Focus - Leo Babauta [9]
End of day. At the end of each day, you might review what you did, think of what can be improved, remind yourself to disconnect for the rest of the evening, and think about what you'll focus on tomorrow. It's a good time to reflect on your day and your life in general.
Weekly focus rituals. While it's not necessary to do a complete weekly review of everything you're doing, have done and plan to do, it can be useful to schedule 10 minutes every week to quickly bring your work and life back into the right focus. I suggest you review your projects to make sure you're not letting them get out of hand; simplify your to-do list as much as possible; review the focus rituals you've been doing to see what's working and what isn't; and basically reflect on what you're doing with work and life and whether anything needs to change.
Other ideas. The rituals above are just some of the ideas I like best -- you should find the ritual that works best for you. There are an almost infinite number of possibilities. Just a few other ideas: taking 5 minutes every hour to refocus yourself; taking a walk every hour to get fresh air and get refreshed; yoga or meditating at the beginning of each day; running or other exercise after work; giving yourself a "focus and disconnected hour" in the morning and afternoon where you're disconnected and completely focused on creating; breathing and self-massage techniques for relaxation and better focus.
section ii:
clear distractions
1: limiting the stream
"Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in."
– Henry David Thoreau
The stream of news, information, and messages we get these days is enough to drown us. It's staggering in its volume.
It's a wonder anyone can find any focus with an information stream like that.
the stream of distractions
The more connected a person becomes on the Internet, the more distractions they face in their day. Just a couple decades ago, most people's distractions consisted of the phone, the fax machine, incoming memos and paperwork, solitaire, and actual people in their offices.
These days, people who work online face much more than that:
email (perhaps the biggest problem for most people)
instant messaging
online forums
blogs
other social networks
news sites
phones & cell phones
text messages
Skype
podcasts
Google alerts
mobile device notifications (iPhone, Blackberry, etc.)
mobile apps
videos
online music
online shopping
Internet radio
paperwork
online games
solitaire
internet TV
ebooks
And more.
why and how to limit the stream
With so many distractions, it's impossible to truly focus on the important. We try to drink the stream, but it's too voluminous and neverending to take in this way.
Some people think this is just a part of their work, or their lives, and that there's nothing wrong with being connected. It's a part of doing business, they say.
However, there's no one way to do business, and this book is about finding a better way. A saner way. I'm just one example of many people who have managed to do business online, have managed to stay connected, but who are able to limit the stream and make conscious decisions about how to be connected and how much information we consume.
We do it consciously, with intent. Social networks, blogs and news sites you read, different ways to communicate and consume information... these tend to build up as you spend time online. You build them up without much thought, but you end up being consumed by what you consume.
I suggest becoming more conscious of this, and choosing what you consume and how much you communicate carefully. Limit your stream to only the most essential information and communications, and you'll free up hours of time for creating and doing amazing things.
I also suggest starting from scratch. Assume that nothing is sacred, empty your plate, and only put back on it what you absolutely need or love. Let the rest fade away.
make an important