Last Week, Spotify Recommended Something That Blew My Mind

I’m a sucker for click-bait. But this time it proved fruitful. 

It was a podcast series by Zig Ziglar. I’ve heard of him before in books and from Seth Godin. He’s inspired a lot of great people. 

Imagine listening to an old voiceover from the 80’s, with the thick American outback accent, and a salesman-like tonality. That’s what Zig sounds like. 

In his sing-song way of speaking, he answered a question — 

What is Focus?

If you or I try to answer this question we’d come up with something like ‘being present in the moment’. His answer was more profound. 

He said: Being in the same place physically and emotionally.

It’s worth remembering this, so I thought of ways I could help you store it for future use. So I’m going to try what Charlie Munger did. Flip it. 

Let’s talk about how to never be focused. 

#1 - Be in the wrong physical space.

• Make sure you’re walking through a crowd when answering emails.

• Squished between people on the train, when brainstorming for a new project.

• The best time to reply to a text from work is when you’re out for dinner with your family.

• For best results, pick a place to work where you’re constantly interrupted.

#2 - Be in the wrong emotional state.

• Skip sleeping, it’s a waste of time. You have more time to do important stuff when you’re awake. 

• Stop going for walks and doing any strenuous physical activity. You don’t have time for that. 

• Have a mild to severe addiction to social media.

• Leave things unfinished. It’s possible that you’ll have more motivation in the future. 

Jokes aside, Zig’s answer has been valuable to me. And now, hopefully to you as well. 

Before you go, here are three things that have HELPED me focus this year.

1. Having no notifications on my phone except for phone calls and text messages.

2. Picking a song and listening to it on repeat while working. Usually on noise-cancelling headphones.

3. Not working at home. I have too many distractions. I do much better in the library, a cafe, or even in the park. Wide open areas help with creativity and flow. 

Question:

Harry

P.S. If you enjoyed this, consider sharing it with a buddy. 

P.P.S. If there’s anything you’d like me to dive into, let me know.