There is a secret in focus? The focus is a rare commodity in today’s personal attention “market”. You, literally, bombarded by thousands if not millions of stimuli per minute, seeking for your attention. It is a modern art to know how to select and focus on what’s important for YOU!
An Endless Flow Of Information & Stimuli
Modern times are completely different from previous eras in the sense that our previous traditional habitats and familiar ecosystems have been changed radically, by the disruptive power of information. Information is not anymore something to learn, to hear, to know, to gossip about once and for all!
It is something constantly changing in more ways than you can even imagine! And it is now an essential part of our world both in personal and professional level!
In the information we trust! Perhaps. But now it is a statement truer than ever!
You need information and data to feed your thinking, your doing, your connecting, your networking, your acting, your dreaming, your planning, your scheduling, your visioning, your … You need this kind of interaction with people, data, and information to change your world!
As the information processing devices become smarter and smaller, the world changes around you, mere by the fact of the information you can “consume” and “produce“. Now it is the era to become clever and smarter, in a sense, previously, was impossible!
Now you have the tools, the information and, after a short training period, the skills to produce content, ideas, and materials, unparalleled to previous eras!
And that’s the main problem!
The Problem With Information Overload!
The problem is how you do not become a simple consumer of information, but actually to act in our new brave world, producing materials and approaches of value. Not just for you, of course! But for many, many people might interested in your messages.
The approach is easy. You develop something new or you approach an old subject with a fresh look! Congratulation! But some people start to take notice of what you do and begin to follow you. Soon, if you provide content and ideas of value, a community of shared and common interests starts to be forming by the interaction of all the interested parties and the people want to “join in“. A new “tribe” is starting to emerge, and perhaps a new trend. A new thing is born!
But in order for you to do that, you have to manage effectively the information overload surrounded you, directed to you and seek a portion of your attention! You need to choose and select the elements you need to help you to continue your selected path!
How To Manage Information Overload!
The problem is not new! Actually, it is an old one and, moreover, a well-defined one.
For this reason, there are many methodologies, systems (for more information you can check the: A Glimpse Into My Workflow, Do You Keep a Secret?, The Case for an Effective Note-Taking Practice) and approaches (for more information you can check the: Kendo, Flow & Productivity, GOAL!, Do you like Analog Systems?, The Power of Templates, Do You Like To Be An Email Savvy Person?) you can employ to help you select the one(s) that are most suitable for you.
For this, you need to employ and use 5 core components:
- Direction. You need to have selected carefully your goals, in order to pursue them. These goals should be S.M.A.R.T. and aligned with your personal values and principles (you cannot expect to succeed when you do something yourself! Will you?)
- Intention. You need to want to do something, despite everyday problems, chores, tasks, etc. You need to commit yourself to the ones you need to do more, to achieve your goals. You need to get out your “comfort zone” to achieve something has a meaning and value for yourself.
- Commitment. In order to pursue your goals, you need the discipline to do it. You need to “focus” on the thing need to be done, despite the lure or the obstacles presented by other activities. Commitment can be a part of a general discipline, but discipline, after all, is just your willpower to do something, against all odds!
- Assets. All the things you have, or need to develop, or need to acquire, or need to get and would help you to do the things need to be done in a more efficient way. In this portfolio, included (but are not limited) the:
- Personal health and fitness
- Energy
- Time
- Financial and economical means
- Family, Friends, networks, connections, contacts, etc
- Strategic alliances, collaborations, affiliates, associations, etc
- Mentors, peers, coaches, teachers
- Forums, Discussion Groups, Interested Groups, etc
- Skills, knowledge, experience, academic skills, social skills, data, etc
- Systems, tools, hardware, software, books, audio, video, equipment, etc.
- Resources of various type can help the general implementation of the activities
Anything else you find of use!
- Skills. Anything you need to know in order to accomplish all the related tasks and activities needed for the implementation of your goals!
The Secret Of Focus
Simple! Stop pay attention too much to the information of the other people and select only the ones that are appropriate for your purposes.
Maybe, in order to focus better, you should:
- Focus first on the activities and tasks related to your goals
- Start exercising more, sleep better and eat healthier
- Stop being just a consumer of information and start to develop new ideas, materials, and approaches that would help you to promote your goals
- Remove yourself from the stream of needless news and feed lists (unsubscribe yourself from the things are not necessary for the accomplishment of your purposes)
- Attend only the events and the things promote your purposes
- Read and put into practice what you have learned. Learn for promoting your agendas and put the newly acquired knowledge and skills to practice. Select only the ones to belong to your mind frame and ways of thinking and doing
- Find more ways to be more productive and efficient in what you do
- Do the same things differently and see what’s the result
- Develop new skills you need for your purposes
- Select the tools and the systems, that help you do the thing need to get done in a more efficient, quicker, productive way
Sometimes, simple you need to change your course of life and start up on empty. This can be proved, a major focus booster!
Question: Do you focus easily? Can you focus on demand? Are you find these tips useful? What is the secret of focus?
