Focus is the key…

Focus is the key to victory in all technical endeavors. No matter how smart you are, you are far less effective when applying your brain to multiple activities than for one. Sure, you know this, but do you practice it?

Even as you read this your mind is probably considering a variety of other things. Did I leave water for the pet? Does my spouse have cash for lunch? Do I have cash for lunch? Do I have time to read this and still get my work done before Friday?

Working on a complex problem, like writing an accurate C++ program, is greatly facilitated by that elusive concept called total concentration. For any task requiring complex thought, our productivity is accelerated during the times where we focus completely on that task.

So, what’s getting in the way? Perhaps a methodology would help.

• Choose the appropriate task
• Get everything needed to move the task forward
• Bracket the time to work on the task
• Eliminate distractions
• Clear your mind
• Make an outline
• Get started

Choosing the appropriate task is a logical first step, though not necessarily the easiest. Do you take on the easiest task first to get going, or the most difficult? I like to do the difficult task first, and coast through the easy ones to the end. Do it your way, but choose one.

How many times have you gotten rolling on a task only to find that you need something that you do not have? Several times I have sat down at a new workstation, ready to start writing a program, only to find that there was no software development kit installed. Numerous times I have been working on a car or bike and a critical wrench was missing. When that happens, focus goes out the window, and we are now on a major detour of locating the missing item. It is best to make a list of dependencies and check them before launching.

If you think the task will take a week, then you have not broken it down sufficiently into sub-tasks. Get down to something that can be done in a bracketed span of time, and then bracket that time. Put the time on your schedule as “busy”, set the phone to airplane mode, and turn off the little daemon that notifies you of new mail. You can turn it all back on when the time is up.

Some places have policies about keeping doors open, so find out if it is ok to work behind closed doors. If so, close it. If not, put your back to the door and most people will respect your privacy. I have seen paper signs that say “Working Session: Please do not disturb” on or near the door. If someone has an urgent matter, they will generally be smart enough to disturb you anyway. There are PhD theses on eliminating distractions, but it is very important to do so. Distractions are enemy number one of focus.

The active mind, and I assume yours is, works on many issues in parallel. Often that is a desirable trait. But, when you want to focus completely on a single issue then you want to put the rest of the universe on hold. If you have ever successfully meditated, then you know how to clear your mind. Even if you have not meditated in twenty years, it still works and you can do it. Relax in place, close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and let them out slowly. As you exhale, visualize a clear two-dimensional plane resting on top of your head, and then moving down through your body. As it touches a new area, your forehead, ears, jaw, neck, shoulders, feel them relax. By the time your feet are relaxed, you are generally grounded, clear, and open minded to be filled with the task at hand.

If the issues around you flood back in, try this visualization:

Eyes closed, picture yourself in a chamber of a submarine with your work area and doors to either side. To the left is the door to past issues that still nag you, and to the right is the door of the future things you are considering. Close each door, turning the little wheel to lock them tight, leaving only the current chamber representing the here and now for your thoughts. Open your eyes and get to work.

To get started, make some semblance of an outline of what you are to accomplish. If you are writing a chapter of a book, it is the outline you learned in English back in high school. If it is a program, pseudo-code the steps or the objects and methods build.

Once the high level is on paper, start at the beginning.

I hold focused time as precious and sacred. With focus, I can create far more in an hour than if I am entertaining even light distractions.

What are your thoughts?