Day 115 – Focus is Earned

I am learning a few things about focus. I really like it when I am focused. However, when I am not focused it is hard to imagine how to actually get there. I have actually written on my 365 list a few times – “get focused!!”

So how does one go about getting focused? I have learned one thing that I think is important to consider. Focus is not something that just happens – it is something you have to earn. I am probably a bit of an expert on this. If you consider an expert someone that has spend at least 40,000 hours working on a concept – then I qualify!

I have had some people tell me from time to time how they I admire how focused I can be. I always laugh when I hear this compliment, because on the inside I know the truth. I am probably just as unfocused as anyone else, and perhaps even worse. I think the difference, if there is one, is that I have actually spent time trying to earn my ability to focus. Yes, focus is earned.

You earn focus by forcing yourself to remove distractions. This is not easy, but you have to eliminate things that are distracting you from your ability to focus. This is a hard first step, but once you do so it will become the easy step. That may not make sense – but it is true. It is really hard to look at yourself in the mirror and admit the things that are distracting you from focus. Once you do, you can then remove those distractions. That will seem difficult. However, once the distractions are gone – you will be pleased with the result.

However, after you are done with that part – you will realize that was easy. The second step is brutal. Now you do not have distractions to use as an excuse anymore. The only thing left to blame is yourself. The cold hard reality is that you will not have much mental discipline and your ability to focus will be very limited. You are going to have to start inventing ways to get yourself in the “zone” of focus.

This is going to sound crazy, but one way I have accomplished this is to take long walks and talk to myself as I do so. I actually pretend I am talking to an imaginary person(s) when I am doing this. However, I have noticed that as I walk around (physical activity) and I talk through an issue I start to formulate a thread of thought that becomes clear and I can then easily focus on completing the missing pieces. So yes, I am that crazy guy that walks down the street talking to himself. I wear head phones now so it appears as if I am having a phone conversation – when really I am just crazy.

Taking a walk and talking to an imaginary person might be one way, another is to story board your thoughts. I use a mind chart. I write down random thoughts on a piece of paper and then start to connect them. I start to see a pattern and then I focus on that pattern until a path starts to emerge. I get excited about this and then focus starts to kick in and the restless thoughts on other things start to drift away. Ok, now I sound like John Forbes Nash, that crazy mathematician. However, it is true – drawing pictures is a great way to focus. A tool I highly recommend.

I have other methods, but I also am short on time today – because I need to focus on something! There are other things that you have to do to earn focus, such as getting enough sleep (which is hard for me). I think the most important point to make here is that in order to gain focus you actually have to do something different to earn it. You cannot just sit at your desk and lament – I have no focus!

Guy Reams (115)
365 Member

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