Today's Challenge: Find a solitary place, and slowly, quietly, count to 1,000. Without distraction. Without drifting.
I smiled when I read this challenge. For most people, it's a challenge to find a time and space where they won't be interrupted. For me, that's not an issue since I live by myself. Counting to 1,000 isn't hard. But, my desire to take on this challenge was zero. I thought I could skip this one. I tried to justify to myself that I spend plenty of time by myself. But, I didn't want to "break the chain," as Jerry Seinfeld would say. I wanted to stay consistent with the larger goal of completing every challenge.
And so I started counting.
Counting to two hundred was pretty easy. As I approached three hundred, my mind started to wander. I intentionally had to keep focused. "Keep counting. Keep focused." I told myself.
Four hundred. I sighed. Could I maybe quit at five hundred and call it a day? I was a little antsy. No, I wasn't going to quit. Five hundred. Quickly I reminded myself, "No celebrations. Keep counting. You're only halfway there." I visualized the numbers flipping like an old alarm clock that I had as a kid. The number 1,000 seemed far away. I couldn't multi-task and think about other things while counting. I had to focus. That was the point of this challenge.
600, 700, 800. "I'm almost there! I've almost completed this challenge. Oops! You lost your focus and stumbled on some numbers. Focus!"
997, 998, 999, 1000!
It was a deceptively, simple challenge. Those seventeen minutes of counting ended up being a little harder than I expected. It was hard to stay present, to stay on task, and to keep a steady rhythm and pace.
Most people have minds that are easily pulled in many directions. We are easily distracted by the noise of the world, demanding our immediate attention. And we are foolish to believe that we can multi-task.
There is value with this type of exercise. To strengthen our minds, we need to practice quieting the mind, seek to be in the present, and cultivate stillness. Cal Newport, in his book, Deep Work, discusses the benefits of focusing intensely without distractions to learn hard things quickly. Deep work pushes our cognitive capabilities to their limits. Batching hard but essential work into long uninterrupted stretches is key to high productivity. The implication for school leaders goes without saying.
There are other books, of course, that I've enjoyed reading about focusing and building mental toughness. All share a universal message. We can train our minds to focus, think deeply, and be still. It's a skill set to learn with consistent, deliberate practice.
No comments:
Post a Comment