People often say, “Focus is about saying No.”

But experience tells us it is hard to say “no” to things we want to do.

And every “no” that you muster chips away at your limited supply of willpower.

So, how can we make focus practical?

That is, what does it mean to arrange for practical focus?

Replace “no” with “not now.”

How?

Many people have spoken and written about “time blocking.”

The essence of “time blocking” is not to say “no,” but rather to adapt the phrase “not now.”

• Yes, you can watch a movie. But not now.
• Yes, you can kill time on YouTube. But not now.
• Yes, you can respond to chat/email. But not now.
• Yes, you can worry about 1000 things not going the way you want. But not now.

See how simple it is?

You don’t have to outright reject a low-value activity.

You just have to delay it.

And many times, if you succeed in delaying it, you’ll also succeed in rejecting it.

In more positive terms, time blocking means the following:

• A duration (4 hours of time, starting now)
• The most important thing that deserves your focus
• A defensive fortification mantra called “not now” directed at every distraction