What does “focus” really mean?

I regularly have days that I can’t seem to find focus. 

It is a struggle because my day job requires me to complete certain tasks whether I am focused or not.  

It’s on days like these that motivation levels drop off a cliff. 

It seemed like today was one of those days.  To make things worse, I had a lunch that didn’t do any help for my energy levels.

So I did what I’d not done in a long time. Took my laptop & notebook, walked outside the building I normally work in, & sat outside. Took a deep breath. Actually, quite a few. Took in the view. Of people smoking in a corner, chatting away over coffee. Eating solitary late lunches, hunched over their phones. The weather looking ominous, the dark clouds gathering to drop their heavy load any minute now. 

And in the next 30 minutes, I got done the three crucial things I was unable to focus on since the morning. 

Leo Babauta had a blog post a while ago on this subject a few months a year ago. About Finding Focus.  If you’d rather not click that link, here’s a summary:

Now sit there with your task. Dive in. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted.
You’ll have the urge to go check something. That’s a nice urge — just watch it and smile. Don’t act on the urge. Just smile. Now go back to what you chose to do.
Do it for 10 minutes, however long you feel is pushing the boundaries of what’s comfortable for a little bit.
Then give yourself a nice reward: …
Now go back.
Repeat. With a smile.

 It worked.


How do you turn rubbish into energy? [Video]

This one for the kids – Oslo is one of the greenest cities in the world, with plans to halve its carbon emissions by 2020.  Key to achieving this is the country’s biggest energy recovery facility, the Klemetsrud plant, which generates energy by burning rubbish. At full capacity, the plant will provide all the heat and electricity for Oslo’s schools and heat for 56,000 homes.

ZAP – and you’ve energy-drunk! [Article]

Bob Fulghum never shies away from trying out something, & this time he’s tried out the ju-ju-juices from his local store:

One morning I studied the shelves. The names alone make me nervous. “AMP”, “MONSTER”, “FULL THROTLE”, “ROCK STAR”, “GO FAST”, “BLUE ENERGY”, “ADRENALIN SHOT”, “BLAST”, “JOLT”, and, my favorite, “NO FEAR!”  Most of them are available in Regular, Plus, and Gold..

Driving in a slow car [Wiki entry]

An insatiable appetite for fuel has been a primary reason for countless wars – disguised, of course, as the good “fight for democracy”. Several alternative energy sources are dismissed as being too “inefficient”to be of any practical use. However, as this wikipedia entry suggests, about a hundred years ago, rechargeable battery operated cars ran upto a mind-boggling 340km on a single charge, while 130km per charge was guaranteed. Granted, top speed was 20km, but adequate for city driving (have you been in a fast moving traffic jams that is ubiquitous the world over?). It’s a bit hard to believe that despite all progress, there are no commercially viable batteries, after 100 years! Or maybe it is so by choice?