7 Strategies to Develop Razor Sharp Focus!

 

 

 

In ancient India, a gurus was imparting archery training to his disciples. As the training progressed, he decided to test their skills in the craft. On the test day he hung a wooden fish on a trees.

 

The guru threw a challenge to all students to hit fish’s eye with arrow. The first student got ready and took aim at the fish. The guru asked him, “ What do you see?”. The student replied, “ Guruji, I can see the tree, leaves, branches and the fish.”  

 

The guru asked him to lay down his bow. Then the second student took aim, he asked the same question to him and the student also gave same answer as the first one. The guru asked him also to lay down his bow. He followed the same process with the other students also.

 

At the last his favourite student Arjun came, to him he asked the same question. “What do you see?”  Arjun replied “ Guruji, I can only see fish’s eye!”.

 

Pleased with his answer the guru asked him to release his arrow, and the arrow pierced fish’s eye.

 

That is Focus, when you do not see anything else but your target, your goal, your dream, despite numerous distractions.

 

 

 

The inability to focus on their dream is the reason for failure of many many talented people. There many examples of talented sports persons/ actors etc who became instant hit at the beginning of their careers.

 

But the success got into their head, they took their eyes off the ball. They got distracted by money, booze, drugs and other peripheral thing. Consequently, they faded away quickly into oblivion.

 

Focus is the energy which powers your goals. The more focused you are the  more energy your goal will have. Focus is the blinders which channelises our energy in the right direction without dissipating it on other unimportant tasks. 

 

One can use the following strategies to develop a razor sharp focus:

 

 Make Your Dreams Visible

  

"Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym

 

 We all have heard, out of sight is out of mind. Well this is equally true for your goals also. How would you stay focused on your goal when you don’t even remember it?

 

We have been advised to write down our our goals, which is an excellent strategy, but writing down alone is not enough.

 

You must remind yourself everyday about what you have set out to achieve. So, make your dreams visible so that you do not loose the focus:

 

1. Write your dream on a piece of paper and put it in your wallet. Go through the piece of paper every morning immediately after you wake up, and before you sleep.
2. Put it on the refrigerator/ cupboard or mirror in the bathroom
3. During the day when you find yourself wandering around, take out this piece of paper and started reading it. This would bring your focus back to working on your dream.
4. To take this further I would suggest you also write what price you are ready to pay to achieve your goal. When you know and read what you required to do, you shall be mentally primed to take the steps in the direction of your dream.

 

Don’t let life events or people outside of you decide what you put your focus on. It is you who have to make a choice what you would focus on.

 

What you Focus On Grows.

 

When Distracted Ask Yourself?

 

Whenever you find yourself distracted ask yourself these questions:

 

@          it is the best use of my time?

@          will this task take me closer to my goal.

@          how engaging in this activity help me in achieving my goals?

@          will ( your hero) utilise his time or act this way?

@          or as Michael Phelps says, ask yourself ” What is Important Now             (WIN)?"

 

The answer to above question will help in course correction.

  

Set Aside Time To work on Your Goals!

 

All successful people reserve a time on their calendar for their most important tasks. They even go for a retreat to a hill station or a seashore where they can have undisturbed time to work on their goal. 

During this period, they would only focus on their goal and nothing else. They may not be accessible to other people during this time. This focused work on their goal brings out profound results.

You can also set aside a time during the day where you would only work on your most important task/goal. During this period put your phone on mute, don’t go through your mail box.

 

 

Practice Focusing!

 

Focus is a learnable trait. The more you practice the better it gets. We develop focus by doing small things in awareness throughout the day.

 

1. While eating food put your whole focus on eating food. Don’t read a book or newspaper or watch television.
2. While communicating with someone pay 100% attention to what the other person is saying. Don’t switch off and start wandering in a different world.
3. Practice walking meditation. While walking bring your attention to your feet touching the ground.
4. Practice sitting mediation every day for 10-15 min

 

 

Set Aside Time For Distractions

  

 

There is are so many things in our lives which are clamouring for our attention be it social media, television, friends, social evenings etc.

 

You do not have to become a hermit and be confined to your world only. All of these things have a place in our lives.

 

Everyone has made social media a villain, a root of all evils. However there so many people who are using social media constructively and earning fortunes.

 

You can set aside a time for your distractions- entertainment, social media, friends.  Make a schedule and do these activities during that time and no more.

 

If these activities try to impinge upon your productive time, be firm to say NO to it.

 

 

Shun Multitasking
  

Multitasking the biggest myth which people have been made to believe. As per scientists your brain can only work on one task at a time.  

 

When you are multitasking you are trying to focus on lots of things simultaneously which reduces quality of your focus.

 

You will not be able to focus 100% on a given task because there are other tasks which are vying for your focus.

 

So desist multitasking, pick up one goal/task at a time and put all your energies and focus on that goals itself until it is accomplished.

 

 

Detach Yourself from the End Result!

 

You are focused to achieve your goals by doing what it takes. However, don’t get so fixated by the result that you do not enjoy the process of reaching there.

 

It shouldn’t happen that we are so immersed in reaching our destination that the journey seems to be very very boring and full of suffering.

 

When you constantly thinking about the end result you do not perform at best of your abilities you are very tense you tend to make mistakes so. Just focus on the task on hand and do the best you can.

 

 

“Focus on your goals, not your fear.

Focus like a laser beam on your goals.”

― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

 

 

 

Summing Up:

 

1.           Make Your Dreams Visible-  What you Focus On Grows.

 

2.           When Distracted Ask Questions?

 

Whenever you find yourself distracted ask yourself these questions:

 

@          it is their the best use of my time?

@          will this task take me closer to my goal.

@          how engaging in this activity help me in achieving my goals?

@          will ( your hero) utilise his time or act this way?

@          or as Michael Phelps says ask yourself ” What is Important Now (WIN)?

 

 

3.          Set Aside Time To work on Your Goals

 

4.           Practice Focusing

 

5.           Set Aside Time Distractions

 

6.           Shun Multitasking

 

7.           Detach Yourself From the End Result