How do I develop focus?

-- Limit your time on social media to 20 minutes or less a day (LinkedIn/Facebook/Discord use that's related to work is an exception.) No studies exist yet to support this hypothesis, but it's my observation that longtime exposure to social media impedes overall focus.

-- Limit your TV watching to one or two hours on the weekends, per week

-- Limit video game use to one or two hours per week

-- Find an activity you like to do "offline" that you can do regularly such as walking, yoga, biking, etc, and do that more often. It will clear your mind and bring you back to center

-- Wake up early and try to accomplish something significant before 8am

-- Be kind to yourself when you lose focus and gently redirect your mind back to your tasks. If you get off track for hours or an entire day, wake up early the next morning and put your best foot forward without dwelling on the day before.

Practice.

Treat focus like a skill you develop, or a muscle that you train to be stronger. If you wanted to improve your weightlifting you would schedule regular gym visits and create a plan to do a certain amount of lifting each day with slightly more weight each week. If you wanted to improve your running you’d set aside time to run and try to run incrementally farther over time. Focus is the same: You need to start small, schedule time for it, and work your way up. You can’t expect to run a 6-minute mile or benchpress 400 lbs without practice, so you shouldn’t expect to sit down and focus through completing multiple side projects quickly without building your way up to it.

Start with incremental goals. If you only consider goals that are too far out of reach for your current focus conditioning (finishing multiple entire projects) then you’re only going to get frustrated. Break projects down into incremental milestones and set intermediate goals to reach each milestone. Decompose into individual features and track them in a simple project management software if it helps.

You want to get to the point where you can sit down at your computer, know what task you can work on next, and have that task be small enough that you can finish it in one sitting or one evening. Practice breaking down your problems into smaller and smaller portions until you reach this goal.

You don't need focus; you need to understand what your goal is. If you're dropping projects that look "unfinished" because, in reality, you've gotten what you want from them, that is fine. It only looks sloppy from the outside.

If you're dropping projects before you get what you want from them, introspect on why. What's happening that leads you away? Address that.

I recommend reading Barbara Sher's "Refuse to Choose"; it provides some useful tools for people who like to do 70 different things, including how to have lots of ideas without having to act on every one immediately.

Meditate. Expose yourself to the feeling of letting go.

Meditate: Literally train your mind to focus. It's going to the gym. Won't happen in a day, week, even month. Consistently do it and you'll eventually see progress.

Letting go: I have a long track record of starting while not going deep. Eventually, I just had to jump in the cold water and start letting things go. Literally put away physical gear for hobbies I wasn't actively engaging in but that took up a bunch of emotional and mental space and energy. Store it away and move on. Part of that process was telling myself this doesn't mean I failed or gave up or even that I would never do XYZ again. Just not now. I started learning the drums a bit ago then I also decided to try to get good at golf. Amongst other things, something had to go. Bye bye drums. Closed all the drums-related tabs. Put away the training material. It's golf time. Maybe in the cold months I'll pick back up, but for now, I'm relieving myself of the self-prescribed duty to practice drums. After doing that for a while, you feel a weight lift.

For some people, starting a bunch of things might be a way to protect against failure (or hard work) since they never actually commit to pushing something live. For others, like me, it's a lot of fun to learn something new (learn, not master).

Do you have full time employment? I think you have to be aware of how limited our time is. If you have a full time job, there is very little time outside of that to do anything. The trouble is that a job also drains a lot of your energy, so working on anything on the side after work is going to put you at the edge of overdoing it. It's really hard to focus on this state as it is.

Personally, I can get 4 good hours out of a day and then anything after that is gravy. Sometimes I struggle to do 4, sometimes I can go longer. But 4 is about what I can count on.

Given that time block, I then just have to project manage. Lay out a road map and start making estimates of effort required. Map that against the time you have in a given day to work on it. You then have to make the choice of what projects move based on your available resources and which get pushed off into a "someday maybe" folder.

Stop chasing novelty.

Do the same kind of thing habitually.

That's what focus is.

Focus means doing and letting the ideas come while you are doing and only pursuing those ideas which are about what you are doing.

It means new projects slowly so as to stay out of the way of ongoing work.

Focus means new ideas equals more work, not alternative work.

For me one of the first breakthroughs came when I realized that I had biases about how mental effort functions, and much different understanding than physical effort. I had an unspoken expectation that I should just be able to focus with enough effort and I was somehow morally deficient if I was distracted. My realization was that focus is like a muscle that could be trained with repetition and without the value judgment when I fail. The moment of coming back to focus from a distraction is the most valuable part of mindfulness training. I started thinking of my mind like a puppy that can be kindly and reliably trained with enough practice.

My second useful realization was that the most popular mindfulness and concentration practices like sitting meditation were not working for me. I had more success with walking meditation, long hikes, martial arts and purposeful reading time.

Another recommendation is to look at latest cognitive science and philosophy for better understanding on how our cognition functions. Lectures by John Vervaeke on YouTube were a great starting place for me, and I recommend them if you’re into that academic style of wisdom. But more important is to find some source of wisdom you trust and willing to take seriously and put effort into making it a part of your life.

Limit your consumption of news (including Hacker News).

Paradoxically, there was a thread about this on HN recently: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30830772

> The news does not matter. It has little, if any real impact on your life besides what you allow it to have.

As a matter of course, not a medical professional:

Double check against ADHD.

If you have it, it changes how you approach all of the advice you might get, because it means your brain is literally physically different in how it manager attention.

If you don't, that's also valuable intel.

Either way, you'll also want to learn what emotions are in play with your new project cycles. Emotions tend to indicate needs, if indirectly, and if whatever need is driving all of the new projects is not met in some way, it'll continue to frustrate attempts to focus on one project. This is because starting a new project is a well-worn path for you at this point. That goes triple of ADHD or other neurophysical forces are in play.

This thread is irony- there are 100 things you can split your focus between....to help you develop focus....

Which is not wrong. The path of behavior change is unique, as each individual has their own unique cognitive architecture, history of experiences, expectations, habits, etc. Changing behaviors toward goals is hard. There are common threads across people, of course, and every technique has been utilized millions of times across millions (billions) of people. But your journey is yours alone.

What I hear just in the snippet above is someone who is dissatisfied with themselves, and has a solution hypothesis- "focus"- but that may or may not be the real solution or path to satisfaction.

All of life is a process of getting to know oneself better, and coming to understand the circumstances in which one succeeds and is happy, and understanding what one has to continually forgive oneself for, because everyone is flawed and fails most of the time.

I would encourage trying to spend more time in the "problem domain"- analyzing the dissatisfaction- and with the phrase "kill your darlings"- as so much of what we sometimes see as having potential turns out on reflection to be wishful thinking.

Good luck and best wishes.

Here's how I solved my focus problem-

1. Have a clear work/rest-of-life boundary. Have a clear set of hours or days of week where you work or learn things related to work. End your work on that boundary. Follow with a small end-of-work ritual. Spend time with hobbies, family, friends, etc. And set time aside vigilantly. When you know that you have to end working, you stop diverting your attention, and try to get stuff done as quickly as possible. When the boundary is blurry or non-existent, you can always do work "later". You can slack for little while "now".

2. Timebox. Have clearly defined boxes of thirty minutes blocks for definite tasks. Hell or high water, do not do anything else in the assigned time.

3. Time track. Just write down in a plain-text file or paper- what you did last. Note the times- both start and end. Whenever you are about to lose focus- you are reminded instantly that you have to log the time.

4. Plan concretely beforehand. Make up your mind about what you are going to do- and how much- before you begin doing something. Write it down. This pushes you towards doing that.

Aside from this techniques, as a general change-agent in your life, you should start meditating. Just read "Mindfulness in Plain English" by Bhante Gunaratana and/or "The Mind Illuminated" by Culadasa. This has immensely benefited my life- much beyond alleviating my focus problem.

I have personally seen minimizing social media usage to 15-20 minutes has helped me focus much more easily. I use social media just 15-20 minutes per day, and only in a particular time.

Even if I wait at a store or ride the elevator, I rather stare at the wall than pull up my phone.

I recommend two books and a podcast-

* Deep Work by Cal Newport

* Pragmatic Thinking and Learning by Andy Hunt

* Huberman Lab Podcast

I finished this book a few months ago. It has a few practical tips for improving focus! Recommend checking it out.

https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Work-Focused-Success-Distracted/...

Not sure if you've read this but the Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule essay by PG has some nice notes about focus on a tactical level.

http://www.paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html

To answer your question: You should probably get checked for ADHD. I don't say that to stigmatise, but issues focusing should really be treated by a mental health professional and not a bunch of internet nerds on a forum.

That being said: focus on solving a particular problem to completion is more about having discipline than having motivation, do a little every day without fail and you will succeed, often the hardest part is to start.

As for more personal advice (as a person who has ADHD, this will be like the blind leading the blind unfortunately), but it helps me, and it comes in two forms.

First form (easy to accomplish, shallow focus)

1) The night before going to bed, think about what you want to do first thing in the morning.

It helps to keep a task list, but set a single (even easy) goal for the next morning.

That morning goal can be anything such as closing a small ticket or reading a chapter of that computer book you've been avoiding.

2) In the morning, resist the urge to touch your phone, do not check email. Your day has not started until you complete that task.

Why? Because the world does not exist to you yet. Thus: no distractions.

Quickly you realise your FOMO from social media can be tapered.

---

Second form (hard to accomplish, deep focus):

This one unfortunately requires rigor in your working habits, discipline and reading of the book "time management for systems administrators" by Tom Limmoncelli.

It applies to everyone, not just sysadmins, but sysadmins used to do the kind of ad-hoc work that makes focus impossible. The first chapter of the book is literally titled "How to find time to read this book".

But keeping a journal of what you want to accomplish each day and then being aggressive about what is actually possible is the essense of the book, it goes into much more detail and is much stronger than the notions behind bullet journalling than it sounds on the surface.

I'm starting to come out of the dark night of the soul that started when I burned out in 2019 just before the pandemic. I've begun to feel emotions again like boredom, impulsiveness, even stuff like competitiveness, which I let go of while working through ego death.

It's not much, but what really helped me was flipping things around and seeing myself from other people's perspective. Like, feeling a calling to do something to help others or even the whole world, and doing that instead of browbeating myself to be more productive or finish something. Then harmonies have something to emerge from. I don't really know how to articulate it yet, but I think that motivation comes from love.

I struggled with the same thing for years. For me the key to getting it together was moderately increasing my caffeine intake, only consuming caffeine first thing in the morning and eliminating alcohol. I also upgraded apartments and bought a new mattress pillows and bedding which helped me get better sleep.

After I made these adjustments I had the boost in concentration and wellbeing that I needed to take on some of the other adjustments suggested by other commenters.

These adjustments made a night and day difference to my ability to focus. Maybe none of these things are a problem for you, but definitely check in on these areas if you haven't already.

Use

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanban_(development)

the basic idea is "finish what you start" and "you can only have a certain number of projects going at once" so you don't start anything unless there is room on the board.

Kanban is the most basic approach to management and it applies to a wide range of applications. For instance at the cafe in the building next to mine the people who make food keep track of how many orders they have in flight and don't take a new order until the queue is short enough.

I suffer (or should I say experience) the same. I read a book that unfortunately didn’t help the problem, but it did help me to accept who I am or at least my tendencies/skills/weaknesses.

It’s called Refuse to Choose by Barbara Sher. She labels people like this as “scanners”. I’m not in the camp of reducing the dimensionality of humans to a single bucket/category but the description of what she calls a scanner really, really resonated with me.

I’ve found that I do start many many things and finish very few that I don’t need to. This is largely in my extracurricular time. At work and for work, I can finish things that I need to. The one takeaway from the book that helped me is this:

Maybe when you walk away from a project, you already got what you were looking for.

Maybe you already learned the thing that you wanted to learn and finishing the project wouldn’t do much more for you. And in some cases, I really believe this. For example, I always start little tech projects and I wanted to build a little audio modem in python to understand how digital modulation worked for old dial up modems. I got about 30% in and quit because at that time I had already learned quite a bit about how modulation works and finishing the project was really not interesting to me. The interesting part to me was the learning, not the finishing.

I’m always looking for similar people to chat to about this. Feel free to reach out. Email in profile.

Motivation is key. When and if you are motivated enough, focus comes as a side effect of it (personal experience).

Having prioritised list helps to deal with multiple projects. Here, it is important not to fall into switching to a lower priority project if struggling with the other one, although context switch also advantageous when not obused.

Limiting number of WIP projects was a delight to me. When one finished, feel free to switch to another one. Different time and place for different projects also another technique to be aware of.

- Frequently re-evaluate which projects matter the most. Have no more than 2 in mind at a time. Everything else is added to your backlog.

- Always try to scale down your projects, avoid making them too grandiose to be achievable.

- Try to achieve at least one thing in what you are trying to focus on every day, no matter how small.

- Embrace pivoting. When we pivot to new projects, it probably means the last idea may not have been all that good.

- Get exercise and eat right.

- Consider getting a prescription for Concerta or Adderall if other ways of finding focus don't work.

Pomodoro. I don't always use it, but it really helps when I'm having trouble getting into a groove on a task.

If my focus issues are partially due to tiredness, I make a point of keeping my eyes closed for all or part of the break periods.

I normally pin a browser tab and allow alerts for this site: https://pomodor.app/timer

I'm not affiliated, but it's simple and good. It's the only site I allow notifications from.

I will not say that I have perfected this, not by a long shot, but at least for myself I've found some basic ways of helping.

The main thing is getting into the groove of whatever it is. That does mean grinding it out at the start. Tackle a portion every single day, rain or shine. Doesn't even have to be a lot everyday, could even be some notes. I find after a little bit it turns into a natural schedule, requiring less push to get started. My wife is also kind enough to understand that I do need to get into a rhythm, and will sometimes nudge me to do a little bit each day. Don't push beyond what you feel like everyday though, you don't want to resent your work. You want to find a happy medium where you enjoy it but still progress.

Sometimes that streak either gets broke, or the natural inclination waning, and then I need to push myself again. There will probably be a waxing and waning to it, and that's perfectly fine. Some days you won't feel like it, but consistency is important (exceptions apply of course just try to make those minimal and not an excuse).

Getting that singular focus with so much competition between ideas is harder for me. I'm currently learning a new programming language, and I had several that I considered. I tried to break them into the main things I wanted, what would help my career, what would expand my programming knowledge in general, and what would I actually enjoy (harder to know before hand but I hand some idea). If it's really that much of a tossup though, then just do that, toss a coin. Sometimes leaving it to chance is just easier to break the stalemate and get you started.

It can help to just steer well clear from anywhere distractions can be found. For example, install a blocking extention like Intention to forcibly remove yourself from being able to even browse youtube during focus hours. Or get your music from somewhere not prone to leading you down a rabbit hole of distractions.

Proper music selection can also really help.

At our core, we have two different types of attention: conscious and unconscious. When we have a task at hand, and want to get it done, we give it our conscious attention, and work to focus on just that task while ignoring other external distractions. But while this is happening, our unconscious attention is still at play, and is constantly looking for other things to latch onto - be it a sound in the room, an advert on the side of the page, or a distracting recommendation after an educational YouTube video.

The point at which your conscious attention gets fatigued from trying to ignore these temptations is when that lack of focus occurs. Researchers think that ADHD could be caused by a malfunctioning area of our brain which controls our conscious attention.

Music of the correct variety can help to keep that unconscious attention satisfied and stop it overriding our specific intention to concentrate on that key task. It does this by cutting out a whole area of distraction possibilities and replacing it with something just enough to keep our unconscious attention satisfied.

The reason ive looked into this is because im building a side project around focus music: https://www.flowful.app/

This might be a bit off topic, but might help somehow...

Something that has striked me during the last weeks --since I got my WHOOP-- is the correlation between HRV and self-control (aka. will). I've monitored how productive and focused I am and my top days all have in common this:

-- didn't drink alcohol at least 3 days before (I'm now avoiding it as much as possible)

-- got at least 3.5 hours of REM and deep sleep

-- breath exercises at least 3 time a day

Conclusion... monitor your HRV and you might be able to focus better

* figure out your sleep cycle to make that consistent. I am a night owl, always have been (I'm 47) * which leads to finding the "productive" part of your day. Focus on that time by removing any distractions you can. For me it is really between 10:00am and 3:00 pm. * even during that focus period, take a break. Couple minutes each hour. Think of it as a rest period you would do when working out. * Take a good walk a lunch. I've done this for 20 years now. Eat lunch quickly, then take a 20-40 minute walk outside. But I know people that do that walk before work as well. * craft your environment for focus. The whole "distraction free" desk is actually a huge distraction, so does not work for me. I need various things for my hands to do when I'm thinking on problems, so I keep a set of fidget toys on my desk at all times. This doesn't mean dirty, or being a slob at your desk, it is just having familiar items available. (anyone that has argued 'messy desk, messy mind', I've countered with 'empty desk, empty mind').

Self-discipline is a skill you develop and maintain with practice. It applies to literally every aspect of life, including following through on projects you chose to start work on.

Amphetamines like Adderall are a popular option, which others have recommended here. But I'd like to note I've seen my fair share of devs dependent on ADHD meds lacking self-discipline who just ended up staring at their phone doomscrolling all day at their desk, with their legs visibly restless from the stimulant train they were riding.

Personally I treat all stimulants as simply performance-enhancing drugs. You still need at least a modicum of self-discipline to direct that focused energy at the intended tasks.

IME adopting even a simple daily exercise routine and refusing to miss it unless you're too sick/injured (which means you're also too sick/injured to work, self-imposed, this is self-discipline after all) is an effective means of establishing and maintaining self-discipline. Plus it's good for your health and fitness as a bonus.

There are 2 kinds of focus I try to keep: "short term focus" for tasks that must do done now and continuously for at most few hours and "long term focus" that is basically like building habits.

To improve short term focus, I exercise with pleasurable tasks which require dedication and concentration. It can't be video-games or anything that promote a dopamine rush. It must be something that I have to do with attention and concentration for a time and feel the benefits only after I finish it. My favorites for this are playing guitar (classic guitar, pop guitar does not requires the same level of concentration or dedication) and reading a book. Sometimes I go out for a walk just to free my mind.

To improve long term focus I try to avoid addicting behaviors, like when I turn on the computer and I have to resist the urge to browse the web or read unrelated news (or wikipedia rabbit holes) instead of working. I do like the AA guys, when I fell the urge to procrastinate, I think: "Just for today", like in "Just for today I won't browse the web before reading and answering my e-mails." The day after, I just think: "one day at a time" and simply do the same again.

From what you suggest, it looks like you need focus to complete interesting projects. My technique for this is: start with the hardest part: if it is really hard and boring you'll probably abandon it without investing too much time. On the other hand, if you complete the hardest part, you'll have a very good reason not to abandon the project: the hardest part is already done!

Sometimes I give up in the middle of a project because it is taking too long... try a smaller project the next time. Sometimes I quit a project because it is too complex... try a simpler project next time. You want big and complex projects? Break it in smaller simpler projects that are easy and fun to complete.

> Ask HN: How do I develop focus?

Ask your shrink for a Vyvanse/Elvanse prescription.

I have found that I can focus intensely by wearing headphones while working on my laptop. I listen to non lyric music at https://somafm.com/dronezone/. I have found that this attenuates background noises and speech. I can still hear people talking to me but they tend to leave me alone unless the matter is urgent because I am wearing headphones. I have been doing this since 2005 and have found I get a lot more done with much less stress and the music tends to enhance my thinking, creativity and focus. I use this technique while working and my work is computer based. It's pretty much a soundtrack for working. I also use this technique while walking as it stimulates inner dialog in thinking and problem solving which naturally happens when taking 30 minute health walks. This may not work for everyone but has worked for me in high tech start up environments.

For me it's a matter of managing distractions, and also embracing the fact that I have a solid 1-3 hour window per day where I can accomplish deep focus work. If I miss it it's gone, and that happens some days but it's ok.

That amount varies per person for sure, but 1-2 hours of deep focus per day is a reasonable goal for me.

When I need to focus I'll switch my computer to a single task. Phone goes on DND and all interruption generators are closed (email, chat, etc.). I'll sketch out a basic checklist of what "done" looks like, and use that to get started. Sometimes I'll get in the zone and keep going beyond what I listed out, sometimes I have to end early and resume later.

That's what works for me. The most important part for me is planning out what I want to get done and then making a space to do it.

Sometimes it's a physical space, too. I'll make a list, and head to a coffee shop to work on it.

Well, focus is all about picking 1-2 projects to work on, and excluding anything not-relevant to those projects. You can't make 10 projects work at once. So pick 1-2 and commit.

Which of your projects are most meaningful to you? Which solve problems you care about and seem most interesting? Start shipping something, share it on HN, Twitter, IndieHackers, etc. Getting positive feedback can also help you stick to 1 thing.

Note: don't focus on technologies and ideas so much, focus on problems to solve for others. What can you make easier for others that would be valuable for them?

A bit more on the point about excluding things and the whole topic of focus here: https://www.deprocrastination.co/blog/how-to-focus-in-the-ag...

My friend sent me this and I’ve nearing 200 sessions on it. It’s like a pomodoro timer but with a person to quickly talk to before and after. I hadn't used productivity tools before this one, I like it.

https://www.focusmate.com/

Start mono-tasking. Focus on one thing at time and work on growing the amount of time you can keep that focus.

I've been doing this and it has been quite helpful. Some good mono-tasking activities:

- Read books. Books require you to focus for an extended period of time on the same subject. It doesn't matter fiction or non-fiction. Just find a book you enjoy and finish it. If you don't enjoy the book at 50 pages, try a new book.

- Actively listen during meetings. Close all your other tabs and applications and pay attention during a video call. Take notes with pencil and paper to keep your hands busy and keep the focus up.

- Walk. Just take a walk. Don't listen to a podcast or music, just walk and let your mind rest. You might even apply some meditation techniques and try to pay attention to your body. Can you feel your breathe or heart rate?

> And I start new projects all the time. They all have potential. But I do so many of them that none really gets enough attention to grow.

People vastly overestimate the free time they have, and vastly underestimate the time it takes to take a project to completion.

Try to limit it to one project at a time and put all the other projects on a "Do Not Do List" until that one project is done. And now for the key part: Track how long it takes to get that one project done.

It wasn't until I did this did the gulf between perception and reality hit me. I used to plan projects for the whole year, and began to reflect on the list at the end of the year. It always looked like a failure. When I began the One Project at a Time rule, I found I could get only 2-3 done in a year, when I was consistently planning for 5-10.

You are using focus very metaphorically as a focus in life, not the cognitive faculty. Just select the one that best aligns with your goals and finish it, you can keep churning new projects all the time, just don't confuse ideas/sketches with projects and projects with businesses.

Embrace it! It’s more fun to keep having a bunch of ideas that might have potential than to see one of them through and maybe discover it doesn’t.

I mean you know what you have to do if you really want to: give one idea the attention to grow. Choose to do that and commit yourself to it. Or don’t.

I would say I feel the same way. What works for me is creating a space where everything is ready to go. I have three different maker spaces on my property. Each of them has computers, one has 3D printer and high end computing. Another one has all of my wood and metalworking. The last one is a total immersion room I built for focus. You don't have to work on this thing but you do have to go in this room for the next 4 hours and stare at the walls lined with every iteration, marketing idea ect. If I have stuff ready to go when an idea comes in my head, I have the energy to pump it out right now. Even if it is a bad prototype, it is a physical representation in the real world. Once I get to that part I can make a plan.

I just started reading the book Lost Focus by Johaan Hari. It's a well-written deep dive on how we as a society have all lost the ability to concentrate on one thing for any good length of time.

I'm only a few chapters in, but it's fascinating so far. Can recommend.

It's ok to have a ton of ideas and to let most of them go before you finish the work. The important part is that you document the idea so that you at least have the opportunity to return to it in the future. By this, I mean using pen and paper in some type of journal/notebook that you can browse through either when you are at the computer or away from it. You can get some great spiral bound drawing notebook at the grocery store for $5 or less. When you fill one up with ideas, label it with the date range and/or ideas and stick it on the shelf. In my experience, it's a lot easier to rediscover ideas when they're documented on paper than when they're typed in a text file somewhere.

I went through the same recently. Became interested on too many different things, projects and topics because in my mind there was so much going on.

Get enough good sleep. If you don't sleep enough you won't be able to focus and retain anything you learned long-term. Don't put on headphones or fall asleep listening to videos/podcasts or looking at things on your phone.

Create a setting in which you can do 1 thing uninterrupted. If there are any potential distractions, put them away, turn them off or close as needed to create necessary boundaries.

As we grow older we accumulate and we obtain more things that we could make use of but have effectively the same or less time to devote to each individually.

Embrace it.

Instead of thinking that you are wasting potential on the big ideas, think of it as your portfolio of small bets (credits to Daniel Vassalo). Instead of exposing yourself to risk of "one big idea" for the expectation of "one big payoff", you can think of yourself as your own VC investor, with the most important distinction that you will be choosing how to invest your most precious resource: your time.

Take the projects that you see potential but lost interest and put them on microacquire [0]. This will both free your mind for other projects and give you a sense of accomplishment.

[0]: https://microacquire.com/

That sounds a little like me. In my case, it seems like the two biggest factors are just a lack of time from family constraints and the feeling that none of my work will actually make any difference. Why should I spend my time working on something that won't make money, won't give me marketable knowledge, or benefit me in any way? I do support my Android apps. I guess I have a little pride in following through for my users, but I don't know.

So I guess the best way for me to focus is to identify what I want to get out of something. Once I know the benefit/goal, it seems easier to build momentum and complete.

First look into and try the Pomodoro Technique as well as Mindfulness exercises. Remember this isn't a race, and like a muscle is something you have to build up over time. Start small, like 5 minutes less if that doesn't work for you, then work your way up.

Next, give it some time. It can take a while to get to where you want.

Finally, after working at this for a while, you still can't seem to get the focus down, or started. It may be time to see a mental health provider. There are many different mental health issues that can cause you to not be able to focus, only a mental health provider can diagnose and treat these issues.

I can definitely relate to the way you described yourself and have been in a very similar position in the past. What helped is to chunk whatever I am doing in smaller chunks, for example getting to know the very basics when learning a new technology before diving into the more complex stuff and build upon that. This had the nice side-effect of multiplying the number of gratification moments.

Also, I've noticed I learn best when I actively try to limit the number of times I switch context within a day, this might require you to plan whatever it is you want to deep-dive beforehand, but your mileage might vary.

> I'm a nerd. I know tons of technologies in and out. And I am creative. I come up with new ideas all the time. And I start new projects all the time. They all have potential.

Are you really a nerd? Do you really know tons of technologies in and out? Are you really that creative? Do all the project really have such potential?

Anyway. Starting projects is easy, finishing them is hard. This can have tons of reasons, you should be more specific what you are struggling with, because from your post, everything about you seems to be perfect.

I would suggest to be more self critical, as long as I'm not misinterpreting your post that is.

There's a lot of "I" in your comment. My suggestion: find some other people to work with. Once you bring your project into relationship, you will become accountable, and this helps cut down on the fantasy.

First and foremost, have a purpose or goal that's worthwhile. Everything we do starts with where we're coming from and where we're going. What you're describing is essentially low-level burnout. The cause of burnout is that we internally realize that our goals aren't worth the time and effort we're putting into them. The right solution is to find goals that are. This is how many people have been able to push themselves far past "burnout" levels without burning out. Because their purpose is rock solid.

Set a timer for 10 minutes

Close your eyes Look straight between your eyebrows Breath in for 6 count mentally Breath out for 6 count mentally When breathing in and out keep looking into the blackness between the eyebrows

Relatable. Try what I'm doing. Work your way backwards.

https://backwards.dev

Start with the final goal you're seeking (in my case it was a Pay Me checkout button) and then piece the rest of the fluff later.

A lot of the focus product is dealing with emotional barriers and your personal psychology. This shatters all this and paves a new path.

There's something sobering about starting at the end, instead of consistently getting side tracked at the beginning.

I put this up 2 days ago and some stranger has already sent me 12 cents :)

Focus on a single goal for a long period of time and be patient/don't be afraid of failing along the way.

The hard part isn't coming up with new ideas or starting projects with "potential" or being "creative" the hard part is getting someone else to use them. You need to double down on something which can actually fail to ever have a chance of something you build mattering.

Personally, the specific way I found to do this was to work at fast growing early stage startups with founders I found impressive. YMMV.

I started taking some supplements to boost my focus, and they worked... so I started focusing a lot on playing video games. I'd get completely absorbed and play them for days, weeks, and months on end... total waste of time.

Being able to effectively select what you focus on is as important as being able to focus in the first place.

I personally felt out of control in that I focused on the wrong things, and just wasted my life... not something that supplements, meds, or tricks like the pomodoro technique can help you with.

Lots of tactics, and only some strategies in the comments so far.

https://read.lukeburgis.com/p/the-danger-of-ignoring-beauty might be a good (short) read (posted earlier today here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30904338).

It ends with the question: what do you want to want?

I put together a markdown outline for new features to implement and new marketing ideas. I also put together an outline for my current project.

Before starting a current project, I spend a couple of weeks really thinking through the value that will be created for humanity if the project is completed. Each time a new idea comes up, I put it in the outlines above, but I make it a point to COMPLETE the current project by telling myself about all of the end value that will be created.

Do core exercises.

Develop muscular endurance in the spine.

Do yoga or something that allows you to move your spine and stretch hip-flexors.

Sitting in one place is endurance work. Mostly our body gives way before the mind does.

You can apply other things suggested too but the physical component of focus is often ignored.

And of course develop the endurance to sit for long periods by sitting for long periods. 3 to 4 hours is usually ideal. (According to Cal Newport in Deep Work)

This is more micro than what you wanted but I guess it can work in a bottom-up manner.

Just finished this book: https://stolenfocusbook.com/mobile/

One thing that stood out, which I suppose should be intuitive, is the idea that if you input more information into a system, the time to process each bit shrinks.

So basically change strategy from a breath first search, to depth first, close of all information sources not related to the current focus area to avoid distraction.

To make a decision on what to develop, you can do an analysis on your ideas. Come up with categories like Cost to Develop, Effort in Time, Who/How Many Will Benefit, Profit Potential, etc. Score each idea based on these categories, weight them according to your own priorities, and whatever floats to the top is the one you should focus on first. Getting one or two outside objective opinions might be a good idea to help keep your scoring honest.

All these precise tips are meaningless, as people are different enough to each require a technique that works for them. Generally though I'd say: Prioritise it.

I have found that working with multiple people with different skillsets on a project can help - I currently work with another programmer and a designer, both with the same mindset. We keep each other motivated! I previously tried working on projects myself because I wanted 100% control, but never ended up completing many, and the ones I completed MVPs for lost my interest shortly after.

You're probably young, eh? Don't worry about narrowing your field until you're older.

- - - -

Pragmatically, if you want to figure out what to do you have to come up with criteria, evaluate your options, and (and this is the hard part) cut 'em loose except for the really important one (or two or three) on which to concentrate.

Good criteria are:

1) Does it help others?

2) Does it make me happy?

Maybe you need to find something that you really enjoy? It feels like you are just hoarding information at the minute, if you enjoy learning something and find the technology useful then you will find it much easier to stick with it.

This is based on a tiny amount of information from you though so take my opinion with a pinch of salt.

You can also see this as a strength. Go work in the research department of a company where they need to start and explore new stuff quickly and often. When stuff gets boring, it's killed or goes to development. If it gets boring before that, try to delegate it. It's what I did and do and it works for me.

"Here's the good news: you already have all the willpower you need. You simply don't know how to use it yet." from "Training The Will"

https://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org/tag/will

Use a timer. Time how long you can stay focused on a task. Strive to achieve longer blocks... but don't take this too far. You can achieve a lot in few 1 hour blocks. That being said, if you check your email every 5 minutes... yeah, that's a problem :)

You'll find focus when you're doing something you really enjoy. Keep looking.

Prioritize and track your time. Write goals for each month, then break down each goal into what needs to be done. At some point you have to give most of your attention to a single project. I know this can be difficult, I have the same problem.

Andy Hunt has written an amazing book called Pragmatic Thinking and Learning where he specifically wrote a chapter (Chapter 8: Manage Focus) on developing and and managing focus. I would highly recommend that you buy the book and read it.

Adderall. Frankly, Get yourself evaluated for ADHD and see if prescription can help. Even just knowing has done wonders for my mental health by making me more forgiving for the mistakes/inattention commonly associated with ADHD

Take written notes about the things that distract you, be very honest, and review those notes regularly (daily at first). It takes practice, and involves unwanted overhead, but it worked for me.

I'm not that good at focusing, but one thing I've found that's super helpful is to turn my computer screen to monochrome. Obviously this doesn't work if you need colour.

fuck, man I gave up on trying to develop focus. There are all sorts of methods that never worked for me.

Here is what I do.

option 1) take on two tasks at a time and convince yourself you would rather be doing X instead of Y. That way in your brain you are "getting away with it"

option 2) dont fight it. When you get the flow, isolate and GSD. When you arent feeling it, do what you need to do.

Option 2 isnt always an available depending on your circumstances but it is my favorite becvause I am actually way more productive this way.

Not a bug. Your brain is exploring the world of ideas, and thus far it hasn’t come upon one it finds truly engaging. Abandoning these projects is the correct strategy.

Suggestion: pick up one of your projects and dedicate your self entirely to it until it shows whether it is worth your efforts or not.

Stick to ONE project. A single one. Envision the end-goal and choose the project that best suits your skills and life goals.

Hourlong meditation sessions will 100% improve your focus.

But it sounds like your problem isn't focus. It's prioritization.

Focus is another buzzword that has been made popular and granted cult status by Money minded Western self help Gurus.

Fuck focus.

Have you tried picking the best of your ideas so far, and focusing your efforts on that? What happens?

Routine. Hard to focus if you do not have your daily schedule under control.

Focus is like a muscle. If you want to develop it, you need to exercise it

you gotta have a goal and really really really want it

if you don't have a goal, you're just nnot going to do it. It's really easy to focus when you have a deadline, so just set up deadlines on yourself

Getting Things Done and Deep Work will give you some ideas, resources.

1. Drink coffee

2. Don't start something new till you finish what you are working on

3. Make lists

4. Use a calendar

I think Jordan Peterson said it that in order to have attention (to me this translates to focus) is to choose your sacrifices.

Your plate is limited, even your brain can deal with just a few things at a time (4 i think from most researches).

I guess you have to mindfully and aggressively say no to certain things or ideas, but that is never easy.

This has to do with commitment. What are you committed to?

how do you develop anything? Do it over and over again. Seek "progressive overloading" (a term borrowed from exercise) to increase your threshold.

Accountability. Get at least one other person invested in your project somehow and set yourself up where you have to provide some kind of progress report or show progress to another.

Discipline.

Everything else is a form of procrastination.

thetodaysystem.com is a lo-fi and (IME) effective way to learn to set a realistic focus for the day.

Look up David Goggins

What's stopping you from working on one at a time?

By focusing.

Yoga

Nicotine

Alternative take: you don't, you can't, and there's nothing you can really do about it.

The successful people you see are just the lucky ones whose attention was already turned to things that could make them successful and they just went with it. Because what they were focused on was valuable, society rewarded them, which created a feedback loop of positive reinforcement and kept them focused.

Instead, just try to finish something. Anything. Complete literally any of your projects, and probably during your "interest window". Decide to be someone who finishes stuff, even if it's not perfect. That'll be valuable enough on its own.

Flit from thing to thing, finishing them in the barest-of-minimum way, while still "completing" the work. Give each thing you're interested in pursuing a chance at collecting real feedback, and see if that feedback sparks further interest. If it does, keep going. If it doesn't, move on.

Jira + https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YClta_Erq6U