Subscribe
Sign in
Start new thread
All
General
p/general
Share and discuss tech, products, business, startups, or product recommendations
André J

How do you stay focused while remaining open to the world?

21
•
I have this theory that you can have 60.000 thoughts per day, and if you point these thoughts correctly you can solve anything, but if you direct them everywhere you can’t solve anything of worth. How do you combine being focused while also keeping your door open to interruptions and other events?

Add a comment

Replies
Best
Jon Wesselink
I'd say timeblocking for sure, and stacking your most important tasks at first. If you "eat the frog" you don't want to eat right away first thing every day, I think you're primed to having that on your mind the rest of the day. For example I used to look for memes to use in marketing first thing but that set my mind in the wrong direction more than not. For me, I work on my business, then my 9-5, after that is a walk and then gym, then the rest few hours can be anything - which is usually the time where my friends are off work so I can say yes to life because I have completed everything I wanted to complete already before they finished work :) Hope this helps but yes awesome question
André J
@jonwesselink "Yes to life" I like that. We need that in this hustle economy we find our selfs. Hustle + "Yes to life" = 🥰
A a founder who has to do everything from coding to marketing, it's very hard. I usually swing between two extremes. Some days I do 90% coding, 10% social media. Some days are the other way around. If someone has mastered the ability how to switch between the two smoothly, I'd love to learn :)
Ted Schaefer
@jgani just. get. started. i find if i'm not careful, a huge chunk of my time is spent deciding what to do next, and that's even worse than spending your time doing a less-than-optimal thing. i suppose keep an eye out for good reasons to context switch.
@sixbangs I'm the same Ted. When I sense that I'm getting stuck in analysis paralysis, I force myself to pick up a small task and start on it. Some progress is better than no progress. When are you launching?
Ted Schaefer
@jgani yup! April 9th. i'm following the Chrome plugin too 👍
@sixbangs Thank you. I'll see you on April 3rd, and then April 9th :)
Nuseir Yassin
Have your target customer profile up on the wall. Look at them every day and for every decision you make. Have people in your company assigned to voice opposition in case you are straying.
André J
@nuseir_yassin1 Love the "target locked mindset" ..... What's voice opposition?
Chris W
Interesting point. For me, it's about having focused blocks of hard work where I don't allow any distractions. After that, I allow myself to be a little more relaxed. My most productive hours are the first 4 hours of the morning, so those hours are sacrosanct. They're spent doing the most important thing that day (normally coding). I don't have my phone near me, I don't open any tabs that I don't need for building and I only take a couple of 5 min breaks. After that's done, I still work pretty hard, but allow myself to occasionally check Twitter, WhatsApp, email etc. What about you?
Max Avery
Adderall
Amari Parker
Rather than separating life into strictly isolated buckets, I try to harmonize and integrate different areas so nothing gets completely blocked out. Family, intellectual growth, and physical health - all get woven together.
André J
@amari_pg I love the "life integration" mentality as well 🥰 (I stopped chasing work / life balance) One always gets in the way of the other.
Ruben Boonzaaijer
I have focus settings on my iPhone during the day, in the evening I turn it off
alex Ivanovski
Sometimes i have real difficulties to stay focused, especially when i almost can't hear anything. I had to do an emergency hearing aid repair and now i am almost death for the next couple of days. It is slightly annoying that my physical health has such a huge influence on my work these days.
Jake Tital
Segmenting time is the best way to control all of those thoughts coming in Andre. Thanks for the question
Gurkaran Singh
As someone deeply involved in various tech sectors, I find that setting boundaries and prioritizing tasks based on their impact can help strike a balance between focus and remaining open to new opportunities. Embracing the chaos while maintaining a structured approach can lead to innovative solutions and unexpected collaborations. Remember, it's all about channeling those 60,000 daily thoughts in the right direction!