145. How do you maximize your focus?
Wish you could get "in the zone" whenever you wanted? 👩🏼💻 Get ready, listener, because you're going to learn how! In her first-ever solo episode, our host Lauren dishes on discoveries she's made in the pursuit of absolute focus. From systems that provide clarity on priorities to creating a space that suits your vibe, this episode empower you to make the most of every minute.
Episode transcription
Phil
Hey listener, I'm so happy you're here. Have I ever told you how much I appreciate you? Listen, today we're doing things a little differently at Brand Therapy. Yes, Phil is overcoming a mild throat infection. I feel fine, but my voice sounds horrible. It sounds better than it did yesterday when it didn't exist. But you were in the sole hands of the very trustworthy Lauren Moore for today's episode, giving me a chance to let my vocal cords rest. Or maybe I have a new future in true crime podcasting. So that's what's happening. Now onto the show.
Lauren
Well, hello there. Welcome to Brand Therapy. I'm Lauren, and this is a podcast where we help you position, build and promote your brand. If you're a regular listener, you might be missing a familiar voice. Phil, my co host, has a throat infection. And he literally can't talk right now. It's like Ariel in the Little Mermaid. So I'm getting you all to myself today. I'm not gonna lie, this is my first solo episode and I am beyond nervous. I am so petrified. I am just praying that our editor, Igor, makes me sound like an absolute rockstar. But regardless, I’ve got a really, really great topic to cover with you today that I'm so excited to dive into.
So I want to spend some time exploring quite literally my all time favorite topic, focusing. For as long as I can remember, getting into the zone with work has normally come quite easily to me. I can remember in high school, even doing writing assignments or homework, I would start working and before I knew it, three hours had passed, work was done, everything was over, no resistance, mentally, no procrastinating whatsoever, all done. So I've never really been much of a procrastinator, and I've never really understood when people say oh, I'm not feeling like this assignment, I'm going to go outside instead. Or oh, I didn't do my homework last night. I've never gotten it.
Until earlier this year, I found that for some reason, I kept avoiding projects, assignments, even my inbox until it was basically last minute and completely unavoidable. And what I was realizing is that I was spending so much mental energy on avoiding and thinking about how I didn't want to do something that it would probably would have been way easier for me to just grin and bear it and just get it done. Because the actual, you know, seven minutes that the thing would have taken is far less than probably the hours of agonizing that I was doing in my brain.
So I just really went out kind of on this, mission to discover how I can set myself up for maximum focus. So that way, I'm putting my energy into what matters. So I have more time to really do what I want and have more flexibility to do what I want and really enjoy the moment instead of feeling haunted by assignments that I'm not really into.
I realized that basically, there were three areas of my life that helped decide whether I was going to be focusing or not. All these three areas of one of them out of whack, my ability to focus and get things done was severely affected. Those three realms are, first of all, a system, second, your environment, and third, your routine. So I'm going to dig into each one of these to tell you what I've learned. Obviously, this isn't scientifically proven, or whatever, so I encourage you to explore what I've discovered as a starting point. But I really hope it helps you because it's helped me.
So first of all, SYSTEM. I found that when I would get tons of stuff thrown at me, whether it's emails, slack messages, texts, project management, timelines, all that stuff, I was finding myself almost paralyzed, deciding what I needed to do next. And then I would be wasting all this energy, dreading what I needed to do next and feeling overwhelmed and not accomplishing anything, which isn't good for anyone. Not good for me. Not good for clients. Not good. The first most important thing with this system is creating a system that helps you prioritize what comes next. Really. You need to take out any of that mental work about deciding what to do and have absolute clarity over what action you need to take to really get that ball moving. We've mentioned this a bunch of times before, I love the system 'Getting Things Done’. There's a book by David Allen that changed my life and helped me to quit my full time job and join Phil full time because I was so efficient managing two. And it's really incredible for prioritizing, I highly recommend following that system because it forces you to forget log and forget about what's coming up. And instead focus on the here. and now.
There are a few other methods that I like to use personally paired with ‘Getting Things Done’. One of them is called ‘Eating the Frog’. Okay, first of all, I think that the name could be a little bit better, but that doesn't mean that this isn't as bad, it's actually amazing. ‘Eating the Frog’ all comes down to mindset. And all you're doing is just making sure that you are getting the assignment that you're dreading most, out of the way first thing when you start your day. So if you've got a big writing assignment that you need to do, if you've got a really important report that you need to put together, whatever that big thing is that you're tempted to put off until later, Eating the Frog means that you do that item first, above all else. And I mean, all else. Like above emails above, returning slack messages you get on your computer, and that's what you do. And it's really, really helped me, really helped me dramatically and it feels so good. When you're done, you got this boost of adrenaline because you accomplished that thing early on, and you feel really pumped for the rest of the day.
The next system that I love using as well is the ‘Ivy Lee’ method. So we use Asana internally for managing projects and tasks, and it's fantastic. But quite frankly, my Asana, even though I try to keep it really organized, I've probably got about 50 tasks that are late past due, but not really that's not as important. It's what's due right now, but they're still late. And then if I look at my Asana, I'll have about probably 20 to 30 tasks that are due today. So you can see how between the tasks that are late and the tasks that are due today, I'll have anywhere from 50 to 80 tasks looking at me in the face when I go into my Asana. It's a little overwhelming. So that's why I love the Ivy Lee method because I will look at my Asana before I log off of my computer for the day, I get out a notebook, and a pen and I decide what the seven most important things are from my Asana tasks that I need to complete in order the next day. So of course, I'll put that Eating the Frog one first on my list, and then I fill in the six other non negotiable, gotta get them tasks done, and I won't jump around. So the next day, when I log on to my computer, get to my desk, I know what seven things I need to do that day. I don't need to really look in Asana. I know what is most important and what order they need to be done in so I'm not jumping around between assignments. I try to eat the frog first do the thing I hate doing the most first and I move on to number two, and then I move on to number three, number four, etc, etc.
It really helps because again, takes out the guesswork of where you should put your energy because it's laid right there in front of you. And I love it. I really really love it.
Inbox Pause is another tool that has really helped me create a system where I am focused. It is so easy to lose energy checking your inbox over and over replying to messages as they come in. I really, really tried to check my email only three to four times per day. Sometimes I'm not as good. Sometimes if I'm on a boring call, I will be having my inbox open and peeking out what's coming in, which I don't really recommend. But I'm trying to be honest here. But Inbox Pause is wonderful because you can basically set a schedule so that emails are caught basically in a hidden folder and released to you on a schedule that you choose. So my releasing schedule is 1am, 7am, 1pm, 7pm. I wake up pretty early, so I will see all those overnight emails right when I come in. I don't focus on ones that came on early in the morning until I see them at 1pm my time and it really helps me to drill down on my inbox intentionally with absolute focus where I'm seeing everything that needs to be addressed in one place instead of me just kind of piecemeal looking at in box messages as they come in.
The last system that has absolutely changed my life, no question about it, is removing my work email and removing slack on my phone. Now for someone like Phil, who's out and about a lot, traveling the world in different time zones, I don't know if you could get away with removing his email from his phone. I think it would be really out of the loop. So removing your email probably doesn't work for everyone, but for someone like me, who is on my computer for many, many, many hours of the day, who isn't really out and about, who has a routine and tries to stick with it, removing my email has worked out great for me. Because the way I see it, I'm at my computer for probably about 40 to 50 hours a week, maybe even more, and if someone emails me outside of those times, they can wait for the 40 to 50 hours when I'm actually at my computer and able to focus and be intentional with the response that I'm giving them. Same with Slack. It's the same with text messages. I try to really, really savor the off time that I have from my computer. So that way when I am on my computer, I can be on and I can be great.
Okay, so the next realm, ENVIRONMENT. You know, I do seem like a pretty tidy person to the average observer, or I'd like to think that , but the truth is, is that I'm actually a secret hoarder. Every time I move apartments, I realize how much shit I have. It makes me want to burn everything and light it on fire and just be a complete minimalist. But that's not who I am. If you were to go into my office, which seems really tidy, seems really organized, but you open up any you know, drawer closet, tchotchke box, whatever, you're gonna find absolute chaos. I'm not proud to say it, but that's the truth. It's organized chaos, but it's still chaos nonetheless. And I was listening to this audiobook, that's fantastic, called Boundary Boss by Terry Cole, and she was talking about how creating a zen den can help you mentally. And it doesn't necessarily need to be a room, but it can be a corner where you meditate or a little section of a room that's all yours, is always tidy and calming. And I realized that my office, while it seemed organized, seemed calm, it actually wasn't. There was a lot of hidden disorganization. So now I really, really try to do whatever I can to make my office a real zen den. I think very consciously about the type of mood that I want my environment to contribute, so that I'm feeling as inspired and creative as possible. So I really, really try to put on nice background music, brain.FM has been a game changer for me. it just sets the perfect mood. I have one of those essential oil diffusers, that subtly puts out a really nice calming scent. I always make sure that my desktop is super clean, there's no junk on it, no leftover napkins or coffee mugs or anything like that. And I really do try to keep the stuff that I can't see, tidy. So my filing cabinet, I try to keep it tidy, I try to make sure that there's no junk thrown in the little closet in here. And it makes a difference. Knowing that the environment I'm in is calm and organized, even when I can't see it. It really really sets the right mood for me to get into the zone. It makes it so much easier for me to focus.
All right, the last realm is ROUTINE. I've talked about this a few times on the podcast. When I moved back to Vancouver in January of 2020, I decided that I really wanted to embrace a routine. I really wanted to become a morning person, I really wanted to feel like I was in control of my time, instead of my time controlling me. I try to follow a routine that helps me get maximum energy and really be in a positive mindset before I start working. I should almost do a before and after. Before I moved to Vancouver, I would wake up at random times every single day. I would be really stressed out. I would immediately look at my phone and see an inbox full of people asking me for things, asking me when's this due? Or when I'm getting this complaining about something being late, asking for something last minute that I wasn't expecting. And so I was immediately starting my day with this kind of rush of panic. And I'm the type of person where I don't like to let people down. And I really try to make life easy for my clients. And so it would be virtually impossible for me to do anything after checking my email, other than go straight to my computer and solve it. And before I knew it, the day would be done. It would be 10pm and I'd still be on my laptop. I would barely exercise. I think my watch would say or by my phone would say that I got about 1000 steps per day. It was awful. And I just felt like my time wasn't my own and you can't really focus when your brains worrying like that, and you're thinking of all the things that you need to do. So I've moved to Vancouver, flash forward, there's so much nature here, we're in a safe neighborhood like downtown LA. And I can really, really set the tone of my day. I get to decide what my day looks like and feels like. And that was a really big lightbulb moment for me. I get to choose how I feel, I get to choose how I respond to chaos. And I'm going to choose to structure my day how I want it. So this is what my day looks like now. First of all, my day actually starts the night before. So I get into bed around 9:30 ish, like a grandma, but it works for me to get into bed around 9:30 and I read until I can't keep my eyes open. Reading has always been my greatest passion in life. It's just my happy place when I'm reading a book. And so I really allow myself to end the day doing what I love most. I'll read for about an hour before I fall asleep, and my alarm goes off at 6:15 every single day, including weekends. I know you're probably thinking I'm a maniac, but bare with me. What's so cool about following that regular routine is that now I'm actually waking up before my alarm goes off, which is bananas. I will naturally wake up around 5:30 and I will feel fantastic. So I start my day because I don't have slack or email on my phone. I don't feel called to do anything for anyone other than myself. So I wake up, make some coffee, I pet my cats, sometimes I'll play with them. It's a really, really cute, nice way to start the day. Everything is calm, quiet, and dark. And then I'll put on my workout clothes and I immediately go for a walk for at least an hour. And I go on the same route every day so I'm not even mentally deciding where to go. I'm just going on my little trek and I sometimes hold a fetish and be like, oh wow, I did the route and wasn't even consciously thinking of it. So I do my route, and then five mornings a week I go to F45 the exact same time, same schedule, I don't change it, it's part of my day, F45 is done, I come back home, I shower, I'm feeling awesome, because I have spent a few hours focusing just on me. And then I am able to go to my desk and focus on other people. It is amazing. Truly getting up early has been a game changer for me. Getting exercise and fresh air before you do anything else for anyone is incredible. I think it's really important to find time for the things that bring you joy, because that joy is going to fuel you to be able to focus when you have to.
It's been a really, really challenging mindset shift for me to realize that I don't have to be busy. It's so fascinating to listen to conversations with people where you go, how are you, oh, I'm busy. And I don't think being busy should be glorified anymore. I actually think being happy is way more important than being fulfilled or feeling creative. I should be busy. I'm really, really trying to not be busy, I'm trying to be focused.
Now my last little thing that I've actually started about a month ago, is something that I like to call work Shabbat. And for the record, I am not religious, but bare with me here. By Friday, sundown I put away my computer, it's gone. It's gone. And it's gone until Sunday sunrise. And Saturday is my day where I'm scheduled to do nothing. And this is really hard for someone who's a bit of an overachiever and just an overall busy body like myself. This has been a very hard adjustment. But let me tell you, when you feel like you've got nothing scheduled in the calendar, like nothing is literally the task and you get to do whatever you want to do. And you can read for six hours as I usually do. Or you can go for an impulsive, walk or hike or whatever or play video games. It gives you so much energy and so much fulfillment to be able to really, really tackle the future days ahead. Truly, it's been amazing. And I will never work on a Saturday ever again. Or I hope at least as best as I can. Because Work Shabbat has been absolutely revolutionary for me.
So I hope that these three realms are useful for your systems, environment and routine. For next steps, I encourage you to really, really exercise those three areas and figure out what works for you. Maybe go through a typical day now and then reflect on what system did you use to decide what to do next.
What was your environment like? Were you surrounded by laundry that needed to be folded? Or did you have an atmosphere that created absolute calm. What was your routine and is your routine the same every day? Really drill down into each of those areas and look at where you are now and then think of where you'd like to go. It's changed my life and I really hope that it changes yours. Anyway, I hope you love this episode. If you want to leave us a review, we'd love a five star review. So please do that. If you're feeling compelled. On Instagram. You can find Phil @philpallen and me @thelaurenmoore. We love hearing what you think of these episodes. So your DMS, your stories that are sharing episodes means so much to us, so please keep doing it. Hoping you have a focused and wonderful week ahead, talk soon.
