Ask HN: How do I develop focus?

The main thing is getting into the groove of whatever it is. That does mean grinding it out at the start. Tackle a portion every single day, rain or shine. Doesn't even have to be a lot everyday, could even be some notes. I find after a little bit it turns into a natural schedule, requiring less push to get started. My wife is also kind enough to understand that I do need to get into a rhythm, and will sometimes nudge me to do a little bit each day. Don't push beyond what you feel like everyday though, you don't want to resent your work. You want to find a happy medium where you enjoy it but still progress.

Sometimes that streak either gets broke, or the natural inclination waning, and then I need to push myself again. There will probably be a waxing and waning to it, and that's perfectly fine. Some days you won't feel like it, but consistency is important (exceptions apply of course just try to make those minimal and not an excuse).

Getting that singular focus with so much competition between ideas is harder for me. I'm currently learning a new programming language, and I had several that I considered. I tried to break them into the main things I wanted, what would help my career, what would expand my programming knowledge in general, and what would I actually enjoy (harder to know before hand but I hand some idea). If it's really that much of a tossup though, then just do that, toss a coin. Sometimes leaving it to chance is just easier to break the stalemate and get you started.

I'm going to dig back in tonight with a fresher outlook, will look at that Sher book too.

Which is not wrong. The path of behavior change is unique, as each individual has their own unique cognitive architecture, history of experiences, expectations, habits, etc. Changing behaviors toward goals is hard. There are common threads across people, of course, and every technique has been utilized millions of times across millions (billions) of people. But your journey is yours alone.

What I hear just in the snippet above is someone who is dissatisfied with themselves, and has a solution hypothesis- "focus"- but that may or may not be the real solution or path to satisfaction.

All of life is a process of getting to know oneself better, and coming to understand the circumstances in which one succeeds and is happy, and understanding what one has to continually forgive oneself for, because everyone is flawed and fails most of the time.

I would encourage trying to spend more time in the "problem domain"- analyzing the dissatisfaction- and with the phrase "kill your darlings"- as so much of what we sometimes see as having potential turns out on reflection to be wishful thinking.

Good luck and best wishes.