Hopefully, for the next couple of months at least.

As amazing as Dr. Chuck and Brian Yu and Reuven Lerner are, I find myself falling asleep as I learn web development.
I look at the videos, I seem to understand things, and then I zone out.
A while later, 30 minutes have passed, three videos are over and I am wondering, just what the heck Dr. Chuck is on about.

I find myself struggling like this over and over.
I have days of intense focus. But those are draining.
I then need a couple of days to recover, for every day, that I can study like that.
I realised that I need something sustainable.

So I decided to do a few things differently today onwards

  1. I studied more than one thing.
    While my focus remains learning Django, I realised that I cannot make that the entire day’s focus.
    My mind can no longer process information like this.
    While I want to focus on one thing and get it out of the way as soon as possible, to get on with the next thing, my mind refuses to cooperate.
    So I studied Django for the most part, but also interspersed it with writing and exercising Python code (which I am sorely in need of) and learning some PostgreSQL.
  2. I started interval focus training.
    I realised that the phone is doing me no favours, but I do need to check it.
    So I started working in 15 minute bursts since Friday.
    15 minutes of no interruptions, followed by a minute or two of stretching my legs and responding to messages (no email, no social media.)
    Today I did 30 minute sessions, which I’ll continue the whole of this week.
    I hope to build up my focus muscle to where I can work in 90 minute stretches. And if I get in 3-4 such stretches on a daily basis, I’ll consider that a day well spent.

And as I write this at the end of the day, to my mind, I have made more progress, than I usually make in two days without being exhausted at the end of it all.
I’ve no idea how long this will work for me.
But I’ll report back on how this is going next week.
And probably write again, on when the well has dried up and I’ll need to change tactics.

Until next time …

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