Most days, it is a challenge to truly focus on one thing.
I am not sure if this is a product of social media and the AI algorithms that find exactly what you like and give it to you ad infinitum. Or, if it is the allure of so many possibilities –there are so many different types of jobs today (e.g., data scientist, influencer ect) that never existed in the past.
Focus is required in order to cut out the noise of millions of distractions vying for our attention. I just started my clinical rotations and I feel like there are millions things that I could focus on doing to prepare for the clinic. But, it is clear to me that I need to just focus on one thing at a time in order to make progress, I need to create a filter to figure out what is most important to work on at any given moment.
I’ve gotten into the habit of blocking out periods of my day where I just go all out doing one task. I’ve found that this kind of concentration is conducive to the highest level of productivity. When distracting thoughts pop into my mind, I just push them away until the time block has ended. On days when I am tired and unfocused, I just drink a coffee or workout and that usually resets my stamina/bandwidth.
I still have a long way to go when it comes to staying disciplined throughout the day. But, I am confident that if I keep making a deliberate effort to maintain focus and concentration on one task –the most important one– at a time, I will make better use of my time and be a more disciplined person in the long run.
