🏃‍♂️ Focus Like an Athlete

How to use the athlete formula to get more done without burning out — in 5 minutes.

Author

Flocus
February 02, 2025

Hey there! Welcome back to The Flow by Flocus. If you’re new around here, welcome! 👋  You can catch up on our previous editions right here.

This week: We’re applying sports and exercise principles to productivity — why the human brain is like a muscle, plus how to “work out” your brain properly so you can unlock athlete-level focus. Let’s dig in!

🏃‍♂️ Stress + Recovery = Growth

“Training” your brain, doing mental “exercises”, achieving peak mental “performance” — there’s surprisingly a lot of sports talk in the productivity world.

While your brain isn’t technically a muscle (it’s actually an organ), it does require regular “workouts” to stay healthy and sharp.

And since your brain uses roughly 20% of your body’s daily energy reserves, it’s worth including in your wellness routines!

Of course, you can’t grow your mental (or physical) muscles by “lifting” the same exact amount of “weight” every day.

Just like your physical workouts need to increase gradually in difficulty to stay effective, your brain needs a variety of challenges to keep growing and evolving.

But you also can’t push yourself to the absolute max every single day. Athletes know that training at 100% intensity every day without adequate breaks will only do more harm than good.

That’s why they push hard in short bursts, followed by longer periods of rest. (We’re talking up to 2 days for a really intense hour-long workout!)

Sounds like a useful framework for productivity, too, right? Let’s take a look at how you can apply it to your own life, plus 5 cognitive conditioning tips you’ll want to save!

🏋️‍♂️ How to Focus Like an Athlete: 5 Steps

🏃‍♂️ Follow the Stress + Recovery formula

No matter what you’re working on, try alternating between deep work (stress) and active rest (recovery).

In this case, “recovery” can mean low-impact tasks and stimulating activities — think walking, hobbies, socializing, etc.

Recovery is non-negotiable, both for physical and mental athletes. So be sure to schedule it, just like you would a meeting or event.

You should also know when to start cooling down from stress into recovery mode. Just like overtraining your body can lead to injury, overworking your brain can also lead to burnout and poor performance.

🏁 Play the long game

Try to think in seasons, not days or weeks.

Very few athletes compete or train all year round. (And even those who do still need recovery time.)

Some seasons are intense, while others are slower. Both are vital, and both are part of the process. So get comfortable with the idea of pacing yourself when you need to.

And remember, progress always beats perfection. Stay on the lookout for the tiny wins and improvements. They all add up to massive gains over time!

🏋️‍♂️ Treat your focus session like workouts

You wouldn’t jump into a physical workout without warming up first, so use the same approach for your focus and deep work sessions.

Start with something small and quick to ease in. Checking your emails and messages might seem like a natural starting point, but be sure to guard your time carefully, or 5 minutes will turn into an hour!

Speaking of boundaries, it’s also a good idea to limit distractions. (App blockers and timers are great for this.)

And when you’re finished, you should also cool down a bit before moving on to the next thing.

⛽️ Fuel your performance

Proper nutrition, sleep, and all-round wellness are essential for both physical and mental athletes.

To keep your brain in ship shape, follow best wellness practices daily, like:

  • 💧 Keeping water near your workstation at all times for mindless sipping

  • 🥗 Balancing your blood sugar with foods that are high in protein, complex carbs, and fiber

  • 😴 Ensuring you’re getting enough quality sleep

  • 🙆‍♀️ Taking good care of your SHEB (shoulders, head, eyes, and back) by stretching and moving regularly

⤴️ Know when to pivot

Roadblocks are inevitable, even for the world’s top athletes. That’s why it’s important to know how to adapt in real time.

Check in with yourself regularly. If your workspace or routines aren’t working for you, don’t be afraid to explore further, switch things up, or try something new. After all, you don’t know what you don’t know!

And try not to be afraid of setbacks. What might feel like a loss today might actually be clearing your path for a better opportunity tomorrow.

🪅 Flocus Picks

A curated list of things worth sharing.

✨ Flocus: Your Personal Productivity Dashboard

Want to stay consistent, push through challenges, and make real progress? Flocus helps you stay intentional with your time so you can focus on what matters most.

With a customizable focus timer, priority-based task list, and immersive ambient worlds, get more done in less time — while keeping it fun!

Real quick: Want to stay ahead of the curve but don’t want it to take over your day?

Whether you want to apply learnings to your work, school, or personal life, The AI Report is a quick, trusted 5-minute read to stay up to date without getting overwhelmed. More from them here 👇️

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🗳️ POLL: How are you feeling about training your focus like an athlete?

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Now that you’re armed with some tips for top physical and mental performance, all that’s left to do is get out there and start flexing your mental muscles!

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Until next Sunday,

Flocus Team