology, thanks

As a scatterbrained person, where my heads goes topic to topic on my head. This simple app had helped me focus through its music and time tracker. The interface is simple while the animation is great. But if there is any other app you use for studying and working. Please let me know the app name and why you like & purchased it. Thanks.

The NY Times published its 12 Predictions for Life in 2025.

This was their #1 prediction:

If our thoughts this year have felt like pinballs in a machine — clattering, bopping and bouncing in all directions at the mercy of incessant smartphone notifications — 2025 will be when we reset the game. Workshops now promise to teach the art of reclaiming attention, states are passing laws that restrict phone use in schools and some people are swearing off their devices in February instead of alcohol in January. And TkTk, known for an algorithm that can make it particularly difficult to pry eyes off screens, has come one step closer to being banned in the United States.

Reclaiming attention is something I've been working on (and writing about) for most of 2024 (sharing what I learn here and in r/attentioneering when r/focus goes dormant once in awhile). I think it's foundational to all productivity hacks (not to mention a life well-lived).

Do you agree with this assessment?

How are you working to improve your attention this year?

Hi everyone! I was just scrolling through the internet and came across an ad of this product and was wondering if anyone tried it? I want to know does it give you a lot of focus in comparison to like a coffee with an espresso shot or what. Or any other recommandations? I need it for final exams. Thanks!

Hey, I made this browser extension to highlight the most important sentences on webpages you’re reading using AI language models.

It adds animated highlights to the top 20% most important sentences within a couple seconds. You can skip between the key sentences using the Return and Shift keys instead of scrolling.

I made this for you and anyone you know who finds concentrating on longform text difficult.

Official Site: xofocus.net Chrome Extension: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/xofocus-text-highlighter/fjpepbjcknmifnmglginohfdljijdclj

So, for background, I made this because reading is getting more burdensome (I’ve heard Gen Alpha can barely do it anymore) and I think that rather than chatting with an AI or using summarizers, intelligent highlighting like this can enhance the reading experience, especially if you have trouble focussing

Excited for you all to try it and let me know what you think.

In 2024 I wanted to become a better person, focus on my career, focus on my classes (I study in college), and get a job. Now its 2025 and I’m doom scrolling so fucking much, even i started hating myself for it. How to overcome myself and get to studying, learning, getting better. When I make a mistake, when my code doesn’t work( Im studying python for AI and Data Science) I just give up, and play games or scroll through instagram or tiktok. It really pisses me off. How to change? Please help me asap, I have exams in a week or so. And i dont know shit.

In order to reach incredible productivity and be the best at what you do, you need to love what you do. You need to love the day-to-day tasks that take you to where you want to go.

But the truth is, most people don’t, and I do not expect you to either

But this is how to become the greatest at what you do, this is the only way you can do the work required to be the best.

So you need to love your work, even if you don’t enjoy it.

This is possible

Let me tell you how:

The work required to be the best at something, is significantly hard. You will go through some pain. But the only thing stronger than pain is pleasure, so you need to be able to derive some pleasure from the pain.

The secret is to learn how to enjoy the difficulty of work, this is the mindset shift you will make to get work done like never before. You need to have an attitude towards pain so that you actively invite and enjoy it.

This is a mindset shift many already make in other areas of their life, such as exercise.

I learned to love working out and pushing myself. I had already proven to my brain that pain in the short term leads to success in the long term. So when I began my business, I was able to apply this exact same mindset to my work, because I understood that even when work was hard, that it was good for me, and by pushing through the pain of work, that I was improving, and I was becoming better in the process.

I knew that I was doing something good for me, so I learned to enjoy it even when it was hard.

You don’t need to genuinely love the day to day tasks that make up your work, but by understanding that you are exercising your mind by working, and that you are improving.

This will allow you to completely shift your mindset towards work. And enjoy the work that you do. So when I sit down to work, and I don't want to, and it's hard and it's painful, I still love it. Because my brain understands that the pain I get from working will provide me with great things in the future, and I love that, so I subsequently love to work, and I enjoy it.

Hope this helps! cheers :)

How to be more focused and in tune with your brain.

I packed this article with everything I know about focus - its maintenance and improvement. As always - no unnecessary talk, just pure useful value.

First things first

Obviously, you can’t stay focused for long if you don’t get good sleep regularly (caffeine is not a substitute for sleeping well). Sleep deprivation is detrimental not only to concentration but to the entire body. There is no way around it.

It’s also optimal (but optional) to get:

• Sunlight early in the morning (10 minutes, double if it is cloudy).
• Cold shower or immersion (30 sec to 3 minutes, if shower, avoid cold water on head).
• Caffeine (early in the morning).
• L-Tyrosine supplements (early in the morning, 500 mg - 1 gr,). More about supplements later.
• Exercise: anything will give you everything.
• Reduce smartphone usage = max 2h/day.
• Be well hydrated.
• Meditate (3-17min. Choose an “anchor” to focus on. If you lose focus, imagine cutting a ribbon as the end of distracting thought).
• White noise or
• 40Hz Binaural beats before work. Here’s a warmup for you (there's a link in the original post)

Find your focus indicator

The idea is to give your brain a visual representation of entering “work mode”. What I do is put the figurine on my desk and tap it 2 times on its head every time I am about to work. This is a kind of signal that the focus block just started.

My sessions are 90 min each. If I really need to take a break (toilet or anything unpredictable) I tap once and turn the figurine around. I also stop the timer. As you can see - the idea here is to enter “deep work mode” whenever the figurine is looking at me. I treat it as my personal discipline guardian. The thing is that no one will know if you are cheating. That's why you also need willpower. But we will talk more about this in the rest of the article.

It would be best to have a separate computer in a separate room. An office, just for work. But that's a comfort that many can't afford. In that case, a separate browser just for work is not a bad idea either. Something on the desk as a “guardian” and a separate browser (template or whatever you work on) to give work a different feeling is a good combo.

It won’t work instantly, but as you keep doing it, your brain will connect the dots. This Pavlov’s dog-like idea may seem

Productivity is hard, even though it is good for us, so why can't we stayed focused sometimes? Shouldn’t productivity be easy?

The reason why productivity is hard is because your brain wants to keep you safe.

The difficulty of productivity is decided by how you view yourself in relation to your work. For example, if you view yourself as very productive, then productivity will be significantly easier for you than if you didn’t.

This happens because your brain does not like change. This is also why our personalities and values remain relatively the same throughout our lives. When we do something atypical of ourselves, our brain dislikes this and you feel negative emotions. Our brains want us to remain as we are, and this is because we have proven to be able to survive in our current state.

And this happens because your brain is only concerned about your survival, and your “current self” is surviving just fine, you are surviving well in your current state right now.

So your brain doesn’t see the need to change, it wants you to remain as the person that you are right now, because you’ve established that you can survive in your current state.

So how does this stying focused and being productive difficult?

This is because, when you do things like work, and other tasks where more is expected of you than what you currently are, these situations cause you to improve, and therefore change.

Your brain doesn’t like change, even when you’re improving, because your brain is solely focused on your survival, and it doesn’t want the risk of you changing.

Situations like working cause you to become a better version of yourself, and to become a better version of yourself, your current self has to die, for the new and improved you, to take its place.

And your brain doesn’t want that, your brain sees changing, even improving, as risky, because you are surviving just fine in your current state, your brain doesn’t want you to change, your brain wants you to stay who you are.

So how can you make productivity easier? You can make productivity significantly easier by viewing yourself as a hard worker, because then hard work becomes typical of you, so you are no longer changing as much, so your brain produces less negative emotion when you are being productive.

But this is much harder than it sounds, because the only way to view yourself as a hard worker, is by working hard, and you know deep down if you are trying as hard as you can.

But if you are working very hard, very diligently, and you are genuinely trying your best, then productivity and staying focused will become easy for you.

This is Neuroproductivity, which is NO-BS productivity (productivity using science) if you are interested I got this from moretimeoffline+com they only use productivity based on science, they have great free stuff there.

Hope this helps! cheers :)

Hey everyone! I’m Christoffer, one of the founders of a newly launched app called Soundscape, and I’m excited to introduce myself and our app to the focus community here on Reddit! We built Soundscape with the belief that creating the perfect environment for concentration should be simple and accessible—not complicated or costly. Since this community is all about optimizing focus, I’d love to hear feedback from fellow focus enthusiasts

What is Soundscape?
Soundscape is a designed to create an environment optimized for concentration. Our curated soundscapes help you block out distractions and stay in the zone, while smart tools like time management features and deep focus modes make sure you’re working efficiently, not just harder.

Key Features of Soundscape:

Completely Free with Your Spotify/Apple Music Subscription:
Enjoy uninterrupted, ad-free audio simply by linking your Spotify or Apple Music account. No hidden fees, no intrusive ads—just a seamless, powerful experience.

Custom Soundscapes:
We offer expertly crafted soundscapes designed to enhance focus, minimize distractions, and boost productivity. Whether you need deep focus or a relaxed environment, we’ve got you covered.

Time Management Tools:
Use tools like Pomodoro or Timeboxing to break tasks into manageable intervals, helping you stay productive without burnout. Perfect for tackling long study sessions or focused work blocks.

Deep Focus Mode:
Our Deep Focus Mode allows you to block distracting apps and notifications during work sessions so you can stay in the zone and fully concentrate.

Usage Graphs:
Track your focus patterns over time with easy-to-read visuals that highlight your productivity spikes, so you can identify your most productive times and optimize your workflow.

I’m really proud of what we’ve built with Soundscape, and it’s completely free to use if you already have a Spotify or Apple Music subscription.

Check it out here: https://apps.apple.com/app/soundscape-focus-music-timer/id6480119395

(Android version coming soon)

Looking forward to hearing your feedback, and feel free to ask any questions!

Let’s talk about how to make your brain WANT to work.

Our brain centers our decision making around dopamine, this means that our brain is constantly scanning our environment for higher dopamine-inducing activities to replace the activity you are currently doing.

When you are working, and you are trying to focus on something, your brain constantly scans your environment for other higher dopamine-inducing activities you can do instead of work.

So when your brain recognizes an activity that provides more dopamine than work, your brain will want to do that instead.

This is why your environment is so important. The more dopamine-inducing distractions around you, the more willpower you’ll need to keep working. 

And when you have less dopamine-inducing objects in your environment, it is easier to continue working, and less willpower is needed.

You can take this to another level. The reason why your environment is so powerful is because if there’s nothing else that surrounds you, if there is no other activity that provides you with more dopamine than work, then your brain will gravitate towards working.

When you don’t have your phone, or any of your devices, and your environment is clear of heavy dopamine inducing objects, your brain will gravitate towards work. You don’t want any other stimulating activity to even be an option.

Essentially, you want to make working the most dopamine inducing activity available in your environment so that you’re not constantly using your willpower to avoid another activity, Work will become the activity that provides the most dopamine, so instead of constantly resisting something else, your brain will gravitate towards work.

And I can’t tell you enough about how powerful and life changing that utilizing this can be, this can really make work easy.

So while we can use our willpower to resist higher dopamine inducing things, we can also structure our environment, so that working and being productive is the highest dopamine inducing activity at our disposal, and we will gravitate towards work.

P.s. This post is based on Neuroproductivity, which is NO-BS productivity (productivity using science) if you are interested I got this from moretimeoffline+com they only use productivity based on science, they have great free stuff there

Hope this helps! cheers :)