Focus Archives - The Art of Improvement

Minimalism for Overthinkers

Start here: Browse the Self-Improvement Guides and pick the path that fits your situation.

Imagine yourself sitting in a room filled with all kinds of things that cover all of the bookshelves, furniture, and floors. A small table in front of you is scattered with stacks of magazines and digital devices, like a laptop, phone, and ipad.

Now try another scenario, but this time imagine sitting in a room that is clear of clutter. The shelves contain personal items that are meaningful to you. The floor is clear and clean, and the small table in front of you has only a vase of flowers and a book that you’re currently reading.

“Anti-Procrastination” – 8 Moves to Get Unstuck

Start here: If procrastination is the problem, begin with the Procrastination Guide (then come back to this post).

“You’ve got to wake up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.” — George Horace Lorimer

Procrastination isn’t a character flaw. It’s a system problem. Build a better system, and delay stops winning.

Most people don’t lose to laziness. They lose to drift. They open a tab. They take a “quick” scroll. They tend to a dozen low-stakes fires and call it a day. The cost of this is compounding regret, stalled income and fragile confidence.

A Simple System to Escape Mediocrity

“First say to yourself what you would be and then do what you have to do.” – Epictetus

You don’t escape mediocrity by accident.
You do it on purpose.

Most people drift. They consume. They wait for motivation.
But you will not.
You’ll choose a different path, one boring, deliberate day at a time.

How to Achieve Your Most Ambitious Goals

What if I told you that achieving your most ambitious goals can be simpler than you think? If you believe that big goals are harder to achieve than smaller ones, you may be underestimating yourself.

The truth is that making big things happen doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task. For example, if you were wanting to get a new job to make more money and improve your lifestyle, it wouldn’t help to settle for the first job you came across. What steps would you take to create the outcome you’re hoping for? It all comes down to having a clear vision of what you want, having a plan of how to get there, and not giving up.

5 Lessons from Stoic Philosophy That Will Change the Way You Live

Stoic Philosophy was practiced in Ancient Rome and Greece. It promotes living a virtuous life, by means of ethical and personal character development.

But what does that mean for people living in a modern world, far removed from the early civilizations of the Ancient Stoics? You might be wondering if there’s anything you could learn from such old philosophical thoughts.

As it turns out, there’s quite a lot that applies to the challenges of today. Many great athletes, political and military leaders, as well as poets, have embraced the tenets of Stoicism to help them achieve their highest goals and potential.

Multitasking is Killing Your Brain

Most people would agree that we live in a busy world. Work, home, hobbies, friends, and family are just a few of the things that occupy our daily schedules. Adding in other activities like extra projects, going to school, or traveling complicate things even more. It can be a real challenge to fit it all in.

So what do we do to make sure we have time for everything? Well, sometimes multitasking seems like the best way to accomplish the most we can in the time we are given. Piling one task on top of another can seem like an efficient way to do more than one thing at a time, and get more done. But can we really do that?

I tried to be a morning person for 30 days – it worked!

What sort of noise do you make when you wake up? A tweet tweet or a hoo hoo? While some people wake up with the relentless tweeting energy of an early bird, you may feel a gradual arrival into the new day, slowly building up energy throughout the morning.

A morning person usually gets tired in the evenings, while a night owl feels more energised towards the end of the day. They also likely have trouble sleeping in past a certain time, as their body isn’t accustomed to a late start. Dr. Doga Ayish, a neurologist at Houston Methodist, has this to say on the matter:

“If you’re a morning person, your brain is most alert in the morning, and you’re generally very good at harnessing this energy and focus to get tasks, work, and chores done.”

Your Focus Survival Guide 3 Traps, 3 Proven Fixes

How to Avoid Focus-Stealing Traps

“Work is hard, distractions are plentiful, and time is short”, wrote Author Adam Hochschild.

In today’s world, there is so much pulling us in every direction, making it hard to focus. Other obligations, entertainment, and interruptions of all kinds can grab our attention away from our intended task. With too many things to think about, it can be easy to lose track of what you’re really trying to accomplish.

Draw the Line: Simple Boundaries That Command Respect

“I respect you.”

As compliments go, that statement is incredibly affirming. The Oxford Dictionary defines respect as “a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.”

Respect is garnered over time, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to have a deep relationship with someone to have respect. Respect is unique because it can be felt from afar without much, if any emotional connection. Your abilities, qualities, or achievements can all speak for themselves – how you are perceived is born out of those elements.

How to Boost Your Focus Instantly

Focus, or concentration, is the ability to give your full attention to something. It sounds simple, but anyone living in the 21st Century is likely to tell you that it’s not always that easy.

Distractions come from all directions. Whether it’s in the form of technology, social diversions, or any other type of inside or outside disturbance. The ability to stay focused can be easily deterred. And once your concentration is broken, it can take a while to get back on track.