ninety-minute rule and, 164–65
recharging, see recharging
scatterfocus and, 206
signs of running low on, 160–61
working around your energy levels, 205–7
environment, 17, 19–20, 23–24, 55
chaotic, 112
cleanliness of, 101n, 103–4
for meetings, 101
modifying, 8–9, 48, 99–104, 109
music in, 104–7
noise-cancelling headphones and, 83, 106
productive elements in, 103
scatterfocus and, 176–77
see also distractions and interruptions; office
eureka moments, 173–74, 176, 179
evolution, 41–42, 136–37, 163n
Facebook, 74, 76, 77n, 141n
Feynman, Richard, 176
flow, 50–51, 56n, 113–14
Flow (Csikszentmihalyi), 56n, 113–14
focus, 1–5
alcohol and, 208
caffeine and, 10, 208–9
choice in, 16–17
energy levels and, 159, 169
four states in, 56
reading and, 7–11
resetting, 11, 37–38, 75
rituals for, 212–13
wavering, 11
focus work, 82
future, in mind wandering, 137–42, 167, 212
prospective bias and, 140–41, 148
genius, 196
Gershwin, George, 105
Getting Things Done (Allen), 107
Gladwell, Malcolm, 196
Gollwitzer, Peter, 65–67
habits:
attentional space and, 32–34, 36–37
brain and, 33, 67
hyperfocusing on, 53–55
initiation of, 32–33
multitasking with, 32–33
scatterfocus, 143, 147–50, 157, 174–76, 178, 197–99, 212
Hamilton, 196n
happiness, 201–5
borrowing from the following day, 208
Happiness Advantage, The (Achor), 204
heart rate, 74, 96
highlighters and pens, 10–11
home life, 123–25
hourly awareness chime, 63–65, 213–14
hyperfocus, 5, 50–72, 86–87, 109, 111–30, 180, 197, 205, 212, 215
anticipating obstacles in, 69
attentional space and, 50–55
and aversion to task, 71
battling resistance to, 125–27
beginning, 56–58
brain and, 151, 171, 198
building, 71–72
caffeine and, 209
on complex tasks, 54, 55, 70–71, 112
constraints and, 70
in conversations, 124–25
distractions and, 56, 57, 69
drawing focus back in, 56, 58
on email, 94
energy and, 160
four stages of, 55–65
on habitual tasks, 53–55
home life and, 123–25
hourly awareness chime and, 63–65
intention in, 56–57, 58–68
making habit of, 111–30
meaningfulness in, 56, 57
on meetings, 98
power of, 128–29
practicing, 127
as relaxed, 124
ritual for, 68–71, 212
scatterfocus and, 151–53, 200
time in, 57, 68–69, 72, 127
timer for, 69–70
when to use, 70–71
ideas:
magic and, 195
see also information, information dots
implementation intentions, 66–67
impulses, 77–78, 85, 110
space between action and, 102n
information, information dots, 134
accumulating, 171–72
autopilot mode and, 192
balanced, 189, 190
in brain processing, 24, 34
chunking together, to remember, 25, 35–36
clustering, 182–85
collecting, 182–99
connecting, 171–81
consuming what you care about, 191
creativity and, 171–73
entertaining, 187–89
passive vs. active consumption of, 10–11
reevaluation of, 193
serendipitous discovery of, 194
trashy, 189–91
underappreciated, 191
unrelated to what you already know, 187
useful, 187–89
value of, 181, 192, 194–95
vegging out and, 192
zooming out and, 193–94
insight triggers, 173–76
intelligence, 117n, 139n, 185n
intention, 38–39, 47, 48, 112, 115
caring about, 67
and consequences of tasks, 61–62
easy-to-accomplish, 67–68
hourly awareness chime and, 63–65
in hyperfocus, 56–57, 58–68
implementation, 66–67
meditation and mindfulness and, 122
Rule of 3 and, 60–61
strength of, 65–68
vague, 65–66, 67–68
internet, 84, 98–99
disconnecting from, 98–99
mindless loop and, 18–19
see also computer; social media
interruptions, see distractions and interruptions
intuition, 184
James, William, 23
knowledge, 44
Leroy, Sophie, 45–47
Levitin, Daniel, 196
Lincoln, Abraham, 197
love, 125
Lubbock, John, 159
magic, 195–96
maintenance tasks, 32
managers, 164, 211
Mark, Gloria, 73–74, 80
Martin, Jerry, 105–6
McCartney, Paul, 167
meaningfulness, 56, 57
meditation, 113n, 118–23, 137, 153, 203, 208
meetings, 21, 37, 46, 59, 60, 70, 71, 87–88, 93, 96–98
hyperfocus on, 98
location and environment for, 101n
suggestions for, 97–98
Meier, J. D., 60
memories, 18, 44, 57, 139
memorization, 24–25
memory, 152
attentional space and, 31, 43
“chunking” technique and, 25, 35–36
devices and, 43
forgetting why we walked into a room, 18, 38
long-term, 27
reading and, 29
short-term, 24–26
sleep and, 179
working, 27, 117–19, 122
Mendeleyev, Dmitry, 167
meta-awareness, 30
Microsoft, 73, 116
mind, open loops in, 107–8, 112, 144–45, 173
mindfulness, 30, 120–23, 203
“Mindless” folder, 91
mindless tasks, 11, 34
mind wandering, 11, 18, 37–38, 55, 111–13, 201–2
age and, 75n
alcohol and, 208
conscious vs. unconscious, 31
hourly awareness chime and, 63–65
hyperfocus and, 58, 69
meditation and, 113n, 119
negative, 137
noticing, 153
past, present, and future in, 137–42, 167, 203, 212
power of, 129–30, 133
reading and, 17–18
uni
ntentional, 142
see also scatterfocus
Miranda, Lin-Manuel, 196n
money, as motivation, 164n
mood, 202–3
happiness, 201–5
motivations, intrinsic and extrinsic, 164
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 196
multitasking, 4, 5, 32, 35–36
attention shifts vs., 43
brain and, 43–44
costs of, 43–47
with habits, 32–33
stress and, 73–74
women vs. men in, 75n
music, 104–7, 203n
nature, 163
Nature, 152
necessary work, 20–22, 34, 59
negative self-talk, 30
Newport, Cal, 82
Newton, Isaac, 176
Nicklaus, Jack, 167
nighttime ritual, 168
noise-cancelling headphones, 83, 106
novelty bias, 41, 42, 136–38
numbers, 26
office, 104
cleanliness of, 101n, 103–4
getting out of, 84–85
open-plan, 210–12
temperature of, 104–5
whiteboard in, 61, 103
open loops, 107–8, 112, 144–45, 173
Parkinson’s law, 114
Partridge, Dale, 85–86
past, in mind wandering, 137–40, 167, 203
pens and highlighters, 10–11
People Over Profit (Partridge), 85
personal concerns, 112
worries, 19, 108, 112
personal life, hyperfocus and, 123–25
phone, 31, 41, 42, 43, 45, 55, 88, 100–102, 136
apps on, 91
being deliberate about use of, 89–92
breaks and, 76, 90, 149
disconnecting from, 2–3, 7–8
do not disturb mode on, 83, 89, 90–91
“Mindless” folder on, 91
mindless loop and, 18–19
notifications on, 45, 88–89, 94–95
paying attention to when you reach for, 8
second, for distractions, 91
socializing and, 100n, 149
swapping with friend, 90
phone conversations, overhearing, 106
plants, 103
pleasure, 136–37, 148
dopamine and, 41–42, 186–87, 202
Poldrack, Russell, 44
positive thinking, 201
present, in mind wandering, 137–40, 167
problem solving, 213
scatterfocus and, 143, 145–47, 178–79, 198
sleep and, 179
writing out the problem in, 178
procrastination, 4, 18, 21, 71, 85, 99, 116
productive tasks, 20, 21, 34, 37
productivity, 7, 18, 31, 44, 59, 169, 171
constraints and, 70
defining, 42
music and, 105
novelty and, 41
sleep and, 166–68
switching attention and, 47
temperature and, 104–5
and working around your energy levels, 205–7
work-related interruptions and, 75
prospective bias, 140–41, 148
purposeful work, 20–22, 34, 59, 109–10
radio, 40
Ratatouille (film), 207
reading, 17–18, 34, 183–84, 188
active vs. passive involvement in, 10–11
attentional space and, 28–29
focus in, 7–11
mind wandering and, 17–18
sentence structure and, 29
short-form memory in, 29
texting while, 110
recharging, 125, 127, 142, 159–70, 212
frequency and length of breaks, 163–66
nature and, 163
need for, signs of, 159–61
rest, 159, 169–70
scatterfocus and, 159, 161
taking more refreshing breaks, 161–63
see also sleep
relationships, 125
rest, 159, 169–70
rote tasks, 116, 206n
Rule of 3, 60
scatterfocus, 129–30, 133–58, 202, 212, 215
aversion to, 135–38
brain and, 151, 167, 172, 198, 199, 206
capture mode in, 143, 144–45, 198
and collecting dots, 182–99
and connecting dots, 171–81
creativity and, 133, 134, 171–73, 199
cues and, 177
energy and, 206
entering, 134
environment and, 176–77
frequency of, 197, 212
as fun, 148
habitual, 143, 147–50, 157, 174–76, 178, 197–99, 212
hyperfocus and, 151–53, 200
information consumption and, 181
insight triggers and, 173–76
as intentional, 142–43
opportunities for, 198–99
problem solving and, 143, 145–47, 178–79, 198
recharging and, 159, 161
scheduling time to experiment with, 150–51
sleep and, 167, 179
styles of, 142–51
and writing out problems, 178
schedules and calendars, 60–61, 107–8
Schooler, Jonathan, 138, 142–43, 153
self-control and impulsiveness, 77–78, 85
self-talk, 30
sentence structure, 29
serendipity, 194
shower, taking, 18, 55, 133
mindfulness and, 120–22
sleep, 18, 159, 166–68, 169
attentional space and, 160
brain and, 167
memory and, 179
nighttime ritual for, 168
ninety-minute rule cycles in, 164–65
productivity and, 166–68
REM stage of, 179
scatterfocus and, 167, 179
Smallwood, Jonathan, 138, 142–43
smartphone, see phone
social media, 59, 88, 116
Facebook, 74, 76, 77n, 141n
Twitter, 15, 76, 77
spotlight effect, 54n
Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace (film), 23
stimulation, 156–57
stress, 73–74, 111–12
email and, 96
studying, 44
see also reading
tasks:
attentional space and, 31–38
attractive, 20, 21
brain’s processing of, 33
complex, 34–35, 37–38, 112
complex, hyperfocus and, 54, 55, 70–71, 112
complex, increasing, 113–16
consequences and, 61–62
distracting, 20–22
externalizing, 107–8
four types of, 19–22
grid for, 20–22, 59–60
leaving unfinished intentionally, 180–81
maintenance, 32
mindless, 11, 34
multitasking, see multitasking
necessary, 20–22, 34, 59
productive, 20, 21, 34, 37
resistance to, 77
rote, 116, 206n
Rule of 3 and, 60–61
purposeful, 20–22, 34, 59, 109–10
unattractive, 20, 21, 57, 71
unnecessary, 20–22
tea and coffee, 10, 83, 85, 208–10
television, 40, 41, 42, 43, 57, 100, 101, 168, 190–91
temperature, 104–5
ten-thousand-hour rule, 1
96–97
This Is Your Brain on Music (Levitin), 196
threats, 136–37
time:
hyperfocus and, 57, 68–69, 72, 127
not having, 127
work expanding to fill, 114–15
timer, 69–70
to-do lists, 61, 95, 107–8
Tolkien, J. R. R., 133
Twitter, 15, 76, 77
unfocusing, 4
unnecessary work, 20–22
Use of Life, The (Lubbock), 159
vegging out, 192
video games, 150
walking, 101n
weekly routines, 212
Wilson, Timothy, 23–24
work, see productivity; tasks
work breaks, see breaks
worry, 19, 108, 112
Zeigarnik, Bluma, 173
Zeigarnik effect, 173–74, 193, 203
zooming out, 193–94
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Bailey is a productivity expert and the international best-selling author of The Productivity Project, which has been published in eleven languages. Chris writes about productivity at Alifeofproductivity.com and speaks to organizations around the globe about how they can become more productive without hating the process. To date he has written hundreds of articles on the subject and has garnered coverage in media as diverse as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, New York magazine, Harvard Business Review, TED, Fast Company, and Lifehacker. Chris lives in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, with his fiancée Ardyn, and their turtle, Edward.
alifeofproductivity.com
Email: chris@alifeofproductivity.com
Twitter: @Chris_Bailey
Twitter: @ALOProductivity
Chris Bailey is available for select speaking engagements and workshop opportunities.
For more information, please visit alifeofproductivity.com/speaking.
* Reading a research paper from front to back is way easier said than done—but pretty doable when you’re interested in the topic. Curiously, research shows that what lets us focus when reading isn’t the complexity of a paper or article—it’s how interested we are in what we’re reading.
* Curiously, research shows that our eyes actually scan the page more slowly when our mind is wandering—our eyes and our mind are “tightly coupled.” Becoming aware of when your scanning begins to slow will help you halt these mind-wandering episodes with greater ease. Future developments in technology could lead to tablets and e-readers that catch our mind-wandering episodes before we do.
* A computer or phone with more RAM can run faster because it can hold more in memory. Higher RAM invariably compromises your battery life, though—especially on a phone. Apple recently resisted adding more RAM to its iPhone for this reason. Since the RAM on a computer is always active, and information is constantly moving through it, that activity sucks up a lot of power. Our attentional space may be limited for a similar reason. Some scientists argue that it might have been “biologically expensive” for us to have evolved to have a larger attentional space, because of how activated our brain would need to be—and how much energy it would need to consume—to keep that information simultaneously activated. In addition, over the last 2.5 million years, our daily tasks weren’t nearly as complex as the knowledge work we do today. Our brain consumes enough energy as it is. While it makes up just 2–3 percent of our body mass, it burns 20 percent of the calories we take in. The fact that our brain’s capacity is limited in this way allows us to conserve energy, which may have aided our chances at survival.