Deep focus - 4 strategies for no distraction
Multitasking is the enemy of productivity
Many people think that if they do many things at once, they are more productive. After all, they are constantly doing something, constantly producing new things. It can be said that it is a syndrome of being constantly busy. Nothing could be more wrong. Multitasking kills productivity. A study by Sophie Leroy at the University of Minnesota clearly shows what's going on when we do several things at once.
She divided the respondents into two groups, both had two tasks: solving puzzles in words and later making hypothetical employment decisions based on CVs. Group A was interrupted while solving puzzles and thrown into the second task. Group B had to finish the first task before proceeding to the second. Of course, the result was clear. Group A fared worse than Group B. The participants could not focus enough on the second task, having uncluttered puzzle-related things in their heads.
What's more, the researcher checked during the transition between tasks - how many words from the puzzle, participants remembered. Group A remembered much less than Group B because they had no chaos in their heads. So we came to the conclusion that if we do not do one task, we can do another worse, because we are not focused enough.
She divided the respondents into two groups, both had two tasks: solving puzzles in words and later making hypothetical employment decisions based on CVs. Group A was interrupted while solving puzzles and thrown into the second task. Group B had to finish the first task before proceeding to the second. Of course, the result was clear. Group A fared worse than Group B. The participants could not focus enough on the second task, having uncluttered puzzle-related things in their heads.
What's more, the researcher checked during the transition between tasks - how many words from the puzzle, participants remembered. Group A remembered much less than Group B because they had no chaos in their heads. So we came to the conclusion that if we do not do one task, we can do another worse, because we are not focused enough.
Develop an informed work strategy.
Most of us have such a simple mode - we come to work, occupy our workplace and suddenly we do the right job. The passage is not visible, unconscious. Unfortunately, it also supports repetition of habits, looking into the phone, constantly changing topics. Start consciously implementing strategies that will support deep concentration. Two strategies can help:
Monk's strategy - as the name suggests, we cut ourselves off from the outside world. For example, we turn off WIFI, all kinds of notifications, put the phone in the "Do not disturb" mode, go to a hotel or other distant place (many writers use this technique), going to a cafe or library for the day.
Rhythmic strategy - it is about separating time windows after 1-2 hours of work in 100% concentration and e.g. a 10-minute break. Pomodoro applications can help you with this, where you set the working time and time for a break. It's best to start with something small, e.g. 25 minutes of work and a 5-minute break, so you don't get discouraged too soon :)
Monk's strategy - as the name suggests, we cut ourselves off from the outside world. For example, we turn off WIFI, all kinds of notifications, put the phone in the "Do not disturb" mode, go to a hotel or other distant place (many writers use this technique), going to a cafe or library for the day.
Rhythmic strategy - it is about separating time windows after 1-2 hours of work in 100% concentration and e.g. a 10-minute break. Pomodoro applications can help you with this, where you set the working time and time for a break. It's best to start with something small, e.g. 25 minutes of work and a 5-minute break, so you don't get discouraged too soon :)
Learn to focus in unusual situations.
A walk with the dog, travel by public transport, taking a shower - each of these situations is usually done automatically, in addition, when we do not think too much.Detriment! This is a good opportunity to break the pattern. Situations like these can fit the brain well. In doing so, we can, for example, focus on solving current problems at work or in private life, think about what I need to do to get better results in a given case. It will be difficult at first, but we see many benefits each time.
Plan your free time.
One of the main mistakes that many people make is after a fairly ordered day of work there is total chaos. The day passes quickly.That is why it is important to plan your free time. For example, we set a fixed time of 20:00. Until then, after work, we deal with matters that are important to us, e.g. a swimming pool, gym, some courses. Generally, it is the time that you invest in yourself, but after this hour you can confidently focus your time on, for example, playing console, reading a book, watching TV series on Netflix etc.
Extra:
Questions:
- How do you plan your time?
- How do you organize your time after work?
Sources:
- https://lifehacker.com/train-your-brain-for-monk-like-focus-5895509
- https://www.inc.com/amy-vetter/why-you-should-close-your-eyes-at-work-other-tips-to-achieve-deep-focus.html
- https://www.itjones.com/blogs/2018/11/productivity-deep-work-multitasking
I'm the kind of person that likes to have everything planned. Of course sometimes I do spontaneous things and it’s also great but for everyday duties and tasks I like to keep everything organized. I don’t have any particular system or algorithm for planning time but I simply try to do most important things asap. I always try to remember about planing short holidays or weekends to have some time to rest because being tired all the time is killing our efficiency and productivity. As for now I have a lot of things to do because I have full-time job, extramural studies and actually I’m planning my wedding so I have to keep everything organized and I like it.
ReplyDeleteI also like to plan everything. Like you, I work full-time, study extramural, and also attend English and gym classes. Sometimes there are also classes in various programming fields in which I attend from time to time.
DeleteI really don't like it when my planned day is falling apart. Unfortunately, I have had a lot of trouble with it lately, mainly due to sleep and energy problems during the day.
I must say that I don't plan my time at all. I know that I must get up and go to work and that I should be home at 5:00 p.m., but there is no schedule of my day. I work full-time and study extramural so I must find time to do my chores, but I often decide that I'll do something the day after. And that's all about my planning. My free time isn't orginized too. Sometimes I go jogging after work, sometimes I go to local swimming pool, sometimes I just want to play games all afternoon, there is no space for planning :) The good thing is that I never let go of my duties.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, great topic to discus. I will back when everyone post their comments :) You mention about 25 min work, 5 min break x4 and then bigger rest – this is my most common plan method that I use during work. But not always it is so simple, due to priorities. So this is in my opinion best way to work efficiently – prioritize goals. I’ve got a list of task for every week till end of the year and just tick check box when it’s done. After work is the same, list with duties and then some free time.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteYou are absolutely right, the priorities determine what you should do during the day, week, month or year. In addition, each of us has a different situation, e.g. commuting: some have 10 minutes on foot, others 2 hours by public transport. These things also need to be considered.
It is also important to find a balance between performance and rest!
1. I usually organize my time according to school/university schedule.
ReplyDeleteI confess, that in this way it usually somebody else organizing my
time not me.
2. After I am usually exhausted and all I think about is to relax and
cool off. After I have done that I deal with other tasks. I regret
to acknoladge we are so overloaded with work. The positive side is
that we try to be as active as possible and undertake new
challenges, instead of sitting on the couch.
It's like the colleague mentioned above - the most important are the priorities that determine how you have time to organize.
DeleteAs for your statement - "I regret to acknoladge we are so overloaded with work." - I agree, especially when we often hear such statements:
- "I worked late."
- "I have so much work that I can't believe it."
- "I have to do as much as possible."
I mean, people like to be very busy. Unfortunately, imbalances can lead to mental problems and even burnout or depression.
Some time ago I was interested in time management techniques and I also used the Pomodoro technique, amongst others. Now I’m used to planning my day and managing all the tasks. It started during my bachelor studies when I was working in a tech company 3 days a week and also attended lectures on the other days. Without proper planning, all these chores would be overwhelming but fortunately, I’ve finished my studies without many difficulties. Currently to manage most of my tasks I use only two mobile apps. The first one is Todoist and the second one is extremely popular Google Calendar. Sometimes I write down my ideas concerning time management optimization in apps like Evernote and Notion and then I’m trying to apply them.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I am increasingly trying to use the Pomodoro technique. Unfortunately, this does not always work well, because once I sit much longer than the planned 25 minutes, and the breaks are sometimes longer :)
DeleteWhen it comes to applications, I also use Todoist and OneNote notes. I praise these applications very much.
Few years ago I've had a lot of problems with planning and after few weeks when I've had a lot of responsibilities I've realised that when I have much more to do, I spent my time productively. After this experiment I've started using some online boards for planning activities such as trello and writing down responsibilities and "todos" for current week.
ReplyDeleteAlmost everyday after work I have additional activities like sports or dancing classes. After every activity I have planned some todos which are on daily basis, such as cooking, studying or cleaning up my apartment. After all I have about 1 hour free time for myself during the day, which I can waste on activities such as netflix or gaming. With such plan I don't feel like I wasted my time.
Congratulations on such a well-planned time!
DeleteDon't you feel that an hour of free time is a bit too little?
How do you plan your time?
ReplyDeleteRecently I faced the fact that the more busy I get, the more of free time I'm finding for myself. I know that it sounds ridiculous but that's the point of planning. We all have the same 24 hours but in my case I found out that I didn't do my best in case of time wasting. It had been taking ages for me to get the regular duties done and now, while I'm working, studying, exercising and more I still have time just to relax and watch some series. On the other hand I'm still struggling with assuming correct amount of time for task and sometimes I'm more likely to put enormous number of chores that I'm not able to resolve in one day or piece of time. But after all I'm trying to split my tasks into blocks like uni/work related, home/hobby stuff and then execute them in correct pattern.
How do you organize your time after work?
Because we're living in so big city I'm always trying to plan any kind of action related with moving around the town with at least few days in advance and if it's possible to accumulate them at once so I don't need to spend extra hours in the car or tram. In that case like I previously mentioned I'm splitting tasks into boxes so I'm able to fulfill my day with plenty of activities and still find an hour or so just to don't do anything if I feel that need.
I also tried to divide my time into blocks, but it did not succeed.
DeleteA good example are studies and tasks related to mathematics or creating a project from programming. I tried to spend time on these things, but I often did not finish because I came across a problem that cost me a lot of time to solve.
When I tried to take on another task, I couldn't concentrate when I didn't finish the previous one.
I felt bad about it :(
I don't know if I can call it planning, but I almost constantly think what and when to do. I could probably call it 'live planning', because in my head I have a list of things to do, prioritized from the most important in particular moment, to the least important ones.
ReplyDeleteI organize (or don't organize, depends if we can call it 'organising' or 'planning') me free time in exactly the same way as I do it at work. I try to do all the duties first and then have a bit of rest. I haven't got system or method of planning, I simply try to listen to my own body. If I fell tired and overwhelmed, then I give up on my current work and take a break or organize a free afternoon.
If you're good at it, that's the most important thing! Each of us is different, so everyone chooses an individual method.
Delete" If I fell tired and overwhelmed, then I give up on my current work and take a break or organize a free afternoon." - In my opinion, this is a healthy approach, there is nothing to fight for, because the benefits can be very small.
Ability to plan your time is one of the key characteristics of a successful individual. This comes as no surprise, time is one of the most valuable and scarce resources at humans disposals. It is easy to convert any meaningful activity of our life to the language of time. Humans average work is typically 80.000 hours, for instance. But any big project or activity consists of smaller ones. That is exactly why every moment is precious and valuable. Daily routine, is in fact one of the examples of how very little effort every day can lead you to success. It is believed that in order to become professional in anything you need 10 thousand hours. Accordingly, if you do something for an hour every day, say for 27 years you can be an expert at it. This is one of the reasons why a day well-planed is important and game changing in a broader life-context.
ReplyDeleteI myself am trying to stick to a few simple things in my day. Firstly, I attempt to develop habit of waking up as early as I can. The moments prior to sunrise are special. It is the time when I am least distracted and more product full. Secondly, I stay organised during the day and follow my plan. I also adapt and prioritize. Time is limited and you will never have it all, but you can chose how to spend it wisely. Finally, in the evening, I always try to find time to reflect on the my day and schedule the following day, week and months. This lets me measure my productivity and better use my time in the coming days.
Life is worth living, wasting time for something which is not important at all is one of the greatest mistakes any human can make.
I also try to get up early in the morning, usually around 5:30. Unfortunately, I still have problems getting up regularly, but this is due to the fact that sometimes at night I have to do a few things, and then I prefer to sleep a little longer than be like zombies during the day.
DeleteHave you felt any significant differences since you planned your time so well? How do you deal with the time to rest?
I've successfully debunked the myth of productivity in multitasking early on in my academic life and nowadays try to atomize my work and plan my daily work based on simple tasks. I know that sometimes it is simply impossible; working for any company these days involves interaction and cooperation with many people on many different levels, but the key factor of any successful planning is simplicity and clarity. I found the pomodoro technique to be particularly helpful; I try to set my work time and breaks in a way that when my mind starts to get astray I know I should get a proper break. The other thing is the workplace; working in an open space environment can be utterly distracting, so having headphones with active noise cancellation, or simply playing white noise or other soothing sounds may be an absolute necessity when planning work.
ReplyDeleteThe work-life balance is also an important issue, but to be honest, working full-time and pursuing a university degree doesn't go quite well together; life is a game of choices and I truly believe that such a temporary sacrifice of personal life for the sake of obtaining a degree is an acceptable price to pay.
I agree, splitting large things into smaller and simpler ones is a much better way to achieve the goal.
DeleteI don't like Open Space rooms either. I use headphones, but only for a few hours, then I do not want to listen to music anymore or I have a tired head from wearing headphones, which means that if possible, I prefer more closed and smaller jobs - a few people.
It is definitely difficult to combine work and full-time study with extra classes. I have found this out, especially when you have difficulties at work, and sometimes you have to sit on the project longer and neglect academic classes.