A few days ago I was catching up with a friend, and our conversation drifted to focus. We both agreed that staying focused feels harder than ever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everyone I talk to seems to be fighting the same battle. Even when we\u2019ve cut down on social media and turned off notifications, our minds wander.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That chat stuck with me. I wondered why focus remains elusive even when we avoid obvious distractions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I pulled out my journal and asked: \u201cWhy can\u2019t we focus?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n At first I listed the standard culprits like phones, news feeds, and our endless to\u2011do lists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But I realized those aren\u2019t really my issues. I like to think of myself as a fairly disciplined person<\/a>. I don\u2019t spend too much time on my phone and don\u2019t use social media a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And yet, over the past year I\u2019ve had trouble getting into deep writing sessions. So I kept digging. What had changed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n After some reflection, I saw the root cause: I\u2019d let go of a practice that had anchored my attention for a decade: Deep Thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My journaling reminded me of the book The Road Less Stupid<\/a><\/em> by Keith Cunningham. So I pulled it up again on my Kindle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cunningham talks about the importance of \u201cThinking Time.\u201d He argues that most of us are \u201ctoo busy being busy to think\u201d and that carving out time to think is the most valuable activity we can do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cunningham says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThinking is the most valuable activity you can engage in. Most people are too busy being busy to think.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Re-reading his book reminded me of a habit I\u2019d built over the past ten years but had unconsciously let slip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My version of thinking time is simple: I sit down with my journal, put on some background music or a YouTube video I don\u2019t need to pay attention to, and start writing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I describe what\u2019s going on in my life, then I ask myself a question and explore it on paper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes I just sit and let my mind wander.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Without fail, I come away with fresh insights and a clearer sense of direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I skip this journaling ritual for too long<\/a>, I always notice it in my work. My focus suffers and writing feels like pushing a boulder uphill.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n But when I return to it, my mind sharpens again. It\u2019s like training a muscle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Focus isn\u2019t just about eliminating distractions; it\u2019s about training your mind to stay with a question long enough to discover something new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Deep thinking is like weightlifting for your brain. It\u2019s uncomfortable at first; your thoughts jump around and you may feel restless. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But if you stick with it, the scattered noise quiets down and ideas begin to connect. You start to see patterns and possibilities you\u2019d miss in the rush of everyday tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most of us don\u2019t have a focus problem; we have a thinking problem. Our days are packed with doing and reacting. We seldom pause to ask good questions and then sit with them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But the quality of our answers, as Cunningham writes, \u201cwill always be determined by the quality of your questions.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n When we make time to think, we\u2019re actively training our capacity to focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t need a fancy setup or hours of free time to build this habit. Here\u2019s how I practice Deep Thinking:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I revived my thinking time practice again recently, my focus returned. I started working on new articles and even came up with ideas for new books. That energized me a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fog of the unfocused mind disappeared and I started seeing things clearly again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re struggling to focus<\/a>, don\u2019t just blame your phone or habits.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Consider whether you\u2019ve been thinking deeply enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe lost habit of thinking time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Thinking is focus training<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to start your own Deep Thinking practice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n