Big goals can only be achieved with sustained concentration and focus on the most important aspects. All of the unessential things should be set aside because they take up valuable time without contributing much to the end result.

Jeff Bezos once said, “We’ve had three big ideas at Amazon that we’ve stuck with for 18 years, and they are the reason we are successful: put the customer first. Invent. And be patient.

While there are much more than three reasons why Amazon became so successful, there’s no arguing that it’s Bezos’ focus on the essence that made him so successful.

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You need to learn how to focus for three reasons:

-To motivate yourself to work on your big goal. If you don’t break it down into smaller parts which affect the outcome the most, it might sound impossible to achieve.

-To improve your performance. The 80/20 rule applies to every single area of life. Most of the output will always be produced by just a few key factors.

-To accomplish your task instead of straying off the path. If you don’t know how to focus, distractions will lead you in a different direction you might not necessarily want to take.

How do focus and ensure big results with a little effort as possible?

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The art of focus

• Strategic laziness is vital to help you achieve your goals more quickly and with less effort. By disassociating effort from reward, you will produce more results with less sacrifice (that would eventually negatively affect other areas of your life.)
• Placing focus on exponential growth can take you from zero to a hero (huge accomplishment) much more hastily than you believe. When working on goals in which you can imitate yourself (by using technology or other people), spend more time thinking about how to achieve exponential results rather than following the traditional mindset of linear growth.
• Never blunder motion for action. People who are busy don’t get better results than people who work less, and they are generally short of energy.
• Make it a regular habit to take a break and look at your problems from distance. Spending time in nature, away from everyone else, is conducive to introspection.
• Flow is a state of mind in which you have perfect focus on the task at hand. In order to achieve the state of flow, you need to have a clear goal, get instant feedback, and be challenged, but not so much that you start doubting in your abilities.
• Taking risks and pushing your limits is another spark to get in the zone. Don’t be afraid to try things that are likely to result in a failure. Your perception of them (and the likelihood of achieving them) will change once you enter the state of flow.
• Novelty and variety help you achieve flow, while automation and boredom will decrease your focus. Find ways to make your routine more predictable to increase the chance of getting into the zone.
• Flow is easier to achieve when you engage all the senses on the task at hand. If you struggle with paying attention to different stimuli around you, consider practicing meditation to increase your self-awareness.
• Freedom from distractions will help you achieve a deeper state of the floe. Make your surroundings as distraction-free as possible.