Getting rid of the noise
Posted: February 25th, 2010 | Author: Chad Howse | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: focus, power of focus | 2 Comments »
Focus
Focus is a word that’s thrown around a lot.
“You have to focus on your career, focus on your family, focus on getting your life in order…”
I see a lack of focus on at least 90% of the people in the gym every time I’m in there.
There’s so much in gym’s these days that are there to break your focus, and people play right into them. TV’s, magazines, friends in the gym, even machines that make things easier instead of making the workouts harder.
Focus is something needed in all aspects of life if you’re going to succeed.
I’m not speaking from a “holier than thou” position. I catch myself losing focus on a daily basis, mainly when it comes to work. I’ve got ideas popping into my head every minute, and instead of focusing on the task at hand I often pursue those ideas, research them, write about them, then realize I’ve forgotten to do what I sat down to get done.
I heard a great quote the other day, “if you’re working, then work, and if you’re playing, then play.”
If you’re trying to work while you’re playing, your play isn’t going to be very enjoyable; the same goes with playing while you’re working. You’re not going to do your work with the same quality as you would if you were more focused on the task at hand, and you’re not going to get as much done either.
A lot of it comes down to being in the moment and shutting out the noise. For some of us it’s harder, but it’s something we all have to work on.
What I see in the gym is people not being in the moment. They’re basically wasting space, then complaining that they’re not getting results.
I was there, I know the mentality and it wasn’t until I learned how to be in the moment, even in the weight room, that I truly started seeing quality in my work and in my workouts.
When you’re in the gym or on the golf course, shut your cell phone off and enjoy. If you’re at work try focusing in 20 minute spurts, get great work done, and then reward yourself with a walk or a glass of water – I’m sure you could come up with a better reward J
Focus exercise
Step 1
Write down the 3 things that bring you the most success and that you do best with your job, your 3 strengths.
Examples: writing, teaching, learning from successful people, research, social media, building relationships…
Step 2
Write down every activity you do during the day. Everything.
Examples: eating, talking on the phone, writing, meetings, texting, surfing the internet, watching tv, laughing…
Step 3
Identify what percentage of your day is spent doing what gives you the most success; what percentage of your day is spent on your 3 strengths.
The goal is to be at 80%. If you’re anywhere close to that number you’re doing great. I was at about 30% the first time I did this, and boy do I need to work on it!
Hope this helps, good luck!
I liked your “don’t do work and play at the same time” quote. It reminded me of this quote that my alma mater university preached: “Work hard. Play hard.”
I remember thinking how do I pull that off. I worked hard on my schoolwork and earned marks, which I still catch myself surprised by just how good they were whenever I look at my transcripts. But, I do recall that I barely had time to have a lot of fun or playtime. This has been a perpetual theme for much of my life.
So, it’s been a goal of mine in the last year or so to balance work with my own personal time. And, with exercising on a regular basis, I’ve found myself improving my ability to focus. And now I’m using my hearing loss as an advantage to help me focus better – I turn off my hearing aids at the gym to not be bothered by the noises.
I’m going to give your focus exercise a try this weekend.
ya give it a shot, it’ll help clarify some how and what you should be spending your time doing.
Let me know how it goes!