The focus is an attribute, much in need today, in an information overload environment! Focus permits you to solely concentrate on the things to be done, ignoring all the other aspects of the environment.
Focus – What A Strange Notion!
Focus (or attention, as more formally it is known) is:
the behavioral and cognitive process of selectively concentrating on one aspect of the environment while ignoring other things. Attention has also been referred to as the allocation of processing resources. (WIKIPEDIA: attention)
The focus is an intentional action and moves, always, toward the completion of the goal you have set!
Can you Focus Better!
The focus is not an abstract notion, nor even a capability, limited only to selected few people. In fact, it is a skill, and like every skill, it is something can be taught and learned by everyone.
As a skill, focus needs, intention, practice and nourishment over long periods, in order to produce tangible results. The practice in focus is concentrated (again, another word for focus) at render you capable of maintaining the focus on a subject for a long period of time!
There are many techniques can make you achieve and maintain focus on a subject for a long time. Among them, positive results have been given by techniques as praying, meditation, occupation with sports or martial arts, etc. Every system has its advantages and disadvantages.
But, practicing on achieving better focus, you should remember that the focus is not the goal! Is a medium of reaching your goal. If you spend too much time on practicing on how to get focus, there is a serious risk of losing sight of what you’re supposed to be doing when you start focusing. And that it is dangerous!
A System For Intentional Focus & Productivity
Focus, as a skill, is it something that can be deliberately designed and developed. And, in today challenging society we all live and work in, the achieving and maintaining of focus over long periods of time can provide you with considerable advantages in pursuing your goals!
There are techniques can help you in enhancing and better your focus, but each technique needs an overall framework (a concise system) for its implementation. This framework/system is the one can lead you in developing organically your focus and directing it effectively towards your goals (both personally and professionally ones!).
Major steps of such a system may be:
- Have a system or method for working and do staff. The system should be based on your personality, values, and principles and should have proved to yourself its worthiness and efficiency.
- Tweak your working system, in a way that suits your own needs and requirement and fine-tuning it, in order to produce better, for you, results.
- Prioritize your to-do list, based on your current strengths and limitations and choose intentionally the task(s) you need to accomplish (first, in the day, etc.) Find/make/develop the time and the resources/assets needed for its accomplishment and follow your work system and your chosen procedures.
- When you find the appropriate time, deal with the item(s)/tasks that can be accomplished in the time frame and under your current limitations (check #3!). When the opportunity arises or have been scheduled (i.e. available time, a break,  more resources, an empty time slot, etc.), move towards the direction to clear things off your task list (i.e. to do the things needed to be done). No procrastination!
- Pick any task off your list, fitted to the specifications you have set for its accomplishment. You need to have able time, energy, lack of distractions, etc. You should not do the first thing you are obliged to do, but the things you know that would bring a positive value to your life, work etc. Focus on what would bring maximum positive effects or promote your objectives further down the road.
- Execute/accomplish solely your chosen task, intentionally and based on your values, guiding principles. It is important to do something not only because it is useful, but because, as well, you could enjoy doing it (either because its completion brings any positive outcome to your life/work, or because you simply enjoy delete out items from you to do list!). If that is not the case, do the more time consuming and important task at first and proceed with your list, later!
- When you believe that you have accomplished it, stop. Perfectionism and the attitude that something is not properly finished can destroy your focus and your work. Finish when your experience and your better judgment tells you that the task is completed. Always, there would be room for improvements. But is you involved to something like that, having a pile of tasks waiting for completion, you put yourself in the middle hazardous vicious circle without any hope of recovering. So STOP Now and go on to your other tasks.
These steps (or similar ones), can safeguard your focus towards achieving your objectives, Â while, at the same time, lay down the conditions for further development of your focus skills.
Question: What procedure you follow to better focus? How focus, can yield better results in your life/work? Do you easily focus, on the things needed to be done?