Staying focused is hard.

[TheOdyssey]

And avoid YouTube at all costs, or you'll end up watching videos about cats having a lightsaber battle in front of the local Starbucks.

Yep.

Thanks for all the advice! I'll be sure to try all the stuff I've read.

[TheOdyssey]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I tried them all and I'm very pleased with the outcome I managed to put together a small demo of an idea I've been thinking about. I hope to share it soon. I'm LÖVING it. (No pun intended.)

Okay... that pun was totally intended

[T-Bone]

And avoid YouTube at all costs, or you'll end up watching videos about cats having a lightsaber battle in front of the local Starbucks.

Yep.

Thanks for all the advice! I'll be sure to try all the stuff I've read.

Here's another piece of advice: Ignore all advice in this thread

[s-ol]

-snip-

Here's another piece of advice: Ignore all advice in this thread

well, now he has someone to blame too

[Relazy]

I am surprised no-one mentioned desktop timers. They are so simple and work as a charm, just watching the time trickle down can be really motivating. I often used to take 20 minute breaks that extended into 40 and then 60 etc, but with a timer running you know exactly how much time you are spending and on what.

A plan and a timer are probably the most powerful tools for motivation but one cannot go without the other or it starts to fall apart.

[tjohnman]

I've recently discovered at my new programming day job that I'm extremely time-efficient and productive when I know someone is depending on me or has high expectations of me. Strangely enough, just by realizing that I've found myself to be more productive when going solo.

My advice is to find out the root of your issue, on a personal level. By understanding *why* you lose focus you will be more effective working on solving it. In general, finding out what makes you tick will be incredibly useful in life.

[fleshwhiskey]

I find myself most focused when I give myself a deadline and treat my projects like homework. I then get super dedicated to it, and I'll even pull all-nighters to finish it. Though it's not the best of methods, it gets me going.