Ask HN: How do I develop focus?
I'm a nerd. I know tons of technologies in and out. And I am creative. I come up with new ideas all the time. And I start new projects all the time. They all have potential. But I do so many of them that none really gets enough attention to grow.
What can I do?
200 comments
[ 3.5 ms ] story [ 123 ms ] threadhttps://www.amazon.com/Deep-Work-Focused-Success-Distracted/...
I mean you know what you have to do if you really want to: give one idea the attention to grow. Choose to do that and commit yourself to it. Or don’t.
Usually I get distracted and end up on YouTube.
Instead of thinking that you are wasting potential on the big ideas, think of it as your portfolio of small bets (credits to Daniel Vassalo). Instead of exposing yourself to risk of "one big idea" for the expectation of "one big payoff", you can think of yourself as your own VC investor, with the most important distinction that you will be choosing how to invest your most precious resource: your time.
Take the projects that you see potential but lost interest and put them on microacquire [0]. This will both free your mind for other projects and give you a sense of accomplishment.
[0]: https://microacquire.com/
Meditate: Literally train your mind to focus. It's going to the gym. Won't happen in a day, week, even month. Consistently do it and you'll eventually see progress.
Letting go: I have a long track record of starting while not going deep. Eventually, I just had to jump in the cold water and start letting things go. Literally put away physical gear for hobbies I wasn't actively engaging in but that took up a bunch of emotional and mental space and energy. Store it away and move on. Part of that process was telling myself this doesn't mean I failed or gave up or even that I would never do XYZ again. Just not now. I started learning the drums a bit ago then I also decided to try to get good at golf. Amongst other things, something had to go. Bye bye drums. Closed all the drums-related tabs. Put away the training material. It's golf time. Maybe in the cold months I'll pick back up, but for now, I'm relieving myself of the self-prescribed duty to practice drums. After doing that for a while, you feel a weight lift.
For some people, starting a bunch of things might be a way to protect against failure (or hard work) since they never actually commit to pushing something live. For others, like me, it's a lot of fun to learn something new (learn, not master).
Meditation helps me be less reactive to stimulus and also decreases the occurrence of random thoughts.
Think of the human body as an IO system. Your sensory organs constantly giving you inputs from all directions.
Your mind deciding what the output should be.
When you meditate - I feel like you add a latency to your responses which allows you indirectly to focus better.
Second thing that really helps is a non distracting environment (decreasing potential inputs) - have a space where there isn’t much distractions.
Phones with push notifications id say are one of the biggest sources of distractions - I have most notifications switched off and check different messenger/mail apps periodically as I finish blocks of work - this absolutely helps in terms of focus.
There is a bit of controversy of the science and spiritual side but I find that the way to improve focus is to limit stimuli and practice focusing.
Outside of that, sleep is probably more critical.
Indeed! I'd add on -- keep in mind that this focus might be very fleeting at first. You might focus on your breath or mantra for one, maybe two repetitions... and that's it! You've already lost it. You barely made it two seconds and now your mind is drifting and you have to remind yourself to focus. You might've even been drifting or daydreaming for over a minute after only two seconds of focus. That is perfectly normal. It's ok to just try meditation for a couple to a few minutes at first until you get the technique down. You slowly increase how long you can meditate -- keeping one-pointed concentration on your focus -- from a couple seconds, to a few seconds, to minutes, etc. It's like training a muscle. It takes time and effort.
Resources to check out, available free online: The books Mindfulness in Plain English and Keeping the Breath in Mind and Lessons in Samadhi.
Close your eyes Look straight between your eyebrows Breath in for 6 count mentally Breath out for 6 count mentally When breathing in and out keep looking into the blackness between the eyebrows
Also, I've noticed I learn best when I actively try to limit the number of times I switch context within a day, this might require you to plan whatever it is you want to deep-dive beforehand, but your mileage might vary.
Treat focus like a skill you develop, or a muscle that you train to be stronger. If you wanted to improve your weightlifting you would schedule regular gym visits and create a plan to do a certain amount of lifting each day with slightly more weight each week. If you wanted to improve your running you’d set aside time to run and try to run incrementally farther over time. Focus is the same: You need to start small, schedule time for it, and work your way up. You can’t expect to run a 6-minute mile or benchpress 400 lbs without practice, so you shouldn’t expect to sit down and focus through completing multiple side projects quickly without building your way up to it.
Start with incremental goals. If you only consider goals that are too far out of reach for your current focus conditioning (finishing multiple entire projects) then you’re only going to get frustrated. Break projects down into incremental milestones and set intermediate goals to reach each milestone. Decompose into individual features and track them in a simple project management software if it helps.
You want to get to the point where you can sit down at your computer, know what task you can work on next, and have that task be small enough that you can finish it in one sitting or one evening. Practice breaking down your problems into smaller and smaller portions until you reach this goal.
I can't cite the exact research, but Angela Duckworth turned me onto this on an episode of "No Stupid Questions" about two or three weeks ago.
Good advice generally though, and nothing you said really relies on focus being a muscle; you still need to practice it, but no need to worry about not being "conditioned" enough, is all.
Update: Found it! [0]
> Laboratories implemented one of two procedures that intended to manipulate self control and tested performance on a subsequent measure of self control. Confirmatory tests found a non-significant result, d = 0.06. Confirmatory Bayesian meta-analyses using an informed prior hypothesis (δ = 0.30; SD = 0.15) found the data were four times more likely under the null than the alternative hypothesis. Hence, preregistered analyses did not find evidence for a depletion effect.
[0] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346303522_A_Multisi...
The study focuses on the claims that self-control or exertions of willpower deplete the ego which doesn't address focus.
Are you really a nerd? Do you really know tons of technologies in and out? Are you really that creative? Do all the project really have such potential?
Anyway. Starting projects is easy, finishing them is hard. This can have tons of reasons, you should be more specific what you are struggling with, because from your post, everything about you seems to be perfect.
I would suggest to be more self critical, as long as I'm not misinterpreting your post that is.
- Always try to scale down your projects, avoid making them too grandiose to be achievable.
- Try to achieve at least one thing in what you are trying to focus on every day, no matter how small.
- Embrace pivoting. When we pivot to new projects, it probably means the last idea may not have been all that good.
- Get exercise and eat right.
- Consider getting a prescription for Concerta or Adderall if other ways of finding focus don't work.
No, consider talking to a mental health professional for a proper evaluation if you think mental health issues are underlying part of your problem.
Don’t go in seeking a specific diagnosis or specific medications. This is literally called “drug-seeking behavior” and reputable doctors will flag you for it.
Accept that stimulants aren’t magical motivation or self-discipline in pill form. I’m seeing too many non-ADHD young people seek prescriptions and then burn themselves out, develop a dependency on a drug they didn’t need, and find themselves in worse condition when they realize that the energizing effects of stimulants don’t last forever.
> No, consider talking to a mental health professional for a proper evaluation if you think mental health issues are underlying part of your problem.
Is that not implied by the prescription part? I even left it for last in that list for a reason.
> Accept that stimulants aren’t magical motivation or self-discipline in pill form.
It certainly can help with motivation if we set aside the "magical" part. A person with ADHD taking a stimulant isn't going to have their interests changed or their self-motivation, but it certainly helps in staying focused on things a normal person can do but is not necessarily interested in, like chores and boring desk work that needs to get done.
> This is literally called “drug-seeking behavior” and reputable doctors will flag you for it.
Sure, don't try to game the system by faking a disease. Agreed, but that wasn't really what I was suggesting, as much as I could have been more specific in my language.
> I’m seeing too many non-ADHD young people seek prescriptions and then burn themselves out, develop a dependency on a drug they didn’t need, and find themselves in worse condition when they realize that the energizing effects of stimulants don’t last forever.
Well, I really don't know much about that. Then again, I don't live in Silicon Valley. This is really not relevant to those who have legitimate issues focusing. When people genuinely complain that they can't focus, that's usually because that focus isn't merely short-term. There's a difference between ADHD and those trying to brain-max themselves. Stimulants can really change the life of a person with ADHD and there's plenty of evidence that not only is ADHD real but that stimulants help. Your statement about being flagged by doctors does little but scare people off from getting help.
There's nothing wrong in seeking a drug-based solution. If a prescription drug can help someone with a condition, it would be foolish to avoid it merely because some people will abuse it.
Do the same kind of thing habitually.
That's what focus is.
Focus means doing and letting the ideas come while you are doing and only pursuing those ideas which are about what you are doing.
It means new projects slowly so as to stay out of the way of ongoing work.
Focus means new ideas equals more work, not alternative work.
e.g. I want to speed run Super Mario Brothers using code
Just finish at least a working version, screw the quality of the code, screw the results — just make it run/work once, then quit afterwards if you feel like it.
Side Tip: Less talk about what you are doing before you've did it, generally™, helps to complete it. (completely anecdotal)
This is based on a tiny amount of information from you though so take my opinion with a pinch of salt.
-- Limit your TV watching to one or two hours on the weekends, per week
-- Limit video game use to one or two hours per week
-- Find an activity you like to do "offline" that you can do regularly such as walking, yoga, biking, etc, and do that more often. It will clear your mind and bring you back to center
-- Wake up early and try to accomplish something significant before 8am
-- Be kind to yourself when you lose focus and gently redirect your mind back to your tasks. If you get off track for hours or an entire day, wake up early the next morning and put your best foot forward without dwelling on the day before.
Just because we have a socially enforced style guide and no infinite scroll doesn't mean it's not social media.
You just need to start, and get yourself to do something different to really see a difference with yourself. (seems redundant, but your actions have a direct relationship to your life experience)
I always hate this piece of advice, if i wake up early, even if I am able to struggle through getting 'something significant done' before 8am i'm going to feel terrible for the rest of the day since i got up early, it's not worth it at all. This advice is nonsense and not universal, yet the same nonsense is constantly repeated. I understand it can work for some, but that is because you are following your own rhythms and really that is what you should be doing and that should be the advice
or maybe taking your own advice more generally "Crave out a block of time for yourself dedicated to doing something significant, finding the time that works best for you in your schedule'
if you feel terrible waking up that early - go to bed earlier as well. you need that sleep.
I get it though, it's what works for you. So you should do that, but it's not universal advice, people that find it works just think others should go to bed earlier and follow what they do and poof! like magic everything is amazing
Also it depends on your age. I remember seeing some research on why we shouldn't be waking up teenagers in early morning. So if you had a bad time waking up early as a kid, it might not be true as an adult.
I’m a “morning person.” My wife is definitely not.
For me, I enjoy getting up at 5 (actually, it takes a while to get to the “enjoy” part). I walk a couple of miles, take a shower, and often fix a number of issues before 8.
One of the most productive developers I ever knew (a former employee) was a “non-morning person.” He would amble into the office at noon. Drove HR crazy, but all attempts to get him to come in earlier, met with failure. He would often stay in past 2AM.
As his manager, I got flak for his schedule, but I put my own job in jeopardy, and did not enforce corporate policy on him. We worked together for almost 27 years. Japan loved him (so my job wasn’t actually in jeopardy). His schedule worked for them.
We tend to have a habit of projecting what works for us, onto others.
I wish more people would understand this when giving advice -- what works for one case or one person is guaranteed to have many exceptions when you try to apply it to a larger population.
I'm a relatively new parent, and I've gotten to the point to where I hate when other parents give advice. Something that worked for your kid won't necessarily work for mine, and don't treat that case like it's my fault -- instead, qualify that your advice is based on your experience and your situation, not necessarily something universal.
When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing https://www.amazon.com/dp/0735210632/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_FM...
This describes me, exactly.
I enjoyed his A Whole New Mind book.
After you get in the habit of it, the time available in a day feels almost doubled.
And there's (I suppose) the benefit of working fasted which generally enhances focus.
I don't think they're saying, "get up early tomorrow after staying up late tonight" What they mean is "get into a habit of getting enough sleep and waking up early." Yes, I get it, many people claim to be night owls. But honestly many of them just get terrible sleep and won't put the effort into developing healthy routines and instead write it off as something they can't change.
My job allows me to work whenever I want.
So, I wake up early and start work so that I'll be done by early afternoon. That leaves me plenty of time to get useful things done.
Because it's work, I'm kind of motivated to get up early. Had I decided to do some other activity in the morning — non-work coding, exercise, reading etc — I wouldn't get out of bed.
Education runs on a "morning person" schedule from a young age, through early adulthood. After that, there's certainly more choice available in terms of life schedule, but the vast majority of people are corralled into a form of employment built on the same schedule. Even if not, all major services one interfaces with in one's life operate on that schedule.
Even if you managed against all odds to develop healthy daily habits during the 20-ish years of strict poorly suited scheduling that is the education system, applying those habits only becomes more difficult when you move into a more independent self-driven environment of providing for oneself financially. This absolutely kills any hope of developing productive habits for most people.
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Anecdata: I'd classify myself as "not a morning person", but I don't find difficult to get up early. e.g. I don't need an alarm-clock. What I find difficult is functioning after getting up.
I don't have kids but I've a pretty demanding large dog that had a strong preference for 5am walks when he first arrived, which I adapted to reasonably easily. Walking a dog isn't really a "significant accomplishment" in the commonly understood sense, and more-importantly, isn't a mentally challenging or "applied" activity. I'm completely unable to function in the mornings when it comes to doing anything even mildly complex.
Also, getting up at 5am means I'm severely less productive from 6pm onwards, which is my peak productive period when I operate on natural rhythm. I'm reasonably successful (I think) and I work a remote job from Ireland on a US tz schedule, so that's particularly tough.
Being early, however, is a superpower. If you show up to a meeting prepared or get correspondence out to your counterparties early in the morning, everything goes better. So, early rising confers a number of advantages that tend to compound. These days, I'm an increasingly early-riser.
The thing that matters is your phase relative to the rest of humanity. Getting pre-work done for the following day in an evening may also work for a late riser, but it doesn't work for me.
That doesn’t invalidate it, though.
I'm guessing you don't have young children?
While definitely a shift from what I do today, maybe going back to that style of internet usage would not, in fact, be so intolerable!
There are plenty of options beyond social media. Take a walk. Do some hobby, read something physical, etc. The issue with social media is that compared to most alternatives, it's easier to lose track of time, and easier to get addicted.
Not sure how old you are, but as another commenter pointed out, many of us spent a good chunk of our life - even adult life - without constant-on Internet. The quality of life was not at all worse.
The internet and video games didn't even exist for almost all of human history, and people didn't burn out merely for lack of access to them.
Unplug and enjoy the world.
Focus mode during the day time on weekdays, to prevent stuff while trying to be productive. And timers on a few apps.
I used to scroll through far too much twitter, but putting an hour cap on my phone helped with that a lot. It helped break the habit, and depending on what is happening in the world, I may not even hit the cap many days.
I was doing really good with all of these until Elden Ring came out. Now my side project hasn't seen a commit in a few weeks :)
I would feel more focused and productive than usual if I spent a day on a video game. Games are usually focused time, whereas social media is a low level misery but not being able to stop, hoping between sites, looking for something entertaining but not finding it.
Deliberately act. If someone casually asks "whatcha doing?", you should never answer "nothing". Deliberately playing a game isn't doing nothing, taking a nap isn't doing nothing. Social media isn't necessarily doing nothing, but for me it usually is.
Ask yourself, did I decide to do this? What is my goal? If your goal is passing time, stop.
1. Video games, in moderation can be beneficial for focus in much the same way reading a book can. You have to concentrate on a single task for an extended period of time, and lack of concentration is often punished. Obviously playing for 8 hours a day is a problem, but an hour or two here and there is nothing to worry about.
2. I'm a morning person, so getting up early and doing something useful before 8am totally works for me. But a lot of people just can't function that early or don't have the luxury of being able to get up that early (shift workers, for example). I'd suggest instead of targeting 8am specifically, just target the first wakeful hour of your day as the time to get something done by. If that's 8am - great, if that's 6pm - that's cool to.
Ask your shrink for a Vyvanse/Elvanse prescription.
Ritalin for me but yeah turned out it was ADHD in my case
@op not diagnosing at all but if you find yourself not focused despite reward etc, worth looking into as a possibility.
For example I’ve got basically unlimited freelance work available at easily 5x my day job salary right now and I could definitely do with the cash.. can’t for the life of me find the motivation to do it. Check with a Dr if it’s that sort of thing! Anything occurring “despite consequences” should be double checked with a pro in my opinion
Something to note I’ve been told and have found myself that sometimes motivation comes after initial action. If there’s anything in there that can hold your attention or would be super easy to do, start on that. Try to keep a roll going from there until your engines fire up
To be clear: Stimulants are not motivation in pill form. The motivation boost is a short-term side effect and tolerance definitely develops quickly.
I think a lot of people get the wrong idea after seeing people use stimulants to cram for finals in college. Long-term treatment won’t do anything like that. It can improve focus and reduce distractability, but you’re not going to become a code-writing machine for the next decade on stimulants.
Checking with a doctor, even if just to rule things out, is my recommendation in that scenario - not the drugs!
Yeah they have helped me so far but may not help everyone. Also it is true that while I’ve managed to set up some systems and processes so I’m no longer floundering, the direct effectiveness does peter off quite quickly over time.
I’ve got the option for a higher dose but I’d rather try burning in some new neural pathways before trying a possibly constant increasing (until it doesn’t anymore) dose
And be extremely wary of anyone who claims 75% of a group has ADHD (referring to parent commenter following up below) when the actual incidence in adults is in the single digit percentage points.
This is like someone asking why they’re not getting stronger in the gym and commenters rushing to insist they need testosterone replacement therapy. There’s no free lunch.
My remark was facetious, btw.
Also when you're off it even a day, hypersomnia is guaranteed. You're going to be sleeping 16+ hours a day.
Also if you have issues with addiction, it’s probably best to stay away entirely. The mental quieting it’s prescribed for is inferior to that of a good cup of coffee (entirely subjective, YMMV) and there are a whole host of negative physiological and psychological side effects.
2¢ of unsolicited advice: if you need this stuff to keep your brain on track so you can handle your job (especially post-2020), and your doctor suggests it, might be worth considering after exhausting other options — at least that was the case for me, it can be worth it. But if you’re surviving otherwise and just want a focus boost the risk:reward ratio is way off.