How to Steal Back Your FOCUS
BECOMING HACKERS I
You opened TikTok, Instagram, or Twitter “just for 5 minutes.”
Two hours later, you’re still scrolling.
You have tasks and plans on your desk left undone.
Others you haven’t even started.
But you know EXACTLY what iShowSpeed was during the week.
You know the reason why DAVIDO didn’t win the GRAMMYS.
Hours fly by on social media like it’s nothing.
And when you realize that so much time is gone, you tell yourself - oya, 10 more minutes.
At the end of the day, you do nothing and blame your lack of discipline.
BECOMING HACKERS
In OCTOBER, I spoke about how big companies need you to be on your screen (how they are HACKING us) and there were a series of reactions.
This month, I’d like you to journey with me on BECOMING HACKERS.
Last week, we reviewed the neurological aspect of forming new habits.
This week presents a PRODUCTIVITY HACK called ATTENTION RESIDUE.
This is also a response to help those who left these comments.
THE PROBLEM YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU HAD
All too often, I’ve heard the phrase “I’m a multi-tasker.”
And sometimes too, I am a victim of this phrase
Well…till I met Dr Sophie.
In 2009, Dr. Sophie Leroy at the University of Washington discovered something that changed how we understand FOCUS.
She called it “Attention Residue” where part of your attention stays stuck on a previous task instead of fully transferring to the current one.
Here’s what she found:
When you switch from Task A to Task B, some of your attention remains stuck with Task A.
This residue has a negative impact on your performance on Task B.
Think about it.
You’re writing an article, learning a skill, reading, or watching a YouTube tutorial and then bam!
WhatsApp pings.
You quickly check it.
Quick reply or maybe you just leave it on read.
And then, back to what you were doing.
Except you’re NOT back.
Part of your brain is still thinking about that WhatsApp conversation. That unfinished business. That pending response.
You’re physically at your desk.
But mentally?
You’re scattered across various, different tasks.
And this cognitive fog is expensive. It costs us productive time.
It is ATTENTION THEFT.
THE PAUL GRAHAM’S DOUBLE MODEL
Paul Graham, founder of Y Combinator, wrote an essay that should be mandatory reading: “Maker’s Schedule vs Manager’s Schedule.”
His insight?
There are two types of work schedules, and mixing them DESTROYS productivity.
MANAGER’S SCHEDULE
Managers operate in hourly chunks with meetings scattered throughout the day.
In this way, they can switch tasks frequently. This model is perfect for executives, administrators, and coordinators.
MAKER’S SCHEDULE
On the other hand, people like writers, developers, designers, researchers, require deep, uninterrupted focus.
A slight interruption can derail a line of thought here and prove fatal.
In this scope, task switching is DEADLY.
So, LESSON ONE!
KNOW YOUR CATEGORY AND STICK WITH IT.
WHY HAPPENS IN YOUR BRAIN WHEN YOU MULTI-TASK?
Here’s what happens neurologically.
Step 1: You’re studying History.
Your brain is in “your mode.”
Step 2: Instagram notification comes in. You check it.
Now your brain tries to switch to “entertainment mode.”
Step 3: You go back to biochemistry. But your brain doesn’t fully switch back.
Part of your attention is still on IG. This is Attention Residue.
And now you have your brain trying to run two programs at once.
This hurts you because, in the end, you process information less carefully.
You notice fewer errors. You make poorer decisions.
And worse still, the stronger the residue, the worse you perform.
And it’s not just social media. It is all the tasks you left undone.
It is that argument you had with your friend that still has you upset.
It is that feeling when the “GG refuses to go” (If you know you know).
Your brain finds it hard to let go of unfinished tasks and keeps them active in the back of your mind, even when you’re trying to focus on something else.
I saw a WhatsApp post last year that read something like - we are often tired, not because of the actual work we do, but because of the ‘open loops’ in our minds.
And this is true for most of us.
RECLAIMING YOUR ATTENTION
Number 1:
You could start by Stop switching.
And Start batching.
So instead of checking WhatsApp every 10 minutes or responding to every notification immediately…
You could time yourself or say SOCIAL MEDIA AFTER all work is done (if at all)
Or better still, turn off notifications during focus blocks.
Number 2:
Since attention residue is STRONGEST when you leave tasks unfinished, another strategy is to finish MORE tasks.
And also start FEWER tasks.
Pick ONE. Finish it. THEN move to the next.
Number 3:
Cal Newport and Adam Grant both practice this: Schedule focus blocks where you do NOTHING but deep work.
Choose your best 2-hour window (when your brain works best)
Block that time EVERY DAY
No phone. No internet. No people. Just YOU and your task.
Mine is 4-6 AM, 11PM-1AM. You should know yours.
That 2-hour block will be more productive than the other 10 hours combined.
WHY?
Because attention residue is ZERO when you’ve been doing ONE thing for 2 hours straight.
THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE
Pick ONE day this week.
Do this:
Turn off ALL notifications before 9 AM
2-hour deep work block (no phone, no internet browsing)
Batch-check social media ONCE (30 minutes max)
Night: Shutdown ritual (write tomorrow’s 3 priorities)
Track how much you accomplish.
Then compare it to your normal day.
The difference will terrify you.
Because you’ll realize how much time you’ve been WASTING.
Com toda a humildade,
Precious Christopher
Marketing Psychology Analyst
P.S. Dr. Sophie Leroy has spent 17 years studying how the brain handles task switching. And she discovered that Your brain CANNOT multitask.
Every switch has a cost, and that cost compounds.
The richest people in the world understand this. That’s why they guard their attention like gold. That’s why ELON worked off himself - and still does.
Your brain is your most valuable asset. Start treating it that way.
P.P.S. Unrelated, but as soon as Season 4 of Bridgerton got released, I binged-watched it the whole night thinking the part 2 will be released this week.
I went to check the date only to realize I’ll have to wait till the 26th! Whew!!! Anyway, I started the movie all over again from Season 1 - as I wait.
So, Dear Reader, I might not be Lady Whistledown, but thank you for being here. Thank you for reading.