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Background: When I'm coding, I sometimes make tea, and as long as I'm drinking the tea, I find myself more focused. Drinking tea seems to make me focus more. Thus, it seems that while doing something else I am less likely to be distracted. Another example that seems similar is listening to music while working out (running for example).

Question

  • Is there a term that describes the process by which engaging in a small secondary task increases focus on the primary task?
  • Are the two examples of drinking tea while coding and listening to music while working out related?
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as is, i think this question is too broad. yes, 'things' can help people focus on other 'things'. in the psych literature, it's called attention. it's worth noting that caffeine (in tea) can cause increased attention. so perhaps that plays a role in your case. (in fact, this may be a viable question if you limit this to possible effects of tea on attention) – Jeff Jul 25 '12 at 22:50
@Roronoa Zoro: I know exactly what you are referring to as I experience it. It has to do with overriding focus, this question slightly touches yours, may want to take a look. :cogsci.stackexchange.com/questions/1296/… – Greg McNulty Jul 26 '12 at 0:50

closed as not a real question by Jeff, Artem Kaznatcheev, Chuck Sherrington, H.Muster, Josh Gitlin♦ Dec 19 '12 at 15:05

It's difficult to tell what is being asked here. This question is ambiguous, vague, incomplete, overly broad, or rhetorical and cannot be reasonably answered in its current form. For help clarifying this question so that it can be reopened, see the FAQ.