We’ve reached the 11th and final question “Tribe of Mentors” by Tim Ferriss (see all previous questions here), and it’s a good one!
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do? (If helpful: What questions do you ask yourself?)
There are three great answers that I pulled from the book.
The first is from Neil Strauss, who chose to break the question into two different answers:
Overwhelmed and unfocused seem like two different problems. I’m thinking that overwhelm is about mentally managing what’s coming from outside yourself, while unfocused is about mentally managing what’s going on inside. Overall, what would work for both is to think of my mind as a computer, and the RAM is full. So best to shut it off for a little. For me, this means stepping away from work for anything from a cold shower to a surf to meditation to a breathing exercise outside to talking with someone I immensely enjoy. Anything healthy that gets you out of your mind and into your body is ultimately good for your mind.
The next is some advice from Andrew Ross Sorkin that I’ve heard before, yet I still struggle to implement:
Whenever I’m feeling like I need to prioritize what I’m doing or overthinking a particular situation that is making me anxious, I try to remember this great exchange in the film Bridge of Spies. Tom Hanks, who plays a lawyer, asks his client, who is being accused of being a spy, “Aren’t you worried?” His answer: “Would it help?” I always think, “Would it help?” That is the pivotal question that I ask myself every day. If you put everything through that prism, it is a remarkably effective way to cut through the clutter.
The final answer to this question comes from Steve Aoki, who some thoughts on getting into a state of flow:
To give an example, The Clash finished one of the best albums in rock history, London Calling, in three weeks. They finished that entire album so fast, in my opinion, because they were in a state of flow. In times like that, you are extremely productive and creative. When I’m in that state of flow, I stay there as long as I possibly can, because once you’re out, it’s hard to get back in. If you’re hitting that wall or getting upset with yourself and can’t get back to finding inspiration and creativity, you have to reset and go back to the basics.
For me, I’ll follow after Neil Strauss that I handle “overwhelmed” and “unfocused” in two very different ways.
- For feeling overwhelmed, making sure all of my inboxes are at zero and then making lists will help me get control of what’s going on and allow me to figure out next steps.
- For feeling unfocused, movement is often the key and some exercise (often even just a walk) will help quite a lot.
This was a fantastic book, and I encourage you to read it if you haven’t already. For the question today, though, what do you do when you feel overwhelmed or unfocused?
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