23 comments on “Focus – the vital skill for success in any endeavour”
All but wonderful words of wisdom!
Most beautiful YET practical points: FOCUS… PRIORITISE AND take ACTIONABLE STEPS TO MOVE FORWARD!!
Live in the moment..Do it NOW!!!
So true, to know is one thing, to follow these is another!! These seem so pragmatic yet difficult at the same time. Present is a pre-sent “present”. That’s all we have now, yet we ponder over the past or future!! What an irony!
Agreed. The Buddha himself kept stressing that looking for salvation was easy in the peace and quiet of an ashram. Once you step into the world, it’s a different game. But, as another great seer, Ramana Maharishi emphasised, it is possible in the realms of your day-to-day life.
Many of us who have ” come up” in life are unconsciously adopting and implementing all the prescriptions given without our knowledge. My erstwhile boss, Guru and mentor often remarked ” Common sense is the most uncommon thing – the higher your formal education the less likely you will have common sense ” Without access to Eckhart Tolle, Cal Newport and Arjun Rajagopalan’s pearls of wisdom my grandparents lived a wonderful life for 9 decades !! do not mean to be brash or slapdash but it is nice to be reminded every WEDNESDAY of where we stand !
keep going
Thanks, Ganapathy, my good friend. Your words give me the strength of purpose. No doubt, so many of our forbears were practical philosophers who used the School of Life as their classroom. We have much to learn from them.
This is simple and, yet, so effective if implemented as advised. I have always struggled to maintain my focus, and it has required herculean efforts in the past. I have understood now that it might be related to the twin challenges of multi-tasking unnecessarily and indulging in distractions throughout a working day. Lots to learn for sure!
I was reading the other day, the main reasons to avoid multitasking:
– The Zeigarnik effect : Our brains tend to remember unfinished tasks more than completed ones.
– The 25-Minute trap : Prof. Gloria Mark found that it takes an everage of 25 minutes to come back to the original task after switching.
So, the more you have to do, the less you should muiltitask. But we tend to do exactly the opposite. Talk about irony!
There is a good body of evidence, Amit, that multitasking actually drains you of efficiency and energy. You’re absolutely right about the need for focus when you are working on something important. If you haven’t read it as yet, I would strongly recommend reading Cal Newport’s “Deep Work”. There is a goldmine of practical advice there.
Define focus in simple words – it is the straight line followed to achieve your objective without falling prey to distractions and deviations. The best example is in our ancient texts Arjuna could see only the bird he was aiming at he did not see the beautiful foliage or the blue sky (unlike his competitors who were distracted )and he succeeded. To be focused first chart out your path like a step ladder deleting the chores ( steps)as you achieve your objective- do not try to either jump many steps at a time( shortcut/ unrealistic goals) or try to wander ( as multitasking). Involve and be passionate in your work the focus remains sharp. Deviation blurs the objective.Think of yourself as a SLR camera adjust the focus to be sharp and centre point at all times. It is no doubt difficult but you will succeed.
Mindfulness is probably the most critical quality in todays speeded world with so much information overload & distraction, multitasking to keep up seems like a default position. Thank you for this relevant post.
Thanks, Sheela. As an instigator and promoter of multitasking, social media, in its many avatars, heads the list. Exiting social media can be one of the best moves for improving focus.
Beautiful words , agree will power needs recharging on a regjlad basis. Too much time spe on social media is time wasting . However, it helps you to stay conn to friends; see what they are up to and May be inspiring . Moderation in everything .
Really enjoying these quotes . Thank you.👍😀
Multitasking, is a necessary skill required to complete daily to-do lists. If practiced intelligently, it actually saves some precious time that can then be devoted to tasks that require focus & attention. Multitasking is also time management.
All but wonderful words of wisdom!
Most beautiful YET practical points: FOCUS… PRIORITISE AND take ACTIONABLE STEPS TO MOVE FORWARD!!
Live in the moment..Do it NOW!!!
Making Now will be the primary focus of my life henceforth
Thanks Sir
So true, to know is one thing, to follow these is another!! These seem so pragmatic yet difficult at the same time. Present is a pre-sent “present”. That’s all we have now, yet we ponder over the past or future!! What an irony!
Agreed. The Buddha himself kept stressing that looking for salvation was easy in the peace and quiet of an ashram. Once you step into the world, it’s a different game. But, as another great seer, Ramana Maharishi emphasised, it is possible in the realms of your day-to-day life.
Many of us who have ” come up” in life are unconsciously adopting and implementing all the prescriptions given without our knowledge. My erstwhile boss, Guru and mentor often remarked ” Common sense is the most uncommon thing – the higher your formal education the less likely you will have common sense ” Without access to Eckhart Tolle, Cal Newport and Arjun Rajagopalan’s pearls of wisdom my grandparents lived a wonderful life for 9 decades !! do not mean to be brash or slapdash but it is nice to be reminded every WEDNESDAY of where we stand !
keep going
Thanks, Ganapathy, my good friend. Your words give me the strength of purpose. No doubt, so many of our forbears were practical philosophers who used the School of Life as their classroom. We have much to learn from them.
Life is made up of – only present moments .
Every day as we adapt to live an informed life fill of present moments. Best. M. Alagappan.
Spot on, Mohan.
Very important message. Thank you.
This is simple and, yet, so effective if implemented as advised. I have always struggled to maintain my focus, and it has required herculean efforts in the past. I have understood now that it might be related to the twin challenges of multi-tasking unnecessarily and indulging in distractions throughout a working day. Lots to learn for sure!
Yes, and yes, Suman. Multitasking + distraction = wasted time.
Definition of Focus is Follow One Course Until Successful.
Lovely expansion, Rajaram. Says it all so well.
I was reading the other day, the main reasons to avoid multitasking:
– The Zeigarnik effect : Our brains tend to remember unfinished tasks more than completed ones.
– The 25-Minute trap : Prof. Gloria Mark found that it takes an everage of 25 minutes to come back to the original task after switching.
So, the more you have to do, the less you should muiltitask. But we tend to do exactly the opposite. Talk about irony!
There is a good body of evidence, Amit, that multitasking actually drains you of efficiency and energy. You’re absolutely right about the need for focus when you are working on something important. If you haven’t read it as yet, I would strongly recommend reading Cal Newport’s “Deep Work”. There is a goldmine of practical advice there.
Define focus in simple words – it is the straight line followed to achieve your objective without falling prey to distractions and deviations. The best example is in our ancient texts Arjuna could see only the bird he was aiming at he did not see the beautiful foliage or the blue sky (unlike his competitors who were distracted )and he succeeded. To be focused first chart out your path like a step ladder deleting the chores ( steps)as you achieve your objective- do not try to either jump many steps at a time( shortcut/ unrealistic goals) or try to wander ( as multitasking). Involve and be passionate in your work the focus remains sharp. Deviation blurs the objective.Think of yourself as a SLR camera adjust the focus to be sharp and centre point at all times. It is no doubt difficult but you will succeed.
Word perfect, Sri. Thanks for this deeply thought out response.
Mindfulness is probably the most critical quality in todays speeded world with so much information overload & distraction, multitasking to keep up seems like a default position. Thank you for this relevant post.
Thanks, Sheela. As an instigator and promoter of multitasking, social media, in its many avatars, heads the list. Exiting social media can be one of the best moves for improving focus.
Beautiful words , agree will power needs recharging on a regjlad basis. Too much time spe on social media is time wasting . However, it helps you to stay conn to friends; see what they are up to and May be inspiring . Moderation in everything .
Really enjoying these quotes . Thank you.👍😀
Multitasking, is a necessary skill required to complete daily to-do lists. If practiced intelligently, it actually saves some precious time that can then be devoted to tasks that require focus & attention. Multitasking is also time management.
Yes, routine chores that don’t require attention can be multitasked, but not when it comes to activities that are important.
Difference between focus and attention —-Focus is an elevated version of attention