Today's Zen of Technology is... Focus.
Focus is they key to getting things done. Like the rays of sun lighting up a piece of paper on a beach in the middle of the summer - focus helps to define purpose. Left for the entire day, the paper will simply have been illuminated and will remain warm. But, with the right focus, the sun can turn that piece of paper into a blazing fire in a matter of seconds. Sometimes you can achieve the type of focus you need on your own, and sometimes - like in the case of the sun - you need the help of the right tool.
As many tools as there are to help you focus, there are just as many things getting in our way to prevent our focus. One small cloud covering the sun means our paper will never come alight. Trees, winds, and even the local wildlife can quickly get in the way of achieving.
If you want to complete a task - small or large - you need to be able to focus. Learn to use the right tools to help you focus - to reduce external distractions and to increase your ability to focus on the task at hand. Music can be a great focus help but certain types of music can actually distract, so be mindful of what you're listening to and how it effects you. You should also consider turning notifications for social media or e-mail off when attempting to focus. E-mail and messages will be there when you're done, but constantly being distracted can turn a 10 minute task into an hour task.
A final note - if a task seems difficult even while you are focused, take a break from it and return back to it later. Your mind will mull over the task while you are not working on it and a solution may come to you.
