
Ask YC: How do you achieve laser focus and concentration? - markbao
Reading the news.yc item about Provigil and reading more about it, I'm convinced that it's the kind of thing that gives you laser focus and concentration. Silver bullet drug, really (see http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=62958)<p>Since it has strange side effects and U.S. restrictions (requires prescriptions), I'm wondering how you achieve concentration and focus when doing work.<p>I'm interested in this in the context of concentrating in class, doing schoolwork, and hacking.<p>Thanks.
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edw519
The single most important thing I do to "achieve laser focus and
concentration" is to work in such a way that I don't need "laser focus and
concentration" to get my work done.

This has to be done the night before.

I always quit all online work at least 2 hours before bedtime and print
whatever I'm working on.

Then I go into any other room with program listings, blank paper, and pens
(especially red!) and plan out all of tomorrow's work.

All analysis, design, and refactoring must be done at this time. I do not
allow myself to sleep until the next day's work is laid out. I also do not
allow myself to get back onto the computer. The idea is to have a clear
"vision" of what I am going to accomplish the next day. The clearer the
better.

This does 2 things. First, I think about it all night (maybe even dream about
it). Second, I can't wait to get started the next day.

I always wake up and start programming immediately. Once I get going, it's
easy to keep going. Any difficulties are probably because I didn't plan well
enough the night before.

Not sure if that's the answer you're looking for, but whatever gets the work
done...

~~~
holygoat
That's actually an interesting approach. I have noticed that when I have a
good idea in the evening as I get ready for bed, I need to get it on paper,
and I keep thinking about it overnight.

The next day I can't help but work on it.

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craigbellot
To make the greatest success of anything you must be able to concentrate your
entire thought upon the idea you are working on. Concentration, like any
skill, needs to be practiced. To practice concentration and focus, do only one
thing at a time.

When eating, focus on your meal and turn off the computer; when driving, focus
on the road and turn off the car radio. Anything you find yourself doing, try
to do that and eliminate all distractions (sometimes this is impossible).

Your body should also be in a healthy state, thus exercise is of the utmost
importance, 2-3 times a day for 45 mins seems to do it for me.

The food you eat and substances you consume have tremendous impacts on your
mental state. Avoid meat, alcohol, cigarettes, pungent and spicy foods. Eat
mild, bland foods and you'll begin to notice a clarity of mind and increased
ability to focus.

Finally, for 15 minutes every other day, sit in a quiet location and meditate.
This will increasingly clear your mind, allow you to manage your energy and
multiply your ability to concentrate and focus.

The greatest man would accomplish nothing if he lacked concentration.

~~~
neodude
To back up the food argument, I decided to become vegetarian a year or so ago
(to the chagrin of my mother), and definitely noticed an increase in clarity
and 'calm' mind. I changed in part because of this rumoured clarity effect, so
placebo is definitely not out of the equation, YMMV, etc.

~~~
SwellJoe
I've been a vegetarian for 14 years, so I don't exactly recall what my
concentration was like before vs. after (and I was a teenager before, so I was
probably only concentrating on girls and rock and roll, but mostly girls). I
do know that it isn't uncommon for testosterone levels to be reduced in men
who become vegetarian, depending on diet, which actually has an adverse effect
on many aspects of life including concentration. However, with a small amount
of care, it is very easy to eat a vegetarian diet that is entirely positive
for health. Walnuts (among other tree nuts and legumes), for example, provide
the building blocks of testosterone better than the vast majority of animal
products.

I think, in general, we have a pretty poor understanding of how various foods
interact with the human body, particularly foods that trigger hormone
production (as many high density proteins, like meats and non-tofu soy
products, do). So, I would probably agree that a well-balanced vegetarian diet
probably does lead to a more balanced day-to-day emotional life, which helps
with concentration, wakefulness, and feeling good about what you're doing with
your life (which I find is the single most important aspect of productivity
for me).

I certainly encourage folks to give it a try, and see how it works for you.
But do some reading first. There are some non-intuitive aspects that throw new
vegetarians for a loop, and make the experience less than satisfying. For
example, soy proteins of some types, while they seem like a high quality
protein, are actually rather hard for your body to deal with. Tofu, on the
other hand, which is processed similarly to cheese, has had those hormone-
related proteins broken down into a form very friendly for your body.

I've also known people who've become vegetarian and gained weight (which was
not my experience, as I lost about 15 pounds within months of becoming
vegetarian without trying), because they've become carb-o-terians or bean-and-
cheese-a-terians. Even if you rule out a whole class of (predominantly)
unhealthy food in the form of meat, you can still eat a phenomenally unhealthy
diet. And being unhealthy is bad for concentration (among other things).

~~~
m0nty
"we have a pretty poor understanding of how various foods interact with the
human body"

That's a fascinating area all by itself. I read a couple of years ago about a
study in hyperactivity and (while it's not classic double-blind, etc) the
anecdotal examples presented were interesting. In one case, a woman with
identical twins (who were hyperactive and very unruly) started feeding one on
"real food" rather than the processed stuff that many busy parents rely on.
Two weeks later, there was a huge difference in behaviour, in the way that you
might predict. I'll see if I can dig out a link.

A friend of mine is a school-teacher, in a really rough school. They just
banned all forms of soft drink, and he says that has, in itself, made a big
difference with discipline. Basically, kids who were getting tanked up on
sugar and "bouncing off the walls" are now noticeably calmer and easier to
manage.

Religious debates to one side, it's easy to forget that our bodies are just a
bunch of chemicals, so the chemicals we put in are bound to make a difference.
Thanks for relating your experiences :)

~~~
gebloom
Kids don't get "tanked up on sugar." That myth was disproved many years ago.
No doubt, replacing empty calories with healthy foods is good for children
(and adults).

~~~
m0nty
Well, I'm just quoting what he said.

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gcheong
try exercising before you work and take exercise breaks during the day:

<http://brainrules.net/> <http://www.johnratey.com/site/default.aspx>

~~~
kaens
Indeed. I live in a house with a few other people, and we make music a lot.
I'll play the drums for a bit, and guitar for a bit, and when we're done I can
generally be much more productive coding than I would have been if I had just
sat down to code.

This seems to be from being physically active for a bit, and from having the
creative juices flowing for a bit as well.

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menloparkbum
Provigil doesn't give you laser focus and concentration if you aren't already
focused. If you're prone to time wasting, it just gives you more hours in the
day to waste.

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nostrademons
Obviously I'm failing at this since I'm posting on news.YC. ;-)

For me, it's always been a matter of the work "pulling" me along. I don't
achieve laser focus & concentration; rather, at a certain point, the work
becomes so engrossing that focus just naturally happens. If I think about it,
I've lost it.

I've got a bunch of tricks for setting things up so this is more likely, but
no hard recipes. Atomic commits is a big one: when you've got the rush of
"okay, I just finished this feature, I can check it in" 6-8 times a day, it's
a pretty powerful reward system. If you've got some boring task like typing in
a lot of details, try to write a library to generate it for you, or pick it up
from conventions you already use. Also, having API documentation close at hand
for the code you've already written seems to be a big win: I got significantly
more engaged when I started generatting JSDoc for my JavaScript widgets so it
was all at my fingertips.

~~~
tdavis
_For me, it's always been a matter of the work "pulling" me along. I don't
achieve laser focus & concentration; rather, at a certain point, the work
becomes so engrossing that focus just naturally happens. If I think about it,
I've lost it._

This is precisely how I work. Basically, start on some small task related to a
larger project and just _hope_ it sucks you in and won't let go... if it
doesn't, wait a while, try again. Rinse and repeat until you hit the 16-hour
coding extravaganza.

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whacked_new
I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned flow here. Google it up and read up
about it; if you have time for a book, "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal
Experience" by Csikszentmihalyi is a great book.

This is commonly called "being in the zone." And you reach it when the
challenge at hand is slightly above, but attainable, relative to your ability,
such that it requires effortful focus to achieve. If you tackle a problem of
this sort, chances are you will focus automatically, lose track of time, feel
unstoppable, etc.

Obviously not all problems are at the appropriate level. There are some people
(not myself, unfortunately) who skillfully reshape these problems into smaller
tasks, or add challenges, such that they can lead to flow. This skill (of
reshaping problems) takes training itself, but I can see it being tremendously
useful.

Of course, stuff that stresses discipline is probably better than any pill, in
the long run. :-)

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smanek
You can legally order Adrafinil (<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrafinil>) in
the US, and it metabolizes into Modafinil (Provigil).

I tried it once, and didn't seem to do much for me.

If you want to give it a shot, it's available under the brand name 'Olmifon'
online.

~~~
car
Adrafinil has worse side effects then Modafinil (liver toxicity), I would not
recommend using it. To try out Modafinil, talk to your doctor about a
prescription.

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jbert
ObPeeve: In general, you don't focus lasers. The narrow beam is a result of it
being collimated as it's produced.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser#Laser_physics>

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rms
I would mention kratom as an unregulated substance sometimes used for focus
but I usually get mercilessly downmodded even though it it topic-appropriate.
I'm not advocating it for anyone, but it certainly exists and has its
legitimate uses.

If anyone is looking for a drug solution, and I certainly wouldn't recommend
using drugs to solve your problems, amphetamine would be the best thing,
though it certainly has worse side effects than Modafanil. It worked for Erdos
and is readily prescribed by psychiatrists to treat ADD, the disease of being
unable to focus.

~~~
jraines
Apophasis FTW!

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophasis>

~~~
rms
;) The apophasis may have been unnecessary, I think the real trigger is
linking to the site in question.

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vikas5678
This is what works for me: 1\. Get up early, very few distractions and the
mind is fresh, work non-stop for about 4 hours atleast. 2\. Keep the browser
closed and open it only if necessary. Having only the code editor and other
necessary files open makes a big difference. 3\. Get your life in order,
there's no way you can focus for any length of time if there's drastic
conflicts, stress, relationship problems, etc in your social life. 4\.
Exercise and keep healthy.

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strlen
I can never quite concentrate in class: best thing I could do is carry a
laptop and take notes on it, hoping to review them later, read the textbook
and make use of all resources available to me.

As far as concentrating on work/hacking, the tips are: Use a development
environment where you can concentrate on creating useful features versus the
process. To me it's: \- Linux with a window manager that allows me to have
multiple work spaces and tile windows automatically \- Emacs with the tramp
plugin (allows me to edit code on remote machines as to test the code
immediately) \- Dynamic programming languages and unit/other automated
testing. \- Either dual screens (preferred) or a single large screen. With
this combination I am writing code on one screen (or part of the screen) and
debugging (or editing a wiki/bugzilla bug entry/base camp task list) on
another.

Also I try to be aware of when I am in the "zone" and try to get as much of
the crucial (or core) work done as needed during that time. When I am not in
the zone I try to get as many of the annoying/"easy, but tedious"/need-to-be-
done tasks as possible, so that things are easier for me next time I enter the
zone.

I also try to maintain a work out schedule as to keep myself free of headaches
and fatigue.

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bigtoga
I would just echo the idea that you need to eliminate distractions - turn off
phone, email, tv, and choose music with no lyrics. I have to have music going
to get in the zone. I would add two other things that prevent me from getting
in the zone: (1) small (less than 10 minute) tasks, and (2) tasks that I've
procrastinated on. If there are lots of 10 minute tasks floating around, they
are a distraction since, while working on a major code change, I'm often
tempted to just do the quick fix here, quick fix there and then bam - I'm out
of the zone (and now am checking email, etc). Do the little tasks and get them
out of the way - even if it takes the whole day.

The second thing for me is clearing out any procrastinated items. If I don't
answer that email, return that call, finish writing that article or whatever,
sure enough it's going to pop into my brain at the wrong time and then I'll
start thinking what a loser I am b/c I didn't do x, y and z on time.

So to sum up: not only is it important to minimize email and other
interruptions but it's equally important to clear the chatter from your own
head. To do so requires that you eliminate the small tasks and those things
that make you think less of yourself.

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raheemm
Working on something interesting is the first requirement for me to overcome
distractions. I love troubleshooting and that is when I come close to some
kind of a zone. But more often than not, I end up taking lots of breaks
reading YC, reddit, etc. I suppose self-discipline and practice is the way to
achieve consistent and deep focus.

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hooande
In regard to provigil...from what I understand it helps you to stay awake more
than it does improve your concentration. It's also relatively expensive from
what I remember. It doesn't seem like the most cost effective way to improve
your focus/performance.

I agree with gcheong, exercise is a good way to maintain focus. In fact, doing
something difficult (and hopefully productive) on a daily basis is a great way
to increase your personal discipline, which leads to more focus. Try to force
yourself to exercise, read or do anything that you don't generally want to do
every day. The confidence and work ethic you build could translate into
improved studying and focus. (I know it sounds crazy, but some people say it
works)

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sealedidentity
It's a difficult thing but this is how I do it

Get yourself a nice table and chair, no leather or anything special but one
with an upright back. Posture is important

Next, don't use incandescent lamps, use flourescent lights instead. White
light is neutral on the eyes and makes it easier to work.

Get a quiet environment or get yourself noise canceling headphones like the
Bose QC ones.

Plug away at work, you will definitely reach a point when you will get
engrossed and lose track of time. Now you're in the zone.

Alternately, practicing meditation daily for 10 minutes in the morning and the
evening helps. Breathing rhythms are very important for relaxation and
concentration.

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sovande
Install AntiRSI <http://tech.inhelsinki.nl/antirsi/> and follow the breaks
rigorously. I.e. 8 min break each hour and mini breaks for stretching. Then
fire up itunes with "Ambient 1: Music for Airports" by Brian Eno set to a very
low volume. Then work! [and read <http://seoblackhat.com/2007/01/29/do-it-
fucking-now/>]

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swombat
Remove distractions while you're working. Shut down browsers, email, chat,
etc.

If you have a brain, and you're doing something worthwhile and interesting
with it, that will cause it to focus.

Daniel

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PI
Before I can really concentrate everything has to be just right, I also like
to go for a walk before I get started just to clear my head, a regular pattern
of sleep helps too (need I mention a healthy diet?).

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aaronblohowiak
schedule distractions. sleep well, regularly. eat well. exercise.

