Focus on Tasks Without Leaving a Trace
It is sometimes difficult to stay focused and you may not even realize why you cannot focus on the task at hand. This could be because you have unfinished business with a previous assignment. To fix this, follow the simple advice of a Zen master: Leave no trace.
As Leo Babauta of Zen Habits points out, the idea is not to remain mentally attached to tasks or activities after completing them. He explains:
Zen master Suzuki Roshi talked about the idea of leaving no trace – doing something with full presence and then moving on to the next without clinging to previous actions.
His great advice for any activity was to do something with a “clear and simple mind.”
One way to apply this is a simple habit of getting rid of the clutter: clean up your clutter when you’re done. This is a more literal way of “leaving no trace” … not exactly what Suzuki Roshi meant because he meant we shouldn’t leave a trace in our minds … but still a very rewarding practice.
This sounds simple enough, but we probably all come across it from time to time. Babauta’s advice on literally leaving no trace is good, and you can apply this advice in other ways as well.
Here’s a personal example. When I finish writing an article, I don’t feel complete until it’s in the hands of my editor. The problem is we are in different time zones and I prefer not to email them outside of business hours. I used to finish an article and remind myself to send an email in the morning. Now I use a service like Boomerang to just schedule email. That way, I’ll take it off my plate and have no unfinished business at heart. In other words, I leave no trace.
Another example is to simply cross something off the list. Whatever your method, the end goal is to simply focus on the task at hand, making sure you have completion with other tasks. For more details, skip to the full post below.
A Simple Habit to Remove Clutter: Leave No Trace | Zen habits