Focus Bear for iOS
The iOS app is still in beta (but it works pretty well). It's a two-step process to download the app:
1
First, download Apple Test Flight
and then come back here
to get the redeem code
2
Download and install
the Focus Bear App
The iOS app is still in beta (but it works pretty well). It's a two-step process to download the app:
First, download Apple Test Flight
and then come back here
to get the redeem code
Download and install
the Focus Bear App
Sweet! Now you can download Focus Bear with this link
In this modern world where everything is moving at high speed and life is getting more demanding especially work-wise, it might seem that the only way to cope at work is to multitask. But does multitasking make us more efficient?
Many of us fall under the illusion that we are more efficient when we jump between tasks, but nothing could be further from the truth.
When you multitask you shatter your focus into small fragments and inevitably your focus will be lost somewhere between these tasks.
What happens next? You guessed it! Instead of being efficient, you take more time to finish the tasks and as a result of losing focus, your work ends up being low quality.
Our brain is not built to multitask. Multitasking is a myth: we think that we are being productive when we are doing ten things at once but in reality, we are not getting much done. Our brains are not wired that way, and that’s why after an hour or two of multitasking we feel tired. I think that now we both agree that multitasking does not exactly equal efficiency, we can talk about being more efficient.
Our brain has what is called short-term working memory. We rely on working memory to do our daily tasks but our working memory has a very small capacity. It can not handle more than 2 to 4 pieces of information at the same time.
When you try to multitask, your brain will receive tons of new information very quickly. As a result, your brain will have to make room for the new pieces of information by letting go of the information from the previous task.
Even though our brain “rewards” us for multitasking and makes us feel that we are productive, we are not being productive just because we are doing more than one thing at once.
The Pomodoro technique involves breaking up your day into short work bouts (typically 25 minutes long) followed by a break. For example, if you have a report that you think will take you four hours, instead of working for four hours straight, break it up into eight 25 minute blocks. After each 25 minute block, take a five minute break to rest your brain and after doing four sessions in a row, take a longer 20 minute break. This sounds a bit crazy — why not just work flat out for 4h? The reason is that not many people can do that. Unless you have the attention span of a buddhist monk, your mind is going to start wandering after 90 minutes (most people can’t even last that long) and the 4h block will turn into 90 minutes of work and 2.5h of “research” on wikipedia that devolves into reading about the early childhood of obscure celebrities ;)
By using the Pomodoro method, you get a lot done without burning your brain out.
Doing one task at a time isn’t about doing less, it’s actually about doing more, working faster with higher quality. Instead of overwhelming yourself and your brain with multitasking and trying to handle everything at once, use the Pomodoro technique and complete one task at a time. Make sure to reward yourself with breaks between tasks, and make your break something you look forward to after finishing a task. Ideally you’ll take a break that will activate the “diffuse mode network” — the part of the brain where inspiration lies. Checking Facebook/tik tok isn’t so great for that but going for a walk, meditating or even doing the dishes is a superb way to give your brain space to come up with a canny solution for the tricky problem you were struggling with.
If you need help with staying focused during your Pomodoro blocks (and your breaks), check out Focus Bear. It has a built in Pomodoro mode feature and helps to block distractions when you’re in deep work mode.
