I just read Scott H Young’s article 10 Tips for Razor Sharp Concentration, and think it’s an awesome article. Go and check it out.
However, there’s one thing I don’t agree with.
Scott recommends taking blocks of time that last for around 90-120 minutes.
Before I write an article, I often sit at my desk for a fifteen or twenty minutes before I put finger on the keyboard. During this time I feel a strong urge to leave or do something else. But I know that if I am patient, I’ll stumble upon an idea to write about and enter a state of flow. Without a little patience, you can’t take advantage of flow when it rushed through you.
If you need strong concentration I recommend periods of 90-120 minutes. Any less than that and you will waste too much time getting started before the flow can continue
Brain science has shown that our brain works best when we work in intervals of approximately 45 minutes and then allow ourselves to take our minds off from the task for a couple of minutes before coming back to the task.
I understand he probably recommends it to improve your concentration because of the 15 minutes it takes to get into a state of pure concentration. But a small 5 minute break in between doesn’t have to break your concentration if you do simple things such as breathing exercises, a bit of movement or something like this. In fact, it will rather help you to re-bundle your focus and prevent it from wearing off in the second hour.
This is what works for me. I realize there are conflicting expert opinions.
But I’d love to hear your experiences – do you find that your concentration is still going strong in the second hour?
