How I stay focused for long periods of time (and stop infinite scrolling)
Summary
TLDRThis video offers practical strategies for maintaining focus and combating the urge to endlessly scroll. The creator shares five effective techniques, including eliminating distractions, identifying and managing inner discomfort, setting implementation intentions, optimizing energy levels, and establishing a consistent routine. By applying these methods, viewers can enhance productivity and make significant progress on personal goals and hobbies.
Takeaways
- 😀 The video discusses strategies for staying focused and avoiding the habit of infinite scrolling.
- 🧐 The speaker identifies two types of distractions: outer distractions from the environment and inner distractions generated by one's thoughts and feelings.
- 📱 To combat outer distractions, suggestions include turning off phones or using apps to limit screen time.
- 🤔 Inner distractions are addressed by identifying discomfort, journaling triggers and urges, noting sensations, and the '10-minute rule' to delay distractions.
- 📝 Journaling is recommended to track times of distraction and to increase self-awareness of potential triggers.
- 🕒 Deep work sessions of 50 to 90 minutes are suggested for focused work, followed by a 10-minute break to manage the urge to check phones or notifications.
- 🔄 The '10-minute roll' technique is a method to break the habit of immediate gratification when faced with distractions.
- 🤝 The video mentions the use of accountability partners or platforms like Focusmate to ensure focus during work sessions.
- 💡 Setting an implementation intention, such as specifying when and how to exercise, can significantly impact behavior and productivity.
- 🌡 Energy management is highlighted as more important than time management, with the suggestion to align work with natural energy highs and lows.
- 🧘 Consistent mindfulness meditation is recommended to improve focus and reduce distractions, potentially beneficial for those with ADHD.
- 🔄 Creating a routine and having a consistent workspace are emphasized as key to entering a flow state and maintaining focus over long periods.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the video?
-The main topic of the video is about staying focused for long periods of time and overcoming the habit of infinite scrolling while working.
What are the two types of distractions mentioned in the video?
-The two types of distractions mentioned are outer distractions, which are environmental factors that pull your attention, and inner distractions, which are generated by your thoughts and feelings.
What is the book 'Indistractable' about according to the video?
-The book 'Indistractable' is about the science of distractions and how to overcome them to stay focused.
What is the four-step process to block out inner distractions as mentioned in the video?
-The four-step process includes: 1) Identifying the discomfort, 2) Journaling the time, trigger, and urge, 3) Writing down sensations or feelings, and 4) Practicing the '10-minute rule' to delay the distraction.
How does the '10-minute rule' work in the context of the video?
-The '10-minute rule' involves waiting for 10 minutes before giving in to a distraction, which helps to break the habit of immediate gratification and can often reduce the urge to be distracted.
What is the significance of deep work sessions in the video?
-Deep work sessions are blocks of time dedicated to focused work without distractions. They are used to train oneself to be indistractable and can last between 50 to 90 minutes.
What is the recommended length of a deep work session according to Andrew Huberman?
-Andrew Huberman recommends a deep work session length of about 90 minutes based on the circadian rhythm or ultradian cycle.
What is the role of an implementation intention in the video?
-An implementation intention is a plan that specifies exactly when and how a task will be done. It helps in increasing the likelihood of following through with the task and staying focused.
How does the video suggest managing energy levels to improve focus?
-The video suggests optimizing body, mind, emotion, and spirit through improved sleep, diet, exercise, nutrition, and consistent meditation to manage energy levels and improve focus.
What is the importance of having a routine according to the video?
-Having a routine helps in putting the brain in the same state for focus work, making it easier to enter a flow state and maintain focus for longer periods.
What is the significance of a consistent workspace in the video?
-A consistent workspace provides predictability and helps in maintaining focus by reducing the chances of getting distracted by new or changing environments.
What is the role of Focusmate in the video?
-Focusmate is a website mentioned in the video that helps in staying focused by providing virtual work sessions with accountability partners, helping to maintain focus for 15-50 minutes straight.
Outlines
😀 Overcoming Distractions and Building Focus
The speaker introduces the topic of maintaining focus during work and shares personal struggles with distractions. They discuss the difference between outer and inner distractions, explaining how to identify and manage them using techniques from the book 'Indistractable'. The speaker emphasizes the importance of recognizing discomfort and urges to distract oneself, and suggests a four-step process to combat inner distractions, including journaling the urge, noting sensations, and implementing a '10-minute rule' to delay distractions. This approach helps in breaking the habit of infinite scrolling and enhancing focus.
🏋️♂️ Deep Work Sessions and Implementation Intentions
The speaker delves into the concept of deep work sessions, which are focused periods of work lasting 50 to 90 minutes, as a way to train oneself to be indistractable. They mention Andrew Huberman's recommendation on work duration based on circadian rhythms and share personal preferences for session length and break times. The use of a visual timer is highlighted as a tool for maintaining focus. Additionally, the speaker introduces the idea of setting an implementation intention, citing a study that shows the significant impact of this practice on behavior. The speaker also discusses the benefits of using a platform like Focusmate for accountability during deep work sessions.
🌞 Energy Management and the Power of Routines
The speaker shifts the focus to energy management over time management, drawing from a Harvard Business Review article. They discuss the importance of aligning work with one's natural energy cycles and the impact of optimizing sleep, diet, exercise, and nutrition on focus and productivity. The benefits of mindfulness meditation for increasing focus and brain function are also highlighted. Finally, the speaker underscores the importance of establishing a consistent routine and workspace for achieving a flow state and maintaining focus, suggesting that the predictability of a routine can significantly enhance work performance.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Distraction
💡Infinite Scrolling
💡Deep Work
💡Flow State
💡Implementation Intention
💡Energy Management
💡Circadian Rhythm
💡Meditation
💡Routine
💡Accountability
Highlights
The video discusses methods to stay focused and avoid the habit of infinite scrolling.
Outer distractions are environmental factors that can be diagnosed and fixed, such as phone notifications.
Inner distractions stem from personal thoughts and feelings, often due to lack of stimulation.
A four-step process is introduced to block out inner distractions, including identifying discomfort and journaling triggers and urges.
The '10-minute roll' technique is suggested to delay distractions, breaking the habit of immediate gratification.
Deep work sessions of 50-90 minutes are recommended to train oneself to be indistractable.
A visual timer can be beneficial in managing deep work sessions and breaks.
Focusmate is an app for virtual co-working to enhance accountability and focus.
Setting an implementation intention before starting work can significantly affect behavior and productivity.
Energy management is prioritized over time management for increased focus and productivity.
Optimizing sleep, diet, exercise, and nutrition can greatly impact one's energy levels and focus.
Meditation, specifically mindfulness meditation, is an effective tool for enhancing focus and reducing distractions.
Creating a consistent routine and workspace is essential for maintaining focus and entering a flow state.
The importance of testing different routines to find what works best for an individual is emphasized.
Consistency in workspace contributes to predictability and aids in staying focused for extended periods.
The video concludes with an invitation to subscribe for more content and a tease for a future video on the creator's daily routine.
Transcripts
yo welcome back to the channel
previously I made a video about how I
save up to 50 hours a week but today I
want to talk about when I actually do
get to work how I stay focused for a
long periods of time and stop the habit
of infinite scrolling this was something
I struggled with for a really long time
and after testing a lot of different
things I found five simple ideas that
really work for me and since then I've
been able to make progress on all my
goals and hobbies if you're new here I
make videos to help you optimize your
life I used to work in Tech Consulting
before I became a full-time entrepreneur
and and I love sharing what I'm testing
and learning on this channel the first
idea starts with removing the two types
of distractions the science of
distractions is actually quite
interesting and it's what this book
indistractable talks about the first
type of distraction are known as outer
distractions and it's what you might
expect things that pull at your
attention from the environment around
you usually these types of distractions
are easier to diagnose and fix like for
example if you find that you usually get
distracted by your phone notifications
when you get to work you could turn your
phone off put in a different room or you
could be like me and set up a modern
dumb foam to stop yourself from infinite
scrolling sometimes just removing this
outer distraction will be enough for you
to stay focused for a long period of
time but when I first tried this out I
found that sometimes I would still
distract myself with other things like
maybe I would start scrolling through my
photo album or cleaning my desk and this
is usually just because the thing that I
was doing wasn't as stimulating than
something else and this is the type of
distraction that most people Miss which
are known as inner distractions inner
distractions are generated by your
thoughts and feelings you actively go
and look for something to distract
yourself with because you're not being
stimulated Enough by the thing that
you're actually doing they've actually
done a bunch of studies on this related
to smoking sensation and the book breaks
down a simple four-step process that has
been proven to work that can help you
block out these inner distractions you
don't have to do these four steps
forever but it's a worthwhile experiment
to see if you have these inner
distractions and if you do you can
easily identify them and block them out
inner distractions are really caused by
some sort of discomfort with the thing
that you're doing and so that creates an
urge to do something else and so the
first step is to identify that
discomfort the second step is to take
out a journal or some page on a computer
and you can just write down what time it
was what the trigger was and what you
wanted to do it's sort of like time
tracking where you write down a list of
distractions that you can go back to so
for example the trigger might be you
feeling bored and the urge is to refresh
your email or check your notifications
the third step is to write down your
Sensations or how you're feeling and
this is actually the method that they
use for smoking sensation in one of the
studies it talks about the researchers
found that smokers who wrote down how
they were feeling when they had the urge
quit at Double the rate than those who
didn't and the fourth step is called the
10-minute roll which is just to wait 10
minutes before giving in on your
distraction like if you want to check
your phone or refresh your feed the book
says it's actually fine to do that but
just not immediately in the moment
because you wrote the time down you
could just wait 10 minutes and then you
could see if you still wanted to do that
and from my personal experience in most
cases I don't actually want to do that
10 minutes later creating that gap
between having the urge to do something
and actually doing it will break that
habit of infinite scrolling and being
distracted when you're trying to do
something else the more you do this
habit you can see over time that you get
better at training your brain to stay
focused for a long period of time and
you'll find that you'll have less and
less inner distractions so whenever I'm
trying to do this how I fit this into my
workflow is that I'll be working and
I'll have a journal open where I keep
track of different times when I get
distracted and want to do something else
this could be when I'm like reading or
practicing guitar or even just working
on my computer and anytime I feel this
inner distraction and I want to do
something else I just write down the
time what the trigger was and how I was
feeling I think this is actually more
powerful than blocking out Adder
distractions because you become hyper
aware of everything that could be
distracting you like I found that even
just having my Rubik Cube on my desk
when I'm working could distract me
because I'll have the urge to pick it up
and solve it if you know who Lex
Freedman is I remember seeing a video
where he talked about his daily routine
and he actually does something similar I
don't know if he read this book or not
but when he's in a deep work session he
keeps a Google doc open and he writes
down things that he wants to do later or
things that are distracting him and he
doesn't do them in the moment if
interesting ideas come into my head to
try to trick me into pulling on the
thread of that idea I gently said set it
aside and that's actually related to the
second idea which is to do deep work
sessions where you train yourself to be
indistractable so in one of my previous
videos I interviewed my friend ruri
Ohama who if you're not familiar with
she's a YouTuber with over 1.3 million
subscribers and she makes anywhere
between $50 to $100,000 per month and
one of the things that she really
changed my mind and opened my
perspective on was that it wasn't really
about working long hours to be
productive but more about how efficient
you are that really defines your
productivity you could work for 2 hours
a day and have a really successful
YouTube channel or you could grind for
10 hours a day but not really make any
progress so what has been useful for me
was to do these deep work sessions
between 50 to 90 minutes where I train
myself to be indestructible Andrew
huberman actually has some podcast where
he talks about the ideal length of time
to be working and he says it's about 90
minutes based on your circadian rhythm
or ultradian cycle there's a bunch of
science behind that but you can just use
as a guideline personally I still find
that 50 minutes to be the best ideal
amount of time for a deep work session
and I take a 10-minute break before
starting again and I have this visual
timer on my desk that makes it really
easy to see how much time's left of my
deep workk session I've probably
mentioned this like two or three times
in different videos and this has really
been super useful in training myself to
be indistractable cuz I can see how much
time is left before my break during my
deep work sessions I'll I'll have my
journal next to me and I'll write down
things that I want to do or different
urges to check my phone and it's usually
during my 10-minute break where I'm
defocusing that I'll give in and start
checking my phone and I find that this
is really useful for breaking the habit
of infinite scrolling because you're not
compulsively checking your phone you're
writing it down and checking it when you
actually want to once I actually get to
Rhythm I find that I can actually work
for multiple hours without taking any
breaks that's pretty much when I enter a
flow state where I completely lose track
of time and am just fully focused at the
thing I'm doing the more you can train
yourself to do these deep workk sessions
while being indistractable the easier it
is it will be to stay focused for a long
period of time one app that I found to
be super useful for deep work is this
website called Focus mate you basically
go there and you can hop on a one and
wall call with somebody and work for
1550 minutes straight it's super useful
with accountability and remembering to
stay focused I'm not affiliate with the
company anyway and they didn't sponsor
me to say this at all but I just
genuinely think it's a fun and useful
way to stay focused I think it's cool
because you get to meet other people who
are in different countries and work
alongside them the science behind why
this works so well is because you get in
the habit of setting an intention before
you actually start working and that is
the third idea which is to set an
implementation intention there was one
study in 2001 that really showed the
power of setting and intention so these
researchers basically just took two
groups of people people and had them go
through a motivational exercise training
they basically just talked about how
important it was to exercise what would
happen and they stopped exercising and
pumped them up to start exercising for
the next week or month for the first
group they just ended the presentation
there and they told them to go home and
exercise for the next week but for the
second group they continued the
presentation by having them write down
exactly when they were going to exercise
and what they were going to do so they
basically set an intention it was just
one or two sentences like stuff like on
Monday I will run for 30 minutes but
they found that just by doing that
simple thing it made a huge difference
in the first group only 35% of people
follow through with exercising regularly
but in the second group nearly 91% of
people follow through with the plan that
they set that's almost a 3X increase
just by saying and writing down what
you're going to do from that paper the
researchers basically found that
motivation itself had a very low impact
on Behavior but setting an
implementation intention had a really
significant effect on Behavior so one of
the keys to working for a long period of
time without being distracted is to
Simply plan what you're going to do and
what you're not going to do I think this
is why using social media on a schedule
is so powerful because you're basically
saying that you're not going to be using
social media for this part of the day
and you are going to be using social
media for this part of the day and so it
helps with being more intentional with
scrolling and not falling into the habit
of infinite scrolling but when it comes
to work you can pre-plan what you're
going to do by having your calendar or
you could say what you're going to do
before a 50-minute or 90-minute deep
work session this is much better than
just sitting down and saying it's work
time because you'll probably be just
picking random tasks to do the next idea
is related to energy management I read
about this in the Harvard Business
review and it completely changed how I
went about planning my day the title of
the paper is actually called Energy
Management over time management and it
talks about the idea that you have way
more control when it comes to trying to
manage your energy levels than trying to
squeeze out more time to work when I was
working my full-time job in Consulting I
still had many side projects that I was
working on like I had a language
learning podcast that I was doing every
single week and I was trying to launch a
software app but I quickly realized that
2 hours after work was really different
than 2 hours before work at night I had
completely depleted my willpower energy
and all I wanted to do was just to
scroll on YouTube or watch a Netflix
show but in the morning I found that it
was way easier to be motivated and
efficient for 2 hours so what I did at
the time to try to manage my energy
levels was I sort of shifted my sleeping
schedule so that I would wake up a
couple hours before 9:00 a.m. so I had a
solid amount of time to work on things
before I actually had to get to work
that way I was actually using my brain
power for things I was passionate about
and not just sitting in random meetings
and then at night I could scroll without
feeling any guilt because I had already
maximized everything I wanted to do for
that day if you start optimizing your
energy levels one of the first things
you'll notice is that based on your
circadian rhythm and chronotype you'll
have natural highs and lows throughout
the day so there's an ideal time for you
to be doing Focus work exercising and
chilling out there are a bunch of
quizzes online that you can take to
figure out your chronotype and it kind
of just estimates uh based on an average
when might be an optimal time for you to
be exercising Ing and working like for
example it says that I'm a bear type
which means that the best time to do
Focus work is 2 to 3 hours after waking
and I definitely feel like that is the
case but even beyond that the paper
identifies four dimensions of energy
that you can optimize to increase your
levels of focus and they are optimizing
your body mind emotion and spirit among
these four the biggest impact that I've
felt is when I've optimize my body
through improving my sleep diet exercise
and nutrition I've made a ton of videos
about this topic like how I optimize my
sleep biohacking and a few protocols to
feel focused if I'm feeling tired that
day so if you're interested you can
check that out one underrated habit
that's helped me with optimizing my
energy levels is meditating consistently
whenever I've meditated consistently for
a few weeks of doing about 20 minutes a
day I found that I've been able to focus
for longer periods of time and get
distracted less often the specific type
of meditation that I've done is called
mindfulness meditation and you basically
just pay attention to something like
your breath or something else and there
are a lot of studies about this of how
it can help increase gray matter in your
brain and change your brain waves there
are a bunch of other types of meditation
like gratitude or breath work or
visualization but from what I found
mindfulness meditation is most like
going to the gym and doing deliberate
training on your brain so if you have
ADHD maybe this form of meditation can
be really helpful for you the final one
is I think one of the most powerful ways
to stay focused for a long period of
time and that's to create a routine I
think the routine itself doesn't
actually matter as much as just having
one because just having a routine that
you do before you start doing Focus work
helps put your brain in the same state
in a literal perspective from a brain
wave standpoint it's what has unlocked
the most amount of focus for me and it's
why I've been so interested in breaking
down the tools and routines used by high
performers on this channel I studied
some entrepreneurs who work literally 1
minute after waking and there's other
people who are more like an athlete and
they go through an elaborate morning
routine before they get started and so I
think it's worth testing different ones
to see what works the best for you and
part of having a routine is also having
a consistent Works Space because one of
the things I found to be able to
consistently drop in a flow state is to
have some predictability about where
you're working and where you're at for
example I always thought that it would
be cool to be traveling and working sort
of like a digital Nomad but so even
though I can't I can do that now since I
quit my job um whenever I've tried
traveling and working I've not been able
to have that really high levels of focus
because there's too many things that are
stimulating and I get distracted by
working in a cafe from personal
experience I found that having a set
Works Space that you work at or even the
same spot in a cafe helps more than you
think in consistently staying focused
for a long period of time and not
falling into bad habits but yeah that's
it if you enjoyed this video consider
subscribing to see more videos like this
and I'll put up a video of my daily
routine you want to watch that I'll see
you there let's get
[Music]
yeah
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