Productivity

In this article, you’ll find a simple actionable practice to the question, “How to focus better?”. The short answer is, saying “no.

Saying “no” can be difficult, but it’s a crucial skill to have if you want to take control of your time and energy and avoid being stretched too thin. In this article, we’ll explore five action points to help you learn how to say “no” more effectively and improve your focus.

Identify Distractions

The first step in learning how to say “no” effectively is to identify the things that distract you and take up your time. These distractions could be anything from social events and meetings to emails and notifications on your phone. Take some time to reflect on what distracts you and makes it difficult for you to focus.

Set Clear Boundaries

Once you know what you need to say “no” to, it’s important to set clear boundaries for yourself. This means deciding what you will and won’t do and making sure that other people know your boundaries as well. For example, you might decide that you won’t check your email after a certain time in the evening, or that you won’t accept any new tasks on Fridays.

Practice Saying “No”

Saying “no” can be difficult, especially if you’re someone who tends to be a people-pleaser. But the more you practice saying “no,” the easier it will become. Start small by saying “no” to things that don’t matter as much, and then work your way up to saying “no” to more important things. It can also be helpful to have a script ready to use when you need to say “no,” such as, “I’m sorry, but I’m unable to do that at this time.”

Be Firm and Direct

When you say “no,” it’s important to be firm and direct. This means that you need to say “no” clearly and without hesitation. Don’t make excuses or try to soften the blow by saying things like “I’m really busy right now” or “I’ll try to fit it in if I can.” Just say “no” and move on.

Prioritize Your Time and Energy

Finally, remember that saying “no” is not just about rejecting other people’s requests – it’s also about prioritizing your own time and energy. When you say “no” to something, it’s important to consider how that decision will impact your ability to focus and get things done. Is it worth saying “yes” to this request if it means that you won’t be able to complete a more important task?

By following these action points, you can start saying “no” more effectively and improve your ability to focus. Remember that saying “no” is a crucial skill to have if you want to take control of your time and energy and maximize your efficiency. So don’t be afraid to start saying “no” today!

Here’s another article you might about saying No from James Clear. 

Here’s an article on memory systems from my blog

Micro Habits: They will get you far, not quickly but surely

Does this sound familiar:

It’s January 1st and you’re so motivated for the new year. New year, new you. You will fix your diet, read more, save more, exercise more.

You have already set out your goals: 5k run a day, eat nothing but chicken and broccoli, read 50 pages a day, practice the piano for 1 hrs… the list is long.

The first week you do these with high motivation. You don’t skip a beat! You’re AWESOME.

However, a day comes, and for some reason, you miss your daily exercise. You know you won’t be able to do a 1 hr piano session.

You tell yourself “I’ll make up for it tomorrow, I’ll do 2 hrs”

Tomorrow comes, it’s time to practice the piano, you have a whole 2-hour block that you need to dedicate.

Of course, life happens, and allocating a 2-hour block is harder than you anticipated, and you end up not sitting beside the piano.

You get a total of… drum roll please… 0 hours of practice for the second day in a row. You feel sad, you lose motivation, and now, you’re less likely to practice the next day…

The cycle continues…

Do you see the problem here?

Goals and dedication are awesome. However, most of the time, you’re pushing yourself to a standard that you’re not ready for YET. Moreover, you’re not accounting for the reality that things don’t always go as planned.

Here is how you should use micro habits:

Instead of setting out to practice 1 whole hour of piano that day,tell yourself, I’ll sit for 5 minutes and see what happens.

This is a subtle shift, but a HUGE one.

Surely, (especially because you’re home because of Corona) you can find a 5-minute window to practice the piano.

Maybe after you go get your $0.30 homebrew. Or after you take a break after your endless Zoom calls. Whenever it is, you can squeeze a 5-minute session.

What happens when you sit on the bench? Chances are, you’ll continue to play well beyond the 5 minutes you set out to do. Edging closer to your initially intended 1 hr goal!

“A good beginning is half the battle.”

“He who has begun, has half done.”

— Horace

With this simple mindset, you will end up having practiced the piano, instead of getting no practice.

At the end of the day even if you only dedicated 5 minutes and had to get up: 5 mins > 0 mins…

In a month, that is 150 minutes, or 2:30 hrs, vs 0 hrs if you keep skipping your sessions.

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Another example:

For example sake, let’s say that your goal is the go to the gym for 40 minutes or runs for 40 mins every day. That’s a great goal…

However, what if something comes up and now you only have 20 minutes? Are you going to throw away the whole session?

Take the 20 minutes! In fact, I would revise your goal to something like this “I will put my shoes on and get out of the door”.

Again, there is a subtle but impactful shift in the way that you’re priming yourself.

Instead of building a mental barrier of a 20–40 minutes run, you are just tasking yourself with the simple task of stepping outside.

Subsequently, when you’re out, you feel the fresh air fill your lungs. You are already out, you already have your shoes on. All you need to do is run!

After you start running, it’s totally fine if you only run 5, 10, 15 minutes instead of the 40 minutes you set out to do.

At least you got in your workout. This is one huge step (no pun intended) closer to your goal.

If show up every day, 5 minutes, or 50 minutes, you will look back and marvel at how far you’ve gotten.

“I never viewed myself as particularly talented. Where I excel is ridiculous, sickening, work ethic. You know, while the other guy’s sleeping, I’m working.”

— Will Smith

The takeaway?

In conclusion, you are constantly told to dream big, set huge goals, push yourself.

Certainly, that is all very true, you should never settle for small dreams. However, habits take time to settle. They need nurturing and it is your JOB to allow yourself to develop the habit.

I’ll say: “Dream macro, start micro”

If you want to read more content on productivity you can check out this post How to Learn Anything Faster? A 3 Brain Hack Guide