Hack your senses for deep concentration

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Our brains love to play tricks on us when it’s time for deep work.

It’s especially true for Solopreneurs, who wear all the hats and keep all the plates spinning. Sometimes, when we get in the zone, we feel as though we could maintain intense focus for hours. Other days, our brains find lots of sneaky ways to procrastinate on surface level stuff.

So how can you outsmart your powers of procrastination when you really need to focus but simply can’t?

Here’s a strategy that works for me: using sensory tools as conditioning aids.

To get quality work done, I need ‘The Tunnel.’ It's the place I go to focus.

First up, I allocate in advance at least 1 timeslot per day for The Tunnel, so I know it’s coming, and when.

In The Tunnel, there's:

• No internet (I get all my notes / research ready in advance)

• A closed door behind me

• No phone reception

• Only one tab open

• No-one else

If I find my mind wandering, I gently remind myself - “I am in the tunnel. I only have one thing to do right now.”

The Tunnel is a great help for focus, but the clincher for me is using music as a conditioning tool.

Remember Ivan Pavlov? The scientist who discovered he could make dogs drool on command with an external stimulus?

In his famous experiment, he would turn on a metronome just before feeding a group of dogs. After a few repetitions, the dogs would drool whenever he turned on the metronome, even if there wasn’t any food.

Pavlov’s dogs came to associate the metronome with food.

Over time, I’ve built a habit to associate certain instrumental movie soundtracks with deep work.

They’re my external stimulus to condition my brain for deep work. Here’s my go-to list:

• The Good, The Bad & the Ugly - 45 minutes, 1 second

• Gladiator (Disc 1) - 1 hour, 1 minute

• Interstellar - 2hrs 19 minutes (for DEEP work)

Now, whenever I hit Play on one of these soundtracks, my brain knows it’s entering The Tunnel and it’s time to focus.

I try to stay locked in one task until the end of the soundtrack – choosing soundtracks based on the duration I need.

This method works for other senses too. Some people light a scented candle, or relocate to a different space for focused work. Simply sticking a post-it note on the edge of your screen that says ‘I’m in The Tunnel’ is enough to bring wandering eyes back to focus. The key is to recruit your senses to corral your procrastinating brain and associate these sensations with deep work.

There’s one final step to The Tunnel method.

Once I'm done, I leave the tunnel.

I stand up, stretch my legs, go downstairs.

I close the door behind me.

This separation also helps trigger my brain when it's time to work - when I arrive back in my workspace, it’s time to pick another soundtrack and start again.

I learnt about ‘The Tunnel’ on LinkedIn. I wish I could remember who I have to thank for this fantastic tip.

I’d love to hear from you - what’s your best technique for getting focused work done?

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