Swimming with Asian Sharks - Business Secrets from the Pacific Rim

How to Concentrate for Hours at a Time

The project was much harder than I thought it would be, and took much longer than planned.  I learned an incredible amount about how to create a functional piece of software during this project, and spent weeks working on it rather than studying or doing anything social.  I worked 28 hours straight near the project deadline to finish the task.

I have the ability to completely go into a trance while I’m working on a task.  Perhaps growing up without cable TV or the discipline my father instilled in me that made me this way.  I remember during grade school I would spend eight hours just constructing book reports out of construction paper.  The actual written part of the report was done in little more than 15 minutes or half an hour, but I would spend countless hours on the one-dollar multicolour construction paper.  The pack of papers was amazing; the sheets of paper were my marble, and the scissors were my chisel. The packs contained papers in primary colours and black; I always ran out of black because I put borders on everything. I learned how to cut construction paper to minimize the use of paper but maximize visual results. This was how I developed the ability to concentrate on a task for hours on end.

I gave Mr. PrintMan my Web Design Demon guarantee, which stated that if I was not able to deliver on time, he would not have to pay.  Though I managed to finish the site on time, my friends and family wondered where I disappeared to for a few days.  At the end of this project, I had a whole system from frontend to backend that could take orders and, to this day, seven years later, the system is still up and running. Afterward, about four years after the contract, Mr. PrintMan phoned me up and told me the system was getting jobs with duplicated identification numbers.  It turned out they’d been using my system all this time, and had processed over thirty thousand orders.  I fixed this issue, and reminded them that it would be a good idea to get someone to come in and create a new system now that they could afford professional help.

The main technique I used to deliver on a tight schedule is the pomodoro method. The principle is to break your concentration into short bursts with short rests in between.  The breakdown varies; I usually use 25 minutes of concentration and a five-minute break.  I repeat this until the tasks I have set before me are complete.  There is a great app online at focusboosterapp.com that helps you with the timings.

Another useful technique comes from the book, Getting Things Done. I called it the “Next/Done” list.  Simply open up a Word document and type in the next physical action for each of the projects that are currently in your head.  This is better then a to-do list, as it is very specific; having a clear next task to do removes much of the mental work of juggling an entire project in your mind.

Concentrating for long periods is possible when you have the entire project riding on your success.  This method of leaving the bulk of the project for the end works sometimes, but it will stress you out.  Give yourself plenty of time to do it, or cut back on the scope of your project to avoid burnout.