Since last November (or thereabouts), I have been working on an eBook on the Development of Brain Power, which features a practical system for increasing your mental abilities. This is without stuff like, “imagine it and it will be yours!”

I was initially excited about it, but now I’m not sure if there would even be much interest. In the past few months, I have only had one visitor express interest in it.

Now, that I have this blog, why not share some information and see how it goes, eh?

This is an early step in the system, and it involves managing your thoughts.

A lot of people talk about living in the moment, but how many people are actually thinking in the moment? Remember the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode where Data had a girlfriend? She asked what was going through his mind when they were together, and he rattled off a number of things. She was miffed that she wasn’t the sole focus of his thoughts.

Men (and women) aren’t androids, and while we may not be thinking as many things as Data did, certainly we have a lot of thoughts going on in our head, beyond what is relevant at the moment.

Increasing your brain power means that you have to think in the moment. A lot of people let their minds wander when they do routine tasks. They believe that they are being more productive by thinking of other tasks while doing another task.

But, you will be more productive by thinking in the moment, by focusing on the task at hand.

But, my job is boring. I don’t need to think to do [whatever]!

Sure you do. When your mind wanders, you’re not focusing on the task at hand. Best case, you go a little slower than you would otherwise, because you’re not focusing on what you’re doing. Worst case, you make an error. Depending on your job, that may mean you’ll end up re-doing a job (and that’s going to hurt your productivity!) or a visit to the emergency room… or worse.

This is of special importance for the self-employed, or those working part time at home to earn a little extra money. Focus on the job at hand. You won’t get more work done by focusing on other things, but you may be able to finish the current task faster. If you finish jobs faster, that means you have more time to take on additional jobs or more time to spend with your family or doing things you enjoy doing.

Practice focusing on the job at hand at every opportunity. That includes starting when you get dressed in the morning. If you want to contemplate your tasks for the day, take five minutes and do so. Don’t think about them while getting washed and dressed in the morning–instead focus on the task at hand!

For example, when you are brushing your teeth, focus on brushing your teeth. Do a good job.

But, I can think of other things while I brush my teeth!

Yes, you can, but that’s not the most productive use of your time. People think that because something is so routine that they can do it without thinking about it, they might as well be using their mind for something more useful. But, what is most useful is getting your teeth cleaned properly.

Despite supposedly good dental practices, people still have cavities, lose teeth, etc. While you can blame some of that on sugary drinks, the fact is that most people aren’t really paying attention when they brush their teeth. They go on autopilot. They believe it is so routine, they have it down pat. But, as their mind wanders to other things, their teeth probably are not getting cleaned properly. They move the brush around a bit, spit, rinse and then go about their business. And, in so doing, they are doing both their teeth and their gray matter a disservice.

I say this not to encourage good dental habits (although I do encourage it!), but to illustrate the point. When you let your mind wander, you are not successfully completing the task at hand. You brushed your teeth, but you did not do so with full effectiveness. The other side of this is that it is may be taking you longer to brush your teeth than it would if you simply focused on brushing your teeth. (And, the flip side of that is that you may not be spending enough time doing so in the first place!)

In all things, focus on the task at hand. You will very likely discover that by placing your full attention to the current task, you can actually get them done faster than you would when you let your mind wander to other things.

Take the first step in training your mind by focusing on whatever task you may be doing at the time. Do not let other thoughts enter your mind. Focus.

Start tomorrow morning when you get washed and dressed for the day. Focus on the task at hand, and not the things that need to be done later.

This is an important step. Try it. It may take some practice to keep your mind focused. But, give it a try and see if you aren’t more productive.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 24th, 2007 at 2:09 am and is filed under Brain Power. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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