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Productivity

HOW TO ACHIEVE DEEPFOCUS BY USING THE

NOTHING ALTERNATIVEColin Robertson

August 26, 2015

Raymon C!anler "as a##alle "it! !is la$% o& #rogress'

(!e &amous aut!or o& The Big Sleep)ust s#ent t!e entire ay "or%ing, yet he made no

progress on his book!

(!en C!anlerreali*e t!e root o& !is #roblem' +e "asnt really being #rou$ti-e, !e "as

)ust ma%ing !imsel&feel good about#ro$rastinatingbe$ause !e "as &illing !is time "it! ot!er"or%'

http://www.willpowered.co/http://www.willpowered.co/about/http://www.willpowered.co/top-articles/http://academy.willpowered.co/courses/http://www.willpowered.co/willpower/http://www.willpowered.co/productivity/http://www.willpowered.co/procrastination/http://www.willpowered.co/exercise/https://sso.usefedora.com/secure/14031/users/sign_inhttps://sso.usefedora.com/secure/14031/users/sign_uphttp://www.willpowered.co/learn/?category=Productivityhttp://www.willpowered.co/learn/?author=5416af3be4b0e4b35f92a05fhttp://www.willpowered.co/learn/nothing-alternativehttp://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Vintage-Crime-Black-Lizard/dp/0394758285/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440503336&sr=8-1&keywords=the+big+sleephttp://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Vintage-Crime-Black-Lizard/dp/0394758285/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440503336&sr=8-1&keywords=the+big+sleephttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Chandlerhttp://www.willpowered.co/learn/why-we-procrastinatehttp://www.willpowered.co/about/http://www.willpowered.co/top-articles/http://academy.willpowered.co/courses/http://www.willpowered.co/willpower/http://www.willpowered.co/productivity/http://www.willpowered.co/procrastination/http://www.willpowered.co/exercise/https://sso.usefedora.com/secure/14031/users/sign_inhttps://sso.usefedora.com/secure/14031/users/sign_uphttp://www.willpowered.co/learn/?category=Productivityhttp://www.willpowered.co/learn/?author=5416af3be4b0e4b35f92a05fhttp://www.willpowered.co/learn/nothing-alternativehttp://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Vintage-Crime-Black-Lizard/dp/0394758285/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440503336&sr=8-1&keywords=the+big+sleephttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Chandlerhttp://www.willpowered.co/learn/why-we-procrastinatehttp://www.willpowered.co/

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Instea o& "riting, !e rea t!e ne"s#a#er, rea "or%s by ot!er aut!ors, "rote letters, an i

many ot!er #ositi-e t!ings' (!is mae it &eel li%e !e "as being #rou$ti-e, e-en t!oug! no

a$tual "riting "as not getting one' .1/

So he imposed disciplinary measures.

+e &or$e !imsel& to sit o"n an &o$uson !is "riting "it!out getting istra$te. ut &or

some reason, t!is ta$ti$ int "or% eit!er (!e more !e trie to &o$us, t!e more !is min

"anere

Why couldnt he just focus?

WHY YOU CANT "TRY HARD" TO FOCUS

!en you are trying to ire$t your min to o somet!ing, t!e ob-ious strategy is to try really

hard, orforce yourselfto o it'

ut t!e min oes not res#on "ell to t!is'

(!in% about &alling aslee# at nig!t' I& you try really hard to slee#, you a$tually en u# !urting

your $!an$es (!e more you try, t!e more t!e min "aners an %ee#s you a"a%e'

It is only when you let go of trying to sleep that your mind can finally drift off.

(!is same #!enomenon ta%es #la$e "!en you are trying to &o$us as "ell' I& you try really

hard to &o$us, you "ill only !urt your $!an$es o& a$tually &o$using' (!is is be$ause t!e min

oes not li%e to be restri$te, it li%es to be &ree'

ut !o" $an you &o$us i& your min is &ree3

Any 4ui$ombe t!e &ouner o& t!e +eas#a$e meitation a## uses a great analogy to

es$ribe !o" you $an train your min to &o$us "!ile still gi-ing it &reeom'

Training your mind to focus is like taming a wild horse.

ou $annot tame a "il !orse by immeiately #utting it into a &en$e area' (!is "ill $ause it

to #ani$ an try to es$a#e' Instea, you must tame a "il !orse by #utting it on a long ro#e

an letting it roam &ree' (!en you slo"ly reel t!e ro#e in'

ou allo" t!e !orse to &eel &ree as you $ontinue to gain more $ontrol o-er it' .2/

(!is same 7reeling in8 $an be a$!ie-e "it! t!e min' An Raymon C!anler is$o-ere

one o& t!e best "ays to o it 9 t!e :not!ingalternati-e:'

THE NOTHING ALTERNATIVE

A&ter C!anler reali*e t!at !e $oul not &or$e !imsel& to &o$us on "riting, !e e$ie t!at !e

"oul allo" !is min t!e &reeom to o not!ing'

http://www.amazon.com/Willpower-Rediscovering-Greatest-Human-Strength/dp/0143122231http://academy.willpowered.co/courses/develop-incredible-focushttp://academy.willpowered.co/courses/develop-incredible-focushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Puddicombehttp://headspace.com/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-w6dKWBypIhttp://www.amazon.com/Willpower-Rediscovering-Greatest-Human-Strength/dp/0143122231http://academy.willpowered.co/courses/develop-incredible-focushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Puddicombehttp://headspace.com/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-w6dKWBypI

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+e sele$te a #erio o& time "!erehe had the choice to write, or do nothing. +e $oul get

lost in t!oug!t, loo% out t!e "ino" or stan on !is !ea'But he could not do any other

positive work.

So !is min i not &eel im#risone by !a-ing to o &o$use "or%, but it also reali*e t!at

oing not!ing is boring'

4art o& t!e reason "!y t!e brain is moti-ate to #ro$rastinate is be$ause it !ates being bore'

ut "it! t!e not!ing alternati-e, no" t!e boring o#tion "as to o not!ing an t!e en)oyable

o#tion "as to "rite' .;/

It souns sim#le, but t!is gentle #us! is in$reibly e&&e$ti-e &or allo"ing your brain to &o$us

an tune out istra$tions'

HOW TO IMPLEMENT THE NOTHING

ALTERNATIVEIm#lementing t!e not!ing alternati-e "ill not be easy es#e$ially at &irst'

Alt!oug! you !a-e mae t!e e$ision t!at you "ill o your &o$use "or% or not!ing, it "ill

ta%e some time to train your min to res#e$t t!at e$ision' ut li%e any #ra$ti$e, as long as

you are $onsistent, it "ill "or%'

+ere are some sim#le t!ings t!at "ill !el# you im#lement t!is into your "or%