A fairly common proposition that I have come across is that people use on 10% of their brains. While I doubt this is literally true from a scientific standpoint, the more I push myself to the limit, the more I realize that a large component of and human capacity is the ability to actual focus and be productive. As I have added more and more to my plate, as cognizant as I become of the time that I spend being productive, I have become much more acutely aware of the time I spend being unproductive. How much time does it take when settling down to do reading for class before I actually read ten pages? How many times do I check my favorite websites or scheme up some new object that I surely must explore purchasing before I stop re-reading the same sentence? How long before that writing assignment is due before I research the topic enough to actually even understand the call of the question? Or put the first few sentences into Microsoft Word?
What then is the secret to focus and productivity? In Torts class, Dr. Tim Kaye stated that the pinnacle of writing is sitting down for the law school final examination, when the entire grade is riding on what one writes. And writing under that pressure. He seemed to be stating that the quality and volume of the writing produced reaches the highest caliber. Be that as it may, I am relieved that law school examinations will end for me in a little more than a year, as I doubt either my coronaries or my family could tolerate this highest caliber writing for much longer. In meeting with Dr. Kaye later, he gave tips for productive writing such as writing in chunks, and rewarding oneself once such a chunk is completed. The example he gave is watching a pre-recorded hockey game, and not watching the next round until one has written another.
Having taken a break from the law library for a few months, I have found that my productivity has plummeted. Having a good set place that is designated and equipped for productivity, with distractions minimized, is extremely helpful for me.
Another strategy I wish I had known twenty year ago: a massive self-consolation meal before a large block time set aside to study is asking for an hour of drowsiness, frustration, and sleep. With nearly zero productivity. Leading to a heightened feeling of self-pity, making it even more likely that the next block of time set aside for doing work will be preceded by a massive comfort meal. Now I try to ensure that meals preceding and during large study periods are moderate.
Ultimately, perhaps the 10% proposition has some truth to it. If we could focus and be productive 90% of the time rather than 10%, perhaps we would achieve our fullest potential.
The inability to focus sufficiently to be truly productive is a serious problem in the practice of law. Depending on the type of practice and clientele, lawyers can spend a majority of their time "putting out fires" and not engaging in long term planning or productive work that could help prevent the "fires" they spend time putting out.
ReplyDeleteThere is much of what I call "wheel spinning." It is the unproductive use of mental (and sometimes physical) energy going over the same ground repeatedly without making forward progress. I assume the phrase comes from a car being stuck in mud and the driver spins the wheels, yet the car makes no forward progress (think of the Cadillac stuck in the mud scene from a hilarious lawyer movie, "My Cousin Vinny").
When I was still in Michigan doing mostly trial court level divorce work (with a smaller mix of appeals), we lived less than a mile from my office. My wife stopped by to talk to me for a few minutes and had to wait over an hour for me to finish putting out emergency fires on my cases before I had even a few minutes for our conversation. That was when we both realized this lifestyle/workstyle was not viable long-term.
After that experience I started blocking out time in my calendar so that even when I was in the office I could not be interrupted for anything short of a family emergency. Not even calls from judges were put through. This was my time to focus and get real work done that would prevent all the short term "fires" I might otherwise have to go crazy putting out in the future.
Something like this strategy might work for others.
Man, this hits home! The whole "10% of our brains" thing might be bogus, but the struggle to focus is real. I totally get the constant battle with distractions - checking websites, daydreaming about shopping, procrastinating until the last minute. It's like our brains are wired to avoid productivity!
ReplyDeleteThe tips are solid, though. Having a dedicated study spot, avoiding food comas, and rewarding yourself for chunks of work all make sense. But let's be real, who can maintain exam-level focus all the time? That'd be intense!
The most productive season of my life was in my early twenties when I would wake up several hours before my roommates, spend some time writing/thinking/praying and then exercise. It started as a survival tactic (being an introvert with roommates was almost unbearable after the first few months and waking up early was the only way to get some time to recharge), but my early morning routine graduated into an amazing force multiplier. I would be showered and ready for breakfast before they rolled out of bed and I think being prepared for the day had a snowball effect on my productivity. It also forced me to prioritize an early bed time which had its own benefits. Also, I should mention, I get ridiculously sleepy after lunch--it's probably some sort of condition. So I would finish lunch, drink some coffee and take a twenty minute nap. (How I long for the days when this was possible.) But basically, I thrived under a self-imposed structure. The healthy foundation of exercise and enough sleep was indispensable when it came to productivity. Fast forward to today and a lot of that structure isn't feasible but I still wake up before my wife and toddler. I take the dog out, I have some coffee, and I just sit in the living room. It's not quite the sunrise, workout-fueled morning routine I used to have, but it's something. I think it was Tannebaum who had a chapter devoted to waking up early. I couldn't agree more.
ReplyDeleteIt’s crazy to think about how much time we waste on distractions instead of focusing on the task at hand. I completely relate to the struggle. I often find myself procrastinating, checking websites, or thinking about the most random things, only to realize I've barely made any progress. Social media adds to the problem, constantly pulling us away from my work with endless notifications and mindless scrolling. It’s frustrating how hard it is to stay productive. Realizing how much more we could achieve with better focus is both shocking and motivating but also feels impossible. What if we really could tap into that other 90%?
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