The 6 step process I use for getting laser eye focused as a software engineer

You aren’t going to do your best work without some preparation.

Does mozart just produce a work of art on a whim? No. He gets into a flow. He has a process to getting in the zone.

These steps I take to do my best work and get that laser eye focus

1. Get sunlight and get your heart rate up in the AM

Andrew Huberman says to get sunlight so I get sunlight.

I have grown to love the morning moments where I walk outside and breath in the fresh air and look up at the blue sky. It makes me feel grounded and connected to the world. After that I am ready to go into my dark hole and code.

Yes there are many ways to get your heart rate up. And no I don’t think it matters which way you choose. Just do something. Burpees, a short run, a long run, go do a crossfit workout IDK (I dont kare).

What I do is I go for a run.

If I am not feeling it I do some burpees.

If I do nothing to get my heart rate up in the morning I feel like poop later.

Plus, if I stay indoors for too long I get stir crazy.

2. Drink Coffee when you sit down at your desk with an empty stomach

Treat coffee like a magical potion ⚗️.

Don’t waste it. Drink it when you want to use its effects. It can anchor your body to focus, as in “when I drink my coffee, I am in the focus zone.”

And drinking it on an empty stomach makes it hit harder. Which leads to the next point.

3. Feel a slight hunger pang makes you focus more

When you are full you are relaxed and unfocused.

Be slightly hungry. From personal experience, I find that when I am slightly hungry I am more focused.

It is a primal thing. When hunter gatherers where hungry their focus was increased because they were more desperate to make a kill and get food. When their belly’s were full they relaxed and chilling.

Hunger ➡️ focus

4. Binaural beats

Binural Beats do something to get your brain to focus. I think it helps get your brain gain alignment between the left and right side of the brain.

5. Use vision blinders- hat, hoodie

I heard somewhere that chinese kids are forced to stare at a dot on the wall inorder to teach them to concentrate and focus.

And the idea behind that is to narrow your viewport. Narrowing your field of vision leads to narrowed focus.

6. Lookup not down

Looking up is associated with being awake. Looking down is associated with falling asleep.

Put you desktop screen up if you can.

Bonus- Do your deep work at the same time every day

Build that rhythm.

Your body will respond. And you will start looking forward to those times when it is time to focus.

Bonus step for creativity

When I want to be creative I go for a walk. And I look all around me. That wide view helps your brain synthesize multiple ideas.

Bonus Bonus step- Make your bed in the AM

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