One Simple Method to Get Into a Focused State Quickly

When Cal Newport and I began working on our course, Life of Focus, one of my early assumptions was that people’s difficulties with focus were largely external: interruptions from colleagues, pings from new emails, demands for meetings and fast replies.

Yet, having worked with thousands of students over the last few years, we found that internal distractions and resistance are far more common. People procrastinate, instead of working on their most important tasks. They initiate distractions, checking their phones or emails even when it’s not necessary. Sometimes even the thought that they might get interrupted will prevent them from taking advantage of a possible deep work session.

These internal distractions have consequences. The goal of a focused life isn’t to work non-stop — it’s to be able to turn on focus when you need it. Living a life of focus lets you enjoy your life outside work without feeling overwhelmed or worried about needing to work overtime.

Focus is hard, but much of the difficulty tends to be inside our own minds.

Why is Focus Difficult?

Why is it so hard to focus? I would argue that focus is difficult in precisely those tasks where it’s unclear what needs to be done next. Ambiguity kills focus.

Compare writing an essay to replying to a question in an email. The essay is much more ambiguous: What topic should you write about? How should you begin? Which ideas…