Tunnel Vision Is Your Friend: Embrace the Focus

You only see what you are looking at. You can only scrutinize what you are intensely focused on. That is part one of what I discuss here.

Part two reads like this: According to Growth Law firm, 80% of car accidents are caused by a driver being distracted. Two percent of those are caused by drivers eating and drinking. Forty percent are caused by listening to music or podcasts. Twenty percent are caused by drivers attempting to drive while fixing their hair. It makes you wonder: wouldn’t we all be better off if drivers drove? Isn’t that what vehicles are for? They are not mobile hair salons.

Part three reads like a judge telling an attorney for one of these drivers, “Case closed.”

Here in the South, you can find those who report the successes of uncovering signs of Big Foot. Those Big Foot “news” items are right next to the ones touting that multitasking is the way to go. Believe either at your dignity.

Some say tunnel vision is narrow-minded, like an absent-minded professor or Einstein. Interesting, that may be how those two got the accolades and accomplishments they can tout.

The point is this: Too much distraction can prevent your mind from focusing on the specific task at hand. You’ll feel like a squirrel going one way and then another.

“But I have all these things I need to do,” you say.

And you do.

Instead of doing all of them at once, though, I suggest doing them sequentially. Start with the most important one. Focus only on it until it is completed, or you can come to a stopping spot. Then, put all your attention into the next task. Do the same and repeat the process until you’ve addressed everything on your list.

Here’s a simple example. When I write, I turn off all phone messages and all email programs. I tell the kids not to bother me when they see Dad’s fingers typing. I sit undistracted, and I write. Focused only on that fictional world and those fictional characters, I dive deep with each writing session and achieve much. When I run out of air, I swim to the surface, look at my phone, put it down and back on silent, look at my emails, click the “X,” and close the program, check to make sure the kids have not burned down the house, then go to the next task. All with full focus. Accomplishing things becomes more efficient. More things are getting done. And I never, never, never look at social media during my work time.

Are there going to be interruptions? Yes. But when they come, bring your current task to a screeching halt, solve the disruption, close the door, and return to your original task. No matter what happens, focus only on one thing at a time because this is how your mind works, no matter what they tell you about Big Foot.

Using this method, you’ll be more efficient. Allocating your focus to one task boosts productivity. You’ll have greater clarity. Blocking out the rest of the world will allow you a deeper connection to what you are doing. You’ll get each task done faster. Your single-minded and sustained effort in one direction will make your progress faster.

So, how are you going to go about doing this? For me, it comes down to four steps I repeat each day. You’ll need to find what works for you. I start the day before setting clear goals for the next day. These will get bumped around, but I know what I want to achieve by narrowing my focus to a full day’s activities. I set time blocks for specific periods when I conduct those tasks (and I always set longer time blocks than I need because projects always seem to take three times longer than I thought they would). I'm ready to go when I start my day the next morning. I see what sequential single tasks must be done before I start my day. I know what I need to be doing at what time. I set to work first by creating a conducive environment that eliminates distractions. (And don’t give me exceptions. I’ve raised two children as a stay-at-home writer dad who has sold many books, articles, and columns. I know what it’s like to have the equivalent of two babies turned toddlers, and I still made this system work. In this case, you schedule flexibility in your time model for diaper changes…you do not want to let those go unchecked.) Then lastly, throughout the day, I periodically reassess where I am and make sure that everything I’m doing aligns with my bigger goals. And I align this by doing one thing at a time and doing that one thing very well, even diaper changes.

Here's your challenge if what you’re reading here sounds like crazy talk. Try it. If you aren’t practicing tunnel vision, if multitasking is your default, give yourself thirty minutes of undistracted focus on a particular project for one day, today or tomorrow. Turn everything off and close every door for thirty minutes, and then see how much you get done, how much faster it gets done, and how much better you feel. You’ll soon start changing your crazy talk time to an hour as you see how tunnel vision becomes your new best friend. If you’re a multitasker, this won’t come easy, but hang in there. Old habits, indeed, are hard to break, and life is filled with distractions. Eliminate the distractions and focus on what’s important. You’ll see your life transform.

Let me know how it goes.

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