Strategies From HyperFocus
The book I chose for this project is Hyperfocus: How to manage your attention in a world of distraction (Bailey, 2018). I felt that this book had the potential to teach me some ways to manage my time and stay focused on my tasks
Hyperfocus is extremely relatable to my current situation as the author talks about how he struggled with finding ways to focus on what he needed to do on a day-to-day basis. As a result, he has a list of methods that teach you how to identify what’s distracting you and how to limit those distractions. This is perfect for me as identifying the problem was the start that I needed to help me take the next steps towards limiting my distractions
Strategies
One of the methods in the book that Bailey (2018) talked about is the setting specific intentions. Setting specific intentions often leads to a higher chance of success. Bailey (2018) references a study done by Peter Gollwitzer about the importance of setting intentions and how implementing intentions into our lives can help us stay focused.
Implementation intentions is making a very detailed plan on how you want to achieve what you want to achieve. Goals need plans, ideally plans that include when, where, and which kind of action to move towards the goal (Bailey 2018, pg. 66)
I decided to try this by using the time blocking method and setting aside a specific time block to exclusively work on schoolwork. One of the obstacles I ran into was my schedule suddenly changing and having to figure out a new time block to work on schoolwork. I didn’t have a specific solution other than just figuring out on the fly how to work around changes and setting new times to sit down and work on schoolwork.
Another strategy that Bailey (2018) talks about is identifying distractions and removing them from your work environment.
If you identify all of the distractions in your immediate environment and remove them, then your brain has no choice than but to work on that task (Bailey 2018, pg. 83).
My phone has always been a huge distraction for me when working on any task. I’ve grown to become addicted to being on my phone all the time whether it’s for work or if I just want to mindlessly scroll for entertainment. I decided to put my phone on do not disturb mode when I’m working on an assignment. Occasionally, I’ll still get on my phone for important things such as my parents calling me or my boss texting me about work related things.
What I like and didn’t like…
Setting intentions and blocking out time to specifically work on homework sounds like a good idea on paper. However, if you’re a busy person like me where your schedule is constantly changing throughout the day it can be difficult to stick to this schedule. The nice thing about time blocking is that there is some flexibility. If I had something come up, I could easily move my time for school work to a earlier or later time. That way, I’m still working the set amount of time for school work but at my convenience.
I found that setting my phone on do not disturb was extremely beneficial for me. It was super easy to turn on do not disturb and place my phone out of my sight. This allowed me to get in the zone a lot easier. My only drawback to this strategy was that I still received notifications from my parents and bosses occasionally, which ultimately led to some small distractions.