Forget 10,000 hours. Start with 2.

Ditch the quit-your-job fantasy. Build a system that works around your real life.

There is a lot of chatter about “how it’s never been easier to achieve your dreams.”

All you need is a lap top and an internet connection - right?

While this might be true in theory, in reality it’s never been harder to focus. The relentless attack on attention is real, and yet our own attention span is 100% within our control.

I go though periods of focus and distraction throughout the day. We all do. It’s normal. Few can focus and produce great work for 8 hours a day. That’s just not how it works.

So instead of trying to force yourself to focus why not just lean into the distractions?

The thing with creative work is that you can steer this very easily with just a little bit of intentionality.

I’ve been through the mill with this one. I thought that publishing consistently on a tight schedule was the ticket to growth. I thought that choosing to cover trending topics was the way to gain attention. I thought that pushing through when I was exhausted was just “what you do.”

As Aldous Huxley so elequently pointed out- forcing it is counter-productive. It’s short term thinking, ànd short term thinking gets short term results. “Growth hacks” and “quick wins” just leaves you and your audience frustrated.

This is when I discovered the power of deep focus and intentionality.

The one thing holding creators back is a lack of good ideas and the ability to focus on them.

Beginners don’t know where to start so they pick their favourite creator to copy. Then they burn out when the attention doesn’t come.

Seasoned creators get caught when something takes off and they think they have to keep doing that one thing or engagement will tank. And so the negative dopamine loop begins.

The average American spends:

• 8 hours a day at a job they hate

• 5 hours a day scrolling on their phone

• 3 hours a day watching TV and binging Netflix

• 0 hours a day dedicated to personal development and positive change.

If you’re reading this then you are not average. You can get a lot done in 2Hours.

2Hours a day to develop:

• A writing habit which brings you clarity

• A daily routine which builds self awareness

• A thought process which reprograms your mind.

The thing to understand here is that this is a process.

You don’t start with 2Hours a day. You start with 10 minutes a day and work your way up to this. This is a concept known as progressive overload, which you might know from the gym.

The way to build strength, stamina and resilience is to slowly increase difficulty over time.

1. Mastering the attention economy

There is no question about it. We are more distracted than ever before.

The news cycle, social media, direct messages, phone calls, instant feedback. This all creates a negative dopamine loop that kills satisfaction and joy.

But the attention economy is only disastrous if you allow it. Opportunities are springing up all over the place. But to take advantage of them we need to create a frame that highlights what’s important and ignores everything else.

You do this by creating. When you are building something this provides you with a unique frame through which you see the world.

When you have a project it serves one key purpose. It filters information for you.

The newsletter you have focuses your mind. It fine tunes your attention to hunt for ideas.

The YT channel you have focuses your mind. It makes the news, current events and the latest drama, uninteresting.

A loving relationship, tending a garden, creative hobbies. This affects the texture of your own mind and has a deep impact on your ability to focus.

Focus is a resource that can be cultivated into abundance.

Become a creator first. Be a consumer second.

2. How to Build focus - The introverts edge

Finally! Something where introverts might actually have an edge.

Focus requires us to spend time alone deeply engaged in a task. It tends to be easier for introverts to spend time alone, go deep into a topic and stay focused on one thing.

Structure leads to focus

Prioritising focus is about building structure. When you structure your time focus is the result.

We have this notion that creatitivity is about freedom. Just doing whatever you want when you feel like it. That the best artists are just hit with constant thunder bolts of inspiration.

This could not be further from the truth. Creativity grows with practice that is cultivated over time. The best creators have been practicing for years, often decades.

Learning a foreign language or playing the piano might seem effortless after 10 years of study but it certainly did not start like that.

It took me three years of living in Germany before I started to feel confident speaking the language. After 10 years of piano lessons I am still no Mozart and that is the key thing to understand here.

For any of this to work it requires innate interests and motivations. I learned piano because my parents wanted me to. I was never really into it myself and so I made minimal progress.

Focus and mastery in any area of life require time and curiosity.

So where do we start?

We start with structure.

When it comes to writing most people don’t just sit down and write.

It is not only easier to approach writing with a clear structure, the cognitive benefits increase when you plan your writing out.

Set aside 2Hours a day.

Planning an outline, creating a structure, writing the story and editing it multiple times enhances not only the quality of your writing but also the quality of your thinking and your understanding of the topic.

I have multiple projects running at the same time. That is just how my brain works. My appetite for a given topic can change and so this means there is always something I can get excited about to work on.

I work a 9-5 and so a large portion of my day is already taken care of. Instead of seeing this as a problem I have reframed this into a solution. My 9-5 is a key part of my creative process.

What? You ask. How is that possible?

This is how I make it work.

Set aside one hour before work and one hour after work.

Why is this important?

In the mornings I open loops, through exploring ideas and write down possible outcomes. I then have the whole work day for my mind to wrestle with ideas. It is unconsciously working on the loops that I opened in the morning.

The hour after work is a reflective session. Often I will have made progress throughout the day and I can finish a project. Or I use this time to make edits and refine details.

The important thing is that you have at least a rough plan mapped out with multiple topics to write about.

This looks something like this for me:

I use this process for 2Hour creator, my YT channel and Bridging the gap (my other newsletter)

3. 2Hours Is More Than You Think

Don’t take this to the letter. 2hours is a loose guide. There will be days where you won’t get anything done. Work or family life will take over. This is normal. Just don’t let this happen three times in a row.

Don’t forget. There will be days where you will have more time and work for 6 hours straight. The important thing that I want to get across is that regular practice is essential.

This doesn’t work just writing for a couple of hours on Sunday. It is best done as a daily practice.

You don’t have to publish everyday but the goal is to write, plan or structure something everyday.

You can’t force a tired mind to focus. And so much this comes down to energy management.

Eat well. Exercise regularly. Get a good nights sleep.

Most importantly, commit. If you are reading this, you have ambition, you want to achieve something and you have the ability to do it.

If you want to build something that increases your quality of life monetarily, mentally, or physically.

This is the starting point.

Commit to focus and everything else will follow on from there.

That’s it. Get planning and enjoy the rets of your day.

If this resonated with you consider sharing it with a friend.