Focusing (on the Right Things)
When attempting to be creative and productive for a personal project, a lot of the times our minds are all over the place: “Get ideas! Make! Now!” The desire to meet our own and the world’s perceived expectations is fueled by emotion, so we become masters at creating internal friction: “Create! Be fulfilled!” Creating distractions and chasing after random thoughts was my tool to deal with unwanted creative disappointment. Oh, I still managed to be creative and productive, but the process was (mostly) frustrating. I was focusing on the wrong things.
Without first learning to focus on one thing,
one cannot focus on anything.
Removing distractions, like turning off notifications, is the most common suggestion on how to focus better. Creating a structured day by breaking work hours into smaller, more manageable chunks is also one of the leading tips on how to manage our attention span. Similarly, training focus through the practice of meditation can teach us to anchor our engagement, without getting lost in thoughts and distractions. All these approaches aim to get us into a state of »flow«. Which, at the end of the day, is the goal, right? To be so hooked by an activity that we disconnect from emotional judgment, while still being receptive to ideas that pop up. Personal projects, here I come!
Flow state is a by-product of focusing on one thing,
while letting go of everything else.
Practicing all the mentioned tools undeniably helped me boost my ability to focus and be more creative. However, they don’t solve our (often misguided) expectations and desires built up by today’s society: “Be even more productive! Generate! What’s next? Don’t stop!” I would argue that instead, most times it’s better NOT to focus on that personal project at all. More family time, reading a book, taking a walk, meeting up with friends, traveling: even productivity and creativity need fuel. It’s important to take time to slow down and live - and for most of us, that requires practice as well.