Hyperfocus
🔗Connect
🔼Topic:: Focus Topic:: downtime brain
✒️ Note-Making
💡Clarify
🔈 Summary of main ideas
- Beware the autopilot - Our attention span is both limited, and being constantly attacked by distractions. If we don't try to protect it, we will be on "autopilot" mode more often. We would be distracted more without noticing, less focused, and less productive and happy overall.
- Less is more - when we are overwhelmed with distractions and tasks, we double down on trying to do it all. Multitasking is hardly possible and more taxing while you get less in return. Less is more, give up on multitasking, and choose wisely what's important to you.
- Cultivate your attention span - by limiting inputs, especially getting rid of distractions and controlling our attention using commitment devices, shaping our environment, and dumping information to external systems, we can protect our precious attention. We can also increase our attention span by practicing mindfulness.
- . Hyperfocus for deep dive - Hyperfocus is when we are "in the zone". We intentionally choose the most important task we can do right now that would benefit us in the long run, and focus just on that and nothing else. Not only we are more productive, but also it requires less energy because our focus is fixed on one thing
- Scatterfocus for creativity - While hyperfocus is deep, Scatterfocus is wide. We take advantage of our mind wandering skills to think creatively about something. Letting it process things in the background, run simulations and explore ways we didn't thought about when we tried intentionally to focus about it. It's about letting go of control, about consuming valuable information so that the brain could make more interesting connections between those bits of information.
🗒️Relate
⛓ Life lessons, action items
🔍Critique
✅ by following this method, what will happen? We will be more productive, creative and as result more happy in our lives. We would be more aware during the day, feeling more alive and aware. We would find meaning in what we do, and less
❌ the logical jumps, holes or simply cases where it is wrong...
🧱 Implementations and limitations of it are...
🗨️Review
💭 my opinions on the book, the writers style... Haven't seen so far an author that said that he wrote the book for himself, because he faces this problem right now and he searched a solution, but even more than that, an author that says "are you sure you need to read my book now? Perhaps it's not a good use of your time". I love the humility and honesty.
🖼️Outline
📒 Notes
Why Focus Matters
We are always focused on something, whether towards external things or in our internal world, the question is how do we focus on what matters most to us, while avoiding Distractions.
Nowadays it's even harder to focus than before, with constant and easy distractions everywhere, we feel as if our attention is something that can't last long, so might as well try to multitask which is usually more hurtful than beneficial Multitasking doesnt exist
- In any given moment, we are all focusing on something, even if we’re just lost in our internal thoughts. (Location 126)
- disconnecting is one of the most powerful ways to spark new and innovative ideas. (Location 145)
Hyperfocus
Switching off Autopilot Mode
Most of the time our attention is on "autopilot mode" defaults, which is convenient when we are doing simple things that requires little effort, but if we are on autopilot mode for too long we can lose control over our attention, being unable to use and direct it towards the right targets. Our most productive, creative effort comes from intentional use of attention mindfulness.
The problem is magnified once we realize how much the environment has control over our attention and is hardly unbiased Attention Economy.
The most stimulating and attractive things will rarely be the most important ones
We can divide our tasks (whether job, personal growth and even family life) into 4 quadrants Eisenhower matrix based on importance and fun:
- Unnecessary work - unproductive and unattractive, usually the tasks we procrastinate on
- Distracting work - things that we rationalize are important but in the end are only distractions
- Necessary work - the boring yet Important tasks we need to do in life
- Purposeful work - the rare combination of interest and importance. This is where we shine
We want to focus on necessary and purposeful work, but our attention is usually competed by tasks of all kinds.
- some decisions are worth making deliberately. How we manage our attention is one of them. (Location 269)
- (One of the most underrated skills: letting other people finish their sentences before starting yours.) (Location 272)
- While falling into autopilot mode can help us keep up the pace of work and life, attention is our most limited and constrained resource. The more we can manage our attention with intention, the more focused, productive, and creative we become. (Location 280)
- The most urgent and stimulating things in your environment are rarely the most significant. (Location 315)
- Directing your attention toward the most important object of your choosing—and then sustaining that attention—is the most consequential decision we will make throughout the day. We are what we pay attention to. (Location 316)
The Limits of Your Attention
There's a capacity to our working memory, and most of the things we are doing like driving, reading, talking with someone takes up all of our mental bandwidth. That's why multitasking doesn't exist. The brain needs bandwidth to both process information and convert it to long term memory.
However, it is possible to combine habits with other tasks. For example, you can wash the dishes and listen to a podcast at the same time, because habits by definition require very little cognitive effort.
That doesn't mean you can't reach a point of overloading. By having too many tasks, we are getting overwhelmed and start to forget what we are doing, or lose focus quickly. The answer is to limit your inputs less is more. By reducing our cognitive load, we can focus more on what's left.
Limiting is not the same as juggling between different tasks. When we switch between unfinished tasks, our mind continues to think about the previous task, thus limiting the resources we have for the task at hand. The quicker we switch, the worse we get task switching.
- Becoming aware of what you’re thinking about is one of the best practices for managing your attention. The more you notice what’s occupying your attentional space, the faster you can get back on track (Location 441)
- the number of habitual tasks we can fit into our attentional space is much higher than the number of demanding ones. (Location 492)
- your most necessary and purposeful tasks can’t be done out of habit. (Location 497)
- At any one time, your attentional space should hold at most two key things that you are processing: what you intend to accomplish and what you’re currently doing. (Location 546)
- Productivity is not about cramming more into our days but about doing the right thing in each moment. (Location 595)
The Power of Hyperfocus
Hyperfocus is synonymous with flow, a sense of oneness of you and the task, a harmonious combination of the internal and external world Extended Mind. To be hyperfocus, we need:
- Choose one task to focus on
- Focus on it
- Remove distractions (it's easier to do in advance)
- Refocus when we get distracted
Hyperfocus is what causes is to be more productive and less busy, we finish a session more refreshed despite doing more.
On choosing what to focus on: Attention is nothing without Intention, we need to choose what to focus on, which requires Prioritization. Think which actions are beneficial while considering also the long term Domino Effect. Decide in advance what are you going to focus on today so that you'll be less distracted by new information later on. Check yourself once in a while that you are focusing on what you set out to do.
Also, remember to be clear with your intentions, the more specific the better. Don't overcommit, start small and try 15 minute blocks with breaks in between pomoduro technique
- Hyperfocus is many things at once: it’s deliberate, undistracted, and quick to refocus, and it leads us to become completely immersed in our work. It also makes us immensely happy. (Location 697)
- The most important aspect of hyperfocus is that only one productive or meaningful task consumes your attentional space. (Location 711)
- You enter into hyperfocus when you engage both your thoughts and your external environment and direct them at one thing intentionally. (Location 739)
- Distractions are infinitely easier to deal with in advance—by the time they appear, it’s often already too late to defend our intention against them. (Location 760)
- keep one important, complex object of attention in your awareness as you work. (Location 774)
- Setting specific intentions can double or triple your odds of success. (Location 887)
Taming Distractions
On average our attention spans last for only 40 seconds, while getting back to a task (in terms of focus) takes minutes. Based on that, even if we are distracted only 10% of our day, this could mean that about half of our day goes to waste. And we are distracted a lot. Either by work that throws several projects simultaneously, or fun distractions such as social media. Having self-control is not enough, no one is that powerful. The only way is to block distractions ahead of time Environmental design.
There are four types of distractions:
- Fun/not fun
- In/out of our control
For example:
- Out of control - a fun activity would be friends coming for a surprised visit, a not fun one would be an urgent meeting
- In our control - fun activity would be to scroll through social media. A not fun would be checking email.
For the distractions we can't control, we just have to accept them, be mindful during those moments to get the most out of them, and then get back to work. For the ones we can control, we need to limit as much as possible.
Using commitment devices to block off notifications, task batching to check emails and other distractions only once or twice a day, and stay away from your phone as much as possible, especially if it starts to interrupt your sleep.
For example, put your phone on airplane mode, delete apps, put it in a different room, put noise canceling headphones and notify others on when you will be available again. It's all about controlling which Cue are around you and could derail you.
In terms of planning and managing tasks, remember that our mind is a processor and not a warehouse, it would help reduce your cognitive load if you externalize the tasks into a list or an app Effort Storing.
- Distractions from others aren’t quite as damaging as the times we interrupt ourselves. (Location 1059)
Making Hyperfocus a Habit
First, hyperfocusing requires just the right amount of things that try to fill up our attention. If we find ourselves bored often then we lack enough meaningful complex projects in our lives, and the reverse is true if we feel burnout even after trying to narrow down our focus.
Aside from managing our attention, we can increase the amount of attention we can spare. Meditation is one of the best things we can do to improve our memory and focus capacity.
We might feel the urge to avoid being mindful or to try and concentrate. Try to use to the Five minute rule to lower the bar, just start small and you'll usually be able to go longer than you expected you'll usually be able to go longer than you expected
- doing mindless stuff at work or at home is not only unproductive but also a sign you don’t have enough important work. (Location 1524)
- The more you notice what’s grasped your attention, the more quickly you’ll be able to redirect it to your intention. (Location 1615)
- mindfulness and meditation improve virtually every aspect of how you manage your attention. (Location 1619)
Scatterfocus
Your Brain's Hidden Creative Mode
While we often need to concentrate, we also need to daydream. This mode allows us to explore different ideas and test them out in our brain simulations. We think about the future and imagine possible scenarios based on what we can do, and ruminate on the past thinking what we could have done better. This type of thinking is the peak of human creativity. We can compare Scatterfocus and hyperfocus to exploration vs exploitation, one is useful in generating new ideas and the other in implementing them. Usually Scatterfocus doesn't come when we try to force it out, but rather when we let go The law of reverse effect, for example having creative thoughts when we shower or talk a walk. Therefore in order to have moments of Scatterfocus we need to generate moments where we let our mind wander, rather than try to control it to where it wanders off.
To get to Scatterfocus we need to remove distractions, since the mind wants to focus on something, only by clearing any external option we allow it to focus internally. Also, since Scatterfocus is not set on any particular thing and we just let the mind wander, it is often fun and recharging.
- Just as hyperfocus is your brain’s most productive mode, scatterfocus is its most creative. (Location 1739)
- Each time we eschew boredom for stimulation, we fail to plan, unearth ideas our mind has incubated, or recharge so we can work later with greater energy and purpose. (Location 2036)
Recharging Your Attention
Rest is essential for our productivity. After all, it is only with energy that we are capable of being productive. Therefore sleep and rest are a Multiplier of productivity, and an investment worth making. Besides eight hours of sleep, you need to take a brake every 90 minutes for 15 minutes to maintain optimal energy levels.
- the more often we scatterfocus to replenish our mental energy, the more energy we have for our most important tasks. (Location 2061)
Connecting Dots
Our brain is the most creative when it is in Scatterfocus mode. It works on unfinished problems in the background, which leads to eureka moments after a good rest or when doing unrelated things.
We can intentionally leave some tasks unfinished so that our brain would process them in the background over time. Attention Residue
Collecting Dots
It's all about Connection Making. This is the source of our productive output. The more we are able to connect different dots, the easier it is to group them together and hold them in our memory chunking. For example it's easier to remember words or sentences than individual letters or syllables. Having the knowledge of language helps us make larger chunks.
Not all information is born equal. Valuable information is an actionable one pragmatism that improves your intuition. Look for information within and outside of your expertise Range, and in general follow your curiosity. It's hard to learn all the time, so try to combine it with entertaining content but don't consume just mind numbing trash.
Evaluate the content before and during consuming it reading methods, and don't by shy to say no, it's better to stop something pointless in the middle than pushing yourself to finish it saying no.
- Working with more information at our disposal also helps us make more intuitive decisions, because we’re able to subconsciously summon preexisting knowledge in our memories. (Location 2367)
- We are what we pay attention to, and almost nothing influences our productivity and creativity as much as the information we’ve consumed in the past. (Location 2372)
WORKING TOGETHER
Hyperfocus and scatterfocus complement each other, one is productivity, other is creativity. One demands high energy, one demands low. We need them both to thrive.
Both also contribute and are contributed from happiness. We are more productive when we are happy and vice versa. Being happy is a matter of action, not daydreaming.
- Positive thinking lets us feel successful in the moment, but at the price of making an actual plan to become successful later. (Location 2578)
- a positive mood expands the size of your attentional space, (Location 2591)