The whole of life experience is the process of setting and achieving goals.
You can’t even get out of bed in the morning without setting a goal to get out.
If you intend to achieve your own level of ultimate performance and focused flow, you must be completely immersed in the task at hand.
We live in a culture of deep distraction. Focus is replaced by folly
For most, focus is so lacking that they can’t keep their mind on a point for a minute much less an hour.
Research proves that in today’s world we have the attention span of a goldfish. Get focused!
This is not just my idea, this is proven. Current research tells us the average individual spends 2.14 hours per day in distraction. Things like:
- Interruptions
- Text messages
- Emails
- Facebook feeds and social media
- Fantasy and daydreams
- Phone calls
- Searching the internet
- Idle chit chat.
I’m sure there’s more.
Is it any wonder that most never come close to their own greatness?
You can be a light bulb or a laser beam.
A light bulb lacking focus lights up a large area.
But the focus of a laser cuts through steel.
It actually gets worse.
Further research shows that every single time we get distracted it takes an average of 20 minutes to get back into focused flow.
Twenty minutes!
Now let’s just imagine for a moment that 2 hours and 15 minutes per day of distraction consists of 5 minutes per distraction.
- Five minutes per distraction.
- Twenty minutes to get back to laser focus.
Simple math tells us that’s twenty-five minutes total right?
Now with only two similar distractions per hour that totals 50 minutes in distraction!
You see where this is going?
One more statistic. The average individual currently picks up his or her phone 5 times per hour—five!
And an average of 100 times per day!
I’m sure you can see how very quickly your day is eaten up extremely fast.
Staggering.
Not to mention the 4 hours per day that the average individual watches television. Is it any wonder that most leave this lifetime with the music still in them?
Most lead lives of quiet desperation
and go to the grave with the song still in them.
~ Henry David Thoreau
Focus is a by-product of the will; and will, like a muscle, can and must be developed.
The true definition of willpower is the ability to give yourself a command and then follow it.
Here are a few tips for strengthening the will:
The first thing you must do is a make a commitment to yourself that you’ll remove distractions from your working environment.
- Shut down computer programs
- Turning off or silencing your phone
- Shutting your door and having regular office hours.
This last one is imperative. Especially if you work from home.
Next you must realize that research shows we can only maintain hyper focus for a maximum of 90 minutes at one time. (reference Life Unleashed Blueprint)
As a result, you must discipline your schedule to ninety minute sprints after which time you will get up, stretch, get some water, go for a brief walk, grab a workout, or some other form productive recuperative activity.
This is not a license to dive into video games or surf Facebook after a ninety minute sprint. Just the opposite. It’s time to truly re-create and recuperate.
Most people’s minds are about as disciplined and trained as a small puppy.
It’s cute in a child, but very unattractive and counter-productive in an adult.
There are obviously many more strategies and techniques I can give you to develop your will and subsequent focus, but hopefully these will get you started.
Learn the ability to hold your attention on what you choose for your life in this article.
Your move.
Stay Awake, Love Life and Be Epic,
James
