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Ask HN: How do you focus?

18 points by contemplating1 ↗ HN
I am trying to work on a side project that I have huge motivations to get started on. The problem is, I can't seem to control my focus. I'm trying to read the official Django tutorial right now and my mind wanders and gets off track before I can fully complete one step. I'm doing everything I can to do well at this - I am eating healthy, getting plenty of sleep, eliminating distractions, yet I can't complete just a few minutes of complete focus! Also, I am genuinely interested in it, in fact, I love doing it. I am studying CS in school, and I love building things - I just wish I could build a better control over my inattentiveness.

How do you all do it? Are there any tricks that help you focus for longer periods of time?

16 comments

[ 4.5 ms ] story [ 18.1 ms ] thread
staunch
The best thing you can do is to let yourself be "pulled" by something. Intrinsic motivation beats any trick you can possible come up with.

Find something that's exciting for you to create. Create it using whatever tool you want to learn. Don't worry too much about whether you're building it The Right Way yet. You will be forced to learn enough to get the job done.

Then repeat N times for desired level of expertise. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Asymptot...

joallard
I find having a pair of headphones on with music makes all the difference; it's like getting into a bubble. Over time, I think I've associated it with the state of being focused.
kellros
I find setting personal short term goals with self made-up deadlines (ex. I want to complete this section within the next 2 hours) really helps. Bear in mind if you can't measure what you do this won't work. (ex. if you don't know how long something will take or what exactly you are trying to accomplish).

It's also important to switch off between changing focus (ex. from one project to the next, take at least an hour break).

I reckon your biggest problem at the moment is context switching. I'd suggest you allocate your time explicitly (first learn and then do - instead of trying to build something useful while still learning).

hello_newman
This is just my opinion but it works for me:

When I have something I am interested in doing (side project, bigger blog post, or whatever) I just get out a piece of paper, write down the basic premise, and let it percolate in my mind a little bit. I do something else, and I've found if you are truly passionate about it that you will not stop thinking about it. Even if you're eating, out and about somewhere, or doing something totally unrelated, my brain won't stop thinking about it.

I let it sit on the "back burner" and collect different ideas, trains of thought, and try to visualize what I want it to look like, or the outcome I am trying to make happen.

Then after a couple days (I like to wait about 3-5 days) I sit down late at night, about 9-10pm when everyone is asleep. I get coffee, a pack of cigarettes, my headphones with pandora playing and go at it all night and generally crash when I think I have a good "skeleton" of what I want to do.

Then after that, you have the basic outline of what you want and keep iterating from there.

Hope this helped. Again, this is just what works for me. Best of luck on your project!

logn
Not getting enough sleep results in people losing focus (but you mentioned you addressed this).

Also, is your lack of focus really just procrastination?

According to pg:

"If your work is not your favorite thing to do, you'll have terrible problems with procrastination. You'll have to force yourself to work, and when you resort to that the results are distinctly inferior."

http://www.paulgraham.com/love.html

Another theory I like: procrastinators are perfectionists and are worried about disappointing themselves or are dreading the goal of perfection.

Anyhow... back to work.

cosmc
I find short term goals and check list help me focus. I like the feeling for completing something, and I can often get on a roll of checking things off the list. Also, in terms of coding I like to try and write what I need, even if I know it isn't optimal or complete; I usually figure out the solution midway through.
X4
Positive Feedback Loops.

Plan - Outline - Allocate limited time for Sub-Tasks - EXECUTE!

Works just like this little BASIC program:

    10 LET T = 10
    20 LET N = 0
    30 IF N < T THEN GOTO 40 ELSE GOTO 70
    40 LET N = N + 1
    50 PRINT N
    60 GOTO 30
    70 PRINT "Positive Feedback!"
    80 PRINT "All Sub-Tasks are done."
    90 PRINT "Your main task is complete."
    10 PRINT "Complete your next project!"
(Btw. I just learned BASIC during this response :) See the irony?)
ternaryoperator
Do just one thing. By which I mean: if I have a task list, when I choose the next task to do, I do only that task. I don't check email, read HN, answer phones, or anything else until the task is done. After the task, I allow the email check, surf, etc. for a few minutes, before I begin on the next task, which, once again, I do to the exclusion of everything else. If you do this for a few days, you'll find it's a progressively easier habit to move in and out of the 'concentration zone.'
orangethirty
Find somebody to work with. I sometimes have this issue, and having someone on the phone or skype with me allows me to talk things through with them. I can go fro stuck to super productive in minutes.
pauljmorris
It really just comes down to good old fashioned discipline. When you start to drift off, instantly snap out of it and pull yourself back in to what you're supposed to be doing. Setting yourself small goals to start with can work wonders. Just go hard for 2 steps then take a mini 5-10 min break. Then set a stretch goal to get through the next 3 steps etc. Sometimes when we get distracted it can mean we're not emotionally in the moment and you've just got to push through it regardless, especially if you're serious about getting things done. Once you build a bit of momentum, it will get easier.
mapster
maybe there is something to borrow from this situation. if you have tasks a,b,c to accomplish for client z, and they don't bug you at all, you might (having the same issue with focus) piss away the days on other things, avoiding tasks a,b,c. You suddenly have laser focus when client z starts pinging you (email, skype, voicemail) about wrapping it up, seeing something etc.. I know, I've been there. It all works out, but there are times when we all need someone to hold out feet to the fire to get things done / ramp up productivity.
r_powell
I keep it simple and use the Pomodoro technique:

- 25 min non stop work (try e.ggtimer.com for a timer to keep track)

- 5 min off (free time)

- After 3 or so pomodoro's, reward yourself with a 15-20 minute break and repeat

This technique has been very effective in everything from writing my master's thesis (which I hated) to learning web dev frameworks (such as RoR).