Besides embracing frustration, the other important part of learning is focusing. But our focus can be fragile and we can get easily distracted. Be it through external things like our phones or internal events like thoughts and feelings.
Additionally, our focus depends on many variables. It depends on how we slept the night before, the time of day, what we eat, our emotional state, our stress level, our energy level, and so on. Focusing and keeping your focus can be difficult.
Therefore, I tried many different techniques and strategies to improve my focus. Besides the most obvious one - getting rid of distractions - I arrived at five techniques that helped me the most. 1 time-based technique and 4 mind-based techniques (mind-based techniques in the next article).
Here is the time-based technique.
One tool that helps me consistently to focus every day is a simple timer. A simple timer which is built around three main principles: 1) visual timeboxing, 2) the idea of your focus being flexible, and 3) taking time to rest. If you combine these principles with a simple timer, you get the flexible timeboxing technique.
Don’t start working blindly without a sense of time. Instead, use a visual timer. A timer you can see. Define what you want to learn, remove almost all distractions, set a timer, and start focusing.
The timer has multiple advantages. If your attention drifts away, which is quite normal, the timer serves as a reminder to refocus again. You can see the time and reflect on if you should keep going and focus or if it would be fine to take a break.
At the end of the timer, you can even reflect if you want to focus for a bit longer or if you have to take a short break.
Our ability to focus is not an on-off switch. Our focus is dynamic and flexible. It oscillates and the intensity of our focus can change over time. Therefore, it is normal that our attention randomly starts to drift while we are trying to focus on what is in front of us.
The important thing is to gently bring back your attention.
One important part of focusing that is often overlooked is taking real breaks. We have to rest. Focusing is difficult, it drains our energy and resting helps us recharge.
If we recharge properly, we might be able to focus again later. But be careful. Still sitting in front of your laptop and watching YouTube videos will not cut it. It is not true resting and you won’t recharge energy. It will have the opposite effect. It will drain your energy even more which will make focusing again nearly impossible.
So take a proper break. Stand up. Stretch. Walk around.
I like to set my initial timer to 52 minutes because I’m used to using the 52/17 method. If my focus feels off, I stop before the 52 minutes. Most of the time I focus fully for 52 minutes. Sometimes I go beyond the 52 minutes if I have the energy and motivation. But you should definitely take a real break after 90 minutes.
This is the time-based focusing technique that helped me the most. Accepting that your focus is flexible can have a forgiving effect. Instead of blaming ourselves because we couldn’t focus for 3 hours straight, we can accept that our focus is flexible and work around it instead of against it.
