On Concentration
For the first time in a long time, I am concentrating. That is, instead of spending 12 hours per day jumping from the interesting to the new, diving very deep into a wide variety of information streams, and taking a shot at every idea that comes through, I’m focusing on a finite and particular problem set for those hours everyday.
It’s very different. Requires some rethinking and discipline (and coffee). And further complicated by the fact that I now share a home and am the one that stays at home. This involves prioritization as well. In short, checklists.
Not just todo lists, but prioritized, time assigned lists that are as specific as possible. Why? Spending ten minutes thinking it through and getting it out of your head means you waste less of your cognitive power later, figuring it out or backtracking from missteps. You can deliberately get things done. And mark your progress.
Of course, if you stick to the checklist (best trick is to enjoy the multiple checkmarks as you go down), you’ll spend less time interacting with people. Less social media, less phone calls, definitely less in person interaction. It’s an almost eery loneliness. The noise of the global information network that grew comforting has suddenly blinked out.
Get a great, varied soundtrack. And when you do get to interact with someone, make it someone worth it, and concentrate on that the same way as if it were on your list. Don’t multitask, (obviously, don’t try to script out a conversation). Add your entertainment and workouts as well.
Of course, you can go too far with this, too regimented a life is detrimental to your personal relationships. Get productive to the point where you can be spontaneous guilt-free. (Though I have found that if you’re only concerned with yourself, a highly regimented life yields productivity and opportunity.)
Software that helps:
StayFocusd. It blocks sites of your choosing on your browser for a time you set. Originally set it to one hour per day for news sites, Reddit, social. That drove me nuts so I expanded to two hours.
A checklist app that works across your phone, computer, her phone, and online. I haven’t found the best one, but Wunderlist works for now. It doesn’t handle repeat tasks and there’s no scorecard.
Here’s how the right app would work.
-Shlok
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