The Lost Pleasures of Focus

A distracted mind, a hurried spirit, and anxious toil—they all steal from us the gift of noticing.

According to author Michael Warren Davis, people can live more fully through activities such as learning a musical instrument, reading, or gardening. SYC PROD/Shutterstock

These days, so many people think of focus as just another life hack to increase their productivity. And sure, focused people do get more done, but I think this mindset sells focus short by treating it merely as a means to an end.

In fact, focus is one of the surest paths to a richer, more enjoyable life. Focus is good because it directly brings us many of the things we most desire—a sense of peace, the cultivation of curiosity, and the beauty of clarity—among other gifts.

The flaw in our thinking is the industrial mindset that we’ve carried over from the world of business and economics. We measure a day in terms of the amount we get accomplished or the degree of self-improvement attained, instead of the beauty, grace, or art of living it.

The end result is an impoverished view of human thriving, one that relies on the constant treadmill of more productivity in order to keep feelings of dissatisfaction at bay.

But in this hectic modern world, it’s still possible to live a calm and focused life. Imagine how your life would be different if you looked to focus not as a tool for getting more done, but as a way to unlock new pleasures amid the ordinary rhythms of your day.

The Magnificence of Gentle Pleasures

Before we look more closely at those particular gifts, I’d like to mention an important quality of the pleasures of focus: These pleasures cannot compete in intensity or immediacy with the pleasures of quick dopamine hits that you may get from scrolling social media, eating a donut, or playing a video game.

The pleasures of focus, like so many of life’s great pleasures, are gentle and quiet, but in their magnificent whole, they are far more satisfying than you’ll find anywhere else. They aren’t “addictive” in the way that more acute pleasures are, which leave you desperate for more and more. The pleasures of focus leave you feeling satisfied with life and optimistic, instead of groggy, disappointed, and scatter-brained.

That’s been my experience, anyway. The only way to know is to commit to this way of being yourself, even if you must first pass through a stage of readjusting your senses to the new, and perhaps more natural, sensations of a focused life.

The Daily Gifts of a Focused Life

Let’s look more closely at the gentle pleasures of focus, and consider your own circumstances in comparison.

Focus gives you moment-to-moment clarity.

How good it feels to know you are doing exactly what you intend to be doing. Focus allows you to choose once and then to stick with a task until its completion or the time you decide to stop. Without the constant weighing of options, your mind is unburdened from deciding and is released into a happy state of clarity.

Focus encourages a new set of values.

It teaches you to appreciate the activity in front of you at this moment and not to let your mind wonder what else you might be doing instead. It cultivates patience and depth, as you stick with a task long enough to learn its nuances and overcome its initial shallow difficulties.

Focus brings peace and calm to your spirit.

It isn’t hard work that leaves us weary and stressed at the end of the day; it’s the constant switching of contexts and jumping from one activity to another all day long. Focus is the antidote to this frenzied pace of life—a way to quiet the noise and distill your energies into a single task at a time.

Focus deepens curiosity and interest.

People in a rush seldom have time to enjoy their work. Their happiness comes from finishing the job or day-dreaming of the fruits of their labor. But, in my own experience, the slower pace of a focused life gives me enough mental whitespace for genuine interest to grow in my work. Focus is the mindset of a craftsman at work, while efficiency is the mindset of the machine.

Focus allows you to take in the beauty of the ordinary.

A distracted mind, a hurried spirit, and anxious toil—they all steal from us the gift of noticing. But focus, by turning down the volume of distraction, amplifies our ability to see the quiet beauties of everyday life. Unlike the loud thrills of life, these pleasures get sweeter with time and familiarity.

Focus results in greater satisfaction.

At the end of a day, it feels good to look back and see progress in the areas you care about. It feels good to have a quiet mind, rather than one overwhelmed, scattered, and stretched thin. In all of these ways and more, focus channels your efforts on fewer items and delivers satisfaction when looking upon the day’s work.