① Focus, focus. I used to think that if I told myself to focus, it would work. But it didn't, because those instructions are very unclear. It's like saying, 'just make more money' or 'just stop being awkward,' instead of providing specific methods. So instead, here are three clear 10-minute rules that have worked for me to tap into focus mode anytime.
② Rule number one: Invest 10 minutes to 10x your focus. There have been way too many days when I wake up feeling motivated only to stare at a blank screen for 20 minutes and then waste a whole day binging YouTube videos. And I realize it's because I didn't have a plan. The most dangerous thing for focus is confusion. There's a part of our brain called the anterior cingulate cortex or ACC for short. Think of it like an alarm system. When our expectations don't match reality, it gets confused and the alarm goes off, overwhelming our focus. For example, if our expectation was to be a productivity king or queen, cranking out a week's worth of work in an hour, but in reality, we don't even know what to focus on, you can kiss your focus goodbye. But we can solve this problem with just 10 minutes of planning. Research shows that people who plan out exactly when and how they'll do something are up to 91 percent more likely to follow through. So, this is what I recommend: an hour before bed, make a plan for tomorrow, but keep it simple. Pick one important thing to work on and break it down into stupid simple steps. Make it so stupid and simple that the alarm system won't detect anything wrong. You'll have a clear focus plan for tomorrow. 10 minutes of planning can 10x your focus.
③ Rule number two, if you can't find it in yourself to start working, you're allowed to procrastinate for 10 minutes. I use this analogy all the time: our mind is a spoiled child. The moment it senses boredom or overwhelm, it puts up resistance. We now know that there's a part of our brain called the insula, which activates when we experience negative emotions. That's our inner child throwing a temper tantrum, and there's no way we're going to focus when that's happening. But this is temporary because when we start working, even just for a little bit, the insula calms down. So rule number two is a bargain with our brain to overcome the initial hurdle. Sure, you could procrastinate for 10 minutes. How does that sound? And the trick is, 10 minutes of work is long enough for our brain cogs to warm up and get our creative juices flowing. And then we'll actually want to keep going. Our brain wants to get work done; we just have to get the insula on board. In my experience, the hardest step is the step from stillness. But once you get going, your mood will come around. So pull out your timer, set it for 10 minutes, and let me know where that takes you.
④ Rule number three: Take 10 minutes of break for every one hour of focus. If you don't, your efficiency will tank until you burn out. Think of focus like a muscle. To train it, we have to stress and then rest. But if we keep pushing our focus beyond its limit, we're going to injure it. Now we have to wait even longer days before we can start training again. Well, focus works very similarly. Pushing our focus too far in one sitting is going to overwork it. So once we start feeling headaches and mental fatigue, reading the same sentence over and over, that's our brain telling us it needs a break. I myself like using the Pomodoro Technique, which is usually 25 minutes of deep work followed by five minutes of break. If you want to work with me, you can join our Discord server. We have a lot of work parties going on. But if we do the math and add two Pomodoro sessions together, that's 10 minutes of break for every one hour. During your breaks, it's a good idea to get up, stretch, move around, and completely detach yourself from work. Let your brain rest and regain the strength to continue focusing.
⑤ When I combine these three 10-minute rules, my ability to focus goes 10, even 20 times. And it's because each rule targets a different aspect of focus. Rule number one prepares for focus, rule number two engages in focus, and rule number three helps us sustain focus. Cool, right? I've been super interested in this topic, so this is actually going to be one of the first videos in a new series I'm doing called 'Focus Training.' Focus training is also part of what we teach in Study Quests, our ultimate learning skills and productivity skills program. But yeah, I'll be exploring and sharing everything I know about the art of focus so we can unlock our creative attention. So if that sounds like your vibe, definitely subscribe. Check out the links to Study Quests in the description below. Stay focused, and I will see you all next time.