The Focus Fix

Smartphones messing up our attension span is already old news. But we rarely do something about it. Few months ago though, I've finally decided to do something about it. Between endless scrolling, algorithm-curated dopamine hits, and the constant ping of notifications, our ability to sustain deep focus has taken a massive hit. This isn’t just a productivity issue but a survival issue. It's about time we rewire our brains to funtion.. well, to funtion normally.

Every big tech spends billions to buy your attension. No wonder you're always distracted. Your attention span gets “trained” to expect novelty every few seconds, and when you sit down to do something sustained like reading an article or code, your mind rebels and starts wandering. It’s not that you’re broken, it’s just that your focus muscle is out of shape.

I asked chatGPT the 3 things I can do to fix this. The answers un-surprisingly made sense. Here are three things I picked up and applied to my own life.

1. Boredome rules

Your brain needs to learn how to sit still again. Choose everyday tasks that don’t flood you with stimulation. This helps rebuild patience and comfort with slow focus. So go ahead and start with delibrately boring, offline activities.

• Wash dishes, fold laundry, or sweep the floor quietly. No music, no podcast and just give your comfort show a break.
• Sit on a chair or couch for 5 minutes without your phone
• Go for a short walk outside with no music or podcasts

If you have the time, go watch (this) youtube video by Michelle Gia, where she speaks how making yourself bored actually helps with understimulating your nervous system. 10/10, worth a watch.

2. Quit multitasking

Splitting your focus weakens your ability to go deep on one thing. Give yourself permission to do just one activity at a time. Multitasking was never real. It really is just rapid task-switching that leaves the brain more drained than if we had focused on one thing.

• If you are reading, only read. Hide your phone away. Mama was always right, it's the damn phones.
• When you eat, focus on the food instead of scrolling
• If you are coding, when you're really in the zone, keep all other tabs closed unless they are for that task

I'm not gonna lie, all these really worked well for me. But let me tell you something. quitting social media and deleting YouTube from my phone made the biggest difference. It felt uncomfortable at first, like I was missing out or cutting off my main source of entertainment. But within a few days, I started noticing a shift. My mind felt less noisy, I stopped reaching for my phone every five minutes, and I actually had space to focus on one thing at a time. For the first time in months, I felt calm, in control, and fully present in whatever I was doing. Honestly, nothing has boosted my focus and clarity more than this single change.

3. Work in chunks

Chunking isn’t new. At its core, it’s about breaking tasks into smaller, time-bound sprints of focus. But in 2025, chunking isn’t just about efficiency. It's about tricking our dopamine-hijacked brains into doing meaningful work.

How to Do It

• Pick Chunk Size: Start at 25 minutes, extend to 45.
• One Task, One Chunk: Single outcome, no parallel threads.
• Timer + Ritual: Timer on, focus. Timer off, walk away.
• Stack Chunks: 3–4 in a row = hours of true productivity.
• Design for Depth: Remove interruptions before you begin.

No background noise, no scattered to-dos, no quick phone checks. Just one task, one chunk, 100%. It feels uncomfortable at first because it strips away the illusion of multitasking. But the payoff is clarity. You actually finish what you set out to do. You relearn what it feels like to be absorbed in a task. And each completed chunk becomes its own reward, teaching your brain that focus can be just as satisfying as a scroll.

This is not a hack. It’s a survival strategy for 2025. In a world engineered to scatter your attention, the ability to work in chunks and to give your full mind to one thing at a time is not optional. It’s the only way forward.