"Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand.  
The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus."

With today's busy lifestyles, each day presents us with a new challenge to juggle our commitments, responsibilities, chores, etc.  We're torn in so many different directions at once, forced to prioritize and re-prioritize at a moment's notice, adjusting our hectic schedules to accommodate what is most urgent.

This busy-ness is compounded (mentally at least) by the premium that society has placed on being able to multi-task.  We all know people (or perhaps are the people) that broadcast how busy they are, proudly wearing and bearing this Herculean burden like a scout's merit badge for all to see.  Those people with the wireless headsets on their cell phones loudly proclaiming in the supermarket, "You'll just have to hold. I have another call coming in." definitely leave an impression on us, and suffice it to say that this impression isn't one of profound abject admiration.  

It isn't very likely that anyone is going to be impressed by how busy we are.  Everyone is busy these days, but some manage their tasks more efficiently.  Efficiency is the byproduct of maintaining our focus.

focus — ... a center of activity, attraction, or attention (Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary)

To maintain our focus, we must:

This last requirement may be somewhat surprising at first.  Usually we think of distractions as the external variety such as an inopportune phone call, or an unexpected visitor.  But equally, if not more, distracting is the inner dialog saying, "I really should be somewhere else, or working on something else".  The effects of this should-be-working-on-something-else syndrome is counter-productive at best and can be almost paralyzing if we allow it.

Exploring and extrapolating this train of thought, it would be easy to convince ourselves that we were never where we should be or never working on what we should.  This inner distraction dilutes our attention and focus and diminishes our efficiency.

And it isn't just work that conjures up this feeling of being in the wrong place.  It is also counterproductive to be unable to rest, relax, or sleep without feeling guilty.  Just because you could be doing something more productive every hour of every day, doesn't mean that you should be.

Another potential pitfall in the path to focusing is procrastination (Please refer to Puzzling Procrastination in the article archives of this site).  If what we're working on really is a priority for us, we should want to work toward its completion. 

If evaluating or setting priorities or maintaining your focus is an area of concern for you, you've already taken the first step.  Maintain your momentum.  Feel good in your accomplishments.  Understand that continued focus will bring you ever closer to your ultimate potential.