Ditch the phone, embrace the focus

You’re one distraction away from having laser like focus.

And real quick, let me explain what "laser like focus", means to me.

Laser like focus is when you get so immersed doing "the thing" that hours feel like seconds.

You're so focused that you don't care what's going on around you.

You're giving it your full, undivided attention.

Now that you know what I mean, would you like to have hours of work or studies feel like play?

Would you be willing to sacrifice your phone for two hours?

If so, keep on reading and pat yourself on the back.

I'm about to explain how something simple, like removing my phone, has enhanced my focus levels.

Six months ago, before this newsletter was a thing, I was doing "the Etsy model" as my side hustle of choice.

And the Etsy model, in case you were wondering, as I know it, is researching trendy designs that sell.

After market research, you create something identical to the trendy design.

Once your design is ready, the last step is creating your listing and making it look pretty so people will click.

There's a lot more to it, but in a nutshell, that's the Etsy print on demand model.

There were days I was spending somewhere between 6-10 hours building up my Etsy page.

Yet, I felt like I was making no progress.

I was getting sucked into the “hustle and grind” culture.

It wasn't until after I stopped the Etsy print on demand model that I started training my focus.

How did I do that?

By removing distractions.

The biggest distraction?

My phone.

How was having my phone a problem?

Anytime a notification went off, I reached for my phone.

Anytime I found myself bored or stuck, I reached for my phone.

I didn't know I was doing what's called "task switching".

Task switching is when you switch your brain from one activity to another.

It takes time and energy to switch between tasks.

Your brain needs a moment to adjust and get ready for the new thing you're going to do.

When you task switch, you leave yourself no room to get into that laser like focus mode we talked about earlier.

That’s what you’re missing out on every time you pickup your phone in the middle of a "study" or "work" session.

If I had known this during my Etsy hustle arc, I know things would've gone different.

Oh well.

Now, I want to share with you some tactics I've used to make my phone less attractive.

I've tested these out and my screen time has decreased a noticeable amount.

These solutions work well for almost any sort of desk work.

Solution #1

If you have an iPhone, you can use the “Do Not Disturb” feature and enable this for one or two hours at a time.

Keep in mind that 1-2 hours gives you plenty of time to get into that laser like focus.

I don't have time to get into the specifics of why 1-2 hours at a time works the best.

I will someday.

Solution #2

If you don’t have an iPhone or a “Do Not Disturb” feature on your phone, you can always leave your phone in another room.

I do my side hustle work in the corner of my room, and leave my phone somewhere I can’t see it.

If I can't see it, I won't think about it.

Solution #3

Disable all notifications except for text messages, calendar events, and phone calls.

You don't wanna go off the grid, but you also don't wanna look at your notifications every time you get a like.

Solution #4

This one's pretty extreme and not for many.

Uninstall all social media from your phone.

How do you reply or post?

If you have a laptop or tablet, you can use that to sign in and reply to comments, messages, etc.

Solution #5

This one makes your phone depressing.

What do I mean?

Go into your phone's settings and change the color scheme to black and white.

I only tried this out for a couple of hours and I switched it right back.

Extreme?

Yes.

But it works.

So, there you have it.

If you are doing any sort of desk work/studying, I encourage you to detach from your phone for a couple of hours.

This is only one of the many distractions that you'll face on your journey toward laser like focus.

And we’ll talk about that another time.

If you prefer shorter content, I post on Twitter/X and you can drop me a follow here.

Until next time ladies and gents.

Your brother Alex out.