# Focus Mode is a new feature that could raise your IQ

> Focus Mode allows you to see one task at a time, without feeling tempted or overwhelmed by all the other tasks in your center pane.

Source: https://asana.com/inside-asana/focus-mode-is-a-new-feature-that-could-raise-your-iq

## Focus Mode is a new feature that could raise your IQ

Every morning, I wake up, and look at all my tasks. I pick out the ones that are most important, and mark those for Today. Then I look at the first Today task, start it, work on it until it’s done, and then proceed to the next task. I do this for each task in my Today list, until they’re all complete. Then I go home satisfied with a job well done.

**I wish**. Despite years of studying productivity and even meditating daily, I — like most everyone I know — struggle hard to stay focused. “Multitasking” is really just interrupting yourself in the middle of one thing to do another. “Context switching” is very expensive for humans: not only does it make things take longer, but constant distraction effectively [lowers IQ](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4471607.stm) and makes you perform worse even on those tasks that you do accomplish.

Both research and common sense demonstrate that **single-tasking** is optimal for productivity. On those occasions when I find it, I feel great: productive, effective, [in flow](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)).

At Asana, we’re obsessed with flow, and how technology can help achieve it. So for hackathon, Rachel and I decided to build **Focus Mode**. Focus Mode allows you to see one task at a time, without feeling tempted or overwhelmed by all the other tasks in your center pane. We’ve been using it internally for a few weeks now, and it’s done wonders for helping us get more work done, one step at a time.

## How it works

Select the task you want to focus on. Then, select “Focus Mode” from the dropdown menu in the upper right corner of the task details pane. Or, hold down Tab and press X.

The task becomes the center of attention. Everything else fades away. To get back, click anywhere on the background, or press Escape.

Hope you enjoy this small addition as much as we have!

## More tricks for focusing
- Close other windows and browser tabs, unless they are essential to the task at hand.
- Close chat.
- Set your phone to “[Do Not Disturb](http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5463)” (for iPhone) or Airplane Mode.
- Try putting on headphones, but without music. I find this helps me block out the rest of the world, and also hints to other people not to interrupt me.
- Take a deep breath and imagine yourself doing the task. What’s the very first action you’re going to perform?
- If you find yourself spending more than 15 minutes on a single task without getting anywhere, take a quick break and try again for 15 minutes.
- Still not feeling inspired? Try Focus Mode on [another task](http://www.structuredprocrastination.com/).

- [Asana 2026년 봄 업그레이드: 팀 전체와 협력하는 AI를 사용하여 더 많은 일을 더 빠르게 처리하세요](/ko/inside-asana/spring-release-2026)

제품

#### 콘텐츠 작가

봄 업그레이드가 출시되었습니다. 이번 업그레이드는 현재 모든 리더십 팀이 겪고 있는 문제를 중심으로 개발되었습니다. 대부분의 팀이 이미 AI를 사용하고 있지만, 조직의 생산성은 그에 따라 향상되지 않고 있습니다. 개인의 작업 속도를 높여주는 AI 도구는 워크플로, 특히 비즈니스를 실제로 운영하는 교차 기능 업무의 속도를 ...

- [Asana + Amazon Q Business 통합으로 통합된 타사 앱 데이터로 AI 워크플로 강화](/ko/inside-asana/asana-and-amazon-q)

제품

#### 콘텐츠 작가

Employees waste valuable time jumping between applications to find information and context needed to move work forward. Meanwhile, AI systems can't deliver reliable outputs becaus ...

- [What’s New in Asana: August 2022 Edition](/ko/inside-asana/whats-new-focus)

제품

At Asana, we’re big on helping organizations cut back on busywork and increase efficiency. This month, we’re proud to introduce a set of new features designed to help teams take b ...

- [Drive employee impact: New tools to empower resilient leadership](/ko/inside-asana/impact)

제품

새로운 업무의 시대를 맞이하여 리더는 팀에 명확성, 조율 능력, 집중할 수 있는 환경을 제공할 수 있게 되었습니다. 오늘 Asana는 이것을 가능하게 해줄 새롭게 개선된 툴 모음을 자신 있게 선보입니다. 2022년 업무 집중 탐구 인덱스에 따르면, 근로자들은 근무 시간의 58%를 일을 위한 일에 할애하고 있으며, 그 중 ...

- [Focus Mode is a new feature that could raise your IQ](/ko/inside-asana/focus-mode-is-a-new-feature-that-could-raise-your-iq)

제품

Every morning, I wake up, and look at all my tasks. I pick out the ones that are most important, and mark those for Today. Then I look at the first Today task, start it, work on i ...

- [제품](/inside-asana/product)