Thursday, June 23, 2016

Thinking For a Change-Discussion 3 : Focused Thinking

Here are some of my thoughts on Focus Thinking Skill which John Maxwell talks about in his book “ Thinking For a Change”.

Focus can bring me energy and power to my daily activities, whether physical or mental.
I want to do well in my exam; focused thinking will help me to concentrate on preparing for my exam.
I want to do better in my gym, focused thinking while practicing will improve my technique in the gym
I want to cycle longer, focused thinking while practicing will increase my will power to persevere on.

Here are five suggestions to help you with the process of focused thinking and some of my practical example:
1.      Remove distraction:
I used to block off my time so that there is no interruption. I would make myself “disappear” or intentionally not connect with others. Lately, I would even stop my mobile data after 9 pm to prevent myself from using the internet.
2.      Make time for focused thinking:
Once you have a place to think, you need the time to think. My best thinking time occurs in the night after 10 pm, before my sleep. I stop my mobile data and don’t allow myself to look at the phone from 10 pm. Put all non-productive matters on hold so that I can create thinking time for myself.
3.      Keep items of focus before you:
Concentration is the secret of strength in politics, in war, in trade - in short, in all management of human affairs. To benefit from concentration, keep important items in front of you. I will record my top three priority things to do every day in my phone calendar. Also, I will ask my colleagues or family members to keep reminding me on the important things to do by bringing the topic up constantly.
4.      Set goals:
The mind will not focus until it has clear objectives. So, I believe setting goals are important.
A few months ago, my goal was to complete my DNS D exam by first weekend of October. This clear goal empowered me to get it completed.
5.      Question your progress:
Is what I am doing getting me closer to my goals?
I always do my self- reflection at 10 pm before my sleep and check the progress of my goal. I try to make sure I am headed toward my goal.

Let’s start your focused thinking with me and you will see the changes.