The Power of Focus
“I’m so swamped I can’t seem to get anything done!” Mark leaned back from the computer and rubbed his eyes. “As soon as I start on something I get a phone call or email from someone demanding yet another report or file to be completed. I’m so far behind I can’t get anything done for trying to juggle it all.”
Clint stared at him from the other side of the desk. He felt guilty because he was there to ask Mark for something too. Instead he remembered how not long ago he’d felt the same way. Clint decided to share the secret he’d learned.
“Mark, remember when you were a boy?” Mark stared at Clint like he was crazy. “What are you talking about?” Clint ignored the question. “Think about what you used to do with a magnifying glass. Didn’t you used to go outside and focus the sun’s light through the magnifying glass and burn things. There’s a lesson in that you need to learn.”
“What?” Mark asked again. Clint continued. “You focused the sun’s light into a concentrated point. That concentration contained enough energy to cause combustion. That’s the power of focus. You need to zero in on each task, one at a time and concentrate your focus only on the most important task until it’s done. Then do the same with the next most important task. You’ll find you burn through things faster than you thought.”
Mark was silent as he thought through this. Clint spoke again. “Also, remember what happened when you moved the magnifying glass back just a bit so the light wasn’t focused into a tight, combustible beam?”
“Everything in the magnifying glass got . . . magnified,” Mark said.
“Exactly!” Clint said. “When you pull back from a tight focus, everything looks bigger, more daunting than it really is. That’s’ when you get overwhelmed. Things aren’t really that big. It just seems that way.”
Clint leaned forward, took a post-it note and wrote: 1. Prioritize, 2. Focus, 3. Burn, 4. Repeat. “Try this for a week. You’ll see a big difference in what you get done. More important, you’ll feel a lot less stress.”
Clint stood. “I’ll check back when you’ve got your magnifying glass ready.”
This post and others at www.ultinvest.com
Email this post to a friend by clicking on the link below
Sometimes it’s really that simple, isn’t it? I feel a little stupid for not thinking of this by myself.
Great idea, but will this work over the long run?
In truth, immediately i did understand it. But after re-reading I think i understand
This is the greatest nonsenese I ever heared off.