Practice #3: Train Your Focus
As discussed, most beginners can only do about an hour of deep work at a time, but you can train your brain to focus for longer and longer stretches. Newport offers several techniques for this.
1) Let Boredom Happen
Newport points out that most people, in idle moments like waiting in line, reflexively pull out their phones for a quick scroll through social media or their texts. He says that by always filling in these low-stimuli moments with a high-stimuli activity, you deplete your brain’s ability to tolerate boredom-even if you set aside time for deep work, you won’t be able to do the work during that time unless you strengthen your brain’s “focus muscles.” He suggests consciously letting yourself be bored in low-stimuli moments.
• For example, if you’re waiting outside of a bar for your friend, consciously resist taking your phone out. Instead, just sit still and take in whatever’s going on around you.
(Note: Comedian Bo Burnham explores our toxic dependency on the Internet’s endless dopamine supply and entertainment in his song, Welcome to the Internet. He describes the Internet as “a little bit of everything, all of the time” that we’ve become addicted to by design, resulting in a world in which “boredom is a crime.” Warning: Crude language.)
2) Define Metrics of Success
Newport suggests creating a clear metric by which you can define the success of your deep work practices. This practice helps keep you focused on doing your work rather than on what you should be doing with your time or wondering if your results are “enough.”
• For example, you might set a goal to write 500 words every 30 minutes-this way, your task is straightforward and you naturally get two simple progress checks per hour.
(Note: In How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, Dale Carnegie says that setting small goals or challenges makes work a bit like an enjoyable game and prevents you from becoming bored or zoning out. For example, if you’re coming up on 30 minutes with only 400 words written, you’ll likely find finishing those last 100 words an interesting challenge.)