Focus Archives - Alex Rowan

Some Of My Thoughts On Facebook

I returned to Facebook in August 2017 after having closed my old account and later going ‘incognito’ with a new account for a while.

I have had a mixed relationship with Facebook for a long time due to a variety of concerns.

Perhaps have a look at some of the links below and reflect on your own lives, and use of Facebook.

Recent research underlines why Facebook can be bad for people.

For example: “Want to stay healthy, both emotionally and physically? Researchers from UC San Diego and Yale have some simple advice for you: Limit the amount of time you spend on Facebook. While this may sound like typical anti-social media crankiness from academia, this time they have some impressive research to back up their case.”

From:

A 2-Year Study of More Than 5,000 People Shows This 1 Activity Destroys Your Emotional and Physical Health | Inc.com

I am only on Facebook with a Profile because despite various attempts to do without it, and subsequent time away, I need a Facebook account to use certain technical functionality (inside & outside Facebook), or information.

More concerns (I work in mental health, personal development), and why I am ‘Facebook friends’ with few people:

Facebook in privacy fail as psychiatrist’s patients are recommended to become friends

‘Creepy’ Facebook feature reconnects long lost relatives

My clients’ privacy is important to me and I will not compromise it.

And finally, a good talk by Dr Cal Newport:

Quit social media | Dr. Cal Newport | TEDxTysons

Direct link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E7hkPZ-HTk

Like Doc Cal, I am into ‘deep work’ and focus. Among other things, focus and ‘deep work’ helps me to increase my service to the world and thus help more people.

So…you won’t find me doing much on my own personal Facebook Profile.

I am active on my Facebook Page here: https://www.facebook.com/AlexRowanCom.

I am also active on Twitter: @AlexRowanCom.

PS: Up until quite recently, Facebook had a system where you could put Pages that you liked into lists, making it easier to view specific content when you want. I felt uneasy and managed, despite Facebook still having RSS feeds at the time, to find another way of efficiently reading Page streams WITHOUT using Facebook, or their now defunct RSS **. Just as well I did because Facebook have taken lists away and there are posts online with people moaning about how their lists disappeared overnight. Facebook RSS was removed even earlier. (I did enjoy being ahead of the uncaring Facebook when they pulled the rug out from under).

** If you want to read Facebook Pages without using Facebook itself here are two options: 1) BazQux Reader and 2) Inoreader

Added Nov 2017: The End of the Social Era Can’t Come Soon Enough | Vanity Fair

Added January 2018: “This Is Serious”: Facebook Begins Its Downward Spiral | Vanity Fair

Quote: “Facebook was always famous for the sign that hung in its offices, written in big red type on a white background, that said “Move Fast and Break Things.” And every time I think about the company, I realize it has done just that—to itself. But I think that Zuckerberg, and the people who work at Facebook, also realize that the things they have broken are things that are going to be very difficult to put back together.”

Perhaps you run a business and use Facebook for marketing? You may find this helpful:

Why Facebook’s Changes Shouldn’t Scare Good Marketers | Inc.com

More – Jan 2018:

Soros to Google and Facebook: ‘Your days are numbered’

More – Feb 2018

Americans say Facebook is worse for society than Walmart or McDonald’s | Business Insider

Jim Carrey urges users to delete Facebook accounts and dump stock

More – March 2018

“Dear Mark, you’ve let Facebook become a greedy, dodgy huckster that trades in privacy & corrupts elections. What the hell happened to the guy in the dorm with a dream to make the world a better place? Yours, Piers”

Read (Focus On) The Right Stuff And You Will Understand The World More Clearly

Everyone on earth has the same amount of time in a day – 24 hours.

We differ in what we focus on.

Years ago – 1981 – to be precise, while studying computer programming, I learnt about a computer science principle called GIGO – this stood for Garbage In, Garbage Out. If we wrote crappy computer code the result would be poor output if any.

I realised then that GIGO applies to any field of life. It’s just that today I have a greater understanding of this. Knowing something important is one thing, however having an in-depth grasp and lived assimilation of the issue is far better.

One way that we can significantly improve the ‘quality of our output’ (thinking and understanding) is to improve the quality of our reading.

Improving the quality of our reading includes:

Identifying resources which produce consistently high quality information in an easy to understand writing style. It’s no good if we get bogged down in the verbal equivalents of constipation or diarrhea – our understanding will be limited or lost and we will soon get bored.
Identifying ways to ‘get the information coming to us’ – one aspect of this is not having to hunt and peck for the information we need.
Dropping time-wasting activities and people. You know you need to.
Realising that listening to information – while useful at times (including when unable to read); such as listening to podcasts or the right sort of radio broadcasts/visual media – is a slower way of absorbing information. This is primarily because the human voice (and the associated audio processing by the brain) is a slow information delivery system. The voice does of course convey tone, energy and atmosphere.
‘Delegating’ research and thinking. When you read a good piece of material you can benefit from the smarts of the writer/s and in some cases, team, behind it. You are increasing your smarts faster with leverage.
Using technology to increase reading pleasure and functionality. Examples include apps for smart phones, tablets and computers. I like to read in bed at times and never liked the physical struggle with books – today I use the Amazon Kindle app on my smart phone which is so easy to manipulate and to get the lighting just right. If we remove physical barriers/difficulties to beneficial things in life then we will be more likely to take part in them – flowing with ‘natural law‘.

There are other ways we can improve the quality of our reading – perhaps you can let us know how you have done it in the comments below.

Here are some of my favorite reading resources:

The Economist – authoritative insight and opinion on international news, politics, business, finance, science, technology and the connections between them.
Daily Mail Online – a mixed bag, including the frivolous, however I ‘mine’ it for the key valuable nuggets, of which there are many. I have to be careful about not being seduced by some of the eye candy though! Over the years I have uncovered lots of fantastic information about health, business, psychology, nutrition, relationships and much more.
New Scientist – high quality information on a surprising range of subjects, including technology, space, physics, health, earth, humans, life.
Scientific American – award-winning authoritative source for the science discoveries and technology innovations that matter.
Mind – Scientific American – behavior & society, cognition, mental health, neurological health, neuroscience

Here is an example of what I mean by: “Read (Focus On) The Right Stuff And You Will Understand The World More Clearly”…

Evolution of the internet | Growing up | How the internet lost its free spirit – an article in The Economist.

The Internet is not what many people think. A somewhat disturbing read which includes: “When people know they are being watched, they are likely to self-censor and to change their behaviour in response.”

Spend a few minutes reading and absorbing the above article and you will have a better idea of what is really going on.

Much better than reading about the latest Kardashian Krap – don’t you think?

Well…I hope so anyway.

Splinternet: How Geopolitics and Commerce Are Fragmenting the World Wide Web

Reduce Distractions At Work And Increase Your Productivity With Scientifically Optimized Music To Get You In Focus Faster And Longer – Focus At Will

Ensure You Play The RIGHT Background Music While Studying Or Working – Focus At Will

Like many people, I often play background music while I am working, or otherwise want to concentrate.

Focus at will settings screengrab — Focus At Will Settings

The problem is, not all music is good for when we work.

We need to consider the effect of music from a neuroscience perspective. This way we can flow with the natural laws of our minds/bodies and not against them. Makes sense right?

Music with lyrics (words) tends to distract the mind (brain). Even music without lyrics can distract and cut comprehension. Some music tends to connect with you emotionally and intellectually in ways which are unhelpful.

Lets’ think about what we want to do when we are working (or should do anyway). We want to focus. (Multitasking is not a good idea – this scientifically based statement is beyond the scope of this article however).

What to do?

If you are like me, you will probably appreciate a high quality service which selects/produces/plays the right type of background music for you yes? One which helps you improve focus and concentration.

Such a service is focus@will.

I quote from their website:

focus@will technology delivers various “Attention Amplifying” music channels scientifically designed to engage with your brain’s limbic system. This soothes the easily distracted fight or flight mechanism increasing attention span and general focus

Focus@will have developed their service in partnership with leading neuroscientists.

More from them: “Focus@Will is a productivity platform that allows professionals to be 4x more productive while they work. We help you get in focus faster, and longer, with scientifically optimized music to reduce your distractions and help you get stuff done. It’s not a playlist, it’s brain music for productivity. Focus@Will has over 50 channels, with tens of thousands of hours. The music you find on Focus@Will cannot be found anywhere else, we remaster, re-edit, and re-produce each track to remove all distracting elements so you can stay productive and focused faster and longer. We add to each channel monthly, so you’ll never be distracted by listening to music that you have already heard.”

I suggest you try the focus at will service, without obligation, and which you can do free for two weeks without having to give any credit card details. Experience the difference yourself.

I have been a paid member of focus@will since the early days and love listening to it. The low annual cost (they have a monthly plan as well) pays for itself by greater productivity and quality of work. In fact, it would cost me money if I did not use focus@will!

More: How exactly does Focus@Will work? – Science-Based Productivity Hacks And Tips | Focus@Will

PS: I offer coaching on increasing focus and enabling ‘deep work’. If you want to know more please contact me.

Show This Texting While Driving Video To The Idiots In Your Life

We’ve all seen them…out on the road…the ‘multi-taskers’; some of whom get such important text messages, or perhaps are so important themselves, that they MUST text and drive.

What they are really doing, besides being a serious danger to other people on the roads, or passengers in their own car, is demonstrating their own stupidity; and that they are an idiot.

The word ‘idiot’ is often misused, so lets examine it further…

Wikipedia defines an idiot as follows: “An idiot, dolt, or dullard is someone who acts in a self-defeating or significantly counterproductive way”.

Now watch the video and see if I have used the term ‘idiot’ correctly. Then show the video to the idiots in your life. Soon. Very soon. (And don’t forget to scroll down past the video ;-))

Not you? Surely not? I may have just called you an idiot. Or dolt. Or dullard.

More information:

Distracted Driving Awareness Month (US)

Distracted Driving | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | Texting and Driving (US .Gov)

Join The Drive to Save Lives (Queensland Government – notice how much ‘softer’ their approach is – mistaken in my view).

Distracted driving – Wikipedia

The Great Multitasking Lie – Debunking the myths of cell phone distracted driving

Distracted Driving Information & Guidance

The Dangers of Texting & Driving – Facts & Statistics | MoneySavingPro – a deep dive into the problem and includes links to methods of prevention.

How A Focus On Quality Makes Life Easier, Later (And Why This Site Will Help You)

A focus on quality makes life easier, but often, the effects are not noticeable until later.

Because many of us are focused on the ‘quick fix’ we miss out on the best that life has to offer; across the board.

In fact, the tendency to seek out a ‘quick fix’ is built into our subconscious conditioning.

It is actually far better to slow down and invest more time seeking quality.

You ‘lose’ time initially, but it pays off handsomely in the future. In other words, your ‘return on investment’ (ROI) is superior.

Personally, I have found this to be true in a myriad of ways. One of these is taking time to research best of breed for products and services. Readers of this blog will benefit from my experiences, partly because I like to put something back into the world and also reward those vendors who deserve it, in the case of products or services.

Having an ability to search for and cherish truth, as opposed to one’s own opinion, helps. At times, we need to face up to the shortcomings of our thinking, methods, or the services/goods we use.

Living a quality life is a happier, less stressful life.

I remember, decades ago, having to stop on a British motorway and use a spanner on my motorcycle. The spanner broke because it was cheap and nasty – it looked fine on the surface. In future I only bought good quality tools – sure, they cost more and I had to do without some treats, but never again will I be inconvenienced by inferior tools failing. I still have the spanners.

The same applies to thinking and actions. Take relationships for example…

If you take time to connect properly with people in your day to day interactions you will feel better and in cases where you are a customer, enjoy better service or other benefits. Tune into each person’s ‘radio station’ (Everyone listens to WIIFM without exception). “What’s In It For Me” is the most popular ‘radio station’ in the world; that people listen to all their waking hours. In fact, this is one of the immutable laws of the world. Work with the law and watch how you ‘prosper’. Work against it, and experience the hassles, stress and problems that follow. Logic tells you this is correct, yet our emotions can override what we know is right, or best. That’s why subconscious clearing is so important.

Focus idea:

Remember that (the vast majority of) others are not interested in you, only in themselves. When you get your satisfaction from Spirit, you have no ‘need’ of others. You just ‘need’ them because you love them. Focus on THEIR needs, feelings and desires. Take time now to carefully think about how that will affect your life. Ideally, we do stuff for others for altruistic reasons, however even if you are the most selfish person on the planet think of how YOU could benefit by focusing on others. And wouldn’t the world be a better place?

A critical key to dealing with stress is actually to do with how you think about issues. I will cover this in later posts. That said, organising your life around a focus on quality will help reduce stress until you are able to handle it more effectively. Simply speaking, the big ‘secret’ to the stress conundrum is not the absence of the stressor/s but how we think about them.

As you strip out the dross and crap from your life and increase the quality, you will experience a feeling of liberation, joy and clearer thinking. Take TV for example. Instead of watching things mindlessly, without deeply thinking, I suggest that you carefully consider what shows you especially like, then stop watching the ‘also rans’. Seek the best in everything and you will find that life starts to give you that. A ‘high octane’ joyful experience.

Distance yourself from people who don’t fit the quality matrix. I don’t mean be snobbish; I mean filter out those with whom you do not have a high quality experience. This will make room for a better quality people and experiences. Recently, someone whom I had not heard from for some time, got back in touch with me. Silly me ignored warnings (Owl totem) and I suffered. My own stupid fault. What you feed grows. Feed truth and light. Sorry Owl.

Having a focus on quality is a deep and broad subject. I have only touched the surface on some of the issues and not mentioned others. In time, regular readers of this blog will learn more.

Make a decision today to start living a better life from now on.

“It’s a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.” – W. Somerset Maugham

“You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” – Mark Twain

“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” Mark Twain

Ref: http://www.literature.org/authors/twain-mark/connecticut/chapter-43.html

How often have you heard others, or yourself, say: “It is only (or just) my imagination”?

It’s extremely common.

If you think about it; we are powerfully influenced and affected by images. Imagery turns us on and turns us off. Visual imagery has power to cause sickness or health, in both body and mind.

Start using your imagination in more fruitful ways.

Used correctly, imagination can affect your subconscious and facilitate deep change in your psyche.

Contact me to learn how using your imagination can transform your life. I know, because I did it. I didn’t learn it in a book.

Live out of your imagination instead of out of your memory. Les Brown