Emergencies can focus a wandering mind

But too often that focus is harried

How can we find a more relaxed focus when needed?

“Dad, there’s water leaking from my ceiling.”

I had just spent the day doing all the dang responsible things. Now this.

I have to admit, a part of me said, “Maybe it will just go away…”

But, about a breath later, I realized I should probably do something. With some sleuthing, my wife and I discovered the balcony to be flooding as the rain poured down. The water, in turn, was likely pouring through a crack into my daughter’s room.

There must have been a blocked drain. But it was under planks of wood that a previous owner had installed with no way to directly get to it. So, we grabbed a crowbar, head out into the pouring rain, and started pulling up planks, searching for the drain…

Many people with Wandering Minds tend to depend on emergency situations. Things that kick them into action.

The trouble is that everything else falls away to the side. Other important matters get lost. In some ways, a sharp deadline or an emergency can almost feel relieving. You get an “excuse” to not have to hold on to everything else because now you have a single thing to hold your focus.

“This is important!”

In some ways, it can even contribute to the power of a wandering mind.

But the difference between one that is guided and one that isn’t is in the relaxed nature of being.Instead of a frantic letting go of other things because *this one is just more important*, there is a sense that the other matters are addressed. They are ready and waiting for *when I am available*.

That relaxed state translated well into working together on the balcony. We were able to find the source, clear the muck, brainstorm adding a yearly tasks to revisit the matter, etc.

More interestingly, though, working in the rain was actually kind of fun.

– Kourosh

PS Building out a trusted system takes time. But it is possible. If you’re looking for the simplest overall approach, consider Being Productive. If you’re looking to integrate a powerful task manager, consider Creating Flow with OmniFocus.