On learning - Focused and diffused thinking

If you’re like me, you often find yourself stuck on difficult problems. After hours of staring at a code editor or trying to understand a new programming concept, you feel like you’ve hit a brick wall. You give up for the day, feeling defeated.

Fast forward to the next morning. You’re in the shower and it hits you: you know exactly how to solve that tricky problem. You hadn’t really been thinking about it, but suddenly a solution came to you.

These breakthroughs feel amazing! Whether you’re working on a hard problem or are stuck trying to understand a challenging new concept, you can leverage your brain’s natural processes to have more mental breakthroughs.

Let’s dig into why this happens.

Focused and diffuse modes

Your brain has two distinct modes of thinking: focused and diffuse. Barbara Oakley, an engineering professor at Oakland University, explains more about this concept in her book A Mind For Numbers, including its connection to learning. Each mode is essential for tackling difficult tasks like learning new concepts or skills.

Focused mode is for when you’re deliberately focusing on a problem or task. It requires concentration and removing distractions. It’s great for getting things done.

Diffuse mode is a relaxed mental state where your subconscious mind is free to play a larger role in what you’re doing. Your mind is free to wander or daydream. You’re likely in diffuse mode when going for a walk, in the shower, or falling asleep.

Dr. Oakley explains why we need both mental modes using evolutionary biology. Focused mode is great for performing specific tasks like finding food. Diffuse mode is essential for scanning the area for threats. She explains: “A bird, for example, needs to focus carefully so it can pick up tiny pieces of grain as it pecks the ground for food, and at the same time, it must scan the horizon for predators such as hawks…. If you watch birds, they’ll first peck, and then pause to scan the horizon—almost as if they are alternating between focused and diffuse modes.”

How this relates to learning

Studies show that distributing learning over time is one of the most effective study techniques. Although cramming gives the illusion of learning, true depth and understanding comes from distributed practice - studying 30 minutes a daily rather than 4 hours in one night. Spaced repetition systems are one example of distributed practice and are frequently used to effectively learn languages.

This is precisely because when you distribute your learning and study time, you’re allowing yourself to go into focused and diffuse modes. While studying, you’re in focused mode. When resting between learning sessions, you’re in diffuse mode and your subconscious brain is able to make new connections between what you’re learning, as well as strengthen neural connections (this especially relates to sleep).

In the same way that you can’t go to the gym and lift weights for 12 hours expecting to gain 20 pounds of muscle, you can’t study 8 hours a day one time and expect to master something. You need time and rest between effort to grow - you need to spend time in focused and diffuse modes.

Or think of building a brick wall. To build a wall, you need to lay bricks, apply mortar, AND wait for the mortar to dry. If the mortar doesn’t set and you build too quickly, the structure won’t retain its form. The same applies to learning. You need to spend time in focused mode (laying bricks and mortar) AND time in diffuse mode (letting the wall dry and strengthen).

Techniques for focused mode

When you’re in focused mode, it’s all about getting stuff done. A lot has already been said about this, so I’ll just point out one key technique: the Pomodoro technique.

The Pomodoro technique is highly effective at helping spend productive time in focused mode. By working in short chunks, you’ll feel less likely to procrastinate. Focusing for 25 minutes is also much more sustainable. An added bonus is that short breaks in each pomodoro allow you to get into diffuse mode frequently.

Techniques for diffuse mode

Performing physically engaging, but mentally freeing tasks helps get into diffuse mode. Your mind is free to wander and make new connections between concepts you’re learning or problems you’re tackling. Some ideas to do that include:

1. Exercise, especially walking
2. Play
3. Sleep

In a culture that values productivity above all else, it might feel weird or stressful to take a break and go for a walk, but the science shows that taking breaks to play and explore is essential for getting great work done. Try to resist the pressure that you’re being lazy or not getting enough done because that simply isn’t true.

The multithreaded brain

Your brain is multithreaded and it’s a mistake to focus too much on the main thread. If you overload it, you might be missing out on all the great things those background processes are able to accomplish.

Learn more

This post barely scratches the surface of our brain’s mental modes, the neuroscience behind that, and how you can use those modes to improve how you learn. You can learn more about these concepts with the resources below. I’ll also be expanding on these topics in future posts.

• Learning how to learn course. Week 1 of the course is the basis for this article. Check out the course if you want to learn more.
• Generating new ideas. This article touches a lot on the concept of focused and diffuse modes of thinking and how it relates to creativity and generating new ideas. It includes a lot of great stories about scientists and other great minds coming up with great ideas doing things like daydreaming, walking, and traveling.
• Focused and Diffuse: Two Modes of Thinking by Farnam Street. This article explains more of Dr. Oakley’s work and gives some great examples of using each mode.