How to Never Lose Focus Again
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Dr. Justin Sun shares his strategies for maintaining deep focus and entering a state of flow, even under challenging circumstances. He discusses various factors influencing focus, such as diet, exercise, minimizing visual distractions, and creating an optimal work environment. Dr. Sun emphasizes the importance of attention span, rest timing, and controlling interruptions. He also highlights the role of auditory focus and suggests practical techniques like using noise-canceling headphones and white noise. Finally, he offers his top eight high-yield tips for enhancing focus and productivity, applicable to both neurotypical individuals and those with ADHD or ASD.
Takeaways
- π§ Focus is multifaceted and cannot be improved by simply trying harder. It involves a balance of controllable and uncontrollable factors.
- π Dr. Justin Sun emphasizes the importance of understanding and optimizing focus, rather than relying on a single technique.
- π The speaker suggests that diet and exercise can have a limited impact on focus, and should be balanced with other strategies.
- ποΈ Limiting visual distractions can help maintain focus, but control over this factor is sometimes limited.
- β° Task timing is crucial; scheduling tasks during peak focus times can significantly improve productivity.
- ποΈ Creating a 'focus zone' separate from relaxation areas can enhance the brain's ability to concentrate.
- π§ββοΈ Training attention span through mindfulness meditation can lead to improved focus and other cognitive benefits.
- π Rest timing, like the Pomodoro Technique, helps maintain energy and focus through regular breaks.
- π§ Auditory focus through the use of white noise can effectively block out distractions and enhance concentration.
- π« Controlling interruptions is paramount for maintaining focus, with strategies to minimize both digital and personal disruptions.
- π Task process and sleep are two additional factors that significantly influence focus and overall cognitive performance.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the video?
-The main topic of the video is about maintaining focus and flow while working, even under challenging conditions such as fatigue, distractions, or lack of sleep.
Who is the speaker in the video?
-The speaker in the video is Dr. Justin Sun, a learning coach, head of learning and iin study, and a former medical doctor.
What does Dr. Sun claim about increasing focus by trying harder?
-Dr. Sun claims that you can't just increase your focus by trying harder, as focus involves various controllable and uncontrollable factors.
What is the purpose of the summary at the end of the video?
-The purpose of the summary at the end of the video is to review all eight tips for staying focused, making it easier for viewers to remember and apply them.
Why does Dr. Sun mention his work schedule before the trip?
-Dr. Sun mentions his work schedule to illustrate the challenges of maintaining focus while traveling and working in less than ideal conditions.
What is the significance of creating a 'focus zone' according to Dr. Sun?
-Creating a 'focus zone' is significant because it helps separate the workspace from relaxation spaces, which can improve the brain's conditioning to focus during work and study.
What is the role of mindfulness meditation in improving attention span?
-Mindfulness meditation helps improve attention span by training the mind to return to focus whenever it gets distracted, similar to exercising a muscle.
How does Dr. Sun suggest managing breaks during work to maintain focus?
-Dr. Sun suggests taking frequent, shorter breaks based on the Pomodoro Technique or by observing when one starts to lose focus, and doing activities that re-energize during these breaks.
What is the importance of controlling auditory distractions for focus?
-Controlling auditory distractions is important because sounds can powerfully distract or help one enter into a focused state, and optimizing this can significantly improve focus.
Why is controlling interruptions critical for maintaining focus, according to the video?
-Controlling interruptions is critical because they can break the flow of focus, and if one is constantly interrupted, it becomes nearly impossible to maintain focus, regardless of other optimizations.
What are the two honorable mentions Dr. Sun provides that also impact focus?
-The two honorable mentions are task process and sleep. Task process refers to the method used to complete a task, which should engage the right cognitive processes for better focus. Sleep is important for health, memory, learning, and cognitive performance, and sleep deprivation can severely impact one's ability to focus.
Outlines
π§ββοΈ Mastering Focus: Techniques and Tips
Dr. Justin Sun introduces his video on maintaining focus under various challenging conditions such as fatigue, distractions, and lack of sleep. He emphasizes that focus is not just about trying harder and involves controllable and uncontrollable factors. He shares his top eight high-yield tips for staying focused and promises a summary at the end. Dr. Sun's background as a learning coach and former medical doctor is highlighted, and he encourages viewers to like the video for algorithmic support.
ποΈββοΈ The Role of Diet, Exercise, and Visual Distractions
The second paragraph delves into the least impactful factors on focus, starting with diet and exercise. Dr. Sun mentions that while they play a role, they are not as critical as other factors. He suggests that visual distractions can be managed by positioning oneself in a less distracting environment or using a hoodie to narrow the field of view. The paragraph underscores the limitations of controlling visual distractions and its relative ranking in the list of focus factors.
β° Task Timing and Crafting a Focus Zone
Paragraph three discusses the importance of task timing, suggesting that scheduling tasks during one's peak focus times can significantly improve productivity. It also covers the creation of a focus zone, a dedicated workspace separate from relaxation areas, which can enhance the brain's ability to focus and rest. The paragraph acknowledges that while these factors are helpful, they may not always be within one's control.
π§ββοΈ Enhancing Attention Span and Rest Timing
The fourth paragraph highlights the significance of an extended attention span, which can be trained through mindfulness meditation, offering benefits beyond focus. It also touches on rest timing, exemplified by the Pomodoro Technique, advocating for frequent short breaks to sustain focus and energy. The paragraph advises on how to effectively utilize breaks and the importance of not waiting until exhaustion to take them.
π§ Creating Auditory Focus and Controlling Interruptions
In the fifth paragraph, Dr. Sun explains the power of auditory focus, using noise-cancelling headphones and white noise apps to block out distractions. He provides tips on matching white noise to the environment and mood. The paragraph concludes with the critical nature of controlling interruptions, both digital and personal, and offers strategies for minimizing them.
π Prioritizing Interruption Management
The sixth paragraph emphasizes that controlling interruptions is the most crucial factor for maintaining focus. It offers practical advice on managing digital and personal interruptions, such as using do not disturb modes and communicating one's focus needs to others. The paragraph also suggests using signs or moving to a different location to avoid interruptions.
π Task Process and Sleep: Honorable Mentions
The final paragraph provides two honorable mentions: task process and sleep. It explains that an effective task process can engage the brain and prolong focus, while sleep is essential for cognitive performance and memory consolidation. The paragraph stresses the importance of good sleep hygiene and the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation on focus.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Focus
π‘Flow
π‘Distractions
π‘Task Timing
π‘Attention Span
π‘Rest Timing
π‘Auditory Focus
π‘Interruptions
π‘Mindfulness Meditation
π‘White Noise
π‘Task Process
π‘Sleep
Highlights
The speaker teaches methods to maintain focus even in adverse conditions like tiredness or distractions.
Focus is not just about trying harder; it involves controllable and uncontrollable factors.
Understanding and controlling focus factors is like adjusting a control dial.
The speaker's personal experience with maintaining focus during a high-stakes work trip in India.
The importance of optimizing focus factors based on the situation and day-to-day variability.
The least important factor for focus is diet and exercise, though they do have a limit to their helpfulness.
Limiting visual distractions by positioning and using visual aids like hats with hoodies.
Task timing is crucial, scheduling tasks when one is naturally more focused and effective.
Creating a focus zone by separating workspace from relaxation areas to enhance concentration.
Training attention span through mindfulness meditation for better focus over time.
Rest timing, using techniques like the Pomodoro Technique, to maintain focus and energy.
Creating auditory focus by blocking out distracting sounds with noise-cancelling headphones and white noise apps.
The powerful impact of auditory focus and the use of layered white noise to match the environment.
Controlling interruptions as the most critical factor for maintaining focus.
Strategies for managing digital and personal interruptions to enter deep focus states.
Using frequently interrupted time for preparation to maximize focus when it's possible.
Honorable mentions of task process and sleep as significant factors for focus and cognitive performance.
The video concludes with a summary of the top eight focus tips and a recommendation for further viewing on scheduling.
Transcripts
imagine having deep focus and perfect
flow every time you work in this video
I'm going to teach you the methods that
I use to consistently maintain Focus
even when I'm tired and exhausted not in
the right mood didn't get enough sleep
surrounded by distractions whatever it
is I'll go over what determines whether
your brain stays focused or not how we
can manipulate that to optimize our
focus and at the end I'll give you my
top eight high yield tips that I use for
my personal life to stay focused FYI to
my knowledge I am neurotypical but if
you have ADHD or ASD with hyperd
distractability this should help you too
and by the way there is a lot to cover
in this video so don't worry about
writing it all down I'm going to have a
summary at the very end where I go
through all eight tips for those of you
who are new to this channel welcome I'm
Dr Justin Sun I'm a learning coach and
head of learning and iin study I'm also
a former medical doctor for the past
decade I've worked with thousands of
people from around the world to help
them learn more efficiently and be more
focused before we jump into it I'd
appreciate if you give this video a like
it really helps with the algorithm so so
first of all let's talk about what Focus
means despite what your parents or your
teachers might have told you in the past
you can't just increase your focus by
trying harder it doesn't work that way
for example if someone slaps you in the
face every 5 seconds it's probably going
to be impossible to focus and this might
seem like an extreme example which it is
and I hope that's not happening to you
but it does bring up an important Point
Focus involves a lot of different
factors some of these factors we control
and some of these factors we can't
control having good focus in the real
world where things are generally
unpredictable is knowing which of these
factors matter and knowing how we can
control them it's like a control dial
you have to know how to turn them up and
turn them down and on some days you need
to optimize more of these factors and on
some days you need to optimize less it's
not about just a technique here or there
and the same technique doesn't always
work in every setting it's about
understanding what pulls you in and
pushes you out of focus in different
scenarios and on different days and
being able to optimize that for example
I'm currently filming in my hotel room
here in India I've been traveling around
cities meeting our students holding some
workshops and it's been an amazing
experience so far but it does mean that
my travel schedule keeps me on the Move
pretty often unfortunately for me I have
to do just as much work as I was having
to do before I went on this trip and
just for reference I was doing 100h hour
work weeks before coming on to this trip
FYI if you want to learn how I time
manage when I'm doing these 100 hour
work weeks I've got another video that
you can check out here so on this trip I
have to do work in a lot of very unideal
situations sometimes I'm working on the
plane sometimes I'm working in an Uber
and by the way Uber rides in India are
wild I usually don't have a proper desk
I'm usually constantly surrounded by
loud noises and distractions I'm
basically always always tired and I'm
usually between important events in fact
the other night I literally had to
borrow a pen from the restaurant and do
some work on a napkin because there
something that I had to get done and I
was running out of time the work I'm
doing is also pretty high stakes for my
business as well so I can't just get it
done every piece of work needs to be
done to a very high quality so this kind
of situation I need to know exactly how
to turn each of these dials to stay on
top of things and even if I'm just
sitting at home it's the same thing
sometimes it's just harder for me to get
my head in gear I have to know why and
what dials I can turn for that situation
so what are the factors that actually
matter and how do we control them there
is a lot of research on this and one
great resource that you can look at is a
place called the flow research
Collective which is basically a group of
researchers investigating flow and deep
flow and focus States there's a lot to
go through so I'm going to focus this
video on the things that have made the
most difference for me personally I'm
starting from the least important and
helpful in my opinion and also in my
professional experience to the most
helpful but remember that even any one
of these factors could potentially be so
out of control that that alone is enough
to put you out of focus so even the
least important one can't just be
completely ignored first off with number
eight is diet and exercise I know
certain foods make me feel bloated and
exercise helps with my cognitive
performance so when I'm super busy I try
to find time to get regular exercise in
over the years I've realized that when I
skip exercise it just makes things worse
but this Factor does have a limit and
how helpful it is I I think after a
certain point you're not really getting
many improvements anymore for example I
think diet can be really overrated
sometimes there are a lot of people that
are obsessed with trying to find the
perfect brain superfood but actually I
don't really think that it makes that
much of a difference and there's
certainly not enough research to suggest
that it does either so unless you're not
exercising at all and your diet is
completely whack this is probably going
to be the lowest priority item on the
list for you number seven is limiting
your visual distractions seeing
something distracting is distracting I
usually try to position myself somewhere
with a pretty nice view but there isn't
anything specific that's too interesting
that's going to distract me I like
having a nice view because I can be
working and then I can look up and gaze
out into the distance which is something
that I do when I think about things and
I notice that if I'm looking up and I
see just a wall right in front of me or
there is something distracting that does
pull me out of focus if I'm not able to
position myself like that I can
sometimes wear a hat with a hoodie it
just Narrows my field of View and if
that isn't enough or you just don't want
to do that then there's not really much
more else that you can do and at this
point I just have to deal with it and
this is the reason why this doesn't rank
so highly because the amount you can
control this is somewhat limited and
even if you can't control it it usually
is not going to be as beneficial as the
next items and number six is Task timing
I talk a lot more about this in my
scheduling video here but the main idea
is that you want to schedule tasks and
events during your day when you know
you're going to be more focused and
effective for that task for example I
like to do more deep work that requires
a lot of concentration in the mornings
and I try to do more menial timec
consuming but lower mental effort work
during the evenings the only way that
you can really figure this out though is
to try it out yourself observe and
experiment again this one is actually
really helpful and if you can nail this
one down then it does make a really big
difference again I took a lot more about
that in my scheduling video but I'm
ranking a little bit lower because you
can't always control this and even if
you don't get this it's still possible
to do really good focused work number
five is to craft a focus zone if
possible try to create a clear and
uncluttered workplace that is separate
from where you sleep or relax one of the
worst things that you can do is mix your
workpace with your relaxation space and
never ever study or work in bed not only
does that reduce your brain's
conditioning to enter into good focus
when it's time to work and study but it
also reduces your brain's conditioning
to to go and sleep when it's time to
rest this can lead to things like
insomnia it's also the reason why you
shouldn't be scrolling on your phone or
watching videos when you're in bed I
have the privilege of having my own
office inside my home and I don't do
anything in that room other than work or
study I've spent years playing around
with my situp and what I prefer and how
that affects my focus and I've even
spent money on outfitting my office with
Smart LED bulbs that change color
depending on my task or time of day
whether that really makes a difference
or if I'm just trying to justify my
spending habits is another question but
let's just not think too deeply about
that one sometimes you can actually just
create a focus zone by going somewhere
where you know it's a better environment
for focusing like the library or at a
cafe and just changing your environment
can be a increased to your focus just
like the previous one this one can be
extremely helpful to take some time to
figure out but again it's not always
within your control for example me when
I'm traveling right now ially never am
able to create a focus zone and I can
still get some really deep focused work
done I also have some students that
don't even own a desk and they're still
able to be really productive which
brings us to number four which is
attention span and this is probably the
beginning of the most powerful factors I
think these are the ones where if you
don't have these in place it's just
going to be hard for you to focus in any
situation to be frankly honest short
form videos and social media are
training our ability to f Focus to
become shorter and shorter and shorter
and a big part of staying focused
especially over a long period of time is
how much effort your brain needs to
exert to keep your brain on task if you
have a very short attention span it
takes more effort to stay on task we get
tired more easily and therefore we need
to optimize more things just to overcome
that training your attention span is
possible and it is kind of like the just
Brute Force way of becoming more focused
it's kind of like going and working out
to get stronger like regardless of what
exercise or sport you do you're probably
going to have a bit of an advantage
there if you're generally more athletic
now unfortunately in this distraction
free world it's probably not enough if
you just have a great attention span and
nothing else but it does make everything
easier my preferred and recommended way
of training your attention span is
something like mindfulness meditation
there are apps that you can use
personally I recommend using Cal they
have these 30-day beginner courses but
there are lots of other YouTube videos
on mindfulness meditation as well the
idea here is that you put your mind in a
state where it's forced to be distracted
and you train your mind to get back on
track every time you bring your thoughts
back if you do this for around 15 to 20
minutes a day you should start seeing
noticeable improvements to your
attention span as well as actually a
whole range of other benefits like
emotional resilience and overall energy
within a month but because it is
retraining your brain just like growing
a muscle it actually does take time it's
not not an instantaneous fix
unfortunately but also just as a
disclaimer if you have some past trauma
I would recommend that you do this with
a therapist or a psychologist because in
some cases meditation can actually
resurface past trauma and number three
is rest timing the most famous example
of this is the Pomodoro Technique where
you work for 25 minutes and then you
take a 5 minute break there are lots of
variations of this and you can do lots
to make this more effective the actual
number doesn't really matter so much as
the principle to take some more frequent
shorter breaks to keep your focus and
energy levels topped up rather than
depleting yourself all the way to
exhaustion and then needing to spend a
really long time recovering for me
personally I just use this rule of thumb
I just keep working within a flow State
until I feel like I'm losing my flow I'm
slipping out of flow more easily I'm
getting distracted a little bit more
easily I can see that my mind is
starting to get Restless at this point I
know that it's time to take a break I
see how long I've worked for I take that
number I divide it by four and that
becomes comes my break most days I can
manage around 1 to 2 hours of deep
focused Flow State work before I need to
take a break but on some days I can
barely squeeze out 30 minutes it's just
what it is now the two really important
things to do here is number one you have
to time your break so that you don't go
over and you have to do something during
that break that actually makes you feel
re-energized for example don't do
something that you know is just going to
suck you in like starting like a whole
new online game or watching your
favorite series on Netflix like you know
you're not going to be able do that
within just the allocated amount of time
that you had in your break anyway so
don't even start the meditation that I
told you about before or other breathing
techniques like the whm Hoff method
which you can search up these can be
really effective for getting a lot of
recovery and re-energization in a very
short period of time when I'm really in
a rush and I need to make sure I'm doing
a lot of focused work back to back those
are the types of things that I'll do
during my break and also just make sure
that you're not waiting until you are so
tired to take the break if and doubt
take it a little bit earlier like I said
for me when I feel like I'm just losing
the edge the sharp edge of that flow
State that's when I'll take my break and
coming in at number two is to create
auditory focus in other words just
blocking out distracting sounds and
creating a auditory focus zone I'm not
entirely sure why but there's something
about auditory focus and sounds that are
just so powerful both for distracting us
and helping us enter into Focus I know
there's a lot of research that's ongoing
about brain wave frequencies and
different types of sounds that might be
able to influence that but I'm not aware
of anything that's too conclusive yet
but I do know that trying to optimize it
is very very effective which is why it
ranks in at number two so here's what I
do to control this first of all I always
have noise cancelling headphones or
earphones on with me pretty much at all
times and secondly I use a White Noise
app if you don't know white noise is
basically a sound that doesn't
communicate any information such as the
sound of static when you're on your
radio between two stations there's sound
coming in but there isn't anything for
your brain to focus on or process so
here's the tip around using white noise
that I think a lot of people don't think
about the purpose of white noise is to
drown out distractions while also
helping you to enter into this immersive
focus zone so instead of using the same
white noise that you normally would like
the sound of rain in every single
instance I actually recommend trying to
match the White Noise with the type of
distraction you're trying to drown out
for example if I'm somewhere where there
are a lot of people talking around me
then that's going to be distracting so
I'll actually add sounds of people
talking like crowd or Cafe sounds
because now it makes those voices
indistinguishable there's so much going
on that it becomes White Noise next I'll
try to layer that sound with another
sound that matches my mood and overall
energy for example if it's a really
bright and sunny day outside I'll
usually play some kind of the sounds of
birds singing or something like the
river flowing or the sound of waves
hitting a beach if it's a rainy day I
add even more rain and then Thunder if
it's late in the evening and it's all
dark I'll add fireplace sounds like
crackling and popping I love that stuff
now the app I personally use for this is
this called White Noise or white noise
light the most important thing is that
you have to be able to create a mix or a
combination of different White Noise
sounds when I was on Android I used to
use an app called relaxo which basically
does the same thing and finally before
we hit number one make sure to hit the
like button
violently but only an odd number of
times and coming in at number one is the
ability to control your interruptions
this could be your friend or your family
coming in to ask you questions while
you're working when they really could
have asked you that question like 20
minutes ago and you're literally
standing right next to them before you
had anything else better to do but it
can also be digital interruptions like
notifications or messages that you get
on your phone controlling interruptions
is really kind of obvious but it's the
most important one because if you're
getting interrupted it actually doesn't
matter anything else that you do you
will never be able to focus the thing is
that we often think that these
interruptions can't be controlled but
actually there are more strategies than
you might realize digital interruptions
actually pretty easy to control you can
just put your phone or device on do not
disturb mode and that kind of settles it
if you really struggle then you could
also use app blockers that stop you from
engaging in apps that might distract you
if it's other people that are actually
disrupting you then something that's
worked for myself and a lot of my
students and clients is to actively tell
the people who might interrupt you that
you're about to enter into a state of
deep focus and to just not interrupt you
unless it's really urgent if that isn't
enough it maybe that they actually have
a habit of interrupting you and they
don't catch themselves or they forget in
which case you could just put a sign up
in front of your door either physically
or digitally or however you want to a
notice that they see to remind them that
you are working and that can actually be
a cue for them to stop themselves and I
can verify that that actually does work
a surprise surprising amount of times
even in Asian family households where
there generally is not a parental
respect of boundaries and if that is not
enough then you probably need to move
like just another location you don't
have to move out of your house or
anything you can go to a library you can
go to a cafe you can go somewhere where
you know that those interruptions are
not going to be present but what happens
if you can't do any of these things in
that situation and it happens to me a
lot what I do is I don't actually
schedule and plan on doing any focused
work during that time if I I know that I
can control every other fact that I've
talked about but not interruptions I
know that that is not viable for me to
have focused work if I don't have
interruptions but I know I can control
all the other factors then that's fair
game I can get some really solid focused
work done so what I'll do instead is in
that time where I'm getting interrupted
I will prep and plan for my focus work
session so that when I'm able to sit
down and really get focused I'm able to
get through more stuff because I've
helped to prepare myself for that
session it could be planning priming
creating some kind of flow getting
resources together doing an outline
making sure that the guidelines of an
assignment are readily available to you
it could be about extracting information
from sources that when you're focused
all you have to do is consolidate and
put it together depending on the task
that you're doing your preparation is
obviously going to differ now there are
still ways that you can use
your frequently interrupted blocks of
time as well and still be pretty focused
but they usually require more training
and setup and a certain level of skill
to be able to pull off if you want to
know how to do this with microlearning
in terms of studying then I'd recommend
that you check out my video on how to
make anky three times more effective of
any flash cards you can also get some
really solid learning with just five or
10 minute blocks of time by layering
your learning really strategically it's
a little bit more advanced but if you
want to learn how to do that then I
recommend starting with my video here
talking about what is my most powerful
learning and studying hack and finally
there are two honorable mentions here
which are task process and sleep task
process means a process you use to
complete a task for example if you use a
method of learning and studying that is
not engaging the right cognitive
processes then you may not feel that
you're able to stay in that flow very
long because your brain literally wants
to escape a terrible experience whereas
if you learn a really effective method
it's actually much easier to keep your
brain in flow cuz it's naturally more
engaged so the task process makes a big
difference to how how long and how
sustainably and consistently you can
stay in flow this is arguably one of the
most important factors as well but
because the actual task process depends
on the task you're doing I just didn't
include it in my list and secondly sleep
is really important for health memory
learning and memory consolidation
cognitive performance and well basically
like everything in life once you become
sleep deprived for more than one or two
days your performance drops so hard that
it's really not worth sacrificing sleep
for anything anymore getting your sleep
right with a good sleep hygiene and wind
down nighttime routine is always going
to be worth the 30 minutes or hour that
it would normally take so those were my
top eight most helpful adjustments and
optimizations to improve focus with two
honorable mentions I think a lot of the
principles that I talked about in this
video align and complement the things I
talked about in my scheduling video a
lot so I'd recommend checking that out
you might need to improve your time
management anyway to pull off some of
these tips in the first place if you
like this video make sure to subscribe
so you don't miss the next one thank you
so much for watching and I'll see you
next
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