why you must Engage in Focused Thinking this year
“The ability to focus for a significant period of time is crucial to difficult accomplishment,” said philosopher Bertrand Russell. Robert Lynd, a sociology professor, stated that “knowledge is power only if a man recognizes which facts are not worth worrying about.” Focused thinking eliminates distractions and mental clutter, allowing you to focus on a single subject and think clearly. Focused thinking is a technique that may be utilized to improve your performance. Focused thought may help you with a variety of tasks, including:
1. Concentrated thinking directs one’s energy toward a desired outcome.
Almost everything, whether physical or mental, may benefit from having one’s attention focused. Using concentrated thought while training can help you improve your pitching technique if you’re learning how to pitch a baseball and want to learn how to throw a decent curveball.
If you need to improve the production process for your product, concentrated thought will assist you in developing the most effective technique. Using concentrated thought while trying to answer a tough mathematical issue will assist you in breaking through to the solution more quickly. The higher the severity of a problem or issue, the larger the amount of concentrated thought time required to resolve it.
2. Concentrated thinking allows for the development of ideas.
I like the process of discovering and developing new ideas. It is common for me to gather my creative team for brainstorming and creative thinking sessions. Our first meeting is a time when we do our best to think as exhaustively as possible in order to come up with the greatest number of ideas imaginable. The birthing of a possible breakthrough is often the result of several brilliant ideas being shared.
You must, however, adjust your mindset from being wide to being discriminating if you want to take your ideas to the next level. I’ve noticed that if you give a good concept enough time to develop, it may become a fantastic idea.
It is true that concentrating on a single concept for an extended period of time may be quite difficult. I’ve spent several days concentrating on a single notion and attempting to develop it, only to discover that I was unable to make any improvements.
But, every now and again, my persistence in concentrated thought pays off. That gives me a tremendous deal of pleasure. At its most effective, concentrated thought allows not just the idea to flourish, but also the thinker himself.
3. Targeted Thinking Brings Clarity to the Situation
Golf is one of my favorite recreational activities. It’s a really difficult game to play. It appeals to me since the aims are quite clear. Golfing expert Professor William Mobley from the University of South Carolina made the following remark about the game:
One of the most significant aspects of golf is the existence of clearly defined objectives. Pins are visible, the par is known—it is neither too easy nor impossible, your average score is known, and there are competing goals—competition with the par, competitive with yourself and others—to strive for. These objectives provide you with something to aim towards. Goals are important in the workplace, just as they are in golf.
A golfer I was following on the course made the mistake of forgetting to replace the pin after putting it in the hole after he had putted.
Because I couldn’t see my aim, I was unable to concentrate effectively. My attention rapidly shifted to frustration—as well as to bad performance. To be a successful golfer, one must be able to maintain concentrate on a certain aim. The same is true when it comes to thinking. Concentration aids in the identification of the objective—and the achievement of that goal.
4. Concentrated thinking will propel you to the next level of success.
No one achieves greatness by attempting to be all things to all people. You can’t improve a talent if you’re not paying close attention to it as you should.
Concentration is the only way to advance to the next level. If you want to raise your level of play, polish your business strategy, boost your bottom line, develop your subordinates, or manage personal difficulties, you must be able to concentrate on your objectives. According to author HarryA. Overstreet, “the immature mind jumps from one thing to another; the mature mind wants to see things through to completion.”
IN WHAT AREA SHOULD YOU CENTER YOUR THINKING?
Isn’t it true that every aspect of your life deserves concentrated, focused thought time? Without a doubt, the answer is no. When it comes to concentrated thought, be selective rather than thorough. For me, this is devoting significant amounts of effort to four areas: leadership, creativity, communication, and strategic networking. Your selections will very certainly vary from mine. Here are a few recommendations to assist you in determining what they are:
Determine Your Top Priorities
First and first, consider your priorities—those of yourself, your family, and your teammates. Edward DeBono, author, consultant, and award-winning thinker, once joked, “A conclusion is the point at which you’ve had enough thinking to stop thinking.”
Unfortunately, many individuals make decisions about their priorities depending on where they feel they are running out of steam. That is something you really do not want to undertake. You also don’t want to be dictated to by others about what you should do.
Priorities may be established in a variety of ways. Identify your strengths, which are the things that make the most use of your abilities and God-given talents, if you are well acquainted with your own personality. You might alternatively concentrate on what would provide the greatest return and profit.
Do what you like the most and are the greatest at it. You may use the 80/20 rule in this situation. Make an attempt to devote 80 percent of your time and energy to the top 20 percent (most essential) of your activities. Alternatively, you may concentrate on extraordinary prospects that offer a significant return. It all boils down to this: concentrate your efforts on the areas that produce results.
Find Out What You’re Made Of
Everyone, however, is not self-aware and does not have a firm grasp on their own abilities, capabilities, and talents. They remind me of the comic strip character Charlie Brown in a few respects. “Rats!” he exclaims one day after being struck out in a baseball game. I’ll never make it as a major-league baseball player.
I simply don’t have it in me anymore! “I’ve dreamt of playing in the major leagues my whole life, but I’ll never be able to achieve that goal.”
This is followed by Lucy’s response, “Charlie Brown, you are planning too far ahead.” In order to succeed, you must first establish more urgent objectives for yourself.”
Charlie Brown glimpses a gleam of optimism for a brief time. “What are your immediate objectives?” he asks.
Lucy responds affirmatively. “Begin with the next inning,” says the coach. Test your ability to go out to the mound without falling down as you go out to pitch!”
Throughout my career, I’ve met a lot of people who grew up in a home full of Lucys. They did not given any support or confirmation, and as a consequence, they seem to be at a loss for what to do. Having that type of background means you’ll have to work even harder to discover your unique talents and abilities.
Take a personality test such as the DISC or the Myers-Briggs type indicator. Positive friends and family members should be interviewed to find out where they believe you excel. Spend some time thinking about your prior accomplishments. If you want to concentrate your efforts on your areas of strength, you first need to identify them and understand them.
Make Your Dream a Reality
To accomplish big things, you must first have a great dream, which you should share with others. If you’re not sure what you want to do with your life, utilize your concentrated thought time to help you figure it out.
If your thoughts keep returning to a certain location, it’s possible that you’ll be able to find the fulfillment of your desire there. Continue to give it more concentrated time and see what occurs. Once you’ve discovered your dream, don’t look back or second guess yourself. Satchel Paige offers this piece of advice: “Don’t glance back—something could be closing in on you.”
The younger you are, the more probable it is that you will devote your time and energy to a variety of activities. The fact that you’re young means you’re still learning to know yourself, your talents and shortcomings, therefore it’s a wonderful thing.
If you concentrate your thoughts on a single issue and your goals shift, you’ve squandered your most valuable mental energy on that one issue. Concentration becomes more important as you get older and gain more life experience. In order to go farther and higher, it is necessary to become more focused—and this is possible.
HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR FOCUS?
Once you’ve figured out what you should be thinking about, you’ll need to figure out how to concentrate on it more effectively. Here are five tips to assist you in the process:
1. Get Rid of Distractions
In our contemporary society, removing distractions is a big deal, but it’s necessary. How do you go about doing it? To begin, keep the discipline of prioritizing your goals. Don’t start with the easy stuff, the hard stuff, or the urgent stuff. First and foremost, focus on the actions that will provide the best results. As a result, distractions are kept to a minimum.
Second, shield oneself from outside influences. I’ve discovered that I require uninterrupted periods of time to ponder.
When required, I’ve perfected the ability of making myself inaccessible and retreating to my “thinking space” so that I may work uninterrupted. However, as the creator of three businesses, I am always conscious of the conflict between my need to be available to people as a leader and my desire to retreat from them to think. Understanding the worth of both pursuits is the greatest approach to settle the conflict. I can connect with individuals and learn about their needs by walking gently through the throng.
By removing myself from the throng, I am able to consider how I may provide value to them.
My advise to you is to cherish both and give them equal attention. If you tend to retreat, make an effort to spend more time in social situations. If you’re always on the go and seldom have time to ponder, schedule some time apart so you can tap into the power of concentrated thought. And be there, wherever you are!
2. Schedule time for concentrated thinking
You’ll need time to think after you’ve found a spot to ponder. People tend to multitask as a result of our culture’s quick pace. However, this isn’t always a smart idea. Switching from one job to the next might cost you up to 40% of your productivity. “If you’re attempting to perform many tasks at once, you’ll get more done by concentrating on one activity at a time, not by moving from one work to another,” researchers say.
Years ago, I understood that the greatest time for me to think is in the morning. I try to devote my mornings to thinking and writing whenever feasible. Imposing a regulation that one organization enforced is one technique to earn time for concentrated thought. Allow yourself to check your e-mail just after 10 a.m. Instead, concentrate your efforts on your top objective. Put non-productive time-wasters on wait so you may devote more time to thinking.
3. Keep Focused Items in Front of You
“Concentration is the secret of power in politics, in war, in commerce, in short in every administration of human affairs,” Ralph Waldo Emerson, the famous transcendental thinker, thought. I try to keep key stuff in front of me to help me focus on what matters. One technique is to have my assistant, Linda Eggers, continually bringing it up, asking me questions about it, and providing me with further facts.
In addition, I’ll keep a file or a page on my desk so that I can view it every day while I work. For the last thirty years, that method has shown to be effective in stimulating and sharpening my thoughts. If you’ve never done it before, I strongly advise you to do so. (I’ll go over it in further detail in the part on reflective thinking.)
4. Establish Objectives
Goals, in my opinion, are crucial. The mind will not be able to concentrate unless it has defined goals. Goals, on the other hand, are meant to guide your attention and provide direction, not to pinpoint an ultimate destination. As you consider your objectives, keep in mind that they should be realistic.
To be maintained in focus, it must be clear.
Getting close enough to be successful
Helpful enough to make a difference in people’s lives
Those suggestions will help you get started. Also, make a list of your objectives. I can nearly ensure that if they aren’t written, they aren’t concentrated enough. If you really want to make sure they’re focused, follow David Belasco’s advice: “If you can’t put your concept on the back of my business card, you haven’t got a clear idea.”
Even if you believe your objectives were too tiny years from now, they will have fulfilled their function if they give you with direction.
5. Evaluate Your Progress
Take a careful look at yourself every now and again to see whether you’ve made any improvement. That is the most reliable indicator of whether you are using concentrated thought to its full potential. “Am I getting a return on my investment of concentrated thought time?” you may wonder. Is what I’m doing bringing me any closer to my objectives? “Am I on a path that will allow me to keep my commitments, prioritize my goals, and accomplish my dreams?”
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR IN ORDER TO RISE?
No one can reach the pinnacle of success while being a generalist. “Find the one thing you do well and don’t do anything else,” my father used to advise. I’ve discovered that in order to excel in a few things, I’ve had to give up a lot of other things. I spent some time thinking about the things I’ve given up while I worked on this chapter. The following are the most important:
I can’t possibly know everyone.
I like meeting new people and am gregarious. When I’m in a room with a lot of people, I feel energised. So restricting myself from spending time with a large number of people goes against my grain. I’ve done a handful of things to make up for it. First and foremost, I’ve picked a solid inner group.
They not only give invaluable professional assistance, but they also make life much more enjoyable. Second, I ask specific pals to keep me up to date on what’s going on in their life. When I’m traveling and can’t block off the time I’d need for serious contemplation, I generally do this.
I won’t be able to do everything.
In a person’s lifetime, there are only a few extraordinary chances. That is why, rather than a decent performance in many areas, I aim for perfection in a few.
That has cost me money. I also have to miss out on a lot of things that I would want to do because of my job. Every week, for example, I delegate work that I believe would be enjoyable to do myself. With the persons to whom I delegate a job, I follow the 10-80-10 rule.
I assist with the first 10% by casting vision, establishing parameters, offering resources, and encouraging others.
Then, after they’ve completed the middle 80 percent, I rejoin them and, if possible, assist them in completing the remainder of the journey. It’s what I refer to as “putting the cherry on top.”
I’m not able to go anywhere.
Every conference speaker and author travels extensively. That sounded like a fantastic existence until I started doing a lot of speaking. But, after logging several million miles, I’m well aware of the cost. Surprisingly, I still enjoy leisure travel with my wife, Margaret.
It’s one of our greatest pleasures. We could take 10 trips a year and enjoy each and every one. We can’t, however, since I spend so much of my time doing what I was called to do: assisting others in their personal growth and development as leaders.
I’m unable to be well-rounded.
I’m not well-rounded because I’m too concentrated. “Ninety-nine percent of things in life I don’t need to know about,” I tell them. I attempt to concentrate on the one percent that yields the best results. Margaret keeps me informed on the remaining ninety-nine things I need to know. It’s one of the ways I prevent my life from being completely out of whack.
It’s not an easy lesson to learn to be ready to give up some of your favorite things in order to concentrate on what matters most. However, the sooner you accept it, the sooner you can devote yourself to greatness in the areas that matter most.
