How I improved my focus and reduced my anxiety. You won't believe it

“My ideas are sharper, I’m super focused, and I finish my tasks earlier” - Ben, 29

I could only work on the days I woke up inspired

I work at an agency. I do a lot of copywriting, content ideas, art direction and overall creative execution, so I’d consider myself a creative person.

Because of the nature of my work, I need to come up with fresh ideas every day, and that had become really hard.

I wasn’t just having fewer ideas. I was also struggling with the execution itself because, like I think most creative people, I was too scattered. My head was everywhere.

So I was only productive if I woke up inspired, and I depended completely on my motivation.

I knew this had to change, because I couldn’t keep waiting to feel motivated before doing what I had to do.

Part of the problem was my phone. I’d pick it up, and suddenly everything was harder. Writing a piece of content became almost impossible. I just couldn’t quiet my brain or train it to do the “boring” stuff.

And this was affecting both my work life and my personal life. I’d end up forcing myself to work late to catch up on everything, and I’d lose the hours of the day when I could have been enjoying myself.

To fix this, I tried meditation, but it just wasn’t for me, and I was starting to think this was just “normal.”

How was she knitting and still having the best ideas?

But one day, a coworker brought her knitting project to a brainstorming meeting. She sat there knitting the whole time and still came up with some really good ideas.

So, just making small talk, I asked her how she could knit and focus on the meeting at the same time.

Her answer shocked me:

“It’s the other way around. I knit so I can focus.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Knitting helps me keep my attention on the meeting. I’d say it helps me with ideas too.”

I was really amazed, and she kept going:

“You’ve never heard about how knitting trains your brain? It’s just like that. If you’re having trouble focusing, you should try it.”

I went back to my laptop and looked into it, and there’s actually research on this. Studies have found that repetitive crafts like knitting can help people feel calmer and more focused.

So this sounded like the solution for me.

But there was one thing I still had a lot of doubts about.

Isn’t knitting really hard?

The next day at the office, I went back to my coworker and asked her, “How did you learn to knit?”

She said, “Well, everything’s on YouTube now. Or you can just get a beginner knitting kit that comes with a video tutorial, and that’s it. And if you need any help, I can help you.”

Then she sent me the website where she bought her first kit.

They had beginner kits that come with everything you need to make the garment, plus step-by-step video tutorials from start to finish.

They also had videos for every single basic technique.

So I went ahead and bought a scarf kit. I didn’t even think about the final result. I just wanted to try knitting.

The brand is called Sierra Yarn, and 5 days later, the kit was at my door.

How long would it take me to learn?

I went to Sierra Yarn’s YouTube channel and watched every basic video, from the unboxing to my first stitches.

I’d say it took me about an hour to learn the basics. Maybe a little less, maybe a little more.

Knitting looks way harder than it actually is. It’s definitely not a walk in the park, but it’s fairly easy.

I wasn’t knitting at full speed like the people I’d seen online, but after a couple of hours, I’d say I was average.

So yeah, I got to debunk that belief I had in my head.

Start With a Beginner KitEverything included · a video for every step

Okay, but did it actually help me focus?

Every day, for at least 15 minutes, I’d knit, and ideas would just start coming to me. It was awesome.

Plus, after knitting for a bit, I’d be really focused, so it helped with everything else I had to do.

Now I finish my tasks earlier, and I’ve gotten my evenings back.

So knitting is part of my work routine now. And these days, I’m the one knitting through our brainstorms.

It’s also a hobby I can take anywhere: to a cafe, on a flight, to work or to the park.

People always ask me about it, too, which feels good.

So, where do you start?

I’m going to oversimplify this:

1. Pick a knitting kit by design, something you’ll actually want to wear, so you stay motivated. Just make sure it’s beginner-friendly and comes with video tutorials.
2. Make sure the yarn is good quality. Otherwise, you’ll end up fighting with it, and the whole idea of a relaxing hobby goes away.
3. Last but not least, get 100% natural fiber yarn, so you’re not wearing plastic.

Sierra Yarn has all 3 covered, and their designs are really stylish, so I’d just start there.

In my case, I finished the scarf and started a blanket for my living room. 10/10.

If you want to try it, here’s the scarf kit I started with: