The single-core working method can be seen as an upgraded version of the Pomodoro method. In addition to introducing some methodology, this book also introduces some psychological, sociological and anatomical reasons for the methodology. It is well-founded and convincing

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Single-focus work is doing one thing at a time at a set time, but at the same time, resetting your focus according to the changing global situation. This book will explain the principle of this method from a psychological perspective.

If you haven’t been using the Pomodoro thoroughly, the single-core technique eliminates all the unnecessary elements and makes it simple enough. If you want to be productive but often struggle to stay focused, or if you’re a self-confessed multi-tasker, it’s worth reading. If you can’t think of anything you want to do, a single focus can help you focus on your most important tasks and increase your personal productivity.

Faced with many tasks, our choices can be more efficient:

  1. Don’t start so many new tasks. Finish the ones you’ve already decided to do.
  2. Prioritize more important tasks over the most urgent ones;
  3. By focusing on one task at a time, our brains are wired to handle one thing at a time;

What is single-core working method?

Alternate two working modes: panorama and single core; In panorama mode, look at all tasks and select the most important one as a single task. After selecting the task, set the panorama clock and enter the single-core mode to focus on a single task.

0.1 Five Basic Concepts

  1. Shortcut list: store up to 5 current most important tasks. If you want to add more tasks, you must delete the original tasks.
  2. Single-core time: only used to concentrate on a task on the shortcut list, with panoramic clock as the end of single-core time; Single core, do not read the past, not afraid of the future;
  3. A panoramic view of clock: It’s best to set it half an hour later, no less than now25min, when the alarm bell rings, switch the attention from single-core period to panoramic period;
  4. Panorama: Look at all your todos and think, “What is the best use of my time in this moment?”
  5. Reverse priorities: We should avoid putting urgent tasks ahead of important ones, and in order to achieve our long-term goals, the most important goals should have the highest priority;

0.2 mono and panoramic rhythm

Start by making a quick list of no more than five tasks you can think of in order of importance.

The whole day was switched between panorama and single-core, and the rest time was arranged between the two. Before the single-core time began, the expiration time of panorama time was set, and the alarm sounded to remind us to re-evaluate the priority.

Panorama (clock) View the whole world and select the most important tasks at the moment. A single core focuses on a single task.

Set a panoramic alarm clock (similar to the Pomodoro technique) at least 25 minutes before starting your single-core work session. If a new task comes to mind, write it to a quick list instead of doing it right away. If someone interrupts you, ask them to come back later.

0.3 Five principles of single-core work

  1. “Getting started” makes us want to finish;
  2. “Multitasking” switching back and forth reduces efficiency and drains energy;
  3. Rank tasks by “importance,” not urgency;
  4. “Good rest, sleep and healthy living habits” are necessary to maintain productivity;
  5. Only by embracing change and making continuous progress can we adapt to this world.

Principle 1: A task we have started occupies our thoughts until it is completed or discarded

In an experiment in the 1920s, waiters in restaurants could always remember the details of a bill before a customer checked out, no matter how long the meal was served or how many orders were added, but within half an hour of checking out, waiters forgot the information. The experiment concluded that unfinished tasks were more likely to be remembered.

It’s called the Zeigarnik effect, and we can take advantage of it. For example, leaving the office halfway through a task can help you get started in the morning.

Principle 2: Multitasking leads to inefficiency and energy consumption

Our mind does a context switch each time we switch from one task to another, in the process of creating a scenario for the new task, called rule activation.

  1. Switching tasks takes time, and one switch is possible0.1 s“But switching throughout the day can waste a large chunk of productive time.
  2. Switching tasks also leads to errors, and the more complex your task scenario, the more errors you will make.
  3. Repeated task switching reduces emotional intelligence and makes people feel anxious, which increases the production of the “stress hormone” cortisol in the brain, leading to aggressive and impulsive behavior.
  4. Switching between tasks can also drain energy and make it hard to concentrate.

Principle 3: Prioritize strictly and choose the most important things to do, because so many things are constantly popping up in our minds that we can’t count the things worth doing

We need to make it easier on the brain by limiting the quick list to a few items that can legitimately be the most important. Single core work is to use this principle to save mental energy, let the brain feel more relaxed.

In a world of rapid change, with more and more complex tasks, there is a lot on everyone’s mind, but very little in practice. We need to remind ourselves every hour, “What is the best thing I can do with my time right now?”

Prioritize and put the most important things first. Priorities have nothing to do with urgency or how long it takes.

Principle 4: Good rest and sleep, exercise, healthy eating — we need to focus on these consistently to be more productive at work and at school

Arrange a few short breaks every hour, is conducive to maintaining concentration, because people’s energy is limited, long time without rest, the mind will become free. Using downtime to get work out of the way can help you gain new insights and open up creative thinking, or you can use this time to think, reprioritize, and see which tasks are most important right now.

Here are two Tips on how to increase productivity:

  1. Sleep is important, and lack of or poor quality sleep can lead to lapses in work, reduced productivity, and if we ditch REM, we lose the brain’s best stage for consolidating memories.
  2. Exercise can improve sleep. The brain can also think better when it is adequately oxygenated.
  3. Being hungry makes you less productive at work, and noodles and soft drinks release glucose quickly, causing glucose levels to rise and fall wildly. High-fat accessories provide more lasting energy, but reduce oxygen levels to the brain because they are harder to digest. Eating more fruits and vegetables makes us happier and more positive. So a varied diet keeps us productive in the long run.

Principle 5: Adapt to the situation, based on your latest personal experience, little by little, not dogma

The modern workplace is constantly changing and complex, but you can still learn from others, and what makes them good.

By practicing daily and improving, we feel more engaged and satisfied when we feel that we are improving and feel that we are doing things better.

0.4 Reversing the priority

Everyone has a lot of things on their mind, but very little of them are actually free to do. But most things are possible if we give them enough priority. We can’t do them because we give our highest priority to other tasks.

Eisenhower Matrix: I divide problems into two categories, important but not urgent, and urgent but not important. Urgent tasks that are not important but require an immediate response cause stress and occupy the most productive time, a phenomenon known as reversed priorities.

Important tasks serve long-term goals and belong to active response, while urgent tasks require immediate response and belong to passive response.

First Things first: The more time you spend on urgent tasks, the more urgent tasks pile up, and the more important but not urgent tasks become urgent tasks. Become a slave to urgent but unimportant tasks.

1. Cut your to-do list

Poor prioritization is one of the major threats to productivity. Do a little here, then you do a little, finally nothing can be accomplished, pay hard for nothing.

In addition to periodically deleting tasks from your to-do list, you should also cut off the flow of tasks, reduce the flow of tasks, and say no to certain things in the first place.

1.1 How do I reduce my to-do list

  1. The busyness fallacy: It’s not that the more things you have on your hands makes you more valuable, or that being busy doesn’t mean you’re productive. If your calendar is full, unexpected important tasks won’t be handled and you’ll become a bottleneck for others. Stop starting new tasks until you’ve finished the old ones, and give priority to everyone who comes to you.
  2. Quick list: Make a list of your 5 most important tasks and remove them if you need to add more. In some cases, certain important tasks will always be there, and they will never be on the list. Break a large task into several highly executable sub-tasks. Make a new list every morning, not yesterday’s.
  3. Goal for the week: What progress do you want to make this week, what do you want to get out of it, and what do you want to produce? Make a list of your top goals so they can remind you when you’re feeling lost.
  4. Weed list: A non-essential task list. Add tasks to this list that you can’t say no to and won’t do right away. Tasks should include goals, stakeholders, dates. The quick list only has five items. The Weed list doesn’t have one, and it doesn’t have a priority, so you can throw it in from time to time, and you can put any ideas there.
  5. Mowing: Finish the tasks in the weed list and cut the grass every week to ensure the timely and reliable weed list; Weed lists get longer and longer and need to be cleaned up in time, otherwise the list will be ignored and the previous additions forgotten.

1.2 Selective reading

How to read 50,000 words a minute? The answer is to decide in one minute that the 50,000-word article is not your goal and don’t read it. The first part of selective reading is simple: cut out what you don’t read.

Get to the point when you start reading. First read the table of contents and find the three chapters you are most interested in. Then choose the chapters you are most interested in and so on. Finally read the paragraphs you are interested in. Repeat this procedure for the rest of the chapter until it’s not worth it to continue.

1.3 Learn to say No

We often find ourselves in a situation where there are so many demands to deal with that nothing gets done. Your verbal promise can only make the unpleasantness caused by “no” come a little later, and the other party gets your affirmation and thinks that you must be able to complete the task.

If you do not intend to fulfil your previous commitments, stakeholders should be notified as soon as possible so that the parties can arrange their work properly. You don’t need to prove that the task isn’t important or tell them what your priorities are, you can recommend the right person to get the job done or offer a workaround solution.

2. Focus on one thing

2.1 How to focus on one thing

  1. The myth of multitasking: Task switching causes errors on the task at hand. It slows things down. Reducing task switching improves productivity. Unfortunately, the brain is designed to encourage task-switching, and every time we complete a small task, our brain releases a little rewarding dopamine, making us feel good about our small achievements. But it’s a habit we need to fight.
  2. Interrupt denial: Turn off the notifications you can hear and see during single-core hours; Push notifications can trigger the waiter effect, preventing us from focusing on worthwhile tasks;
  3. Volunteer hour: If a colleague comes to you in the morning to discuss a problem, you can channel his or her needs and schedule a meeting in the afternoon so that you have room to continue working and prepare in advance for his or her questions. This means scheduling small, demanding tasks for a fixed period of time on a given day, maybe an hour, to reduce distractions and stay focused.

2.2 Working memory capacity

Whereas the average person has around seven working memories, we can manage only one focus. Think of working memory as a memo pad. If you’re working and you’re interrupted by another task, everything on that memo will be erased.

2.3 Abstain from interruptions

Constantly checking email, QQ and wechat can seriously affect productivity.

It takes less than six seconds to glance at email, QQ and wechat, but it takes more than a minute on average to get back to work. Because the anticipation of receiving new information allows the brain to reward itself if it is satisfied.

2.4 Focus on the process, not the result

One common reason for procrastination is fear that the end result will not be good enough. Solution: Focus on the process, not the outcome.

Bensenger, the world champion shooter, ignored the score during training, trying to hit every shot and even blocking the scoreboard with a towel. Just to focus on getting it right and not on the final score.

Single-core work encourages progressive optimization. Do not push the expected road map far into the future firmly, nor do you define goals in detail, but determine the current direction of work, single-core implementation for a period of time, and then evaluate the actual results in the panoramic period, adjust the direction.

2.5 Prospective memory

Something might be a week away, like calling your mom on her birthday, but you might not remember it until it’s past. For this type of prospective memory event, you have to rely on external devices to assist memory.

For urgent tasks that crop up, either do them now, don’t put them off, or write them on your post-it notes where they can be easily seen. Don’t rely on prospective memory. It’s dangerous.

2.6 Uninvited guests

When an unexpected visitor interrupts your work, you refuse to make an appointment, and you are embarrassed to say, “I don’t have time,” what should you do? First, stand up, which can shorten the conversation, and then really understand what they need in the first place, which is why they’re coming to you.

If you don’t have the information the other person needs, tell him to go to the right person and not spend time blindly speculating about possible solutions.

2.7 Music that benefits and works

For simple, repetitive tasks, music can have a positive impact on productivity. Calming music is more conducive to work than stimulating music, such as the sound of running water.

For cognitive activities, perhaps the most productive environments are those in which buttons are pressed. But there are few quiet places in today’s open offices, so if you do listen to music, try to listen to pure music that isn’t emotionally stimulating.

2.8 check the single

Checklists have proven to be very effective in avoiding airline accidents, and human memory is sometimes unreliable.

Checklists: Checklists are particularly useful for repetitive tasks that require little or no routine.

2.9 Absent-minded

In the middle of the meeting, the host asks you a question and you stutter and don’t know what to say. Because you’ve been thinking, but not about what’s going on. Being absent-minded in a meeting is a waste of your time and that of others.

Here are some solutions:

  1. Develop your observational skills: Develop your observational skills in a particular professional area;
  2. Get a pen when you think: Jot down your thoughts as you think, visualizing issues that you can’t agree on during meetings;
  3. Be purposeful: Every time you go into a meeting, ask yourself, “What is the purpose of this meeting?”

2.10 Time pressure

Studies have found that heavy time pressure has a negative impact on creative thinking. You might think you’re more productive when you’re short on time, but that’s not true.

In one experiment, people performed worse at studying and playing games if they were told they were running out of time.

3. Never procrastinate

Procrastination is avoiding task B when you know you should be doing task A. Not doing what you’ve already decided to do, and doing other meaningless chores to escape.

To avoid procrastination, the main question is how to get started.

3.1 How to never procrastinate

  1. Time inconsistency: People always think that they are busy in the near future, but not so busy in the future. The farther away the deadline is, the easier it is to achieve the target. Research shows this is a mental fallacy. The solution is to do the most important thing now, regardless of the urgency of the task. Students who do their homework on the first day of vacation rather than leaving it until the last night always do better on exams.
  2. Automatic persistence: An extension of waiter benefits, humans have a strong desire to complete interrupted tasks. Starting a task in the afternoon before you leave will encourage you to come back and do it again in the morning.
  3. Intrinsic motivation: More than rewards and punishments, taking responsibility for your own choices. Specialization is a constant desire for improvement that motivates you to become better. Let oneself become more aspirant, work harder.

3.2 Waiter Effect

To avoid procrastination, the main question is how to get started.

We open Weibo, QQ, wechat and play video games even when we have important tasks on our to-do list. There are many reasons for procrastination, but one of the best ways to overcome fear is to expose yourself to the things you fear.

If a task has already begun, the brain’s ability to cognitively access relevant information increases. When you leave work, write down your tasks for the next day on a piece of paper. This will effectively start your brain preparing for the next day. It’s even better to go home in the middle of a mission.

To overcome procrastination, simply start a task, even a small step, and your brain will encourage you to complete it.

3.3 Batch Processing

Pre-crastination is a compulsion to do small tasks as soon as possible, driven by a compulsion to avoid big, important tasks. In the long run, little things can be draining.

Some people use it to fight procrastination. After all, it feels good to get things done and get things done, but it’s more like a variant of procrastination.

No amount of small tasks can make up the most important one at work. Short – term effect is hard work more than credit, long – term even hard work is not.

3.4 Listing Length

Another tip to beat procrastination is to break big, important tasks into smaller ones, rather than avoiding them with hurry sickness.

Be aware, however, that if a to-do list is too long, most tasks will remain unfinished, and the length of the list itself can undermine your determination to complete them. Therefore, it is best to target the current task rather than split the rest of the tasks too early.

3.5 Hard time delay

For tasks with long expiration dates, we procrastinate even more.

One experiment showed that two groups of people were given two kinds of coupons, which allowed them to pick up cakes and drinks at high-end cake shops. One coupon was valid for only three weeks, and the other was valid for three months. However, the experiment results showed that the coupon with a validity period of three weeks was much less likely to be redeemed than the coupon with a validity period of three weeks.

The solution is that if you have to do something, schedule it right away.

3.6 Excessive planning is also procrastination

Spending too much time planning things before they start is also procrastination. When it comes to a big, important task, planning everything ahead of time is not the same as promoting progress. As long as the work is not underway, we don’t want to carry out the planned things.

Excessive planning is not feasible. Even if you plan everything well, you may find that you need to adjust the focus of work 20% of the time, and then 80% of the planning you did before will be wasted. Therefore, the best method is to start the task first and plan as you go along.

4. Take baby steps

4.1 Parkinson’s Law

Work expands itself to fill the time allotted to it. This is Parkinson’s Law. When we assign a task to a time slot on our schedule, if the task is moving fast, we will waste the extra time we allocated beforehand. That’s why an old lady can spend a whole day writing a postcard to her out-of-town niece and sending it out.

So breaking up a task into smaller chunks of time gives you more flexibility.

5. Simplify collaboration

5.1 How can I Simplify collaboration

  1. Abundance mindset: Sharing your time, knowledge, and network with your co-workers isn’t just a way to help, they’ll come back and share with you.
  2. Effective meetings: Not just routine meetings, don’t send out invitations if you don’t clearly describe the sole purpose of the meeting, and avoid distracting, over-engaging, and over-long meetings.
  3. Parliamentary setting: Don’t blame others for the past, focus on the future, discuss things in a creative way, and focus on how to solve problems.
  4. Transparency: Demands that we do what we say.

5.2 Lucky ways

Richard Wiseman summed up four principles that lucky people follow

  1. They create opportunities, see them, and act when they come;
  2. Listen to your intuition;
  3. Optimistic face;
  4. When you fail, imagine the worst and prevent the situation from getting out of hand.

Thinking you’re unlucky doesn’t just affect productivity at work. It spreads from one person to another in a relationship, and eventually back to you.

5.3 Effective Listening

Almost everyone thinks they are the most effective communicator.

If your colleague is wrong in the communication, you should also know what their intention is first, so that you can persuade them. Effective listening starts with focusing on what the other person is saying, not what you’re going to say next.

Learn restraint, even when you know your colleague is making a mistake, but don’t interrupt him or her to let him or her finish. You may find it is you who is making the mistake.

5.4 The Benjamin Franklin Effect

The Benjamin Franklin effect is when you ask for someone’s help and they feel validated and respected. In 1737, a Senator from Pennsylvania was franklin’s archenemy, so Franklin borrowed a treasured book from the other side with ulterior motives. The next time they met, this archenemy unexpectedly took the initiative to talk to Franklin, and they became friends forever.

A person evaluating his own behavior will rationalize his actions: I did a favor for someone, but I don’t know why, so I should have done it because I liked him or her.

If a colleague disagrees with you every time, he or she will have more empathy for you if you ask him or her for advice in their area of expertise and help you for free.

6. Recharge your creativity

6.1 How to recharge creativity

  1. Oxygenated brains: Adults who engage in 150 minutes of physical activity per week are less likely to feel drowsy during the day and have trouble concentrating. Exercise can also improve sleep.
  2. Eat healthy: EATING a balanced diet produces a more consistent energy output and keeps the brain energized. In addition, eating more fruits and vegetables can make people more creative.
  3. Get enough sleep: Lack of sleep can mean the loss of rem, making it difficult to encode memories, organize and delete them.
  4. Grab a pen while you think: It replenishes our extremely limited working memory and helps us process prospective memory events.

6.2 Traxler’s fading effect

The Traxler effect is when you focus on the same brain-challenging task for a long time, your attention slackens and your cognitive system can’t stay focused.

Forcing ourselves to take frequent short breaks when faced with long-term tasks can help us stay focused.

6.3 Rest-activity cycle

Kleitman found that there are periodic energy changes during the day when we are awake, with our mental energy providing 90 minutes of work before we need rest.

Sugar and caffeine can disrupt this cycle, but reduce creativity.

6.4 Sitting for a long time will increase the risk of disease

Morris found that bus drivers were twice as likely to have a heart attack as sales clerks in two occupations of the same socioeconomic status. Sitting for long periods of time increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, so take a walk around the office or do a little exercise like a squat.

In addition, sitting for long periods of time was associated with a decrease in positive emotions, while exercise was associated with a significant increase in positive emotions.

6.5 self-discipline

When we maintain self-discipline long enough, it becomes a habit.

Aristotle: “good is an art, can get through training and cultivating habits, we do not because we are good or noble nature, our moral character and good is comes from what we did the right thing, makes us do things over and over again, so good is not an act, but a habit.”

Habit formation takes time, some say 21 days, some say 66 days. If you set a habit goal but can’t stick to it, instead of blaming yourself for your lack of discipline, take smaller steps.

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