I'm the author of The Accidental Creative, Herding Tigers, Die Empty, Daily Creative, The Brave Habit. Subscribe to Brave Focused Brilliant for three quick tips every week.
BFB: How I learned to concentrate
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As summer comes to a close (here in the northern hemisphere), many of us are turning toward one last push to close the year. So this week, a few sparks to help you make the push. One to help you be brave. One to help you focus. One to help you be brilliant. Brave: The Cult Of 5AMHave you ever felt like a loser because all of the "gurus" are pouncing out of bed at 5AM, doing fifty pushups and running a 5k, reading half a book, and doing a cold plunge before diving into their workday? Well, turns out that some of that "advice" may not be suited for everyone. One author decided to try out the advice to force herself out of bed before the rest of the world. I am still keen to master an earlier wake-up. Will it get easier over time? Sleep psychotherapist Heather Darwall-Smith isn’t so sure. “We each have a chronotype that determines our body clock. Everyone knows there are people who are morning larks and others who are night owls,” she says. “But actually, most people fall somewhere in between. So, there will be people who can go to bed at 10pm and wake naturally at 5am, and it’s a routine that fits with their chronotype. But many of us are not like that.” Far better to find a rhythm that works for your own creative and productive rhythms, then have the discipline to stick with it. The problem is that many of us don't have a set rhythm, which can lead to a kind of energy whiplash. As you think back to your most creative and productive seasons, what was your rhythm with sleep and work? Focused: How I Learned To ConcentrateRecent guest of the podcast Cal Newport believes that the greatest superpower anyone can develop is the ability to spend deep, sustained periods of time focused on one task. Starting from these specialized roots and then moving on to write for more general audiences, I’ve come to believe that these narrow extremes still somehow embody broad truths. Too many of us undervalue concentration, and substitute busyness for real productivity, and are quick to embrace whatever new techno-bauble shines brightest. You don’t have to spend hours staring at whiteboards or facing down monster minds for these realizations to ring true. In a recent article he explained how he developed his ability to concentrate. Regardless of the work that you do, establishing blocks of focused, deep work will be essential to making substantive, not just shallow progress. Do you have blocks on your calendar for doing "deep work", focused on one project? Brilliant: The Age Of Info-DeterminismDo you really think what you think? Or, are your thought patterns merely being shaped by algorithms and tech-agendas? In a recent conversation on the podcast, I shared with Andy Crouch a concern I have that humans' taste is in danger of being defined by whatever we are repeatedly exposed to, and that could mean forfeiting a part of our humanity and ability to discern or intuit beauty from chaos. One recent article framed this as "info-determinism": We live cocooned by culture, experiencing reality through a cultural prism. Our political views are shaped by the reports of journalists and the opinions of friends. Our sexual habits are influenced by what we hear in fairy tales and see in movies. Even the way we walk and breathe is nudged by cultural traditions, such as the military discipline of soldiers and the meditative exercises of monks. Until very recently, the cultural cocoon we lived in was woven by other humans. Going forward, it will be increasingly designed by computers. The solution? I believe it's to spend significant time alone with your thoughts, paying attention to the patterns, and noticing how your taste and opinions are being shaped by the stimulus in your environment. Of course, we are all shaped by a mix of influences, but the key is to ensure that we are purposefully and critically ingesting stimulus that pushes us in the direction of our ambitions. How prone do you think you are to info-determinism? This Week:
And, finally:If you enjoyed this newsletter, my new book The Brave Habit is a practical guide to making brave decisions every day in your work. I hope you’ll read it. (You can download a few sample chapters here.) Your turn to lead:Do you know someone who might find this email helpful? Please forward it to them. |
Todd Henry
I'm the author of The Accidental Creative, Herding Tigers, Die Empty, Daily Creative, The Brave Habit. Subscribe to Brave Focused Brilliant for three quick tips every week.
Creative work is never finished. It can weigh on you even when you're at home, with friends, or... in the middle of the night. This week, three ideas about making creative work more manageable. One to help you be brave. One to help you focus. One to help you be brilliant. Brave: Reversible and Irreversible Decisions With the uncertainty that leaders face, it's easy to slip into a kind of analysis paralysis. We defer decisions because we need "more information", and "more input from...
I learned a valuable lesson from my razor this week. (Yes, really.) Something that happened to me in my twenties was still affecting me today. And, it made me realize that there are beliefs I hold about leading and creating that are untested assumptions from decades ago. So today, a shaving lesson. Considering this will require you to be brave. It will require you to focus. But, if you do it, it will help you be brilliant. You have ghost rules in your life. They are limiting your potential....
This past week, I (accidentally) almost walked a marathon. It was a much-needed time to reflect on some work, and it was very helpful so I thought I'd share my experience with you. This practice will help you be brave. It will help you focus. And, it may even help you be brilliant. I accidentally (almost) walked a marathon.I didn’t really mean to. I just needed some time to think. Often, I’ll think while sitting on my office chair with a pad of paper in my lap, but last week I realized that...