Divide and Conquer

People are forever asking me how to handle the array of “stuff” confronting them. If you have six priority items competing for your time and attention, rank them #1 to #6. Then, tackle #1 all the way to completion, or as far as you can take it. Perhaps you have to give it to somebody else; maybe someone has to approve it or sign off on it. This should not hinder you from beginning #2.

Give each task your complete time and attention. Continue until you are finished. No method for handling six assignments is faster than the one that was just described. That is how you focus on the task at hand.

Beyond the Information Explosion

As I wrote in my 2007 book, Breathing Space, the term "Information Explosion" has no meaning. The discharge of information spewing forth since the phrase information explosion was first coined dwarfs the original meaning. Within a few years, half of our technical knowledge will have been replaced.

Every other page in all the texts on AIDS, biomass, chemical dependency, diet, electronic funds transfer, fire retardation, gynecology, hydrogen fission, immunology, jet propulsion, kinetics, linear motion, meteorology, novas, obstetrics, pituitary functioning, quasars, relativity, sonar, telemetry, uranium, viruses, wellness, x-rays, yacht racing, and zoology, will be rewritten.

So, your task becomes to focus on the handful of key developments in your field that will have the greatest impact on you, your organization, your family, and your world.

Concentrate Despite the Clutter

On September 15th, 1981, I attended Sam Horn's session on Concentration. Still great advice to this day!

* Concentration defined: voluntarily focused attention.
* Discipline of ignoring irrelevant matters
* Fixing ones' powers, efforts and attention
* Most people work best under a deadline; when their concentration is focused.
* Fatigue is a big road block to concentration

This last note is telling!:
* Society is moving towards a lower frustration tolerance with less discipline, and more need for immediate gratification. These are detriments to concentration.