Developing a Laser Focus
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Developing a Laser Focus
This course is part of The Productivity Playbook Specialization
Instructor: Madecraft
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What you'll learn
Identify the types of focus and how to deploy them effectively in work and daily life.
Recognize and reduce distractions, stress, and task-switching habits that undermine your focus.
Build focus habits using mental rehearsal, flow, grit, and environment design.
Skills you'll gain
- Meditation & Breathwork
- Tenacity
- Self-Awareness
- Mental Concentration
- Time Management
- Resilience
- Active Listening
- Persistence
- Cognitive flexibility
- Self-Discipline
- Habit Formation
- Stress Management
- Personal Development
- Overcoming Obstacles
- Goal-Oriented
- Mindfulness
- Productivity
- Performance Management
- Relationship Building
Details to know
May 2026
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There are 6 modules in this course
While everyone is familiar with the concept of focus, it remains a rare commodity to most. Your ability to focus is a key factor for improving your chances for success.
In this course, taught by performance coach Bill Williams, you'll be introduced to the different types of focus, and then you'll learn exactly what focus requires more broadly. You'll not only discover strategies to unlock your ability to focus, you'll also learn to overcome common environmental barriers, connect with yourself and others, and develop habits that sync your mind and body. By the end of this course, you'll have the tools required to stay on task and increase your awareness for personal and professional gain.
Most people treat focus as a fixed trait rather than a trainable skill. In this module, you'll discover what focus really is, why it matters across every area of your professional and personal life, and how different types apply to different situations β giving you a clear mental model you can begin putting to work immediately.
What's included
3 videos1 assignment
3 videosβ’Total 8 minutes
- Developing Your Laser Focusβ’1 minute
- What Is Focus?β’4 minutes
- Types of Focusβ’3 minutes
1 assignmentβ’Total 7 minutes
- What Focus Really Is β and Why It Matters for Youβ’7 minutes
Your ability to focus is shaped by when and where you work, and by the distraction patterns you may not even realize you have. In this module, you'll build practical strategies for taking control of your focus at work, identify the internal and external forces pulling your attention away, and leave with a concrete toolkit for reclaiming your focus immediately.
What's included
3 videos1 reading1 assignment
3 videosβ’Total 11 minutes
- Focus and Workβ’4 minutes
- Focus and Your Environmentβ’3 minutes
- Know Your Distraction Patternsβ’4 minutes
1 readingβ’Total 10 minutes
- Deliberately Designing Your Workspace Can Improve Your Focusβ’10 minutes
1 assignmentβ’Total 8 minutes
- Taking Control: Focus at Work and in Your Environmentβ’8 minutes
Even when you want to focus, something always seems to get in the way β and it isn't a personal failing. In this module, you'll examine the biological, psychological, and technological forces that make focus genuinely difficult and gain evidence-based strategies to work with your mind rather than against it.
What's included
5 videos3 readings1 assignment
5 videosβ’Total 20 minutes
- Why is it Hard to Focus?β’3 minutes
- Devices and Distractionβ’5 minutes
- Focus and Stressβ’5 minutes
- Task Switching, Not Multitaskingβ’3 minutes
- Thinking Slowβ’5 minutes
3 readingsβ’Total 30 minutes
- Your Phone Is Engineered to Compete With Your Focus β Here's How to Fight Backβ’10 minutes
- Stress Isn't Always the Enemy β How to Find Your Performance Sweet Spotβ’10 minutes
- Why Slow Thinking Is the Secret Engine Behind High Performanceβ’10 minutes
1 assignmentβ’Total 10 minutes
- Why Focus Is Hard β and What You Can Do About Itβ’10 minutes
Your ability to focus shapes the quality of your goals, your performance, your relationships, and your most productive states. In this module, you'll apply your focus skills across four high-impact areas: building grit, preparing for performance, deepening connection with others, and entering flow.
What's included
4 videos2 readings1 assignment
4 videosβ’Total 15 minutes
- Focus and Gritβ’4 minutes
- Focus and Preparation for Performanceβ’3 minutes
- Focus and Connection to Othersβ’3 minutes
- Focus and Flowβ’4 minutes
2 readingsβ’Total 20 minutes
- Mental Rehearsal: The Practice Your Brain Can't Tell From the Real Thingβ’10 minutes
- Flow Isn't Just Luck β How to Create the Conditions for Itβ’10 minutes
1 assignmentβ’Total 10 minutes
- Grit, Performance, Connection, and Flow: Putting Focus to Workβ’10 minutes
Knowing about focus and actually living it are two completely different things. In this module, you'll develop a mental rehearsal routine, harness the mind-body connection for sharper focus, and redesign your home and work environments so sustained attention becomes your default, not your exception.
What's included
4 videos2 readings1 assignment
4 videosβ’Total 15 minutes
- Mental Rehearsal and Focusβ’5 minutes
- Focus and the Mind/Body Loopβ’3 minutes
- Creating a Home Focus Environmentβ’4 minutes
- Creating a Work Focus Environmentβ’4 minutes
2 readingsβ’Total 20 minutes
- How Your Breath Controls Your Brain β and What to Do About Itβ’10 minutes
- Stop Relying on Willpower β Design Your Workday to Focus for Youβ’10 minutes
1 assignmentβ’Total 10 minutes
- Building the Habits That Make Focus Stickβ’10 minutes
Real focus isn't a destination you arrive at; it's a practice you return to every day. In this module, you'll consolidate your key takeaways, commit to the habits you've built throughout the course, and map a concrete, personalized path forward so everything you've worked toward becomes a sustainable daily practice.
What's included
1 video1 assignment
1 videoβ’Total 1 minute
- Your Path Forwardβ’1 minute
1 assignmentβ’Total 25 minutes
- Developing a Laser Focus: A Full-Course Assessmentβ’25 minutes
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Arizona State University
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- Status: Free TrialU
University of Colorado Boulder
Specialization
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