Bencz code or something like it

Focus, Focus, Focus

Up The Wall

The best climbs are the ones where it’s just me and the wall. Not in the literal sense, of course, but if I can push out the distractions and just focus on the wall things go better then expected. If I lose that concentration? Things deteriorate quickly, my feet slip, I miss that next hold. Next thing I know I’m still not up the damn wall and I’m tired from trying.

I’m noticing that the same is true in general - lack of focus eats away at my time. Not in a big way, mind you, but around the edges. Things start to get sloppy: I spend half an hour reading some useless Hacker News post; watch some 5 minute Youtube clip for no discernible reason. Suddenly the day feels shorter. Where did all that time go? Oh, fuck.

This is the default.

When climbing I sometimes stop, just stare at the wall, and tell myself: “Focus, focus, focus.” The very act of saying it pushes random thoughts out, at least for a little bit. Then I have to stop again.

“Focus, focus, focus.”

It’s the Little Things

Losing focus is easy, it’s the little things that do it. You spot a familiar face, “Oh hey, I haven’t seen him around here in a while”, and so the mind starts to drift. It’s only natural. This reflex needs to shut down with force! Progress doesn’t happen when I’m thinking about random trivia, or politics, or ruminating about the future. These are all activities with zero return on effort invested. But they’re so damn easy. But they’re so damn unimportant.

So now it’s like a mantra: “Focus, focus, focus”.

Every day “Focus, focus, focus.”