choosing focus, frequency, intensity

everything affects everything
choosing focus, frequency, & intensity

in the past, when it came to exercise, for years, I believed the more the better.  to get better at everything I believed I needed to spend a ton of time on everything.  I did 2-a-days for over 2 years with barely missing a day.  my skills and strength got slightly better, but was in proportion to the time I was spending, and was it worth the extra time and exhaustion?  I developed some nagging injuries which I know now were a cumulative effect of all the training.

fast forward that to now.  I am 100% committed to the morning workouts, to the 1hour of power that we have, and giving it my all.  period.  I put all my focus and all my intensity into what we are doing.   my mental focus and intensity, as well as my physical focus and intensity.  this includes the warmup, the workout, every part of that hour.  and guess what – EVERYTHING IS GETTING BETTER. 

I’m having these brief periods of intense focus and intense intensity, vs spreading myself out over multiple workouts trying to do too much.  I’m seeing results everywhere, even in things that seem to be unrelated because guess what – EVERYTHING IS RELATED. 

• first of all, deciding to prioritize my 1 hour of power keeps me from spreading myself thin.
  
• my decision to have pure focus and intensity during my 1 hour of power translates into better focus and intensity with other workouts.   I’m cultivating focus & intensity for future sessions.
  
• the movements themselves are all connected.  I may not be doing snatches every day, but my other movements are making my snatches better.  push-ups help with pushing, shoulders, and lockout.  handstands help with lockout and core stability.  squats help with keeping chest upright, etc.  the key is giving every session my full attention.
  
• I never think I’m beyond any movement or skill or that I’ve mastered anything.  there is always room for improvement and further mastery.

I think this is relevant in everything!  let’s look at my work situation:

• I choose what I want to focus on with extreme care.
  
• once chosen, I allot a specified period of time to work on it.
  
• during this time period, there is no time for anything else!  I stay focused I work hard, and I notice my tendency to drift.
  
• even if it seems like like a limited, pigeonholed area or topic, it is in fact adding to my overall cumulative wisdom, ability to choose my focus, my ability to focus, my intensity, my ability to discuss and talk about these things on the fly, etc.

when you determine your focus, when you commit to being fully present and attentive, and when you commit to giving it your all, the results you get translate into other areas of your life because you’re cultivating focus, you’re cultivating present moment awareness, and you’re cultivating INTENSITY.  and the skills you are acquiring translate into every area of your life.

life is all about ins and outs, ups and downs.  push hard, back off.  you can’t do everything all the time.  but you can choose where your focus is best served, and then commit to it 100%.

here’s a step-by-step process to consider.

as you go about this process, have an experimental mindset.  commit to something temporarily, as an experiment, and then see where it goes!

1. prioritize your focus.  figure out where you need to spend your time.  if you have a lot going on, make a list.  if you’ve got lists of lists, then consider a task management program.  I love Wunderlist. 
2. commit to a specified period of time to work on it.  if it’s important enough to rank high on your list to do, then it’s important enough to block some time out for. 
3. commit to a pre-determined frequency to work on it.  remember, more doesn’t always mean better.  more focused and intense always means better, in the context of having space.
   
   • with fitness, consider experimenting with less frequency and more intensity.
     
   • when it comes to work and other things, consider mapping out a period of time each day, week or month to work on something, block it out in your calendar, and commit.  versus feeling like you have to work on it all day every day. 
4. commit to focus and intensity for that period of time.  have an intention to be completely focused, completely attentive, and notice yourself drift.  before beginning each session, whether fitness or otherwise, have a brief conversation with yourself that you will be dedicated to this task for the duration!  set an intention! 
5. allow yourself to be free, have space, and relax outside of these specified periods of time.

remember – ANYTHING I fully dedicate myself to helps me in many other areas of my life, if not all:

• I’m cultivating focus and intensity for other things.
  
• I’m adding to my overall cumulative wisdom.
  
• I’m cultivating the ability to allow myself to relax when not working.

said with so much love :)