Sensory load and focus
Sensory load is everything your senses are taking in at once: noise, light, movement, the feel of clothes or a chair. Most of it goes unnoticed until it adds up. For many autistic and ADHD people the threshold comes sooner, and focus is often the first thing to go.
Why it adds up
Differences in how sensory input is processed are common in autism and are now part of how it is described. They are not only about being more sensitive: some people seek out certain input, some notice it less, and the same person can do both on different days.
Noise does not have to be loud to cost something. In a study of office work, background speech made people do worse on memory and reading tasks and feel more tired afterwards, even when it was not loud.
Robertson & Baron-Cohen, 2017. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 18(11)
Jahncke et al., 2011. Journal of Environmental Psychology 31(4)
Lower the load before you start
It is easier to set up a calmer space before a session than to push through one that is too loud halfway in. Small changes add up the same way the load does.
Four things to try
- Use headphones or ear plugs, or a steady sound like rain instead of speech.
- Close tabs and put the phone out of sight, so less is moving on screen.
- Change the light: dimmer, warmer, or away from a bright window.
- Plan quieter work for the times and places you know are calmer.
How Sailyn keeps the screen calm
Sailyn shows one task at a time. Too much right now clears Now down to one small thing, rewards can be hidden, motion can be stilled and contrast and text size raised in Settings, and a session can play a steady background sound and close the sites and apps you choose.
Sailyn is a planner and a focus timer. It is not a medical device, it treats nothing, and nothing on these pages is advice about a condition.
Know what you need to do, but can't get started? Sailyn gives you one next step, a plan that adapts, and no penalty for difficult days.