For Daniel Goleman, focus is a skill we need to hone to succeed.
Quite. Although it was released in 2013, Focus – written by Daniel Goleman, an expert in human behaviour with two Politzer Prize nominations to his name – may be even more relevant now.
As we know, there are more demands on our focus than ever – some of them valuable – some of them meaningless – which means that shutting out distractions in order to keep our brains applied to one task is more difficult than perhaps at any other time in history.
Internet addiction is a very real phenomenon and one of the many hurdles standing between us and the things we would like to achieve. We need to put down our phones and practise selective attention.
It’s exactly what you’d expect: choosing a task to focus on and concentrating on it to the exclusion of other distractions. It also helps us pick up new skills, remaining alert to new information rather than ‘zoning out’ and carrying out jobs on autopilot.
Actually, no. Mind-wandering, as Goleman calls it, is sometimes more valuable than a narrow focus. Goleman cites the work of American cryptographer Peter Schweizer, who often cracked codes while walking or lying in the sun.
While we should still be focusing on a problem, it can be helpful to do so in a different state of mind: one in which our surroundings have changed and our mind is open to new ideas.
No, don’t let it wander too far away. Goleman recommends a form of meditation called meta-awareness as a way of ensuring that, when our attention strays away from the task at hand, we are aware of it and refocus. Focus on your breath, Goleman says, and do this every time you feel your attention taking a stroll away from you.
While willpower is crucial to focus, Goleman argues that we can always improve it.
How? We should focus on doing what we love. This means that our work will come to mean more to us because it reflects the things we are passionate about. In turn, we will have done our powers of focus the world of good.
Goleman also recommends thinking positively in order to strengthen our motivation and focus. If we think about the reasons that we’re doing what we’re doing – imagining the spectacular end result, for example, rather than the various pitfalls along the way – we’ll be able to focus more clearly on the task at hand.
Absolutely. When a leader can inspire their team to focus on a particular vision, they are more likely to help the team achieve that vision. This vision needs to be clear and it needs to be focused. Focus begets focus, in other words.
“I’m all about the three Fs: focus, focus and focus.”
“Sorry, what?”