Ways to Focus#
There are two ways to focus: positive timing and the Pomodoro Technique. Positive timing is suitable for people with strong willpower who actively choose to use it, while the Pomodoro Technique is suitable for people with slightly weaker self-discipline or lack of concentration.
Because there is more free time, more and more people cannot feel the taste of freedom (I'm talking about you, Eren Yeager). Scientifically speaking, people's feelings of happiness or satisfaction are mainly related to neurotransmitters in the brain, especially dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. The activity of these chemicals in the brain is closely related to our emotional state.
If we are always in a state of high happiness, the brain may adapt to this high level of dopamine release, thereby reducing sensitivity to happiness. This is why continuous and excessive stimulation of happiness may lead to a decrease in people's perception of happiness. The brain may gradually adapt to this state, causing the threshold for perceiving happiness to increase, resulting in a lack of happiness.
So positive timing can also be considered as a form of happiness in a sense, so it is difficult to persist, just like Ajian. The scientific explanation also indirectly tells the story of "easy to go from frugality to luxury, difficult to go from luxury to frugality."
Origin of the Pomodoro Technique#
The Pomodoro Technique is a simple and effective time management method proposed by Italian Francesco Cirillo in 1992. The principle of the Pomodoro Technique is to divide time into several "Pomodoro" (Italian for tomato) intervals, with each interval being 25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute break. After completing 4 Pomodoros, you are allowed a longer break. Of course, the duration of focus depends on your own concentration, and it can be appropriately increased or decreased.
It seems very simple, but there is reason behind it:
- The brain cannot process multiple tasks at the same time.
- The brain's sustained attention span is limited, and it is difficult for us to maintain a high level of focus for more than half an hour.
- When a large goal is divided into smaller goals, the likelihood of completion is higher.
Ajian believes that the core of the Pomodoro Technique is to create a sense of ritual to quickly enter a state of focus and maintain focus until the Pomodoro interval ends. It is similar to guiding you into the state of "Ten-Day End" echo.
Because the time is not long, it is easy to achieve a small goal, and the sense of achievement from achieving small goals makes you more willing to persist, especially when you hear the "ding" at the end of the Pomodoro interval. This continuous positive feedback and small goals gradually make you improve and become better! A well-known example is Japanese athlete Yamada Motoichi.
Before each race, Yamada would take a bus to carefully study the route of the race and draw prominent landmarks along the way, such as the first landmark being a bank, the second landmark being a big tree, the third landmark being a house... and so on until the end of the race. After the race started, Yamada would sprint at a hundred meters per hour towards the first landmark, and then sprint at the same speed towards the second landmark. The forty-plus kilometer race was broken down into several small goals, making it easy for Yamada to complete. At first, Yamada didn't understand this principle. He set his goal at the finish line forty-plus kilometers away, and as a result, he became exhausted after running a dozen kilometers because he was intimidated by the long distance ahead.
In this story, each landmark represents a Pomodoro interval, and running 10 kilometers or even 40 kilometers at once is equivalent to positive timing. The choice between positive timing and the Pomodoro Technique depends on personal habits. If you have a long-standing good study habit, it is recommended to choose positive timing. If you have difficulty concentrating, Ajian recommends the Pomodoro Technique, which motivates yourself to persevere through continuous positive feedback.
Regardless of which method you choose, as long as you do it, it is commendable. If you can't even do it, Ajian suggests using the Bichsel record method, recording your entire day's time, and using the "regret learning method" to force yourself to study through reviewing or reflecting the next day.
How to Focus with TickTick#
As a cross-platform tool that is simple and easy to use, TickTick allows you to focus in the Focus module or in the task interface.
Focus Page#
You can enter the Focus page by clicking the circle on the left and start timing by clicking the "play" button at the bottom.
If you want to use the Pomodoro Technique, you can click "Focus" at the bottom and then click the Pomodoro timer at the top. If you want to change the default time of the Pomodoro Technique, you can click the time in the middle of the Pomodoro timer and set the time you need. If you don't have the ability to concentrate at the beginning, you can set it to 15 minutes and gradually increase the time as you get into the state or use positive timing directly. In addition, you can also record your focus notes in the lower right corner.
If you find it monotonous to focus, you can choose to use TickTick's background music. There is only 1 free background music, while other background music requires a premium membership.
If you think that simply recording time will cause distraction, you can also enter TickTick's immersive mode to create a sense of ritual and focus. However, Ajian thinks that frequent screen changes are more distracting...
For common timing tasks, you can add frequently used focuses by clicking the "+" in the upper right corner. Frequently used focuses can be in the format of the Pomodoro Technique or positive timing. This will place the set timing on the Focus page for quick timing or adding to the desktop widget. Please note that the free version of TickTick can only add 3 frequently used focuses.
Focus on Tasks#
You can start task focus by clicking the "..." in the lower right corner of the detailed task and selecting "Start Focus". It's clear and intuitive!
Focus Statistics#
After focusing, you can analyze and review the results of your focus. If you focused yesterday but didn't focus today, it will urge you to spend more time on what you want to focus on. If you didn't focus today but the duration of focus increases tomorrow, it means that you are not getting into it, and it will also bring a moment of calm to your anxious heart.
If you forget to focus or want to supplement your focus, you can click the "+" in the focus record to supplement the record and associate it with the correct task.
TickTick's Bichsel Record Method#
Bichsel, a Soviet entomologist, philosopher, and mathematician. At the age of 26, he created a "time statistics method" that records the time spent on each event, and through statistics and analysis, he conducts monthly and annual summaries to improve work methods and plan future affairs, thereby improving the efficiency of time utilization. During this period, he continuously improved this statistical method and used it for 56 years until his death.
This method is based on mathematical statistics and focuses on analyzing the recorded time expenditure, enabling people to correctly understand their own time utilization and develop habits of managing their own time. In simple terms, Bichsel's time management method is to record time, analyze time, eliminate time waste, and rearrange one's own time. It is a method of personal time quantification management. The essence of the time statistics method: "event-time log" for the process.
The time statistics method is a method that allows people to surpass their own possibilities. Bichsel had twice as much time as others. The time statistics method can save time, but it cannot increase extra time. The key is not the quantity of time, but the quality of time.
If you are not a die-hard fan of TickTick and do not want to use TickTick to implement the Bichsel time record, then you don't need to read this part. You can choose other software that is more suitable for the Bichsel time record, such as "Uptimer" or "Time Log".
Those who are still reading are die-hard fans of TickTick. If you have a premium membership, you can use the "Frequently Used Focus" feature in TickTick to create all your daily basic tasks. When using them daily, you can choose the corresponding focus, and you can also analyze your daily time expenditure in real-time through statistics.
If you are not a premium member, it's okay. You can create a dedicated list, such as mine, "🌏 Earth Online". In this list, I will add all my daily scenarios, and then complete the Bichsel record by associating focus with tasks.
Before going to bed every night, associate your focus with tasks, so you can also review what you have done throughout the day, killing two birds with one stone. Finally, you can view the focus details by clicking on the task. Of course, if your focus is closely related to the list, you can also view the focus details by clicking on the list.
This is all the content Ajian shared. Feel free to communicate with me, my fellow friends~