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A counterargument: losing focus just means that you are encountering difficulty, boredom or frustration in your current project. Losing focus does not mean you

A counterargument: losing focus just means that you are encountering difficulty, boredom or frustration in your current project. Losing focus does not mean you should start exploring other options because you haven't found the best fit yet; other projects that seem shiny now will inevitably go through their own difficult periods. If you look for greener pastures whenever your organic focus starts to wane, you'll never make it through the challenges that create real value.

ollerac 6y ago
I don't think this is a counterargument. I think he's saying that once you decide to do something, you'll stick with it if it matches your values and the learnings from your journey so far. This resonates with me strongly. As someone who's started and stopped a lot of projects, I've often been afraid I would never settle on one thing. But now, even though I'm in a difficult phase with it, I feel more committed than ever to my current project. I think this is in line with the post: I spent a lot of time in a "divergent phase", exploring options and testing possibilities (multiple smaller projects). Now, I'm in a "convergent phase" and focusing on just one thing for multiple years, even though it's hard.
rmasters 6y ago
I agree that loss of focus can put someone in the danger zone of looking for other options without really resolving the underlying problem. However, I think the article is implying that deep thinking about your values and interests when you step back can help keep you from switching focus for shallow reasons. Perhaps you re-engage with a renewed sense of purpose. However, if you do switch after deep thinking, you'll hopefully be more resistant to further randomization.
pacamara619 6y ago
This seems an awful lot of text for being basically identical to the advice I get from older relatives, ehich are detached from the current reality: "Just power through it."

ollerac 6y ago

I don't think this is a counterargument. I think he's saying that once you decide to do something, you'll stick with it if it matches your values and the learnings from your journey so far. This resonates with me strongly. As someone who's started and stopped a lot of projects, I've often been afraid I would never settle on one thing. But now, even though I'm in a difficult phase with it, I feel more committed than ever to my current project. I think this is in line with the post: I spent a lot of time in a "divergent phase", exploring options and testing possibilities (multiple smaller projects). Now, I'm in a "convergent phase" and focusing on just one thing for multiple years, even though it's hard.

rmasters 6y ago

I agree that loss of focus can put someone in the danger zone of looking for other options without really resolving the underlying problem. However, I think the article is implying that deep thinking about your values and interests when you step back can help keep you from switching focus for shallow reasons. Perhaps you re-engage with a renewed sense of purpose. However, if you do switch after deep thinking, you'll hopefully be more resistant to further randomization.

pacamara619 6y ago

This seems an awful lot of text for being basically identical to the advice I get from older relatives, ehich are detached from the current reality: "Just power through it."