Here's an experiment I have tried with dozens of audiences at work, at colleges where we interact, at training programs I have run. I figured out this as a very important and effective way to bring out the point about "FOCUS"
I ask the participants in the group to participate in a mental gym. The task is simple - to draw the dial of their watch (not an artists view, but just the details) in about 2 to 3 minutes. Most are able to remember the shape of the dial, they don't mess up between round or oval or rectangle shape of the dial. Almost everyone gets the color of the dial face right.... almost everyone remembers whether it was digital or analog display... The Problem starts beyond that and not more than about 5% are really able to capture details beyond this. What kind of needles are there... Do they have a pointed tip, or is the date above or below the 15 minute line, is there a concentric circle around the dial edge, where is the name embossed.
Most participants tell me that they have been wearing the same watch for several months and some even several years, yet they are unable to do the simple task of figuring out details of the face of the dial of the watch. They have seen the face dozens of times in a day over the months or years, yet they remember so little. Why? The reason being that each time they saw the watch the focus was on the time and not to look at the face rather to know the time. Actually the whole process happens in your mind... The brain has an inherent ability to tune out what is not in focus and at the same time sharpen the attention to what you need out of several images that come flying to you when you see things. So the periphery (the boundaries and everything around... including how your wrist holds to the watch) all gets tuned out of the mind and you only see what you want to see. That's the FOCUS your mind brings to what is being seen. (by the eye)
Similarly we have a powerful ability to Tune Out what we don't need and focus on what we need. This spectacular ability of the mind comes in handy in much of what we do at work and otherwise. Only the stimuli of interest gets attention and everything else around the periphery gets tuned out. But this is not always true. If we are unable to focus attention on the work at hand then we keep shifting from one to another, get distracted and are unable to achieve what was intended. Now imagine what would happen if while looking at the watch you kept getting your attention wavering to the dial color, the texture of the skin of your wrist and so on. This consumes lot of mental energy and ability to focus.
In our work too, what gets focused, gets attention. If you are able to direct the attention of teams to the goals the goal gets actionized. There is progress and there could be closure. If the same is not given attention other peripheral things get noticed and focused upon thereby losing track on the goal at hand. So in case you need to channelize focus on the goals and find that after a period of time if no reviews were done nothing happens then you are not directing focus of your teams.
As an individual if you find yourself unable to achieve some goal it could be lack of focus. Remember several 1000's start learning the guitar and few dozen complete even a beginners course and maybe a few reach even intermediate levels. Millions of people start blogging but give up midway in less than a month, Remember how many new year promises you made only to realize the volatile promises by the time it is March. So in case you want to really achieve something bring it to focus, that way you'll be able to direct your attention to it and tune out other distractions. So what gets focused gets attention and what gets attention gets done !!!
I ask the participants in the group to participate in a mental gym. The task is simple - to draw the dial of their watch (not an artists view, but just the details) in about 2 to 3 minutes. Most are able to remember the shape of the dial, they don't mess up between round or oval or rectangle shape of the dial. Almost everyone gets the color of the dial face right.... almost everyone remembers whether it was digital or analog display... The Problem starts beyond that and not more than about 5% are really able to capture details beyond this. What kind of needles are there... Do they have a pointed tip, or is the date above or below the 15 minute line, is there a concentric circle around the dial edge, where is the name embossed.
Most participants tell me that they have been wearing the same watch for several months and some even several years, yet they are unable to do the simple task of figuring out details of the face of the dial of the watch. They have seen the face dozens of times in a day over the months or years, yet they remember so little. Why? The reason being that each time they saw the watch the focus was on the time and not to look at the face rather to know the time. Actually the whole process happens in your mind... The brain has an inherent ability to tune out what is not in focus and at the same time sharpen the attention to what you need out of several images that come flying to you when you see things. So the periphery (the boundaries and everything around... including how your wrist holds to the watch) all gets tuned out of the mind and you only see what you want to see. That's the FOCUS your mind brings to what is being seen. (by the eye)
Similarly we have a powerful ability to Tune Out what we don't need and focus on what we need. This spectacular ability of the mind comes in handy in much of what we do at work and otherwise. Only the stimuli of interest gets attention and everything else around the periphery gets tuned out. But this is not always true. If we are unable to focus attention on the work at hand then we keep shifting from one to another, get distracted and are unable to achieve what was intended. Now imagine what would happen if while looking at the watch you kept getting your attention wavering to the dial color, the texture of the skin of your wrist and so on. This consumes lot of mental energy and ability to focus.
In our work too, what gets focused, gets attention. If you are able to direct the attention of teams to the goals the goal gets actionized. There is progress and there could be closure. If the same is not given attention other peripheral things get noticed and focused upon thereby losing track on the goal at hand. So in case you need to channelize focus on the goals and find that after a period of time if no reviews were done nothing happens then you are not directing focus of your teams.
As an individual if you find yourself unable to achieve some goal it could be lack of focus. Remember several 1000's start learning the guitar and few dozen complete even a beginners course and maybe a few reach even intermediate levels. Millions of people start blogging but give up midway in less than a month, Remember how many new year promises you made only to realize the volatile promises by the time it is March. So in case you want to really achieve something bring it to focus, that way you'll be able to direct your attention to it and tune out other distractions. So what gets focused gets attention and what gets attention gets done !!!
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