Being able to focus is hard and impossible in our current social media environment. So today, let's tackle focus. In this post, we'll talk about why we should focus, why we can't, how to focus, and how to practice focusing so we can get to focus when needed.

Before we dive in, I want to define what focus is

Why We Need to Focus

If you want to get anything done, you must focus on doing that. There is no alternative.

Focus differentiates people who say they will get things done from those who actually do. We want to be the latter, so we must focus.

Every high performer with sustainable performance is hyper-focused.

If we want to be a high performer, we have to be able to focus. So then the question is

Why we can't focus?

Most of us struggle to focus because of three main reasons:

• Our mind is focused on too many things and is too distracted

• Our mind is focused on past or future tasks and not on the current task

• Don't have enough time or the right environment to focus

The good news is that all of these three reasons are addressable. Let's see how.

How to focus

All of us have experienced a state of flow or focus. We need to figure out how to get into that state of focus at will. It is easy, but it takes practice. Here is my simple three-step process that you can do to focus:

• Step 1: Remove distractions: One exercise I use to tame my distracted brain is called brain dump, where I take out my notebook and write down all the tasks I have to do. And when I say all the tasks, I mean everything. And I don't stop until I can't write any more tasks. It doesn't matter how small the task is. It can be taking out the trash or returning stuff for Amazon. But every task has to be written down. To write them down, I don't use any web or mobile app (more on that in a separate post). I use a small notebook and write down every task. This allows me to remove all the tasks from which my brain can get distracted. Getting all tasks are on paper helps me free up my brain as I know I can return to these tasks when needed.

• Step 2: Find the single task to focus on: Once I have all the tasks written down, I assign priority to them to find the task I need to focus on. Sometimes, I use Eisenhower 2x2 metrics, but other times, I pick from the top items I wrote down on the paper in Step 1. The most important task is always at the top of my mind; writing them down automatically sets the priority.

• Step 3: Create time for the task and the right environment. Let's address these separately.

  • Making time: We know that if we have to get something done, we must make time for it. The biggest challenge is having too many tasks with too little time. After prioritizing in step 2, I create a time block on the calendar for the single task and then focus on that task during that time. This addresses the time problem.

  • Creating an environment: Some people can focus in a Starbucks cafe, others in a library, or many in the office. Finding the right environment is critical as it helps with getting into a state of focus fast and consistently. I have discussed how to do that in earlier posts on three work areas.

I use this three-step framework every time I need to focus. If you have any questions, ask in the comments.

Now, this may seem like a lot of work to be able to focus on, and honestly, it is. But this is what separates a good performer from a great performer.

There is something else we need to do in addition to above framework. We must practice focussing every single day and then multiple times a day.

Practicing Focus

A high performer cannot focus once but can focus whenever necessary.

To do that consistently, we have to practice focussing. Being able to focus is a skill; like every other skill, we get better at it with practice.

Practice focussing every day. Use the 3-step process discussed above every time you practice focussing. With every iteration, it gets easier. Feel free to tweak the process to meet your specific needs. Before you do that, follow the above process to the tee and then tweak it if needed.

If you like the above post, you may also like:

• Taming the monkey mind

• How Olympians focus at will

• 4 steps to reduce the distraction

Today, I am going to share the single most effective productivity tip that will supersede every other productivity tip that you may have read or will read in the future.

That's a big claim, and I will back it up. But before we do that, here is the tip.

It is obvious and common sense. But with the current hustle culture, 5 hours of sleep debates, and the 4 AM club, it is worth repeating again and again.

Why is sleep a productivity hack?

A tired mind is slow at processing information. When tired, it gets less done, both quantitatively and qualitatively.

On productive days, we either get a lot done (quantitative work), accomplish hard things (qualitative work), or both.

Both types of work require a lot of brain power. A tired brain is low on energy, and therefore, the ability to process information is low as well. Sleep replenishes that.

A good night's sleep gives the mind the fuel it needs to process information.

How much sleep is needed for a good night's sleep?

This topic has been debated forever. My advice is simple: Sleep as much as you need. We are the best judges of our bodies' needs. Listen to them.

Apart from hours of sleep, one other factor that impacts our sleep more than how much we sleep is the quality of sleep.

The quality of sleep

I measure the quality of my sleep by how busy my mind is when I am sleeping. Was I having dreams or getting reminded of work and chores, etc.? I do have those nights, and the next day, I feel like I haven't slept a lot.

My simple exercise for calming a busy mind is called Brian Dump, which I briefly discussed in this post. If you are interested in details on how I use it every night, let me know in the comments, and I can share the details on why it works and how to apply it.

You may also like my other posts on this topic.

• Stop Swiss Cheesing your calendar

• Context switching costs more than we give it credit for

• 3 Areas of Work to Increase Productivity

• The Fastest Way to Get Into the State of Flow

• Get 20% done more Every Workweek

• How to Focus On High-Impact Work & Eliminate Busywork

• 4 Ways to Outsmart the Smart Devices and Skyrocket Focus Time!

• A simple framework to automate repetitive tasks

• Increasing our Productivity and throughput without increasing work

Science of Sleep

Finally, if you are interested in what sleep professionals say about sleep and Productivity, please watch these exceptional TED talks.

The first one is by Dr. Matthew Carter, a biology professor, who is great as he highlights the biology behind sleep and how sleep affects our productivity.

In the second video, Jeff discusses what happens to our brains when we sleep and how they recover the next day.

If we could print all the advice on productivity from the Internet, books, podcasts, youtube, etc., and stack the pages to form a tower, we would have a tower high enough to reach Mars. But that won't be a productive use of our time (pun intended) 😂.

So if we want to spend our time productively, we must first ask ourselves, not the how’s but the why’s.

Why be Productive?

I have written several posts on how to be productive. The tips cover productivity for individuals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) and teams (1, 2, 3). And yet, I never answered why.

It is what I want to address today.

I don’t believe it’s because we want to get more done or we want more time back. We have other means to do so. It’s something else.

That's it.

We all have the potential and often feel like we are not reaching it when we feel unproductive. We say to ourselves, "I could have completed so much if I was more productive." 

That's a feeling of regret. A feeling that we didn't achieve our fullest potential because we were unproductive. And it's not a surprise that we all hate that feeling.

We all want to minimize feeling regret by being more productive to achieve our highest potential.

And that's why I think we all want to be productive.

A free subscription gets you:

🎉 📰 Every new issue of this newsletter is delivered right to the inbox.

🔖 😲 Free access to previous posts will soon be moved behind a paywall.

🏆 😊 Top posts that made it to the front page of hacker news with comment thread.