Attention span and productivity

If I let myself, I fall into a trap of flicking mindless through browser tabs and work apps.
5 x mailboxes, 2 calendars, twitter, forum, news sites, work files on constant rotation.

I never stay in the same place for more then a minute.

It has almost turned into a muscle memory thing, when I actually do focus in on something I often automatically CMD+Tab to toggle through my open apps and flit around.
I end up doing 10 different things at once, giving non of them my proper attention.

It can really impact my work efficiency and quality.

I've got friends who swear by the Pomodoro technique, but I struggle to do the 25 mins required.

What do you guys reckon?
How do you manage your time?
How do you keep focus...?
What techniques do you use to work efficiently/effectively?

TL;DR?

I'm fairly certain I am OCD Inatentive. I score top of the chart on online tests. Focussing is incredibly difficult for me and completing tasks is torture. It's caused huge issues at work because I learn new software much slower than my colleagues because I lose focus so quickly. I can hyper concentrate at times, and this is a trait of OCDI, usually when I'm concentrating on writing. If I enjoy it I can sometimes maintain focus. My mind is a total sieve most of the time though and I struggle with many basic things like organising bank accounts, paying bills, booking tickets, etc.
Not easy!

ha! I work in inverse pomodoros:

1. Review all tasks
   
2. Decide on the task to be done
   
3. Prevaricate
   
4. Distract yourself with a cuppa / wee / looking out of window / kandy krush
   
5. Set the pomodoro timer to n minutes (traditionally 3)
   
6. Work on the task until the timer rings; record with an x
   
7. Take a short break (15 minutes)
   
8. After four pomodoros, take a longer break (25–30 minutes)
   

Get a butler.

This sounds familiar.

I can pick things up really quickly, but once I think I 'get it' I have no interest in detail and my mind and attention wanders.

While at the same time, sometimes my focus is absolutely insane and I completely zone everything out and can work with intense focus uninterrupted for hours and hours.
I am a UX designer, so this usually happens when I am prototyping.

It is the inconsistency that gets me.

Today I am flitting around, starting 100 small jobs and finishing nothing.

I'm doing a lot of staring into middle distance, starting and stopping writing projects, drinking tea and thinking about having a wank.

I wouldn't mind but I'm at work.

you have colleagues who are entitled to smoke breaks in working time, yes?

I never understood why this is acceptable in a working environment, not something I can have.

"I'm going outside for a five minutes break" won't wash it.

Might have to take up smoking.

or wnking

the trick is to be a religious smoker - prayer and fag breaks are protected

Might have to take up smoking.

I see you as more of a pipe smoker*, Ed.

*not a euph

I'm pretty easily distracted. Partly it's down to doing a very repetitive and boring job. Recently after starting my current position, my productivity was through the floor. I've never tried the Pomodoro technique but I doubt it would work for me. The technique itself is more fascinating than the work I do and not long after starting I'll have done no work and read a couple of wikipedia articles on time management techniques.

I've found productivity has gone up massively since I've started listening to podcasts at work. That keeps the easily distracted part of my brain happy while the rest of it churns through the drudgery of daily life. The only difficulty is sourcing 5+ hours of listening material every working day. I'm starting to run out of things to binge listen to.

Have you tried the 99% Invisible podcast?

I've listened to 1 so there's a good amount of listening there. I'm not sure I could binge listen to that quite as much. Answer Me This is great because it's the sort of office banter that I wish would go on here but my colleagues are to busy talking about the latest reality TV nonsense.