Focus has become more valuable than intelligence (2018)
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Re: Focus has become more valuable than intelligence (2018)
#2I've had thought about this a lot as well, I'm really unsure I agree. The main problem is figuring out where exactly is the line. Like some of the best gains I've had in life were from things that others considered a distraction.
I think I have a better solution. Watch your level of engagement, if you are hating something, it's a good signal you should do something else.
Like say Leonardo da Vinci, Goethe and Alexander von Humboldt had a lot of things going on.
Re: Focus has become more valuable than intelligence (2018)
#3I'm yet to become rich or fulfilled by way of admiring myself in the mirror all day.
And binging Netflix didn't help either. Neither did masturbating.
As a rule, addiction is a form of ability, but one that only bears fruit after you've stopped using it completely.
Maybe focus without intelligence is not all that useful. You need quite a few brain cells to distinguish productive effort from addiction, especially if they overlap. It takes a lot of honest introspection to do so.
Without focus the potential doesn't go, it lies unused and is not developed into ability. No potential ever goes, that's why it's called potential. If you say "this glass has X amount of potential energy" because it's on a Y meter high table, and then start calling the table the floor, nothing has actually changed about the glass.
One of the points of life is to develop ones potential into abilities. It's a very personal choice which part of ones potential one chooses to develop, and one we each make from moment to moment.
Saying "focus" is a currency we should be paying more attention to is dancing around the fact that there's a bunch of people who would do good to read Exodus again, or otherwise learn to recognize addiction in a culturally appropriate way.
Re: Focus has become more valuable than intelligence (2018)
#4I can only agree on that. For people interested in the topic, I would recommend reading Cal Newport's blog too.
Also, I intend to turn internet mostly off in 2020. By that I mean: - no 'checking' of any websites, no news. I will only use internet to search on specific topics I'm interested in - subscription to paper edition of Economist, to keep myself informed (albeit not in real time - what's the use of that anyway ?) - read interesting sites / blogs I subscribe to, once a week
I've tried this for 2 weeks once, and the effects on my mind were amazing - besides the obvious effects on concentration and work quality, I've also noticed that I actually do have plenty of free time !
Re: Focus has become more valuable than intelligence (2018)
#5I finally pulled myself away from Facebook a while back and could not be happier with the results and perspective I gained. I removed all “friends” and kept about a dozen family members just to keep in touch. I had to keep the account due to my businesses using it for marketing purposes.
The change in quality of life (due to the negativity on FB) and productivity was instantaneous.
Re: Focus has become more valuable than intelligence (2018)
#6I agree that focus is rare and critical, but I take issue with the closing paragraphs that suggest prioritizing focus over relationships.
What good is it to gain the whole world but have no one to enjoy it with? Of course this is simply another form of focus - choose which relationships to focus on. But putting intellectual pursuits above relationships is a lonely and foolish path, even if you achieve your dreams. If someone close to you suggests spending more time with them, you would be better served to listen to them than to cut them out of your life.
Re: Focus has become more valuable than intelligence (2018)
#7I employ these techniques with mixed but promising results:
- I block relevant news and social media sites on my phone and laptop (phone rules are more restrictive)
- I force myself to note everything I want to research/read down as a todo. This alone helps me to avoid many irrelevant things I would have otherwise read/researched
- Every month I set priorities, how I want to spend my time. Then every day I go through the list of items I have written down to select and prioritize what I want to do. Then I start working my way from the top item down
This article has helped me shape my thinking: https://medium.com/swlh/theres-no-such-thing-as-motivation-e...
Re: Focus has become more valuable than intelligence (2018)
#8I'm yet to become rich or fulfilled by way of admiring myself in the mirror all day. And binging Netflix didn't help either. Neither did masturbating. As a rule, addiction is a form of ability, but one that only bears fruit after you've stopped using it completely. Maybe focus without intelligence is not all that useful. You need quite a few brain cells to distinguish productive effort from addiction, especially if t…
Why specifically Exodus?
Re: Focus has become more valuable than intelligence (2018)
#9“Anathem” by Neal Stephenson describes monastic communities dedicated to studying mathematics.
I sometimes entertain an idea, if a similar monastic community can work in our world - assuming they would be less strict than in the book. Such isolated retreats would be beneficial for rebuilding focus, finding calm and comfort, without noisy distractions, so one could focus most of their time on studying mathematics.
Definitely, nowadays isolated monasteries would not be convenient for doing actual research, as the access to Internet is a must.
Re: Focus has become more valuable than intelligence (2018)
#10“Anathem” by Neal Stephenson describes monastic communities dedicated to studying mathematics. I sometimes entertain an idea, if a similar monastic community can work in our world - assuming they would be less strict than in the book. Such isolated retreats would be beneficial for rebuilding focus, finding calm and comfort, without noisy distractions, so one could focus most of their time on studying mathematics. Def…
We already have such a concept, ever been to a remote research university grad school campus?