You might be used to hiding out in your room, trying to memorize vast quantities of information for hours on end. Or maybe you often find yourself staring at a blinking cursor at 10 p.m., unsure of where to begin an essay that you’ve technically been trying to write all day. Though it may seem like working more equals getting more done, prolonged work sessions don’t actually lead to more productivity—just work overload. Your brain can only focus for 90–120 minutes at a time, which is why shorter work sprints of that length can do wonders for your attention span and output.
Break your work into blocks of time (if 90 minutes seems too long, 30–60 minute stretches will also work), and then focus on doing one thing during each block. Read the next two chapters of your book, make twenty-five flash cards, write two pages of your research paper, etc. Set a timer for each block as well, and turn off all distractions: close your email, put your phone on airplane mode, quit playing a TV show in the background. Work until the 90 (or 30–60) minutes are up, take a break, and come back for the next “sprint” feeling refreshed.