Optimizing Attention

Neurodiverse students, especially those with ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and/or executive functioning difficulties, face unique challenges with sustaining attention and staying focused. This can be particularly challenging in the college environment with less external structure, fewer reminders, and greater demands for self-management.

With the right strategies, you can learn to optimize your attention and focus to make progress toward your academic goals.

What impacts attention?

There are a wide range of factors that can impact our attention on any given day and at any given moment. For example, we can be affected by:

Environmental conditions: sensory input (e.g., noise level, lighting), presence of other people, visual stimuli, location
Timing: time of day, length of work sessions, frequency of breaks
Internal factors: fatigue, emotional reactions to tasks (e.g., feeling overwhelmed or stressed), level of interest in the task

Strategies for Optimizing Your Attention

Find Your Ideal Stimulus Range

Neurodiverse brains often struggle with being understimulated or overstimulated.

Understimulation happens when your brain isn’t receiving enough sensory input to keep you engaged, so you might feel easily distractible or unmotivated. For example, you might find yourself frequently scrolling on your phone when working on a boring task.

Overstimulation happens when your brain receives too much sensory input and can result in feelings of overwhelm and difficulty concentrating. For example, if you are trying to work in a crowded coffee shop you might feel overwhelmed by different noises and have trouble paying attention to the task at hand.

If you are understimulated, try finding healthy sources of stimulation by:

Having a cold or carbonated drink
Eating a crunchy, spicy, or sour snack
Listening to energizing music
Moving your body (e.g., using a fidget, walking around, light stretching)

If you are overstimulated, try down-regulating your nervous system by:

Using a weighted blanket
Dimming the lights
Using noise-cancelling headphones
Listening to music with a calming tempo

Use Timing and Breaks Strategically

Our bodies and brains have natural rhythms, where we feel more or less awake, energized, and focused. It is important to work with our bodies (instead of against them) to create routines that support our focus and energy.

Schedule tasks to match your energy and focus levels:

Try scheduling low energy or less mentally intensive tasks during periods of the day where you struggle to focus or feel energized. If you are someone who gets tired during the late afternoon period, perhaps this is a time to go to the gym, call family/friends, or preview lecture material.
During times of day when you feel more focused or energized, plan to do more mentally intensive tasks (e.g., writing a paper, working on a PSET).

Utilize breaks to your advantage:

Consider how long you can realistically work before your focus starts to wane and plan around that, rather than trying to “push through” until you complete a task.
Consider engaging in breaks that will recharge your energy, rather than drain or distract you. For example, restful breaks might include taking a short walk, stretching, doodling, making a cup of tea/coffee, or having a snack. Less restful breaks might include scrolling on your phone or responding to emails. It’s important to note that what is restful to someone else might feel draining for you and vice versa.

Manage Your Study Environment

Our physical location can have a big impact on our ability to sustain attention. Consider how you can leverage your environment to support your attention.

Choose the right location for the task:

Use quiet or moderate noise spaces depending on the level of stimulation your brain needs to focus on the task.
For example, when working on a repetitive or boring task, perhaps your brain needs the background noise of a coffee shop to remain engaged.
If you are someone who prefers quiet spaces for mentally intensive tasks (e.g., writing a paper), choose from the many study spots at the library or the 24-hour Study Space at Lathrop.
Try having a few study spots you can interchangeably go to and keep things novel. Some neurodiverse brains also benefit from switching locations when they are transitioning to a different task.

Manage visual and technological distractions:

Close unrelated tabs and apps
Use focus modes on your phone/laptop
Use app and website blockers if you find yourself getting distracted by certain apps or websites
Leave your phone in another location

Reduce decision fatigue:

Set your workspace up the same way each time
Create a “study kit” with pens, pencils, headphones, and any other materials you need to get started
Decide on location, materials, snacks before starting a work session

Use Attention Checks

If you find yourself being easily distracted, you may benefit from structured check-ins with yourself to assess your level of focus and attention.

Set a timer for however long you can typically sustain your attention for (e.g., 10 minutes, 15 minutes). When the timer goes off, check in with yourself about whether you are on or off task.

If you are on task, can you continue working or would you like to take a break?
If you are off task, what can you do to reset? For example, you might take a 5-minute walk before returning to the task.
You can set up multiple check-ins over the course of your study time.
If you are frequently off task, see additional strategies to help with getting started on tasks and managing procrastination.

Be mindful of your off-task warning signs and how to redirect your attention.

For example, if you tend to reach for your phone when you are feeling distracted, you might place a post-it note on your phone reminding you to attend to your task.

Create a parking lot/later list

Write down any to-do items you think of in the moment so that you are not tempted to pursue them immediately instead of working on the task at hand.

Self-Reflection

As you consider what strategies might be helpful, take a few minutes to reflect:

How long can I typically focus before needing a break?
When during the day do I feel most focused or productive?
Do I focus better when there is a sense or urgency or time pressure?
Which environments support my attention best? Does it differ across tasks?
Do I work better around other people or alone? Does it depend on the task I’m doing?
What are my most common off-task warning signs?
Which strategies have helped me in the past? What is one strategy that I want to try?

Use this checklist to experiment with different strategies. Keep track of strategies as you try them and make note of what was helpful (or unhelpful).

It is also important to note that sometimes a strategy that works for you in one situation may not work in another situation. Keep a “toolkit” of strategies you can draw from.

Area of Concern/Challenge What is one area where I’ve been struggling to focus?	Strategy What strategy or strategies am I going to try to address this?	Reflect Was it helpful? Is there anything you might adjust to make it more helpful?
Example: I get really bored responding to Canvas discussion posts for my history class. It’s so easy, but also feels really repetitive, so I can’t help scrolling on my phone.	Listen to a podcast in the background Put my phone in another room	The podcast was a little too engaging, so I’ll try listening to energizing music next time I didn’t reach for my phone since I left it elsewhere
Example: I sit down to do my math PSET and before I know it, a few hours have passed and I haven’t gotten any of it done. Instead, I’m responding to emails or watching videos that are kind of related to the course topic.	Set a timer every 20 minutes for a routine attention check Try to pay attention to when I’m spending too long on a task that is unrelated to my PSET	I might try setting the timer to 15 minutes because I’m getting distracted before the 20-minute mark I was more mindful about watching videos that actually helped me complete the PSET

Optimizing your attention can help improve your academic performance. Try out different strategies and see what works best for you. Remember that change takes time – be patient and persistent as you work on these skills.

If you would like additional support or want to brainstorm individualized strategies, schedule an appointment with one of our academic coaches!

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Optimizing Attention

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 License. You may reproduce it only for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: Center for Teaching and Learning, Stanford University.

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