November 9th, 2021
2 minute read
Before you start any task, it's important to plan and prepare adequately. As the saying goes, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Take 5 minutes to break the task down, create a time estimate and get a clear context.
Break your task down into small, reasonable chunks. This will make the task less overwhelming and allow you to plan better. Estimate the time. If it's going to take all day, break the task down into even smaller chunks. It's also useful to overestimate how long it might take, this takes distractions into account. And finally, soak in the details of the task itself and take a couple of notes.
There are two main modes of thinking. The first is the focused mode, a pre-frontal cortex heavy mode - good for getting work done and problem-solving. However, it's not so good for letting your mind relax and it's also bad at activating your creative thinking. This is the domain of the diffused mode. The diffused mode allows your mind to step back and make connections at seemingly disparate elements. This is the main topic of the book Hyperfocus where Chris Bailey dubs this as Scattered Focus mode. This mode of focus is best used when you're doing menial activities such as vacuuming or walking.
The flow state is a state of focus one reaches when one can intensely focus on something for a period of time. A bit like inspiration, the flow state takes a bit of a warm-up, it doesn't just come to you. You need to start the work first and eventually, you'll slip into the flow state.
A great way to get into the flow state easily is to use the very popular Pomodoro technique. This is where you set an alarm of 25 minutes and work until that timer goes off. However, I've realised that for me, 25 minutes is too short to really get into that intense focus mode, so I propose an alternative. Use those 25 minutes as a warm-up and when the timer goes off, chances are you're already too focused to take a break. This allows you to work for 2 or even 3 Pomodoro cycles.