{"id":15723,"date":"2024-01-07T07:39:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-07T15:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/?p=15723"},"modified":"2024-01-26T06:39:26","modified_gmt":"2024-01-26T14:39:26","slug":"focused-state-quickly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/07\/focused-state-quickly\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get Into a Focused State Quickly"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Cal Newport<\/a> and I began working on our course, Life of Focus<\/a>, one of my early assumptions was that people\u2019s difficulties with focus were largely external: interruptions from colleagues, pings from new emails, demands for meetings and fast replies.<\/p>\n

Yet, having worked with thousands of students over the last few years, we found that internal<\/em> distractions and resistance are far more common<\/strong>. People procrastinate, instead of working on their most important tasks. They initiate distractions, checking their phones or emails even when it\u2019s not necessary. Sometimes even the thought<\/em> that they might get interrupted will prevent them from taking advantage of a possible deep work session.<\/p>\n

These internal distractions have consequences. The goal of a focused life isn\u2019t to work non-stop\u2014it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Focus is hard, but much of the difficulty tends to be inside our own minds.<\/p>\n

Why is Focus Difficult?<\/h2>\n
\nListen to this article<\/small>
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