Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be. - Khalil Gibran

Nothing happens unless something moves, and if there is no progress there won't be any change. The internet is a colourful and pumping world of distraction that's in constant movement. Yet, if we don't learn how to focus on what's really important, we're going to stand still while the rest of the world pulls ahead.

At Steemfest² in Lisbon @roelandp asked the audience in one of the presentation breaks: How much time do you guys spend aproximately on Steemit? I was tempted to answer: 25 hours per day.

Social networks can be quite distracting - if you let them distract you.

Here's to the importance of focus and discipline in business and life.

@surfermarly focussing you :-)

Current status: invisible

There is one little detail I especially love about Steemit's UI: Our connection status is invisible.

If I may address one wish to @ned and @sneak: Please don't ever change that.

It's a great relief that nobody can interrupt you while you're doing what you need to do. Whether you're producing, reading or curating content, not being distracted by instant messages is a great plus. Also when I'm working on a new article by myself, I switch off my mobile phone and close all other applications on my computer.

That's still not 100% focus, but I'm getting closer to it.

When mobile phones and related applications were invented, people celebrated the idea of constant availability. Now a couple of years later, we start to curse the lack of intimacy that came across with these devices.

Our mobile phones are probably the no. 1 distraction in every life situation.

From my point of view the 'airplane mode' was one of the very best achievements in mobile communication technology.

My family and friends have certain difficulties to reach me sometimes, that means that I'm busy / focused.

There are days I don't switch on my phone before noon.

If you want digital communication - or business in general - to be efficient, you need to define clear rules both for your own behavior and for the conversations you're going to enter.

Your actions should be contributive to the higher mission. Once you start getting distracted, you're going to lose time - thus you're going to lose money.

The no. 1 goal of any successfully running communication platform is to extend your retention time no matter how. Time = value = money. They aim to distract you, it's their business.

Still the internet is not the problem, it's our way of using it

I bet you won't ever find a successful business man sitting in a corner playing Candy Crash on his mobile phone.

Ways to distract yourself from what's really important are infinite. There are probably more mobile applications on the market than you'll ever be able to install.

The big question is: how many apps are you actually using on a daily basis? Do you really need them? Are they really contributive to your goal?

I have five applications on my phone, and I swear I don't need more :-)

"No progress in current knowledge" - Chatrooms are time killers

Don't get me wrong. I love work groups and task forces - and I love to team up in order to bundle forces and follow a concrete plan or mission.

Yet I don't like hanging up in chatrooms or messenger groups where conversations have no real purpose and there is "no progress in current knowledge". The only Whatsapp group I'm part of is the one we created for the surfers that participated in Steemfest².

The question is: What's the purpose?

Everybody knows the sensation when you're starting to do some research and end up reading an article or watching a video about something that is completely off topic.

One the most relevant skills in (online) business is the ability to get rid of distraction.

It's all about the focus

Sam Ovens is one the people who have successfully implemented such strategy.

Sam quit his corporate job, dropped out of college and started his own consulting business from his parent's garage in New Zealand. He started without having any investors or outside funding and grew his eponymous e-learning company to $10 million by the age of 26. Now he's one of the most successful business consultants, being even listed by Forbes.

To me Sam Ovens is one of the most inspiring businessmen of our time!

Read the following quote from one of his interviews, and you'll unterstand that - if you want to come to the top - focus is even relevant for the time spent in your private life:

Outside of work, my favorite things to do would probably be reading a book, watching documentaries. I like things where you can cheat a little bit. Like, you can be relaxing and taking time off, but really you’re learning, and you’re getting better. I like those ones. That’s like books, documentaries, or just like socializing with people who have good things to say. That you’re not just talking shit. Like, they’ve got good insights, and they're doing interesting things themselves. Because those are ways to recharge and learn at the same time. - (Interview: How To Achieve Peak Performance)

One of Sam Ovens most inspiring interviews: "How To Gain Laser Focus In A World of Distraction" (25 min. worth watching)

When I started to produce my first videos on steemit, someone told me that I should try to keep them short since most people don't watch videos that are longer than 1.5 minutes.

Now considering the adviced from Sam Ovens we know: it's not that we're unable to focus on a video that is longer than 1.5 minutes. We simply don't know how to get rid of all the other distractions around us.

To learn how to focus is surely one of the key drivers to success in (online) business.

I hope you enjoyed the read!

Now I'm going to focus on the New Year's Eve celebration :-)
Marly -

Thanks for your valuable time!
This blog was launched at the end of July 2016
aiming to provide stories for open-minded
people who enjoy living on the edge of their lives,
stepping out of comfort zones, going on adventure,
doing extreme sports and embracing the new.
Welcome to the too-much-energy-blog!

PS: Don't forget that this is a troll-free zone.

Original content. Quotes found on travellatte.net, quotefancy.com (1) quotefancy.com (2).