Focus and stop procrastinating
A short reading list on how to improve focus and stop procrastinating, with ideas you can test the same day. Shane Parrish argues focus is the real productivity lever, while another speaker blames internal triggers for most distraction. Interval training for attention is the most practical idea here. 10 picks from the Bez Tytułu newsletter, in reading order.
The picks
The Ultimate Productivity Hack Is Focus
Read · fs.blog · 3 min · Issue #108
Shane Parrish's August 2022 Farnam Street post argues that focus is the key to productivity and success, and that focus means saying no. He notes that Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Jony Ive credit focus for their success. He describes focus as a muscle practiced daily, and says focused people often keep working on one idea for a long time even without visible results.
An eight-step routine for anxious tasks
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #173
An eight-step routine picks one anxious task and blocks two to three hours of focus on it.
The speaker shares an eight-step process for doing the right thing. It starts by waking an hour before screen time, then writing three to five of your most anxious or uncomfortable items on paper. For each, ask whether finishing only that would make the day satisfying. Choose one of the yes items and block two to three hours for it, returning gently when distracted.
Key points- Wake an hour before the screen, make tea, and list three to five anxious tasks
- Keep only the tasks that would satisfy you if they were the day's only win
- If you get distracted, gently return to your one to-do, not spiral
Time management is emotion regulation
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #188
Most distraction comes from inside, so time management is really emotion regulation and pain management.
The speaker claims that about 90 percent of distraction comes from internal triggers, uncomfortable emotional states we try to escape, rather than from events outside us. He frames time management, money management and weight management as forms of emotion regulation, arguing that human behavior generally aims to escape discomfort. Mastering internal triggers is the first step.
Key points- The speaker says 90% of distraction comes from internal triggers
- Internal triggers are uncomfortable emotional states we try to escape
- He argues time, weight and money management are all pain management
Build focus with timed interval blocks
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #218
Build focus with interval training, starting with 20 minutes of undistracted work and adding time gradually.
The speaker describes interval training for focus: pick a demanding task, set a timer for about 20 minutes, and restart the timer if you get distracted. Once that feels comfortable, which takes about two weeks, add 10 minutes, building toward 90-minute blocks as the goal. The speaker estimates a theoretical limit of about four hours of concentration a day, based on research on professional musicians.
Key points- Set a timer for 20 minutes of demanding work, such as studying or paying bills
- Restart the timer if you check your phone or switch tabs
- After about two weeks, add 10 minutes and keep building
A bulletin board for staying focused
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #44
A bulletin board with category cards and an urgent-versus-important grid helps stay focused and lets low-priority tasks drop away.
The speaker shares a bulletin board system for staying focused, with cards for categories such as professional work, personal life, travel, things to learn, creative projects, and friends and family. Urgent items go in the top corner and important ones below, and anything that drops to the bottom corner is effectively dropped. The speaker suggests smaller cards for individual tasks.
Key points- Cards cover work, personal, travel, things to learn, creative projects, and friends and family
- Urgent items go in the top corner, important items below, and non-urgent items top left
- Smaller cards let you add individual tasks to the mix
Getting into a flow state
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #213
A short TikTok on how to get into a flow state.
Scrolling fades when you have a project
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #229
The speaker argues scrolling comes from having no clear project, and a concrete project gives your energy somewhere to go.
The speaker says people are often more capable than they think, but drain their energy through distraction when they wake without a clear project. Having one project to aim energy at, worked on daily, would give people something to show for each day and make them less likely to scroll. The speaker frames clarity as the piece that makes the difference.
Key points- Big dreams without a plan or constraints drain energy into distraction
- Clarity on one project gives your energy a clear target
- With a clear project you go to bed knowing you moved the ball forward
Three steps to beat procrastination
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #136
Procrastination is stress-driven, so the speaker recommends Mel Robbins' three steps: forgive, acknowledge stress, then act.
The speaker says procrastination is mainly driven by stress and a wish to feel good right now, and cites a researcher for this view. The speaker recommends Mel Robbins's three-step cycle: forgive yourself for procrastinating, acknowledge the stress behind it, then use the five-second rule to start acting before doubt builds.
Key points- Step one: forgive yourself, since procrastinating is a coping mechanism, not laziness
- Step two: acknowledge the aggravation and stress to loosen its grip
- Step three: use the five-second rule to start, acting before you feel ready
Name the trigger to beat procrastination
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #43
Procrastination is a stress-triggered habit, so name the trigger, count down from five, and start with a five-minute task.
The speaker offers a fix for procrastination, which they define as avoiding tasks in reaction to stress. Notice the trigger, interrupt the habit by counting down from 5 to 1, and start with just five minutes of the task. If a task takes under two or three minutes, do it immediately. The speaker says these methods helped them prepare for the GMAT and get into business school.
Key points- Acknowledge the stress trigger, then interrupt the habit by counting from 5 to 1
- Start a new habit by doing one task for only five minutes
- If a task takes under two or three minutes, do it immediately