Chopping wood fetching water

I have been thinking some more about my friend who has been working on quant problems to train his mind to focus. Clearly quant works for him because he enjoys it, but it could well end up frustrating others. What does it take to teach one's mind to focus?

I was watching a show on the Discovery channel some time ago that provided the answer. That particular episode focussed on someone who lived off the grid in the tundra wilderness, and had to chop his own wood and fetch his own water. He spoke about how he was initially miserable when doing these chores, until he realized the source of his misery was all those random thoughts that his mind wandered into while he was working. A number of those rambling thoughts were just anxiety inducing ambiguities, not real problems that could be solved with concrete action. He found peace when he decided to concentrate on and learned to enjoy the job at hand. Chopping wood, fetching water.

I do not have the need to chop wood and fetch water, thankfully, but there was an activity that I used to find frustrating, but have now learned to enjoy. Some years ago I started to iron my own clothes, and hated it enough to cause me to wonder why I was putting myself through the ordeal. I would always rather be doing something else and ended up taking out my frustrations on my shirts and trousers.

After watching that show, I decided to give it a shot, concentrating on the ironing while I was ironing. I have gotten better at it too, and have been working on my speed. This might sound crazy, but it is now one of the activities that gives me my 'me-time'. Driving is another. And writing this blog has now become a third.

When I started out on the 1st of January this year, I was certain that it would be really, really difficult to go through an entire year with one post every day. Now, I am beginning to believe that I will manage, for writing a new post is one of the things I actually look forward to doing every new day.