I’ve been looking at the theme of focus this month, as it’s a crucial part of personal development. But can we be too focused?
If so, what does ‘too focused’ look like. And why does it matter?
If I asked you to think about someone who is focussed, what images come to mind?
I bet that you are thinking of someone with their head down, getting on with something really important. Stern faced. Determined.
Having the right focus is so important, if we want to achieve outcomes. But it’s possible that being too focussed can have a negative effect too.
What happens if we become too focused?
We become blinkered when we focus too much on one task, or when we become so attached to the outcome. And we’ve all been there…When you’re working on something that’s really important, it matters. We want to do well. We want to be successful.
But how often have you kept pursuing something that isn’t working. Chasing success that just seems to be getting further away.
Being overly focussed can lead to us becoming rigid and inflexible. If we are not open to other possibilities, we lose our creativity and our ingenuity.
Some of the best problem solving solutions have come about because of trial and error. We have to be able to try again if things aren’t working out…but try again in a different way, based on what we’ve learned through failing.
But also, most of the time, we don’t get there alone. Being hyper-focussed can also mean we block out help and support, or input from others. If we’re not open to collaboration and sharing, we could be missing a little nugget of advice that might make all the difference.
Photo by Anika Huizinga on Unsplash