What exactly do you focus on when doing routine tasks?

[Aubrey]

I looked up "focus' In the Lexicon and I came across this quote:

" concentration means undivided attention on some particular task or object . . . . It is an attention, an activity, devoted to a particular subject. Now, focus is more fundamental than that. You need to be in focus in order to concentrate, but focus is the particular “set” of your consciousness which is not delimited by the particular task, object, or action that you are concentrating on. You do have to focus on something, but focus is not [limited to] the continuing task that you are performing. The concept “focus” isn’t tied to the concrete . . . it remains the same no matter what you are focused on. It is the “set” of your mind."

I understand that it is important to be in focus at all times, but what exactly are you supposed to focus on when you are doing easy, repetitive tasks? For example I brush my teeth for approximately 8 minutes every day, and my hair takes at least a half hour to dry with a blow dryer. Is it proper to focus on the process of brushing my teeth (which is very easy), or am I supposed to be thinking about something more important? Another example, when I am lying in bed trying to fall asleep, I let my mind wander. Would it be better to think about a book that I read that day? What about when you are doing household chores, or driving a route that you have driven many times?

Edited June 3, 2009 by Aubrey

[Victor Dorfman]

Aubrey, I highly recommend Nathaniel Branden's book "The Art of Living Consciously". There are many more books of that kind but this one just happens to be one I've read and I found it to be good.

In regards to what to think about: That depends upon your hierarchy of values and the relative amount of focus a particular task requires. If you feel like you could be more productive with your thoughts by diverting resources away from one thing and allocating them to another, that may be beneficial to you and your goals. If you're driving, for instance, it is so automatic a task that thinking intensely about something else will be unlikely to interfere with it.

Trying to get to bed and analyzing literature may clash! You will have to experiment to see what produces the greatest gains.

Tchau!

[Myself]

It's a fallacy to think that letting your mind "wander" isn't productive.

Speaking from personal experience, I've found that some of my most creative ideas, solutions to problems, and most revealing introspection comes from "mind wandering."

Our brains are capable of much more complex trains of thought than the consciously focused, linear patterns we use most frequently. It's necessary sometimes to let your mind process experiences and memories, free associate, and daydream without attempting to consiously focus on one thing in particular.

Edited June 3, 2009 by Myself

[khaight]

I understand that it is important to be in focus at all times, but what exactly are you supposed to focus on when you are doing easy, repetitive tasks? For example I brush my teeth for approximately 8 minutes every day, and my hair takes at least a half hour to dry with a blow dryer. Is it proper to focus on the process of brushing my teeth (which is very easy), or am I supposed to be thinking about something more important?

I'm not sure there's a "supposed to" involved here at all. A better way of approaching the question might be: given that the routine task I am currently doing does not require my full attention, is there something else I could be thinking about at the same time that would make my life better? I'm a computer programmer by profession, and often while I am doing routine morning tasks -- showering, shaving, brushing my teeth -- I am also thinking about some aspect of what I'm planning to do at work that day. I don't need to concentrate on brushing my teeth, so why not spend the time thinking about something else?

Another example, when I am lying in bed trying to fall asleep, I let my mind wander. Would it be better to think about a book that I read that day? What about when you are doing household chores, or driving a route that you have driven many times?

"Better" in what sense? If you have an urgent need to fall asleep, you should 'focus' on that by letting yourself go out of focus. (Rand once described Dagny Taggart's falling asleep with the apt phrase "surrendering the responsibility of consciousness" -- focus being, in essence, assuming the responsibility of consciousness. It's also worth noting that if you're trying to fall asleep it probably means you're tired, and if you're tired you aren't going to be very intellectually productive by definition.

For whatever reason when I'm doing household chores like dishes or vacuuming I tend to pay attention to them. Maybe I don't do them enough to have automated the tasks as thoroughly as I have brushing my teeth. (My wife would probably agree with that! ) As for driving a familiar route... I often listen to Objectivist lectures during my commute. I'm currently on my second pass through Peikoff's "History of Modern Philosophy".

The above is just me. There certainly isn't some kind of intrinsic moral obligation to spend every minute of the day thinking deep thoughts. As I said above, the real question to ask is whether some routine task provides you with an opportunity you want to exploit to think about something else that will make your life better.

[JMeganSnow]

In OPAR, Dr. Peikoff describes the state of "full focus" as being ready to throw your mental machinery into gear at any time should the necessity arise. It doesn't mean furiously spinning your wheels at all times. This will just wear you out and make it difficult for you to *really* focus when it's important.