FOCUS POCUS: 5 Magical Ways to Focus Anytime, Anywhere, on Anything

A client told me, "Sam, I didn't know you wrote a book on concentration. I've got serious brain fog these days and can't seem to focus. Any tips?"

I said, "Yes, my third book was Conzentrate which Stephen Covey (7 Habits of Highly Effective People) endorsed with, "Fascinating, thought-provoking, motivating. I highly recommend this fascinating book on mind mastery."

Here are a few tips from that book on how to F.O.C.U.S. even if you're distracted, tired, overwhelmed, bored, or uninspired. Hope you find them helpful.

F = Five More Rule

"There are two kinds of people: those who have learned how to work through frustration, and those who wish they had."?- Warren Reed

One way to S-T-R-E-T-C-H our attention span, is, next time we feel like quitting a project because we've run out of mental steam, just do FIVE MORE.?Write five more sentences. Listen for five more minutes. Send five more emails.

Runners get their second wind by not giving up when their?body?is tired. We can get our "second mind" by not giving up when our?brain?is tired. We can develop mental stamina - the ability to concentrate even when we don't feel like it - by developing a habit?of pushing past the point of frustration instead of quitting at the first sign of frustration.

O = One Think a Time

"If I look confused, it's because I'm thinking." - producer Samuel Goldwyn

If you're feeling confused because you're juggling multiple projects, use a technique I learned from Pulitzer-Prize winning author Frank McCourt (Angela’s Ashes).

I was headed down to the beach to practice my intro's for that day's Maui Writers Conference. I saw Frank sitting in the waterfront restaurant at the Grand Wailea. He was doing something that puzzled me. He was writing in one of those high-school composition notebooks (you know, the kind with the squiggly black lines?). He'd startle, jot something in a second notebook, then resume writing in the?original?notebook.

Normally, I would not interrupt someone who's in the state of flow. I made an exception and said, "Frank, one question and I'm out of your hair. What are you?doing?"

He told me his grand-daughter had visited and woke up early one morning. “She was in this imaginative, fugue-like state talking about a dream she'd had. When you're writing a book, you work it over in your mind all night long, and I was missing out on this source of creativity, so I vowed to write every morning as soon as I woke up to capture my dreams.

But I'd be writing and then think of something else, 'It's Malachy's birthday, got to get him a card' and get distracted. So, now I keep a second notebook nearby. If something occurs to me, I write it down (and here he said something profound)?so I’m free to forget it. Then I return to my writing and it's easy to regain mental momentum and get back on track."

From now on, keep a notebook nearby. If a to-do occurs to you, jot it down so it's not cluttering your mind and pulling you away from your project. Then, return to your top priority, regain your train of thought, and get back in the flow of thinks (not a typo:-)

C = Conquer Procrastination

"My parents always told me I wouldn't amount to anything because I procrastinated so much.?I told them, 'Just you wait.'" - comedian Judy Tenuta

If you find yourself putting off a project or waiting for a perfect time to start, ask yourself these four questions:

1. Do I?have?to do this?

2. Do I?want?it done?so it's not preoccupying me and making me feel guilty?

3. How long will it?actually?take to do this?

4. Will this task be any?easier?…?later?

Answering these questions brings us face to face with the fact that procrastinating often creates more hassle and takes more?time than focusing on the task right now.

A workshop participant told me, "I used this tip on my way home! I was coming up to a gas station, noticed my fuel gauge was almost empty and told myself, 'I'll get it tomorrow.' I asked, 'Do I have to get gas? Yes. Will it be any easier tomorrow? No. I'm in front of a gas station right now! and pulled into the station.?Those questions work."

U = Use Pavlovian Rituals

"Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?" - Sam Horn

Remember Pavlov??He rang a bell, fed the dog, rang a bell, fed the dog. Soon, the dog salivated as soon as he heard the bell because he knew it meant FOOD. You can set up Pavlovian rituals that trigger FLOW.

First, understand, your attention is where your eyes are. Your eyes are the lens of your mental camera. You're either in:

Wide-Angle Focus:?This is when you're looking at?- and thinking about - many things at once.?For example, you're driving while keeping an eye on the cars around you, watching for your exit sign, listening to music, and noticing the stores you're passing.

Foggy Focus:?This is when you're in your head. Your eyes are probably unfocused and you're not really looking at anything in particular. This is a musing, preoccupied state.

Telephoto Focus:?This is when your narrow in and give100% energized attention to one thing. Whatever you're looking at is your sole focus.

If you are in a meeting, on a tight deadline, or need to do something complicated, you can't afford to be in wide-angle lens focus.?You want to switch to Telephoto Focus.

The way to do this is to use your hands as blinkers. Racehorses wear blinkers so they're not distracted by horses running alongside them. You can use your hands as blinkers so you're not distracted by who's walking around you.

Place your priority project in front of you on your desk. Now, use your hands to clear away other distracting items so they are?out-of-sight, out-of-mind.

Now, place a hand on each side of your face to give yourself tunnel vision. This blocks out your surroundings so your top priority is, literally and figuratively,?in-sight, in-mind?and?top-of-mind.

If you use your hand blinkers?every time you need to Telephoto Focus, that repeated physical action becomes your Pavlovian trigger to switch from scattered to focused.

S = See someone or something as if for the first or last time.

"Tell me to what you give your attention, and I will tell you who you are." - Jose Ortega Y Gassett

One night I was reading a bedtime story to my sons. Even though I was sitting right next to them, I wasn't really there. I needed to fly out the next morning to give a workshop and was wondering, "Did I pack my handouts? When is my flight? What time do I need to be out of the house?"

All of a sudden, I saw Tom and Andrew as if for the first or last time. And a distracted moment became an extraordinary moment. I was filled with gratitude for them, fully aware of what a miracle they were and what a blessing it was to be their mom. I was no longer mentally on that road to the airport, I was completely, exquisitely present.

Next time you're not really present, simply look at someone or something as if for the first or last time. It is the quickest way to be here now instead of here, there and everywhere.

Do you know what I've learned in twenty years of speaking on and writing about the topic of concentration? Your success in life - whether it's relationships, work, sports, school - is directly proportionate to your ability to focus and maintain attention on what really matters.

Hope these five tips help you acquire the skill of concentration.

Because that's what F.O.C.U.S. is .. a skill.

And the good news is, you can get better at it anytime you want.

All you have to do is put your mind to it. (Smile).

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Want good news? I'm updating these techniques for my next book Because who and what we focus on - when and for how long - is a form of ATTENTION AGEncy. More info here.