“I feel 100 times better after using Focusable,” says El Higus, an K-6 Instructional Coach in Morton, Illinois. “Even if I don’t complete the task, I feel better. I walk away with a direction – having done my work in tiny, manageable pieces of time. The process is enjoyable.”
El is one of many Focusable users who finds the tool to be a helpful addition to her daily workflow. She describes herself as someone who often needs an anchor to start things that she’s dreading. “When I know that I’m going to need a huge chunk of time, I really love that it helps me get started, devote the time, and then actually get into flow.” At the end of the school day, she often doesn’t get dedicated time alone until after 9pm – a perfect time to reflect on a busy day. “It’s helpful for me to streamline all the patterns of thought at the end of the day – streamline them into something that could be helpful for multiple people.” This kind of thinking takes time, and Focusable helps El make sure that her attention is where it needs to be. “I’ve benefited so much from this.”
“Focusable holds me accountable for my work and helps me ignore the distractions of the world around me,” El says. “I love the reflection recordings because I’m able to notice trends and patterns in my own thought process and behavior.” When she introduces Focusable to teachers in her district, she hopes they will see the benefits to introducing students to this mind of meta-awareness.
“If you’re going to use Focusable with students, I recommend being transparent.” She believes that students at any age level can achieve success with progressing their focus when they reasoning behind productive struggle is well-taught and explained. “Focus is a struggle that everyone deals with, and students should know they’re not alone in that struggle.”
