Back in 1971, way before the time of cell phones, emails, the internet, and wireless devices, Nobel Prize winning economist Herbert Simon[1] said that “A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” He added the following: “What information consumes is rather obvious. It consumes the attention of its recipients.” No wonder more people than ever seem to suffer from ADD. No wonder we have words like nomophobia, the fear of not having smart-phones with us.
We all want to be more focused. We all want to have better concentration. But, let’s not confuse that with knowing or staying on top of everything. That’s what gets in our way of concentration: the expectation to be in control or on top of everything. Well-roundedness, to a certain degree, is a noble trait, but no single person can be an expert in all things. No person should be held to that unrealistic standard—not by himself, by others, or by organizations. So, I think eliminating that expectation is the first step.
Once that is achieved, we have to be practical and begin to remove excess parts from our lives. What should you remove from your “to do” list? What criterion should you use to prioritize your commitments or list of things to do? What should you delegate and what should you walk away from?
Andy Stanley, in Next Generation Leader, says that individuals must:
recognize one’s limited strengths or abilities (a.k.a. incompetence)
discover his/her strengths
disengage or limit time devoted to things that fall outside of one’s core competencies (when possible, delegate such items)
do less of what one isn’t good at, and do more of what you're good at
learn to reflect, prioritize, and learn from others
In that sense, knowing yourself is critical. You must know what you’re good at and focus your energy on further developing and applying your strengths. Cut out non-essentials from your list of things to do.[2] Be more productive in what you’re good at and what you enjoy doing by walking away from or delegating all other responsibilities.[3]
The ever-elusive concentration will be attained and developed through elimination. That's the key to concentration.
How about reminding yourself (and tell your students) of the following from time to time?
I want to be better at what I already do well.
I will not try to become what I am not designed to be.
I will not over-extend myself by doing everything, pleasing everyone, and sticking my nose in everything that comes my way.
I will fight against the false sense of perfection, and the need to be a jack-of-all-trades.
I will eliminate the non-essentials from my to-do lists.
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[1] Simon was known for his expertise in various disciplines—i.e., political science, sociology, and psychology. But, his most notable contributions were made in the field of cognitive psychology, specifically dealing with artificial intelligence, decision making processes, organizational theory, and problem-solving. So, I’d say that his credential and expertise related to the topics of time management, prioritization, and concentration demand our attention.
[2] Non-essential here does not always mean that it is unimportant. It simply refers to things or items that are not aligned to your strengths.
[3] I fully understand that we often do not have the luxury to delegate responsibilities. That’s when we should pray and ask God to send co-workers, co-ministers, and partners to share the burden.
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