Okay look, it’s literally 10:42 in the morning here (wait no—wait, I’m in IST right now? Brain lag from staying up too late again). My room smells like burnt toast because I forgot the toaster setting yesterday and I’m still too lazy to open the window. Juniper (the demon cat) is currently staring at me like I owe her money. This is the glamorous life of someone who’s supposedly trying to “achieve goals faster” in 2026. Here are the five 5 Focus Techniques that have actually moved the needle for me at least a little bit. Not perfectly. Not every day. But enough that I’m not completely embarrassed to write about them.
1. Pomodoro But Make It Stupid and Personal
Everyone says Pomodoro. 25 on, 5 off. I rolled my eyes for like three years straight.
Then I missed a really stupidly important deadline in February and I was basically vibrating with anxiety. 5 focus techniques So I grabbed this ridiculous chicken-shaped kitchen timer my mom sent me as a “fun” gift (it clucks. Loudly.). Set it for 25 minutes. Told myself I could doomscroll after.
The clucking is so absurd it actually makes me laugh instead of throwing my laptop. I usually get maybe 3 good rounds before my brain starts screaming for dopamine. That’s still more focused work than I used to do in a whole afternoon of “multitasking” (aka lying to myself).
If you want the nerdier version of why timed bursts work, Cal Newport’s Deep Work book basically roasts people like old-me who thought answering Slack every 7 minutes was productive. https://www.calnewport.com/books/deep-work/
2. Task Batching (aka Stop Switching and Crying)
I used to bounce between email → writing → Twitter → invoices → YouTube “research” so much my head hurt by noon.
Now I’m brutal about grouping:
- Emails + messages = one block at like 11:30
- Deep creative stuff = first two hours after coffee when I’m least regarded
- Boring admin = Thursdays only so I can hate it all at once
This one focus technique probably shaved literal weeks off some projects. I’m not even joking.
James Clear kinda talks about this vibe in Atomic Habits—systems over goals and all that. https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits
3. The “One Damn Thing” Sticky Note Trick
This feels dumb when I type it but it’s embarrassingly powerful.
I write literally ONE goal on a neon sticky and tape it right in my eyeline on the monitor.
Today’s was “outline video script – no Wikipedia holes.”
Every time I catch myself about to open a new tab for “just one quick thing,” I look at the note and mutter “one damn thing, bro” out loud. Sometimes I even point at it like I’m scolding a toddler (me).
I got the idea from Ali Abdaal but added the swearing because my brain apparently only listens when I’m mean to it.
4. Environment Cheats & Sensory Bribes
My old setup was couch + phone notifications + TV in the corner = zero focus ever.
Now:
- Desk faces ugly wall (forces brain to work instead of stare)
- Same lo-fi girl playlist on loop ONLY for deep work
- Those cheap orange safety glasses that make the room look like a bad cyberpunk movie but my eyes hurt way less
- One specific candle that smells like pine and ambition (okay it’s just pine but the ritual hits)
Little environmental hacks like this are unsexy but they stack. Andrew Huberman has a whole podcast episode on focus and visual/chemical cues that’s worth the listen if you’re into the science side. https://hubermanlab.com/focus-toolkit-tools-to-improve-your-focus-and-concentration/
5. Future-Self Shame Emails (Yes, Really)
Every Sunday night I write an email to future-me that lands next Sunday morning.
Subject: “Yo idiot did you do anything useful?”
Inside:
- What I promised last week
- What I actually shipped
- The excuses I told myself (very detailed)
- One savage sentence of encouragement/threat
Reading my own disappointed tone seven days later is weirdly motivating. I’ve finished more stuff since I started this cringe ritual than probably the previous six months combined.
Okay that’s it. Those are my 5 focus techniques to achieve goals faster—or at least faster than the disaster version of me from last year.
They’re not magic. Some days I still only do like 45 minutes of real work and then watch cooking videos for three hours. But on the good days? Progress actually happens.
