5 Actions that i employ for longer ‘Deep Work’ states
In this age of social media, where our attention spans have dropped drastically, getting into a state of ‘Flow’ wherein you are able to focus on a task for longer duration is certainly a much needed skill!
Bharath Kumar BalasubramanianMar 16 · 2 min read
I am now able to get into ‘Flow’ states of nearly 90 minutes.
When we were younger, in school or college we were easily able to put in about 2–3 hours of deep work. And that was usually sufficient for a good day’s work!
With technology and countless distractions at work, no wonder the attention span has taken a beating!
I had the biggest challenge last year when i couldn’t go through a dense legal document without getting distracted! Took me multiple sittings to go through a 40 page document!
This is what i started doing:
- Block off time chunks: Using a method such as Pomodoro technique helps. I started with a 22:22 minutes:seconds time (dunno, but i loved the number!). I used to repeat this with a break after every 2 sets. I still did it even if the first period wasn’t productive! Just do.
- Move into a place without distractions: Put your phone away! you can hear it if you rings — that is for emergencies. The notifications are on silent.
- Have everything you need: Be it textbooks, your reading material, rough sheets, pens, calculator or whatever you need — make sure you have it. A snack and a drink would help as well. Don’t take your phone or laptop because you need a calculator! use a calculator!
- Set measurable target: Number of pages, number of questions to be solved, number of slides to be created…..whatever works for you. Just have the score prominently displayed and have the fun in ticking off numbers! This adds the additional motivation that you are making progress!
- Just begin: Probably the most important tip of them all! Once you start rolling, the flywheel effect will kick in sooner or later! Just start!
It will be a slow start, but soon, in a matter of days you will start increasing the duration of your time blocks! Enjoy ‘Deep work’ and being in your state of flow!
Set goal > Get ready > Block Time > Start > Repeat!
A sound mind and a sound body will no doubt help you enhance your concentration significantly. Eat well, exercise, meditate, have a good social life and have great hobbies!
All the best!
P.S: I wrote this answer with a timer set for 15 minutes — that’s how cool things will become with a decent level of practice. 13:24 — wrapping this up!