The best way to focus? Do nothing.
This is a quick blog post to talk about an important thing I recently learned when it comes to focusing on a task at hand.
Focusing is hard
Of course, I’ve been trying to improve my productivity more now that I am self-employed and have a higher need to focus on work. I’ve been trying to figure out the best path to productivity, specifically the best ways to focus on a single task over an extended (1+ hour) period of time.
In the past, I’ve had trouble with this across the board. I often switch between tasks, which to be fair can help reduce burnout if the tasks are diversified and separate from one another. However, if I have too much spread and keep switching without being able to focus, I’ll never finish anything.
A counterintuitive approach
So, I’ve been experimenting with different methods to find the best way to focus. I think I figured it out, at least for me: and it’s to do nothing.
Now, this sounds weird, but let me add more context. I use a Pomodoro timer to manage my productivity, which is very common and helpful. However, I still struggle sometimes to sit down and work the entire time for the Pomodoro. Sometimes I’ll get distracted and forget all about the Pomodoro timer, and when I come back, it’s already been five Pomodoros past, and I haven’t done any work for the entire day.
What I’ve decided to do is give myself two choices. I can either work during a Pomodoro or do nothing. I can walk around, think, stand, or sit, but I can’t go on Discord, Reddit, YouTube, or any other distractions. That way, if I’m burned out from a task, I can get up from my chair and start walking around. Sometimes, I go through an entire Pomodoro timer doing nothing but walking around my room.
My reasoning
Why is this better than getting distracted? First, when you’re doing nothing, there’s no time dilation, unlike when you’re going on Reddit or YouTube. This means that while I’m liking to miss one Pomodoro, I’m very unlikely to miss five of them.
Second, doing nothing is very boring, even more boring than working. So, sometimes, I just find that if I’m left with these two choices, I’ll go back and be like, “Okay, I’m done walking around. I thought about what I need to think about. Let me just go back to this work.”
That’s how I’ve figured out the best focus for my Pomodoro timer. It’s definitely something that I think would be valuable for other people to try, too. I still haven’t perfected this formula, but I’m still working through it, and of course, there will be a blog post when I figure out the perfect distractionless work environment (if it even exists). But that’s where it stands right now, and I feel like that’s a strategy that’s worked really well for me.
[Originally posted at jacob-robinson.com on 2023-08-27]
I can totally relate to your struggle with staying focused, especially as a self-employed individual. Your counterintuitive approach of giving yourself the choice between working during a Pomodoro or doing nothing is intriguing. The idea of embracing moments of "doing nothing" to avoid distractions and maintain focus makes a lot of sense. It's a unique strategy that I'm eager to try in my own workflow. Thanks for sharing your insights and the ongoing journey toward finding that perfect distraction-free work environment! 🚀 #ProductivityHacks #FocusOnTheJourney
Thank you!
Surprisingly, I was doing the same approach when I was preparing for the hardest exam in my engineering journey, doing nothing reduce the overload on the brain, also many time I found myself thinking about the task and rather wanting to do it instead of boredom, it also make you realise some points in difused mode of thinking than focused mode of focus time (pomodoro time) .Also as you mentionned the diversification of tasks ( switching subject for my case) worked good, since boredom is a THING to not underestimate it, but it should be in different nature than the former task.
Great to hear it worked for you! I agree this strategy would work great for heavy loads like difficult STEM exams.
Hi,
Thanks, Jacob, for sharing this. I will try this, I hope it will work.
Best of luck!
I agree. Most people nowadays is so afraid to be bored, they get fidgety just by standing in line. Sometimes, when we sit with our thoughts long enough is when our subconscious mind is able to do the heavy lifting.
Yup, I think phones are partially to blame since now we can get some form of entertainment even in a line. I'm definitely at fault for this, but I've found the nothing approach helps keep your mind more steady!
I actually do something very similar to this, but on the breaks i tend to read for about 10 minutes to escape for a lil while and give my mind a break.
Great idea, especially so if the book is something completely different than what you're working on. Allows you to shift focus for a moment!
let's do nothing Jacob! Let's focus. Thanks for sharing
Agreed! Thanks for the comment
I think that doing nothing is a way to stay and reset. On the other hand, getting distracted leads you further and further away, making it even harder to come back in the end.
I do this too. Taking walks in the morning is the best time for me to get my mind quiet for the day.
I often take walks for the same reason, definitely recommend!
Thanks for sharing
Thank you for sharing valuable knowledge.
I will try it, thanks for sharing
No problem and good luck on trying it out!
"doing nothing is very boring, even more boring than working."
I love it!
I forgot about this productivity hack, this is exactly what I needed to read today! Thanks for sharing this :)
Of course, thank you!
Totally agree! Just took a 12 days digital detox trying to do nothing an I am reflected and focussed as never before!
Congrats on the detox!
Hey, hats off to you! I'm definitely going to give it a go myself – thanks for the great tip
Thank you!
Great advice, I've heard this from others as well. If we allow ourselves to only be able to do 1 thing compared to doing nothing, we will find a way to make that 1 thing enjoyable.
Exactly!
I'll try it out, lets see
I've used the brute force method to varying degrees of success, and I've been doing this since high school. However it's high stress and doesn't always work, especially at times when I need it the most.
I think I might give this a shot and see if it works better for me!
Had the same experience with bruteforcing, sometimes its nice to think that you have all the discipline in the world but it does quickly spiral into the high stress you mentioned. "Tricking" your mind by giving it an alternative nothing choice is really what cured this for me!
Pure gold!
Thanks!
this is actually a solid advice!
Thank you!
thank you so much. These are really great tips. I will try to implement them. 😅
Best of luck on your implementing!
Great post, I'll try to apply this in my daily life, but for now, what I do is I set goals for every single day. So whenever I get distracted, I just look at my today's goals and then start working on them again! That's a really productive way to stay focused IMO!
I do this too -- the strategies pair together really well!
Thanks for replying, After reading this article, I've been doing your advise in my daily life and I just wanna thank you for this. It's so productive that I don't have words for it!
Glad to hear its been working for you!
Good advice. Let's try this out. haha
Haha thx for sharing. I think this might be a good hack.
Nice, on my end I try to be aware of anything that can get me addicted, even a pomodoro timer. I'm trying to get ride of any excuses to do what needs to be done. And found myself waiting for the pomodoro timer to clock in and star working
Being mindful of most aspects of myself helped me a lot.
Being more aware of my health (body and financials) and what I treasure in my current life, as well my goals. Helps me to stop procrastinating and just do what needs to be done.
One other thing that is really important is just listen to your body signs, if you found yourself really in need for a break, or day off. Just do it. It is really hard to win some battles by trying to brute force yourself.
Absolutely- spend time thinking to avoid useless rework or heading in an unproductive direction.
Very good read. It's so simple and yet so overlooked.
Thank you!
That is insightful.
I swear that I just started this method like a week ago and I found it all by myself, I’m glad to see other people not doing it.
Woah, I had the opposite effects with Pomodoro. I usually lock in. I silence my phone, DND, and have the time right by my laptop.
I only give myself distractions if I have to goto the bathroom whilst the timer is going but usually don't spend long on my phone I noticed.
Doing nothing at times actually do help me in feeling the itch to do something. It is why I practice meditation, sitting around breathing helps me to channel the nothingness.
The world has turned into a constant productivity obsessed mindset that we forgot the very basics of our human nature.
Getting bored is not only good for our productivity, but also for our mental health and consequentially for our creativity.
I recently decided to go on a sabbatical period to unwind and to supposedly, rest.
I have done nothing for like the first week, after that, my mind just started wondering about new ideas, new projects... I ended up not resting at all and my overall satisfaction and creativity has flourished like it has not in many years - this just because I allowed myself to wonder and get bored.
We should embrace more of sitting on public transport and just looking at the window, sitting at home and be comfortable with the silence, or simply go on a walk and listen to nature.
Thanks for sharing that less is more.
What works for me, to increase productivity, is to go out for about 40 minutes (bike, walk the dog,...).
I recommend it to everyone who works from home and has flexible hours.
I definitely try this when I'm overwhelmed. In a way its analogous to doing nothing since your walk is focused on just the walk itself. My "do nothing" is usually just pacing around the apartment anyway, haha