Focus: An Important Attribute To Achieving A Good Life
“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive — to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” — Marcus Aurelius
Most of us desire to have a good life. To achieve a good life, you must apply the attribute of being able to stay focus on every activity or craft that must be dealt with.
Many successful people dedicated passionately to their pursuits in life by having the ability to stay focus.
Time management methods, mental models, and leaders of the World have been a big inspiration for us as they have become an important resource to be more inspired and motivated on the things that we do that satisfyies us.
In this article, I will talk about the models that could shape and inspire you possibly: Jeff Bezos on his The Regret Minimization Framework model, Warren Buffet and Bill Gates on Importance on Investing Oneself, the famous Pomodoro Technique: a popular time management method, and importance of being Simple.
Enjoy the fun of learning these mental models. As you learn the models, you might as well practice them and make them a habit that will be good for the long term.
Regret Minimization Framework by Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos is a risk-taker. He was thinking of what kind of framework or model that he could use transitioning to a different path before entering the internet space.
He is famous for launching Amazon.com (E-commerce and Technology company) and other companies such as AWS (Amazon Web Services) and Blue Origin (Aerospace Company).
The framework he calls Regret Minimization Framework guides him to project himself forward to age 80 and looking back at his life and being proud of what he had done and contributed to this world.
In an interview, Bezos described he would not regret trying and participating on the internet. If he failed, he would not regret it. But one thing he would regret truly is not even trying.
If you think and focus on the long term, you could make good life decisions that you will not regret later.
Keep trying until you succeed.
So, what does this framework related to focus?
We could ask ourselves in everything we do,
Is this the kind of life I want to have?
Would it benefit me?
Would this thing be worth it for the long term?
Will I regret not doing this?
As we view a longer perspective in our lives, this mental model could help us and be aware what are the choices we have to decide in our lives. This requires focus.
The decisions we will make are important and what makes this fascinating is it is in our control. What is not in our control are the expectations and opinions of other people. If we worry about that, it is a waste of time.
Investing Yourself
The most important investment you can make is in yourself — Warren Buffet
What truly makes a successful person in the minds of Warren Buffet, Charlie Munger, and Bill Gates?
To be a lifelong learner.
Being a lifelong learner has been their key to being more intelligent as it expands their horizons of curiosity.
But there is one attribute that helped them in achieving their goals as lifelong learners.
Warren Buffet was once asked, what factor do they feel has been the most important in getting to where they have gotten in life and he immediately replied “Focus.” Bill Gates Agreed.
To be a lifelong learner while staying focus is good leverage in improving oneself and achieve progress.
Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger are long-time friends and business partners for over 40 years. Together with employees, they have built a multinational conglomerate holding company: Berkshire Hathaway.
What is surprising between the two is the value of capital allocation and long-term compounding. They focus on investing and learning. They invest in businesses according to their circle of competence (what they know) that has value and growth in the long term.
Bill Gates, entrepreneur, founder of Microsoft together with Paul Allen, and a philanthropist together with Melinda built a foundation: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is an extraordinary person in many ways.
Gates also credited focus on the things he achieved in his lifetime, working day and night as he wanted to solve problems and innovate. He helped the world in building an operating system: Microsoft Windows that truly changed the landscape on how we normally live: the internet space.
Bill does not want his brain to stop working.
In the Netflix documentary: Inside Bill’s Brain: Decoding Bill Gates, stated that he had wrong in looking things. He questioned that in life, what is important in the world. He explored many problems about the world, read books, and asked questions.
Together with his wife, they have established a foundation in 2000: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that helps to solve many world’s problems fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world.
A leader who does use the money to help and improve the world.
Getting Things Done: Pomodoro Technique
In every student who needs to finish a task and is pressured by a given deadline, one must have a method to stay focus.
An article by Forbes written by Bryan Collins explained the Pomodoro Technique. This technique is a popular method invented by Italian Francesco Cirillo.
So, what is about this technique?
The technique is popular, perhaps because of its portability and easy-to-learn method.
1. Decide on the task that you need to do
2. Set the timer to 25 minutes or longer
3. Work on the task until the timer rings
4. Take a short 5-minute break
5. After 4 cycles take a 15–30-minute break
The technique trains our brain to focus for short periods or when improved, even longer periods and helps us to be in the zone while progressing the tasks and finishing deadlines.
This method can even help improve our attention span and concentration. It will be rewarding in the long term as we not only focus on our tasks but also relationships and dealings with life.
Be Simple
Being simple in staying focus means being able to do a task without juggling with other tasks. Simone Smith explained in his article: 7 Reasons You Should Stop Multitasking & Actually Get Things Done shared one reason: Your Brain is Not a Fan.
People who are bombarded with several streams of electronic information do not pay attention.
Focusing on one task at a time will gift you wonders as the quality of outputs that you will be producing are better and precise.
It would be a big help for you to stay focus on one single task at a time as it lets you become more aware of how things flow and the quality that is given.
Turning off notifications in our smartphone could also be a solution, putting your phone on the table screen facing down or even placing far away your phone from your working environment could lead to a more focused life as it lessens its distraction.
Simplicity drives value.
Focus on a single task and Live in the present moment. It is a way to a good life.
Conclusion
These are only a few models that I want to share.
Hopefully, you will be able to create value and awareness to share and teach it to other people on why being able to stay focus is a good thing towards a good life.
Life is a journey and as I discussed in my first post: The Snowball Project. We want to take the ride of long-term compounding.
Every day is a continuous improvement: to focus on being 1% better every day.
As always I want to say thank you for the time reading this article. I appreciate it. Below, I want to share my view in one of the best companies in the world: Amazon.com
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I love Amazon.com's approach to long-term thinking, obsession over customers, always day one mentality, innovation, and investing mindset. This company created value and service to the world and its shareholders are always proud and happy with what has become.
Here is a chart from its public offering (1997) towards its price trading 3k dollars as of now (March 2021).
Imagine investing 100 dollars per share at a price in 2009. It is 30x or Thirty bagger to its price today.
As Jeff Bezos stated mostly in his annual shareholder letters at Amazon: It is all about the Long Term.
References:
Thompson, M. (2008). Jeff Bezos — Regret Minimization Framework. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwG_qR6XmDQ
Zitelmann, R. (2019, October 28). What Focus Really Means: Learning From Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Steve Jobs. https://www.forbes.com/sites/rainerzitelmann/2019/10/28/what-focus-really-means-learning-from-bill-gates-warren-buffett-and-steve-jobs/?sh=632bd92873fc
TipHero (n.d.). The Most Important Investment According to Warren Buffet. https://tiphero.com/the-most-important-investment-according-to-warren-buffett#:~:text=It%20turns%20out%20that%20the,take%20it%20away%20from%20you.
Farnam Street Blog (n.d.). Charlie Munger On Getting Rich, Wisdom, Focus, Fake Knowledge and More. https://fs.blog/2017/02/charlie-munger-wisdom/
Collins, B. (2020, March 3). The Pomodoro Technique. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryancollinseurope/2020/03/03/the-pomodoro-technique/?sh=1107406b3985
Smitch, S. (n.d.). 7 Reasons You Should Stop Multitasking & Actually Get Things Done. https://www.15five.com/blog/7-reasons-you-should-stop-multitasking/
Amazon Chart: https://www.tradingview.com/symbols/NASDAQ-AMZN/
