Modifying your environment is one of the top ways to cultivate your focus. The most focus-conducive environments are those in which you're interrupted and distracted the least. If possible, move yourself to one of these places whether it's a café down the street, the library, or a quieter room in the house.
3. MAKE A DISTRACTIONS LIST
Distractions will always be present, even if you manage to find a reading spot in a Japanese Zen garden with your phone far away. External distractions aren't the only ones to blame-think of the distractions that can come internally, like your brain reminding you that you need to pick up groceries.
Whenever I have to focus, I adopt the two tactics mentioned above and I also bring a pen and a notepad with me. In the notepad I write every distraction that makes its way into my mind-things I need to follow up on, tasks I can't forget, new ideas, and so on. Maintaining a distractions list as you read will capture the important things that float to the surface of your consciousness. Writing them down to make sure they don't slip through the cracks will let you refocus on the task at hand.
4. QUESTION WHETHER THIS BOOK IS WORTH CONSUMING AT ALL
We consume a lot of things out of habit, without questioning their worth-books included.
Take time to weigh the value of your routine consumption. A tactic I find helpful is to view the descriptions of books, TV shows, podcasts, and everything else as "pitches" for your time and attention. Ask yourself: After consuming one of those products, will you be happy with how you invested your time and attention?
Just as you are what you eat, you are what you pay attention to. Attention is finite and is the most valuable ingredient you have to live a good life-so make sure everything you consume is worthy of it. As I'll cover in depth later, bringing awareness to what you consume can provide hours of extra time each day.
5. CONSUME SOME CAFFEINE BEFORE READING
If it's not too late in the day-caffeine takes eight to fourteen hours to metabolize out of your system-consider reading alongside a cup of coffee or tea. provides an invaluable focus boost, and while you usually have to pay this
Caffeine energy back later in the day as the drug metabolizes out of your system, the costs are often worth it. Caffeine boosts your mental and physical performance in virtually every measurable way (more on this page). Use this energy boost wisely to work on an
important task or to read this book.
