I work with superheroes for a living and what they all have in common is a very particular superpower. The kids I get to coach…usually through their parents... all have the superpower of an ability to focus. I mean really focus without distraction. For some, it’s a few minutes at a time, for others it’s much longer, but they are all growing their superpower every single day, getting more and more powerful.
Why is focus important? As many of you know, I’m a big fan of developing a practice of deep work. What I mean by that is devoting a portion of the day to limiting distraction so intense focus and big learning gains are possible. If our kids can focus, they can learn anything and if they can learn anything, they can do anything. We need deep work to master hard things and produce a high level of excellence in those things that are important to us. If we develop this practice early on, I believe it will become part of our children’s identity and something they can access powerfully at any point in their lives. By aligning the behavior of focusing with a child’s identity…a daily practice of focusing is just what we do…we make a choice about who we believe we are. Focused will shift from something children do, to a quality that describes who they are. An ability to focus is a rare and valuable skill in our highly-distractable world.
Antonio came to discuss his newfound superpower. I reminded him that it was his most important job. Antonio decided he would start with 5 minutes to see how it went. If he found it easy, he would bump it up a few minutes. With practice he would be able to focus more and more and then he could learn anything he wanted, that would make him unstoppable. Ultimately, Antionio’s goal would be 20-25 minutes, but better to focus fully for 3 than half-way for 15.
I explained how to use his visual clock his mom had gotten him and that when it went off he could take a 5-15 minute break to do something completely different. Throughout his morning, he would string together a series or pattern of superpower/break/superpower/break. He didn’t have to sit in his chair for hours on end. He only needed to fully focus for the amount of time he decided upon. I asked Antonio if he was going to wear his cape during superhero training. “Of course,” he said.
This pattern I just mentioned comes from neuroscientists who have discovered that the brain works in different modes. When in focus mode, your child is consciously thinking, paying attention, concentrating or listening closely. Active, focused learning can feel like a struggle, challenging and stressful. There is great effort involved, but it is the learner’s superpower. Depending on what your child is doing, different parts of the brain are used to see the details of what is focused upon. Generally, cognitive focus follows visual focus. Children can focus effectively for different amounts of time, depending on age, individual biology and environmental factors. The pomodoro technique is one way to bring structure and practice to the type of focus work that we are calling deep work.
The Pomodoro Technique
The pomodoro technique is named after the word for tomato in Italian, because the timer the originator, Francesco Cirillo, used was shaped like a tomato.
Here’s how it works…
- Eliminate all foreseeable distractions. This means phones, music, siblings, video games, etc., are shut off and the space is as quiet as it can be.
- Encourage your child to center himself, perhaps closing the eyes and paying attention to his breathing for a few moments then, open the eyes and direct focus towards the task.
- Set a timer for 5 minutes, 10, 25 or whatever the amount of time that your child is able to deeply focus.
- Focus on the task (i.e. one clear goal, not many at once) chosen for the time allotted.
- When the timer goes off, reflect upon what was accomplished and any obstacles that came up and make a plan for the next pomodoro goal.
- Take a satisfying brain break for 5-15 minutes in diffuse mode (which we are going to talk about next.)
That’s it. Your child doesn’t need to worry about completing an assignment. She just needs to focus for the time decided upon. String several pomodoros together to accomplish deep work on a particular skill or project. The ritual of starting a pomodoro signifies a transition into the focused space. If your child wants to keep going when the timer dings, that’s okay, just make sure to get that break in there when ready. Too much focus time can degrade learning and lead to burnout.
Diffuse mode (what I call Brain Breaks) is when your brain is relaxed and often free to be creative, a period of subconscious mental processing, drawing awareness from the nonconscious mind. Kids who are daydreaming or using their imagination, are in diffuse mode, often seeing the big picture. Your brain is still involved, but it has consciously let go of the task you were focused upon. Throughout the learning day, you might string together times of focus (i.e. pomodoro method) and times of relaxed, brain breaks, metaphorically breathing in and out throughout the day—a balance of effort and relaxation. Learning happens as the two modes shift between each other.
Some kids have an easier time staying in one mode or the other. For those that lean towards the diffuse, more active forms of learning may help focus.
When learning is super challenging, writer and researcher Barbara Oakley suggests a method of alternating between focus and diffuse modes to help structure a blend of challenging and easier tasks. If your child starts on the most challenging problems first and works for about a minute or two, feeling really stuck, she can then switch to complete some of the easier problems to give her brain a break, then return to the more challenging problem with renewed connection to the more difficult task.
Focusing on a single task with consistent, just-in-time feedback is a superpower in this world and I believe we need to frame it as such for our kids. If you would like to take on this practice, create a space of reverence around it. Believe it is their superpower in life, because really it is. First of all, children need to understand WHY an ability to focus is important, and then have buy-in for the practice.
Once there’s value established, decide on a consistent time of day for the practice, clear the learning space of noise and distractions (aka learning's kryptonite) and string together a few pomodoros. A rhythm to the day can help create a container for superpower time. We want superpower time to be something that kids look forward to each day because they are in control, they have choice and they are building competence, working on learning that is meaningful and relevant to them. To enhance the space, you might add special pens or paper, a nurturing scent in a diffuser or candle, a cup of tea or other special drink, etc. It’s a magical, revered time and place where big learning happens.
When it was superpower time, Jake told his mom that he had to go put on his thinking cap first. He walked to his closet, got out his beanie and put it on before sitting down to focus on the day’s goals. His mom reported that it worked beautifully to transition Jake from play time to focus time. Many children don a cape, a special headpiece or even a beanie that’s known as the thinking cap. Kids view their superpower as something that gives them power and something they can build. Creating a ritual experience around superpower time, not only develops ownership, but it can help reinforce a child's identity and influence future similar actions.
Depending on the learning, a tech-free space is often best. In those cases, as mentioned before, I often suggest getting some type of visual timer so that kids can monitor their own focus. Leave the amount of focused time, completely up to the child. It’s their superpower after all. Some kids begin with 30 seconds, others 5 minutes, others 10 or 20. It just depends on what they feel is their sweet spot. They build that superpower at their own speed and different subject areas or activities might have different levels of focus. The quality of the focus is much more important than the quantity. The number doesn’t matter, no one need know the number, but the quality of the time is apparent because those are the moments when skills and knowledge skyrocket.
Consistency is everything. Make daily time for it, often early in the day, even if it’s for only a short period of time. Superpowers need time and attention to build and strengthen. Children usually feel very proud of their superpowers. Honor those feelings with respect and encouragement. Soon your child will be flying and leaping tall buildings with a single bound.
When children notice that they are thinking about something else in superpower time, encourage them to simply bring the mind back to the focus. It’s okay. A kid doesn’t need to start the timer over, but instead just notice and carry on. Similar to meditation or a mindfulness practice, this is about raising awareness and staying present. So, when a thousand thoughts are stampeding through your child’s brain, notice the thoughts, and shift back to the focus. If thoughts are pesky, maybe place each on a mental toy boat and float them down an imaginary stream to disappear. Then, back to the focus. What’s most important is not that your child makes it through the random minutes chosen, but what’s most important is the self-awareness about what the mind and body are doing. That awareness can then be used to help kids self-regulate all kinds of thoughts, feelings and emotions in life.
Kids love superpowers and most are thrilled to know that they have it in them to develop a power of their own. They are in control, it is theirs, and the autonomy of scheduling is freeing to many children. They know exactly what they need to do. Focus. That’s it. It doesn’t matter if they finish the page, the activity, the project, etc. They just need to focus fully and find the sweet spot of time that they can start with and build upon.
If you would like to learn more about how your child learns and equip your child with the skills to learn optimally throughout life, come join us in Boldschoolers where we are doing education differently.
Here’s a quote from my favorite legendary psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.
“Out of all of life’s pleasures, the most enduring and impactful has been our ability to turn off the brain’s incessant chatter, and instead focus on the task-at-hand so completely that it swallows us whole.”
Leave me a comment: How might you fit focus time into your daily rhythm?
