Hannah and Evan discuss their personal experiences and struggles with focus. A new kind of work requires long stretches of sustained focus, disrupting old routines and demanding new strategies. They delve into the challenges and rewards of dodging distractions and shepherding wandering thoughts.

Timestamps:

00:55 - Introduction. The need to transition from sprint focus to something more sustained.

10:10 - Our different styles of focus and how we work together: Switching off the role of cheerleader, having a plan and holding to routines; setting boundaries with friends, family, ourselves.

18:17 - Switching to long-form work. Ramping up, getting into a flow, building a slower momentum.

23:51 - External and internal distractions. When the work becomes its own distraction.

32:26 - The dynamic tension, the ongoing battle; eliminating distractions vs the resolve to ignore and power through. Self-esteem.

35:25 - How the switch to long-form focus has helped our work in games.

38:04 - Closing thoughts. What we’ve learned, the ritual of it.

Mentioned in this episode:

Deep Work by Cal Newport (We feel "meh" about this one)

Stolen Focus by Johann Hari (We liked this one)

Links and credits:

Design Doc intro/outro theme by Pat King

Design Doc twitter: twitter.com/designdocpod

Our games: turtlebun.com

Patreon: patreon.com/turtlebun

Twitter: twitter.com/turtleandbun

Instagram: instagram.com/turtleandbun

Discord: https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbz