ADHD Music

Anyone else get more done in a coffee shop than anywhere else?

Posted by jamie_adhd · 5 days ago · 24 replies · 706 views

I've tested this enough times to be confident it's not a coincidence. At home I can spend two hours doing almost nothing. Put me in a coffee shop with my headphones and the same task, and I'm done in 45 minutes.

I know it's probably the body doubling effect plus the ambient noise plus the slight social pressure of looking like I'm doing something.

But it's also something about the coffee shop music, I think. Like the curated background hum of the place. Anyone else? And has anyone successfully replicated this at home?

4 replies

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tomas_t 5 days ago

I've started going to the library instead of a coffee shop — same ambient focus energy but cheaper. The sound is slightly different (quieter, more rustling pages) but the effect is similar. Something about being around other focused people.

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sasha_late_dx 5 days ago

The body doubling part is doing a lot of work here. I tried a virtual coworking space (a video call where everyone just works silently) and got more done in 90 minutes than I had in the previous two days.

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ravi_focus 5 days ago

Yes and I've been trying to recreate it for years. The closest I've got is: a lo-fi café ambience YouTube stream, my headphones in even though nothing is playing except that, and sitting at a specific spot in my kitchen (not my usual seat). The location change seems to matter almost as much as the sound.

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zoewired 5 days ago

What breaks it for me at home is that at home I KNOW there are dishes to do, laundry that needs doing, stuff I 'should' be doing. Coffee shop removes all that context. There's nothing to do there except work.

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Anyone else get more done in a coffee shop than anywhere else?

4 replies

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