Introduction: How to Improve Your State of Mind
The ability to focus is a skill that most professionals would like to acquire. I'm sure you have thought a time or two, about how to improve your state of mind. I used to be able to focus on one thing at a time for a long time. About 10 years ago, I wanted to learn HTML. At the time, I sat at my computer for seven hours, without taking a break to eat.
A few years ago, when I was working on my non-degree liberal arts education, my threshold for lessons was two hours. And even then, that was a stretch. I preferred lectures that were no more than one hour in length. In a few years, things changed drastically for me. And I suspect it’s the same for you as well.
Today, we are bombarded with so many messages, and technology has advanced so much, that we have many new toys to play with. With technological breakthroughs, professionals are expected to be on call 24/7.
This increases the level of stress, and when you are stressed, it’s difficult to focus. I started to meditate again to increase my ability to focus. But I am always looking for new techniques to help my readers become more effective and productive.
A few years ago, the book, Focus Forward: How to Focus Your Mind to Rid Yourself of Distractions, Maximize Your Time
, and Achieve More, was being promoted for free on Amazon. So I downloaded it. It also had a four-star review. As I often do, I did not read the description of the book before I bought it for free.
Focus Forward by Justin Byers, wasn’t what I expected. But it had some good points that I’d like to share with you. In the Summary of Focus Forward by Justin Byers, you'll learn how to improve your state of mind. I'll also mention books such as The 3 Gaps
, Flow
, and The Diamond Cutter
, that complement Focus Forward
.
Focus Forward
The 3 GapsFlowThe Diamond Cutter
How to Improve Your State of Mind: Summary Focus Forward
In Focus Forward by Justin Byers, he says that to be focused you have to be in a state of flow. I had never thought about that before, but it makes sense to me. For me, I know that when I am in a state of flow, time simply flies. Also, when I am immersed in an activity that I am passionate about, time flies as well.
The author recommends that you must have a clear objective for doing what you do. That means you need to have a powerful purpose. Think about your situation for a second, what prevents you from being focused? Byers ties focus and flow together.
I immediately thought of The 3 Gaps
by Hyrum Smith that I read recently. In my opinion, to achieve focus and flow, you have to close the gaps in your life. The three gaps Hyrum Smith references in his book are the Belief Gap, the Values Gap and the Time Gap. Please read my post, The 3 Gaps by Hyrum Smith – My Thoughts.
Continuous learning is a part of life. If you’re not a reader, you can find a synopsis of many books from Readitforme that you can listen to. Click the link to join. This is a great way to learn the latest thinking on many topics. And it is a great way to learn which books to buy and devour.
Now back to Focus Forward by Justin Byers, and his thoughts on flow. He mentions Mihály Csíkszentmihályi’s book, that I read years ago. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
was a tough book to read, and I think it took about three tries for me to complete it, but it was worth the read. Justin Byers writes:
“Flow was defined by psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi as the mental state in which a person performing an activity is fully engaged in a state of energized focus, involvement, and process.”
In Focus Forward, essentially what Justin Byers is saying about how to improve your state of mind is to eat healthy foods, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep at night. Doing these things will increase your ability to focus. Byers writes:
“Super foods shown to influence both physical and mental health include peaches, unsweetened cocoa, almonds and other nuts, Acai berries, quinoa, green leafy vegetables, peppers, sprouts, and barley…. Eating well and attaining freedom from physical tension can and will promote better sleep, which in turn opens the door to greater focus and a healthier emotional system.”
Nutrition Essentials for Mental HealthHeal Your Body, Cure Your MindThe Mind-Gut ConnectionThis Is Your Brain on Food
In Focus Forward, Justin Byers breaks focus into the physical aspect and the mental aspect. In terms of the physical aspect of focus, you have to sleep deeply to be able to focus on the task at hand. There are a few things you can do regarding the physical aspect of how to improve your state of mind. Practicing yoga can lessen or eliminate the physical tension in your life.
Justin Byers mentions the Alexander Technique, which is new to me. Frederick Matthias Alexander developed a technique that teaches you how to achieve and maintain physical balance. Regarding the mental aspect of focus, Byers mentions that learning to focus for small blocks of time, ultimately leads to the ability to focus on a much bigger scale. This reminds me of the Einstein Distraction Index. Please read the post I wrote, Einstein Distraction Index: A Method of Deep Focus.
Overall, meditation, yoga, and martial arts, can help you to focus your mind. Therefore, by looking at both the physical aspect and the mental aspect of focus, and paying attention to the techniques outlined in Focus Forward, you’ll learn how to improve your state of mind.
How to Improve Your State of Mind: Strategies to Maintain Focus
- Organized workspace without clutter. If you work from home, have a designated space where you perform your work. Keep specific work hours. That means: don’t allow children or friends to interrupt your day, unless it’s an emergency.
- To focus, you have to get enough sleep. Eating properly and exercising regularly will aid the quality of your sleep. Establish a clear routine for bed. Go to bed at the same time each night.
- Meditation helps you to develop and maintain focus. Each day, try meditating even for 15 minutes. You can meditate by yourself, or have a guided meditation. Find a meditation technique that works for you.
- Keep a journal. Writing in your journal rids your mind of clutter. In the book the Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron recommends that you do morning pages. First thing in the morning, you write three pages of whatever comes to your mind. For the first page or so, what you write may be nonsense, but then you get to the good stuff. You tap into your creative self. The author, Justin Byers, also recommends writing down your dreams as soon as you awake.
- Have hobbies that satisfy you. It’s important to have fun in your life. A hobby is a way to do just that. Have a hobby that’s very different from your occupation.
- Get closer to nature. There are so many distractions in your life with various technology that it’s difficult to focus. Have times when you are completely turned off to recharge your batteries. Take a walk, enjoying what’s around you. Smell the roses, so to speak.
-
Take a personal vacation day. Take time from work responsibilities to recharge. In the book, The Diamond Cutter
, the author only worked four days. He took one day off, yet he completed the same amount of work, as if he had worked five days. - Make art, even if it’s bad art. This frees you from expectations and criticism. Enjoy yourself. Don’t worry about how great your art is. You are having fun and clearing your mind in the process.
- Make lists. Writing down your daily goals and objectives, as well as your ideas, allow you to keep focused, while achieving your goals. Also make lists of your longer term goals. As you complete an activity, cross it off your list. Remember to take breaks in between focused work. It’s worth mentioning that you should have a way of capturing your ideas.
- Play stimulating games. Playing games can focus your mind on an activity that’s both challenging and engaging. Play games that make you think. Schedule a set amount of time that you will play games.
- Create your own challenges. This stimulates your mind and helps you to focus. It could be a workplace challenge such as developing a system to make your work more streamlined.
- Assess and reassess. Evaluate what didn’t work, make changes, then reassess. If the work you do is not fulfilling, perhaps it’s time to find another job, or switch careers. You constantly have to assess and reassess your life.
, the author only worked four days. He took one day off, yet he completed the same amount of work, as if he had worked five days.Conclusion: How to Improve Your State of Mind: Focus Forward
I have written about how to focus before. But what I liked about Justin Byers’ approach in Focus Forward, is that he looks at the underlying causes that prevent people from focusing on activities. He is getting at the root of things before he presents a cure. I like that. He writes:
“Taking the time to improve our self-awareness, inner creativity, and sense of emotional well-being is the first steps to achieving focus.”
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First Appeared on Birds on the Blog
Books Mentioned in This Post
Focus Forward: How to Focus Your Mind to Rid Yourself of Distractions, Maximize Your Time
