Since I was tired from focusing too much on work, I have listened to a Japanese audiobook by Hiroshi Mori, its title roughly translated as “The Power of Concentration is Overrated.” Or “Concentration, Not Necessary.”
I am relieved to learn that I don’t need to concentrate on work all the time.
The author says children naturally concentrate on certain things because it’s fun or interesting to them.
So, I realized what we focus on varies with our personalities, and we need to respect those differences.
I also thought that because we can concentrate more, if it’s fun, we need to make learning and working more fun.
Mr. Mori says if we use our power of concentration all the time, it’s exhausting.
And if you cannot concentrate on one thing for a long time, that’s OK.
You can do one thing and you can move on to another and another.
Eventually the work gets done.
There are other benefits in not using our concentration all the time.
For example, we may chat with coworkers while working, and it may be fun and it may encourage communication.
Or relaxing helps us come up with good ideas.
Not requiring concentration all the time can be a life saver.
I have decided to limit the time I use my concentration to certain hours a day.
I don’t want to be tired all the time.
The author also said, “Guard your time even if some people don’t like it.”
The original book title in Japanese is “集中力はいらない” by 森博嗣.
Publisher: SBクリエイティブ