The outcome is the obstacle. When fixation on the desired outcome obscures focus on the task at hand, errors occur. Conversely, if our actions are not clouded by oversight, but executed with care, lightheartedness, and undivided attention, then we travel a much clearer path toward the outcome. This article aims to provide answers to the question ‘How to focus on the process?’. I’ll share some personal observations, but also provide some practical focus tips to improve undivided attention. I’ve also collected several science-based tips shown to enhance focus. We’ll discuss how process focus affects performance and look at how to focus on the process and not the outcome. The true aim of this piece is not to help us achieve more, but to help us realize the innate beauty of a life unobstructed by harmful grasping onto desired outcomes.
My job often demands flawless execution, but of course like everyone, I make mistakes. I recently took some time to analyze my mistakes, non-judgmentally, and I noticed a few common threads connecting the majority of my errors. Here are the three common undercurrents of my mistakes:
- I rush
- I doubt myself
- During the action, I say to myself ‘don’t make a mistake’
Process over results
When I analyzed these three circumstantial commonalities of error in my own work, I came to the conclusion that they all share one fundamental cause: lack of process focus. Let’s take rushing for example. If you think about it, rushing is the embodiment of outcome focus. Rushing is caused by a desire to be somewhere else or to be doing something else. Doubting oneself is a manifestation of fear—fear rooted in over-attachment to the outcome, or the fear of failing to get there.
This is why delivering a presentation alone in your living room is far less of a burden than delivering the same presentation in front of colleagues. It’s the same action, but the latter lends itself to fear of the outcome. The last of my three signposts of error, saying to myself ‘don’t make a mistake’, is a distraction. These words entering my mind are brought there by looking ahead to the desired outcome and attaching to it a great importance, which detracts focus from what I’m actually doing.
It’s clear that lack of process focus can cloud our attention and lead to mistakes. But what can we do about it?
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How to focus on the process – two personal observations
1. Don’t scan, savor – In this age of information, where our devices are flooded with new content daily, we’ve developed a tendency to scan for the bits that interest us most. Most websites and social platforms are designed to allow us to scan and still get what we want. This habit of scanning is fine on Instagram, but when it comes to true focus, whether it’s learning to play a musical instrument, writing a report, or even listening to a family member, it can expose us to error.
I like to use an analogy to help combat scanning—that of reading your favorite novel. Imagine yourself settled into a cozy nook, hot cup of something at your side, immersed in your favorite book. Your reading will be slow and pleasurable. You will savor each word, from left to right, line by line. The book is so captivating that you wouldn’t dare skip a line, much less an entire paragraph.
Read everything like a good book
Bring this slow and deliberate reading to your work. Much of the information we consume is software based, and practically designed for our eyes to skip around the page. Don’t skip or scan, but simply read all the information slowly and carefully, from left to right, line by line. It takes only a few seconds longer than scanning, but it provides full context, and ensures you won’t miss anything critical.
- Pointing and calling – I first read about the pointing and calling method in James Clear’s bestselling book Atomic Habits. The method, famously used in the ultra-efficient rail network in Japan, consists of a person literally pointing at what they are about to act upon, and then calling out the action aloud.
I found this to be strikingly clever. I realized immediately how well this method could transfer to information-based work. The cursor on the computer is perfect for pointing. Calling can be done aloud or internally. I am copying x information and pasting it into y document. Perform. I am analyzing x column of data to isolate y variable. Perform. I am about to meet with x person to discuss y. Perform.
Another truism about process focus is that its advantages are evident in both success and failure. If we look back at major accomplishments, we realize that they are not a snapshot in time, but an accumulation of countless small actions performed well. Similarly, when we look back at our failures, we can often identify and isolate one or more actions that were flawed, thereby contributing to the negative outcome.
How to focus on the process – Science-based focus tips
The following focus tips come to us from Dr. Andrew Huberman, professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford University. More specifically, they come from his two-hour podcast episode Focus Toolkit: Tools to Improve Your Focus & Concentration, which I highly recommend watching in its entirety.
Here are a few bullet-style tips to help you improve your focus:
- Binaural beats, at a frequency of 40 Hz, have shown to enhance focus and decrease the amount of time it takes to get into a focused state. Avoid using binaural beats for your entire focus period. Try using them for five minutes before you begin to focus or to reduce distraction in noisy environments. There are many apps or you can find binaural beats on YouTube for free.
- Leverage your body’s natural ultradian rhythms and block out periods of about 90 minutes for intensely focused sessions. Don’t expect to enter into deep focus right away. It takes five to ten minutes to settle in. Towards the end, spend 10-30 minutes to deliberately defocus.
- Try a cold shower to increase epinephrine and dopamine in the brain and body. This will help the body get into a focused state. The positive effects of epinephrine last up to an hour or more.
- Regular meditation practice has shown to have proven benefits for our ability to focus. Huberman cites a study in which participants meditated, using a form of meditation called concentration meditation, for 13 minutes per day. These participants had measurably higher levels of focus compared to the control group who did not meditate.
- Using our visual field can improve focus. Set a timer for 30 seconds and focus on one object during this time. This is a good way to begin your 90-minute focus sessions.
The true importance of process focus
When we contemplate the finite nature of life, as the Stoics prescribed, then we realize that treating certain actions as mere stepping stones to something greater plays right into something we are all trying to avoid: life passing us by.
It is true that by dedicating ourselves fully to each action we actually perform better, but this is not the chief argument for doing so. We should strive to wash our dishes and do our laundry with deliberate care because these actions are life itself.
Most imagery in mindfulness teachings shows us the sunset or the quiet moment with a loved one. But it’s critical to note that driving to work or taking out the trash are no less precious than the majesty of the setting sun or the connection of a family dinner. In fact, I would argue that these mundane or even unpleasant actions are where our mindfulness practice is most required.
Outcomes are obvious
You may think that letting go of the outcome will weaken you. By not having clear and constant reminders of your goals, you will not achieve them. But the thing about most outcomes is that they’re pervasive. Our society is practically constructed to give us constant reminders of who we need to be and where we need to go. Your work has built-in measures of success and performance reviews. Yes, you need plans and goals, but allow yourself to elaborate these with care and lightheartedness. Once you have a plan, you need not obsess over the outcome because it is always there. Thinking about the desired outcome won’t get you any closer to it, only the plethora of minor and mundane actions leading to it will. Nurturing these small acts not only yields better performance, but it affords us the preciousness of the present moment.
The present moment is an evergreen opportunity
Focusing on process over results, especially with the smallest of tasks, can amount to greater outcomes when we are not misguided by obsession over those outcomes. Approaching each action with care is a noble pursuit of life itself. Finally, fixating on an outcome can make us miss opportunities because our perspective is so narrow and confined to one rigid outcome. This narrow perspective of focusing solely on the outcome also stifles creativity and greatly restricts the ability to realize new possibilities and recognize opportunities.
But perhaps the most powerful aspect of a given moment is that it represents an opportunity to reset. I’d like to end on this note, because this noble pursuit of granting care and attention to the ‘minor’ details in life will come with its setbacks. You will lose focus at times and you will find yourself working on the outcome instead of the task. When this happens, do not become frustrated. Simply notice that you’ve strayed from the path, smile, and refocus. This is why mindfulness and meditation are the key, as they teach us not to strive for unfaltering focus, but to enjoy the pursuit of focus—to recognize when we have lost focus and regain it promptly and without angst.
“Life happens when we are busy making plans” – Allen Saunders
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” – Lao Tzu