Maintaining focus
Develop your focus skills to make the most of the time you spend studying.
As a postgraduate student, you will need to learn how to use your time efficiently. Cal Newport in his book Deep Work suggests the following formula:
The quality of work you produce depends not only on how much time you put in, but also on how focused you are during that time. Because you may have work and family commitments as well as research commitments, you will need to develop your focus skills to be able to make the most of the time you spend studying. Watch the video below that summarises the ideas from the book.
Success in a distracted world: DEEP WORK by Cal Newport
The three core messages from the book on how to develop deep work skills are:
- Schedule distractions
- Develop a deep work ritual
- Develop an evening shutdown ritual.
Deciding what you are going to focus on at an earlier time can help you focus when you are ready to work. Before you sit down to work on a focused task (for example, the day before), have what you are going to work on planned out so that you can jump in.
Likewise, as part of your ‘shutdown ritual’, plan what you are going to do for the next focus session. This is known as ‘parking on a hill’. This allows you to climb the hill the day before and start rolling down the hill (working with focus) as soon as you sit down for the next session.
Timed focus sessions
Sometimes focused smaller periods of writing can be more productive than spending all day on your writing. Here are some resources for tips to keep you focused:
- Learn about the Pomodoro technique (short, timed focus sections)
- Read about the Goldilocks approach to productivity
- Read about productivity practices other postgraduate students have found helpful.