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NOUN:  1)  the center of interest or activity, 2)  the state or quality of having or producing clear visual definition.

VERB:  1)  (of a person or their eyes) adapt to the prevailing level of light and become able to see clearly, 2)  pay particular attention to.

I’m drawn to the first definition for the noun and the second for the verb. (Which is not to say the other two definitions aren’t equally compelling.) How about you?

My time study got me thinking – How can I be more productive? Or perhaps, be more mindful is the better way to think of it.

Don’t multitask. Multitasking is inefficient and the enemy of mindfulness. Our brains are better suited to focus on one thing at a time. Focusing on multiple tasks means we’re probably doing one or more of them in a mindless way—on autopilot.

~from Lindsay’s post on Mindfulness

It all seems to come down to focus. Focus reminded me of Richard St. John.

My boss travels to conferences frequently. One of the perks, if you will, of my job is that my boss often shares videos of the keynote speakers. One such featured was Richard St. John.

Ah-mazing speaker.

Of course, we were watching with a business mindset. However, as I listened I could not help but think about how his points apply to other areas. How I needed to implement them, somehow, in my life.

Are you passionate about what you’re doing? In other words, would you still do what you’re doing even if you weren’t getting paid?

I suspect most writers would answer with a resounding, “yes!” (He even used an example of AUTHORS serving READERS at one point.)

My ah-ha moment came when he mentioned focus and how you should focus on one thing and work to be great at it.

He talked about how you could have success or you could have balance (family, etc.) but not both at the same time. He used the founders of Google as an example. These two men worked hard, focusing only on getting their business up and running and successful. Then, they took time off to focus on family…balance.

This is similar material:

 

Then I read this Monotasking post, which supports St. John’s (and Lindsay’s) point.

So, how can I be focused and still meet the many and varied needs of my life?

Yeah, loaded question isn’t it?

I’ve been mulling it around in the ol’ gray matter for weeks now. I created a template and it has helped with the familial obligations. Getting the writing, social media, blog writing and visiting, and all those things I hoped in my quest for writing to be more career than hobby…not so much.

Obviously, I still don’t have an answer. At least not one that resonates with me.

Thanks for letting me ramble.

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