Quotes About Focus

Of all human activities, writing is the one for which it is easiest to find excuses not to begin – the desk's too big, the desk's too small, there's too much noise, there's too much quiet, it's too hot, too cold, too early, too late. I had learned over the years to ignore them all, and simply to start.

When you are composing a verse, let there not be a hair's breadth separating your mind from what you write. Quickly say what is in your mind; never hesitate a moment.

The object isn't to make art, it's to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.

Do whatever you do intensely.

There is no art without contemplation.

The more simply you see, the more simply you will render. People see too much, scatteringly.

There is always a commanding and simple line around each head. Learn to have a love for the big simple line.

Concentrate on a single feature – as, build all toward one eye – make all lines lead toward that eye. (Robert Henri)

You can get so that every step, every little obstacle on the battlefield, becomes so big that you can't see much past it, and when you do get past, it's sometimes hard to remember what the hell you were supposed to be doing.

One of the big mistakes I think we make in relationships is that we don't give our best energy to the people that matter most.

How difficult it was to hold the eyes focused on that far horizon when this world lay in the foreground so compelling in its splendour and its strength!

How difficult it was to hold the eyes focussed on that far horizon when this world lay in the foreground so compelling in its splendour and its strength!

Good bosses focus their attention, and their people's efforts, on the small number of things that matter most. The best bosses learn when they can and should ignore the least important demands from others. But some demands can't be avoided even though they have little, if any, impact on people or performance. In such cases, it might be wise to do a quick and crummy job so you can 'check the box' and quickly move on to more crucial chores.

If you want to make good decisions as the day wears on, watch for signs of fatigue. Even seemingly trivial levels damage performance. Build in ways for yourself and others to take breaks, whether it's getting a bite to eat or taking a few minutes to stretch your legs.

When someone at the Directors' College asked Campbell about the most crucial skill for a senior executive, he said it was the rare ability (which Jobs had in spades) to make sure that the short-term stuff gets done and done well, while simultaneously never losing sight of the big picture.

Another misguided trick bosses use to demonstrate their brilliance – at least to themselves – is to develop incomprehensible strategies. Unfortunately, if your people can't understand your strategy, they can't figure out what to do. And, even if they can comprehend the twists and turns, the complexity can scatter their attention in so many directions that they won't do any single thing well.

Researchers MeowLan Evelyn Chan and Daniel McAllister contend that when employees distrust others too much and are flooded with fear and anxiety, they become excessively vigilant, focus on just the bad and tune out the good, and see evil motives in the most innocent actions.

If we sincerely before the Lord plan out our day along the lines suggested and carry it out to the best of our ability, we can and must leave it there. We should refuse to get into the bondage about what has not been done. —J. Oswald Sanders

If we don't know what we're supposed to be doing, we do lesser things, squandering ourselves on unworthy pursuits and trying to narcotize ourselves from the nagging feeling that life is essentially empty.

Be careful not to spend your life laboring in secondary causes.

Set priorities for your goals. A major part of successful living lies in the ability to put first things first. Indeed, the reason most major goals are not achieved is that we spend our time doing second things first.

Use your calendar as a shield to encircle the most important things of life.

I never could have done what I have done without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time." — Charles Dickens, in David Copperfield

A solid routine fosters a well-worn groove for one's mental energies and helps stave off the tyranny of moods." —Mason Currey, in Daily Rituals