Commit to Honing This Skill

There are few people I know who can concentrate harder and more efficiently than my dad. He is the epitome of productivity, capable of sitting down and building an Excel spreadsheet or crafting a meaningful letter or tackling an important task in less than 5 minutes. When he sits down with an objective in mind, there’s nothing that distracts him. He just zones in.

I am not sure if that comes naturally to him or if it’s just continued practice over many years, maybe a combination of the two. And he is no yogi. It’s a quality I have always strived hard to have, and although I have become better at focusing, I am still not quite there yet.

To accomplish both great and normal things, you need to focus, and the Yogis are great at it. Mastering the art of thinking about a single task, object, or topic for a period of time. They train the mind through deliberate concentration and meditation.

How else will you solve difficult, complex problems? How else will you get things done? How else will you get good at a specific skill?

It was Albert Einstein who said,

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"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."

If focusing for long periods of time comes naturally, good for you. Put that gift to good use. But if it doesn’t come naturally, you can help yourself by practicing it deliberately—through meditation.

I used to get easily distracted, and I have found out that since I started my meditation practice, I have been able to concentrate more easily. Because when you meditate, you practice focusing on a single thing—your breath, and with practice, you get better and better at it.

Focus is the key to meaningful work and self-realization—having the strength and discipline to tune everything else out and concentrate on the task at hand. Without focus, you can’t really do much. If your mind is jumping all over the place every minute, you won’t be able to get anything done.

Whether through meditation or other concentration practices, commit to honing this skill. It will not only help you get things done, but it will also allow you to have more free time to do the things you love.