[PRODUCTIVITY] How Long Should You Focus

How long can I focus? You probably already have a sense of how long your attention span is. You are also probably aware of the fact that some things hold your attention more than others.

In this episode, I explain Ultradian Rhythms and how knowing yours will help increase your productivity. I also discuss the one thing that hijacks these rhythms: FLOW, and how figuring out your entry point to flow is the key to more joy and productivity in your work life. Did I say "joy"? Yes, I did!

Listen/watch the podcast episode here https://bywdreams.mailerpage.com/125

Chronobiology is an area of biology that studies the biological rhythms of living organisms. You've probably heard of circadian rhythms, which are part of this field, but you might not have heard of ultradian rhythms (UR). Human circadian rhythms are tied to the sun and therefore take place during a 24-hour period. UR are the rhythms that happen during a day and are therefore shorter than 24 hours. There are a number of URs occurring throughout the day, although perhaps you've only heard of your sleep cycle which is an ultradian rhythm that lasts approximately 90 minutes and is made up of three, roughly 30-minute periods.

At some point, the productivity world made the leap that the most productive amount of time for humans to focus on a single task is also a 90-minute ultradian rhythm. I have yet to read any science on this, however, you've probably noticed that you have a set amount of time that you're able to concentrate for and when you try to push beyond that, the work suffers because of it. Also, there's been lots of research on how bad it is to sit for long periods of time, so that's further motivation to not try and slog through hours of work.

The best way to determine what your maximum focus is, is to pay attention to how you feel when you're working on something that you don't enjoy. At what point do you start to yawn and feel your energy dip? Whenever you feel tired like this, it's because your brain is tired. Your brain is the most energy intensive organ of your body, using about 20% of your calories. The next organ that uses the most energy is your heart, and it only uses 5% of your calories. When you finish a period of focused work, the best thing you can do for yourself is take a break. Some people suggest a five-minute break, however, I believe 20-30 is better. Your subconscious is always working on problems and you can't take advantage of that if you don't give yourself unfocused time to do that. Personally, if I'm doing something that I don't enjoy, I can only focus for about 60 minutes. However, maybe you are one of those people who can focus for 90-120 minutes. Whatever the case, be sure to work in some time to stand-up and stretch and maybe even do a few squats to help undo the negative consequences of sitting.

There is a way to "hack" the limitations of your focus, and that's by engaging flow or "getting in the zone". When you are in flow state, time seems suspended and I can spend several hours working without feeling tired when I access flow. Fortunately, I know how to enter flow easily: I just have to work on anything with words, which in my line of work is very easy. I love words and I get lost in stringing them together. Another thing that helps me get into flow is the sound of rain on a wheelbarrow. I go into great length explaining why I like this sound in my podcast, so give it a listen if you want to hear why.

Listen/watch the podcast episode here https://bywdreams.mailerpage.com/125

If you have ways to get yourself into flow -- sounds, places, scents, views -- use this knowledge to help yourself focus for longer periods of time, effortlessly.

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