How Coding Habits Impact Workplace Focus

As a software engineer juggling ADHD and PTSD, I've had to get creative with my work habits. Here's a peek into the strategies that keep me productive. 👨💻🎧 🔊 Loud Music for Laser Focus Forget lo-fi — give me that high-energy beat to lock in my concentration and keep my mind from drifting. 🖥️ Single Screen, Singular Focus Despite the popularity of multi-monitor setups, a single screen minimizes distractions and maximizes my coding flow. 🚫 Strategic Meeting Minimization Meetings can be a significant flow disruptor. I now schedule a dedicated four-hour block for uninterrupted coding, significantly boosting my output. 📴 Phone Coffin: Out of Sight, Out of Mind My phone goes into a literal coffin, and my watch gets docked. If it's urgent, Slack or Teams is the way to reach me. 🔕 Do Not Disturb: My Silent Ally DND mode is non-negotiable during my focused coding blocks to keep those pings and dings at bay. ⏲️ The Countdown Timer Technique A physical timer sets the boundary for my work sprints, helping me stay on track and reminding me when to take a break. 🤖 AI Tools: My Secret Sauce From scheduling with Motion to note-taking with Notion, AI tools help me stay organized and in the zone. And Copilot? It's my co-coding companion that lets me stay in my editor longer. These are my adjustments to keep me coding at my best. If you're navigating similar challenges or seeking focus-enhancing tips, I hope these insights inspire you. Stay productive, and keep coding! #CodingWithADHD #ProductivityHacks #SoftwareDevelopment #MentalHealthAwareness

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘀𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆—𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲? I came across a great post by Dr Milan Milanović discussing how 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝟯 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 (link below). That might not sound like much, but in a typical workday filled with 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀, 𝘂𝗻𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗰𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸-𝗶𝗻𝘀, 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝘀 𝘂𝗽—𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁. Now, imagine this: 🔹 A manager asks a developer to “𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝟯𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀” to review something or join a quick sync. 🔹 The task itself might indeed take 30 minutes, but 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿. 🔹 The developer loses focus, takes time to regain their mental model, and suddenly 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 “𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸” 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲. For those working on complex architectures, debugging critical issues, or designing system-level software, deep focus isn’t optional—it’s a necessity. But constant disruptions make meaningful work almost impossible. 𝗔 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲? 🔹 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘀—Instead of pulling people into random syncs, set dedicated slots where teams can clarify open points. 🔹 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲—Not every issue is urgent. Let people get into flow instead of expecting instant responses. 🔹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗰 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀—Before scheduling a meeting, ask: Could this be an email or a written update instead? 🔹 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 “𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸”—A 30-minute task might mean an hour of lost productivity. 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀: Protect your focus. Some simple but powerful habits: ✅ 𝗠𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀—Don’t let every message break your flow. ✅ 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 & 𝗜𝗠𝘀—Pick a time slot to respond, rather than reacting instantly. ✅ 𝗦𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱—Push back (politely) when something can wait. ✅ 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀—Focus is your most valuable resource. 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲. Let’s be intentional about how we collaborate. Have you experienced the impact of “just 30 minutes”? Let’s discuss. #SoftwareDevelopment #Productivity #DeepWork #EngineeringCulture #Leadership #WorkplaceEfficiency #Collaboration #FocusTime #TechLeadership

You're not lazy. You're not "bad at focusing." You have 30 tabs open, 5 projects half-built, and a brain that mostly just wants to put on some headphones and make something good. For a lot of developers, especially those of us who are ADHD or on the spectrum, that isn't a flaw to fix. It's wiring to work with. Here's what nobody says out loud: One interruption costs you 23 minutes of focus (Gloria Mark's research is brutal on this - https://lnkd.in/ghyQzDGs). Juggle 5 projects and you lose 40%+ of your coding time to switching alone. Focus isn't a character test. It's a skill. Here are 4 research-backed, 5-minute techniques I share with the developers I coach. 1. Brain dump before you start Write down every open loop, every tab, every half-thought. Your working memory is tiny. Offloading clears the exact resource you need to code. Research confirms it measurably improves performance. https://lnkd.in/g3VmTVqy 2. Box breathing reset In 4, hold 4, out 4, hold 4. Do it before you start, not after you're stuck. A 2025 study found it sharpened attention markers, especially in people with inattention symptoms. If your brain runs hot, this one's for you. https://lnkd.in/gqMxA_cN 3. Movement break between tasks Stand up. Walk. Stretch. Even a few squats. Short movement boosts the brain system that runs focus and decision-making. A 2024 neuroimaging study saw executive function climb right after. https://lnkd.in/gTmHDZzk 4. The 5-minute start (body doubling) Tell someone, "I'm doing X for the next 5 minutes," then just begin. For ADHD brains, starting is the wall. Another person's presence externalizes motivation. Research found people finished tasks faster with a body double present. https://lnkd.in/gMMKsr2j You don't need to become a different person. You don't need to love open-plan chaos. You don't need to "just try harder." You need a few small levers that fit the brain you actually have. If you're a mid-level dev figuring out your next move, a promotion, a new role, or just a workday that doesn't fry you, that's exactly what I help people untangle. DMs are open. No pitch, just a conversation. What's the one technique you're going to try this week?

A habit that made me miserable (and unproductive) as a data scientist: Multitasking everything. I thought doing more at once meant getting more done. WRONG. Now I block out time for deep focus—and it's the single best thing I've done for my energy & execution. Here are 4 common work activities I now do with full attention: 1. All of my messages & email I used to respond to every ping the moment it popped up. So now, I check Slack and email in-between every focused work block. This way, I'm not constantly context-switching, and I actually finish the work I start. 2. All of my code reviews and bug tickets I used to review PRs while flipping between meetings and code writing sessions. So now, I set aside uninterrupted blocks just for code reviews. This way, I catch more issues, leave better feedback, and avoid double-work later. 3. All of my deck prep I used to build slides in-between meetings, check-ins, and random distractions. So now, I treat it like a creative sprint—one clear session to shape the narrative and build. This way, the story holds up, the visuals connect, and the deck actually does its job. 4. All of my learning 95% of my learning now happens in deep-focus time—one tab, one notebook, one concept. By the time I revisit the material, I’m not catching up—I’m building on top of it—like with the graph model I implemented last week! Boom! That’s it. See if you can do more of your “usual” tasks in full focus—I guarantee it'll change the way you think about “productivity.” ---- If you love ideas like this, you’ll love my latest newsletter: 3 Frameworks To Help You Operate Like a Senior Data Scientist Link in the comments