YOUR FOCUS IS A

FINITE & VALUABLE RESOURCE

You have a limited number of focus dollars to spend every day
DON'T SPEND YOURS FOOLISHLY

47

seconds

It takes just 47 seconds for your brain to get distracted. And once you get distracted, it takes about 25 minutes to get back on task. It's estimated that about 40% of productive time is lost due to the consequences of distraction. Fractured attention is not only leading to losses in productivity, it is also leading to increases in anxiety, depression, and burnout. A prevailing feature of the 21st century is shrinking attention spans. Brains, it seems, have gotten very good at being distracted, and the consequences are stark.

A SYSTEM

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

-James Clear

From a neurobiological perspective, focus is a limited resource. It ebbs and flows throughout the day, can not maintained indefinitely, and requires continuous metabolic upkeep and care.

From a sociological perspective, focus is a valuable resource. When you invest it wisely, it pays dividends in the form of greater creativity, innovation, productivity, health, and happiness. When you spend it foolishly, it leads to stress, anxiety, burnout, frustration, anger, and costly mistakes.

The WrkfloW system leverages the neuroscience of brain optimization to help companies, teams, and individuals build, protect, hone, and invest their focus wisely. It is a system for working smarter, not harder.

The interacting and interrelated elements of the system—Daily Action Plan, WrkfloW Timer, Focus Inventory, and Just-In-Time Supports—act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole, Your WrkfloW.

The WrkfloW System

Daily

Action

Plan

WrkfloW

Timer

Focus

Inventory

Just-In-Time

Supports

The WrkfloW Rules

Don’t let work happen to you, make work happen for you
Do something every day that builds your capacity for focus
Invest your focus dollars wisely
Restore your focus resources regularly
Be aware of and protect yourself from common focus thieves
Prioritize and commit to the system

WrkfloW TIMER

a protocol for focused work

There are simple steps you can take to prime your brain for focus. By manipulating aspects of your physiology that serve as a gateway to your brain (namely, your breath, your eye focus, and your self-talk), you can get the right mix of neurochemicals flowing to prepare your brain for focused work. The WrkfloW TIMER begins with a 2-3 minute Brain Prep that guides you through a set of manipulations that are tailored to your needs. This way, you can find your focus even if you are feeling tired, anxious, distracted, or filled with self-doubt. Over time and with practice, these Brain Preps update the operating system that is your brain, unlocking a new and greater capacity for focus, creativity, innovation, and sense of wellbeing. This is the ultimate win-win protocol. Not only are you preparing your brain to get the most out of your focused work, you are building your focus capacity and investing in your brain health and wellbeing each and every time you use this protocol.

1

Dedicating a set period of time to a specific task and then focusing solely on that task without interruption is key to unlocking your potential. Before you start the WrkfloW TIMER, make sure you silence all notifications and close all applications that are a distraction. Your job is to focus your attention on one task without interruption for the length of the timer. That task can be cognitively challenging like debugging code, writing an article, or building out a strategic plan. Or shallower in nature, like responding to emails or performing administrative tasks. Regardless of the nature of the task, your goal is to direct your focus to it solely, without interruption. We strongly suggest running the WrkfloW TIMER in its own standalone browser window (Incognito Window in Chrome, or Private Window in Safari) so the timer remains visible and is not interrupted.

2

Research shows that productive, sustained focus is very difficult to maintain for longer than 90 minutes at a time. This is because our bodies follow ultradian rhythms, periods or cycles of alertness that last about 90 minutes. After 90 minutes, your body sends you signals that you need a break (loss of focus, feeling fidgety, hunger, drowsiness). Most of the time we ignore these signals and push through. But, this leads to an accumulation of stress buildup in the brain and a breakdown in focus and creativity in the long-run. The WrkfloW TIMER is here to help you use the neuroscience of brain optimization to build and protect your focus. We will not let you spend more than 90 minutes on focused work without taking a productive rest break, or what we call non-sleep deep rest (NSDR). NSDR isn't a nice-to-have, it is a neurobiological imperative. It protects your brain from stress buildup, puts a deposit back into your focus budget, and promotes positive neuroplasticity so you can continue to learn, create, and innovate.