00:00:08
In today's world, being able to focus is almost
like a superpower.
00:00:12
You rarely see anyone who's able to concentrate
on a single task for hours.
00:00:17
And the individuals who are able to focus,
to nobody's surprise, get so much more done
00:00:21
than other people.
00:00:23
There are many areas where you could benefit
from better concentration.
00:00:26
Whether it's for school, studying, work or
a hobby.
00:00:30
If you're able to focus you can get your desired
results faster.
00:00:34
So today I'll explain what's holding you back
from focusing and what you can do to improve it.
00:00:40
And I know you're procrastinating at this
very moment by watching this video.
00:00:44
But I'll make it worth your while.
00:00:46
So grab a pen and a piece of paper.
00:00:48
Make sure to write down a few key points about
whatever you learn in this video.
00:00:53
This way you'll get the maximum value out
of your procrastination session.
00:00:57
And buckle up, because it's going to be a
long one.
00:01:01
Let's dive in.
00:01:03
We have two types of focus.
00:01:05
Scattered focus and directed focus.
00:01:08
Scattered focus is broadly distributed attention.
00:01:11
This is your typical multitasker, trying to
do many things at the same time.
00:01:16
Cleaning the house, while talking on the phone,
while cooking dinner.
00:01:20
Or someone who's trying to focus on one thing,
but they keep thinking about something else
00:01:24
at the same time.
00:01:26
And this is what most people do.
00:01:28
They divide their attention towards many different
things.
00:01:31
The problem with this type of focus is that
your brain is extremely bad at switching between
00:01:35
multiple things at once.
00:01:37
You see, when you switch from one task to
another, it's not an instantaneous switch.
00:01:43
Instead your brain has to "load" the context
of whatever you're doing into your working
00:01:47
memory.
00:01:48
When you're constantly shifting your attention
from one thing to another, you're forcing
00:01:52
your brain to load and re-load context over
and over.
00:01:56
Essentially you end up wasting a ton of mental
energy switching back and forth, leaving you
00:02:00
exhausted without getting much done.
00:02:04
Now on the other side we have directed focus.
00:02:07
You achieve it by directing your attention
to a single action, while ignoring everything else.
00:02:13
This is what you should aim to achieve and
it's how high-achievers direct their focus.
00:02:18
They concentrate on one thing at a time, like
a laser beam.
00:02:22
And they do that thing to the maximum of their
ability while disregarding all other stimuli.
00:02:29
So what can you do to avoid scattered focus?
00:02:32
It's simple.
00:02:33
You should aim to remove all distractions
and avoid any stimuli which could potentially
00:02:37
harm your concentration.
00:02:40
Let's look at it this way.
00:02:42
Let's say you have 5 units of focus available
at any time.
00:02:45
That means you can use those 5 units in any
way you like.
00:02:49
For example you could use them all on studying,
thus achieving directed focus there.
00:02:54
Now let's say your mom enters in your room,
while you're studying, and tells you that
00:02:58
dinner will be ready in 45 minutes.
00:03:01
Even if you were super concentrated and even
if that interaction only lasted for 10 seconds,
00:03:06
your attention is now divided.
00:03:09
Dinner will now be on your mind and your focus
will not be as good as it was before.
00:03:14
One of the focus units was used on that dinner,
taking it away from your studying session.
00:03:19
It's now going to take some time before you're
able to fully regain your focus and you'll
00:03:23
end up wasting your mental energy in the process.
00:03:27
Now the funny thing is you're most likely
carrying a similarly distracting mom with
00:03:32
you all the time.
00:03:34
Your phone.
00:03:35
This tiny device is the biggest anti-focus
machine there is.
00:03:39
It rings, it vibrates and whenever you get
a new notification it makes a sound.
00:03:45
That beep is all it takes, to take your mind
off the thing you were supposed to be concentrating on.
00:03:51
But even if your phone is on silent, you're
very likely to take a quick look at it, whenever
00:03:55
you feel bored.
00:03:56
Thus, dividing your attention.
00:03:58
Of course, this doesn't mean you should throw
your phone away or anything like that.
00:04:03
Instead I'm simply suggesting that whenever
you want to concentrate on something, you
00:04:07
put it somewhere, where you know it won't
disturb you and you won't be able to look at it.
00:04:12
That being said, cellphones aren't the only
thing that divide your focus.
00:04:16
Anything can do that, but your phone is probably
the biggest contributor.
00:04:20
The point is to become aware of the possible
distractions and to avoid them.
00:04:26
Another thing that could be effecting your
ability to focus is your physiology.
00:04:31
This is something that is not considered often.
00:04:34
However if you want your mind to function
optimally, you need to take care of your body.
00:04:39
If you're sleeping under 7 hours per day,
your concentration will suffer.
00:04:43
On the contrary, it's been shown that getting
7-9 hours of sleep, leads to a better ability
00:04:48
to focus during the day.
00:04:51
Exercise is also something that should be
done on daily basis.
00:04:55
Thanks to the release of dopamine, norepinephrine,
serotonin and other neurotransmitters, your
00:05:00
ability to focus on difficult tasks improves.
00:05:03
By exercise I don't mean going out and running
a marathon, but a short walk around the block
00:05:09
is already sufficient.
00:05:11
Bonus points if it's a walk in nature.
00:05:15
Hydration is also very important.
00:05:17
You might have noticed that when you wake
up in the morning you can't really think straight
00:05:21
right away.
00:05:22
One of the reasons is because you hadn't drank
anything for over 8 hours, so you're mildly
00:05:28
dehydrated.
00:05:29
Your diet plays another big role in your performance.
00:05:33
If you're indulging and stuffing your face
with unhealthy food or drinking soda, you're
00:05:37
doing your brain a disservice.
00:05:39
Food that is high in sugar content leads to
brain fog and the inability to concentrate.
00:05:45
You might want to look into some healthier
alternatives.
00:05:49
So if you want to focus easier, make sure
to take care of your body.
00:05:54
Now let's take a look at how to build your
focus.
00:05:56
It should be noted that concentration is a
skill.
00:06:00
You can actually train your focus, like you
would train for a sport.
00:06:04
The more you do it, the better you get at
it.
00:06:07
When you start, you might be able to focus
for just 10 minutes.
00:06:11
But when you do that day after day, your ability
to concentrate will strengthen and you'll
00:06:17
able to do it for longer periods of time.
00:06:19
So if you can't concentrate for hours right
now, that's fine.
00:06:24
You can train your directed focus over time.
00:06:26
And the best way to practice your focus, is
to have a certain time in your day, when you
00:06:31
concentrate intensely on just one task.
00:06:34
Basically you want to make concentration a
regular habit.
00:06:38
A lot of us are waiting for the opportunity
when everything is perfect, when we're feeling
00:06:43
motivated and when all the planets are aligned,
before we go and try to focus.
00:06:49
But that's the wrong approach.
00:06:51
Instead it's way better to have a dedicated
time in the day, where you sit down and just
00:06:55
concentrate on one thing for as long as you
can.
00:06:58
You then want to protect that block of time.
00:07:01
The best time for focus is in the morning,
about 1 hour after waking up.
00:07:06
Usually that's when you're fully awake and
your mind is not yet occupied with other things
00:07:10
that require your attention.
00:07:12
Plus, at that time you typically have no distractions
and you have all your focus units ready to
00:07:17
be distributed.
00:07:19
This time of the day has been utilized by
many historic artists, writers and philosophers.
00:07:26
But what about the afternoon?
00:07:28
Well you see, if you've had a busy day, your
attention has been already been scattered
00:07:33
in many different directions.
00:07:35
And your brain is heavily stimulated.
00:07:37
That's why it's so much easier to focus in
the morning.
00:07:40
Your brain has been resting for 8 hours after
all.
00:07:43
So if you decide in the middle of a distracted
afternoon, to switch your attention to a cognitively
00:07:48
demanding task, for example studying, you'll
have a hard time directing your focus.
00:07:54
Your mind will already be occupied with other
things.
00:07:57
Such attempts will therefore frequently fail.
00:08:00
But that doesn't mean it's impossible to focus
late in the day.
00:08:04
You just need to un-stimulate your brain.
00:08:06
And you do that by taking a proper break.
00:08:09
You see, it's very hard to concentrate on
something for a longer period of time, without
00:08:14
getting mentally tired.
00:08:16
And it doesn't matter if it's scattered or
directed focus.
00:08:19
Both are exhausting.
00:08:21
That's why you need to take a break and give
your mind a rest after a while.
00:08:25
However, this is where most people slip up.
00:08:28
You see, taking a break doesn't mean pulling
out your phone and browsing Instagram, Youtube
00:08:33
or whatever.
00:08:34
You're still stimulating your brain and you're
still mentally engaged, therefore draining
00:08:39
your mental energy, instead of recharging
it.
00:08:42
What you should do instead, is go for a walk,
meditate, or maybe take a nap.
00:08:47
These activities allow you to un-plug and
start recharging your mental energy, because
00:08:52
they're not as stimulating.
00:08:54
I know it might sound boring, but you should
allow yourself to be bored to give your brain
00:08:59
some breathing room.
00:09:00
Of course taking a mental break isn't just
for when you want to switch from scattered
00:09:04
focus to directed focus.
00:09:07
It's also very useful when you want to extend
your ability to continue focusing intensely.
00:09:13
Another way to look at it, is to imagine you've
been running for an hour without stopping.
00:09:18
Then you have a 15 minute break, before you'll
be running for another 1 hour.
00:09:23
You can choose to: A.) sit down, relax and
do nothing for 15 minutes.
00:09:29
Or B.) jump rope and do burpees for 15 minutes.
00:09:34
Obviously you choose the option A, as you
don't want to exert yourself even more.
00:09:38
You want to have enough energy to run for
another hour after all.
00:09:42
In this case running is an analogy for focus.
00:09:46
When you've been focusing for 1 hour, you
don't want to add more stimulation to the mix.
00:09:51
You'll just tire yourself out mentally if
you watch TV or browse the internet.
00:09:57
So find an activity that suits you, that's
not mentally stimulating and it helps you
00:10:01
to disconnect.
00:10:02
Personally my favorite thing to do is to go
for a short walk.
00:10:06
It helps me recharge mentally every time.
00:10:09
Now the perfect technique that ties intense
focus and mental breaks together, is the Pomodoro
00:10:15
technique.
00:10:16
I already made a video on this method, but
I'll go over it quickly.
00:10:21
It goes like this: You choose a task that
you want to focus on.
00:10:25
Then you set a timer for 25 minutes and do
nothing but concentrate on that task.
00:10:30
When the timer rings, you take a 5 minute
break and restart the timer.
00:10:35
When you've completed four 25 minute sessions,
you take a longer break, usually consisting
00:10:41
of 30 minutes.
00:10:42
Of course, it doesn't have to be so rigid.
00:10:45
25 minutes of work and 5 minutes of rest are
just recommendations.
00:10:50
You can do it for however long you feel like,
depending on the complexity of the task.
00:10:54
For example when I'm creating my videos, I
usually set the timer for 45 minutes and then
00:11:00
take a 15 minute break.
00:11:02
So you should experiment a little and find
out which combination suits you best.
00:11:07
If you made it this far into the video, good
job.
00:11:11
Your focus is already better than most people's.
00:11:14
Because this was a long video, I'll quickly
summarize everything I just talked about.
00:11:19
1st.
00:11:20
We have two types of focus: scattered focus
and directed focus.
00:11:24
You want to achieve directed focus, while
staying away from scattered.
00:11:29
2nd.
00:11:30
The best way to avoid scattered focus is to
avoid distractions.
00:11:34
Every time something interrupts you, it takes
from your focus units.
00:11:38
And your brain has to re-load the context
over and over, leaving you mentally drained.
00:11:43
3rd.
00:11:44
Take care of your body.
00:11:45
If you want your mind to function properly,
you need to take care of your physical health.
00:11:50
That means getting enough sleep, exercising
regularly, keeping hydrated and watching what
00:11:55
you put in your mouth.
00:11:58
4th.
00:11:59
Concentration is a skill.
00:12:00
If you can't focus right now, that's fine.You
can train your concentration like you would
00:12:05
train for a sport, and over time, you'll get
better at it.
00:12:09
5th.
00:12:10
Make focus a daily habit.
00:12:12
Don't just wait around for motivation, instead
set a time in your day when you're going to
00:12:16
focus intensely.
00:12:18
Mornings are the most optimal, because usually
there are no distractions and your brain is
00:12:22
not yet occupied with multiple things.
00:12:25
6th.
00:12:27
Un-stimulate your brain.
00:12:28
Meditate, go for a walk, or take a nap.
00:12:32
Allow your brain to be bored and don't do
anything stimulating like browsing the internet.
00:12:36
This is especially important if you want to
focus later in the day.
00:12:40
7th.
00:12:41
Take regular breaks.
00:12:43
Focusing gets exhausting real fast.
00:12:45
So give your mind a rest and you'll be able
to focus intensely for longer.
00:12:50
And make sure you're actually resting and
not low-key stimulating your mind.
00:12:54
8th.
00:12:55
Use the Pomodoro technique.
00:12:57
It's the perfect method that ties intense
focus and regular breaks together.
00:13:02
If nothing else, make this technique your
daily habit.
00:13:06
This is it for this video.
00:13:07
Thank you so much for watching till the very
end.
00:13:11
Hopefully you've enjoyed it, and if you did,
give this video a quick like and subscribe
00:13:15
if you haven't done so already.
00:13:17
Hopefully you'll be able to focus better than
yesterday.
