My Island of Lost Focus

The bloody epic battle between knowledge, education and understanding vs Trump World idiocy and xenophobia will end soon.

I have to have hope.

Reading leads me to greater understanding. Reading takes concentration and focus.

Educated (Tara Westover) and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (Yuval Noah Harari).

These are the books I’m currently “reading”. They’re both excellent, somewhat disturbing books for our disturbing times. But ultimately they offer hope.

Hope is a human joy and strength.

Some people read a book or two each week. I’m lucky if I get through one per month (or 3 months).

I don’t read enough to truly satisfy my quest for greater understanding of humanity and I probably never will.

You see, I hope that if I read of someone else’s effort and expertise I can shorten the 10,000 hour requirement of getting weally good at something.

But I don’t seem capable of juggling my desire to participate in 10 activities simultaneously with any aplomb. Sad.

The clutter in my mind is a blessing and a curse. You too, right?

My daily to-do list starts as a focussed, “I’ll do these 3 things… well” affair that evolves into a list of a dozen items. It’s my pseudo-ADHD gene acting up.

Focus Lost.

Which brings me back to reading because reading demands focus and attention.

I just hate it when I’ve read a page of great writing only to discover that I’ve totally not absorbed a page of great writing. My mind has moved on to the next item(s) on my daily list. Squirrel!

Yup, Focus Lost.

Reading is only one example of My Island of Lost Focus.

Today I’m using you to help me focus on FOCUS.

So, what are 8 things I can do to re-establish focus in my daily world?

1. Be ruthless in making a daily to-do list that doesn’t exceed 5 items. I’m sorry, but anything else will just have to wait (or be lost forever). Example from today’s list: 1. Write this blog post 2. Research and write up a list of potential investment choices for a friend who’s asked for my help 3. Write an e-mail of condolence to an old friend whose Mom died recently 4. Work on developing an introductory instrumental for a song my duet partner has written lyrics for 5. Investigate the purchase of an inexpensive used laptop for my Syrian student.
2. Always do the most challenging point(s) early on in the day (before 11 am). Anything I do after the witching hour of 11 am or noon is just sheer gravy. Peak productivity for me happens for only a half dozen hours after my 5 am internal alarm rings. I admire those who have power surges in the evening, but when the sun sets, so does my kinetic energy.
   
3. Take a short break every hour. Make a cup of tea or latte and then return to the task with a refreshed outlook.
4. Or change tasks for the next hour, not all points need to be completed in one go so long as I come back to finish it the same day.

 5. Be sure to share the important things that you want to do with your family and friends so that your feet are held to the fire. Motivation comes from the energy and input of the ones you admire and mirror. Remember you’re the average of all the people who surround you.

 6. Listen to some bright, peppy music to get the energy flowing back to its peak. Beach Boys, Eagles, even an old ’80’s song I listened to while run training by Wayne Gretzky’s former girlfriend Vikki Moss.

 7. Stay focussed on the bigger picture. A life can pass by so easily by doing only the tiny everyday items (laundry, vacuuming, washing the car) that obstruct our view of what we truly want to accomplish with our time. We’re all working in a world of limitless possibilities but we’re also in a world of limited time.

8. Finally, I must remember, like in Desiderata, Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself … And whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

…………………….

Whew… that was a mere 8 Lessons for the 21st Century for me … OK … item #1 knocked off my to-do list (of course I got diverted while writing and have already completed numbers 4 and 5!).

Latte time, then it’s back to #2 and #3.

Oh, and thanks for keeping me from being a forlorn castaway on My Island of Lost Focus.