Why Focus Feels Like a Battle (And Why That’s a Good Thing)

The Science of Initial Agitation

Picture this: You sit down to work. You tell yourself you’ll focus. But within seconds, your brain is screaming, Check your phone! Grab a snack! This is too hard! Let’s scroll instead!

Sound familiar?

Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman explains that this agitation isn’t a sign that something’s wrong—it’s actually your brain working as expected. The circuits that turn on first when we try to focus are the stress circuits. That initial wave of discomfort, the inability to concentrate, the restless urge to escape? That’s just the gate you have to pass through.

Instead of seeing agitation as a barrier to focus, Huberman reframes it as a necessary part of the process. You don’t need to feel calm to begin—you need to begin to feel calm.

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The Myth of “Feeling Good” First

There’s a toxic myth floating around: You have to feel motivated, energized, and excited before you can be productive.

Wrong.

Huberman debunks this, explaining that waiting to feel good before taking action is a trap. If you believe focus should feel effortless from the start, you’ll give up the second you hit resistance. And guess what? That resistance always shows up.

You don’t need motivation to start. You need to start to feel motivated.

This idea challenges the common obsession with productivity hacks that focus on how to feel good before working—as if mood is a prerequisite. But the truth is, mood is a byproduct of action.

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Mood Follows Action - The Power of Just Starting

Motivation doesn’t strike before action. It follows action.

Ever forced yourself to exercise when you really didn’t want to? The first few minutes feel awful, but by the time you’re halfway through, you feel great.

That’s because your brain rewards action. When you push through the initial discomfort, your brain releases dopamine—the chemical that makes you feel good and want to keep going.

So instead of asking yourself, Do I feel like doing this? try telling yourself, Forget how you feel right now. Just start.

The good feelings will come after.

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The “Sewage to Clear Water” Metaphor

If you’re standing on the edge of a murky swamp, you wouldn’t expect to wade in and instantly find clear water, right? You’d have to trudge through the filthy part first.

Huberman compares focus to this process:

“There’s a gate of entry. You have to wade through some sewage before you can swim in clear water.”

At the start, focus is hard, uncomfortable, and messy. But if you push through, you’ll break through to clarity.

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Practical Tips to Beat the Agitation Phase

So how do you push past this initial resistance? Here are five battle-tested strategies to help:

1. Label the Agitation as Normal

• Instead of seeing it as a problem, recognize it as a phase.
• Tell yourself: This is the focus gate. If I push through, it will get easier.

2. Use a Timer Trick (The 5-Minute Rule)

• Set a timer for five minutes.
• Promise yourself you can quit after that.
• 99% of the time, you’ll keep going once you start.

3. Externalize the Resistance

• Talk to yourself like a coach: Alright brain, I see you resisting. That means I’m on the right track.
• Turning resistance into an external obstacle makes it easier to overcome.

4. Reduce Friction (One Small Step)

• If writing a report feels overwhelming, just open the document.
• If exercising feels impossible, just put on your shoes.
• The first step removes the mental friction of starting.

5. Repeat the Mantras

• “Accept the initial agitation.”
• “Forget how you feel right now.”
• “Mood follows action.”

Drill these into your mind. Use them when you feel resistance creeping in.

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Final Thoughts- Embracing Discomfort as a Productivity Tool

What if, instead of fighting the discomfort, you welcomed it?

What if, instead of seeing agitation as a reason to stop, you saw it as a sign to keep going?

The greatest breakthroughs don’t happen when you feel comfortable. They happen when you push through resistance and prove to yourself that you can do hard things.

So the next time you sit down to work and feel like running away, remember:

That’s just the sewage. Keep walking. Clear water is waiting.