“The Devil is in the Details, but so is salvation”
— Admiral Hyman G. Rickover
Admiral Rickover — the American visionary who turned the idea of nuclear submarines from a pipe dream to a full-fledged reality — built an entire Nuclear Navy from scratch based on the principle of attention to detail. Over the 60+ year lifespan of the Nuclear Navy, the US has commissioned 100+ nuclear submarines and not once has there been a single nuclear accident.
But what do nuclear submarines have to do with focus?
The paradigm defining accomplishments of Admiral Rickover are living, breathing proof of the power of attention to detail. And true attention to detail is the secret to cultivating focus.
Take it from someone who — as my mother would put it — has many talents, but sitting still is not one of them. In elementary school, I was put into remedial courses because I couldn’t stay on task. In middle school, homework was routinely completed on the bus ride to school because after school I’d rather do literally anything else. In high school, I started more projects than I could keep track, seldom finishing any of them. And in college, I lived deadline to deadline, submitting assignments at the last second with each close-call prompting yet another empty oath “renewed dedication” to “just focus better”.
What changed?
As you may have guessed, I joined the Nuclear Navy and learned the power of attention to detail. With the astronomically complex nature of managing nuclear submarines from design to disposal, mistakes happen. But when a mistake happens, the Nuclear Navy does not just “promise it won’t happen again”, they turn around and dive headfirst into the details of what caused the mistake — in order to learn from it and to keep it from becoming a nuclear disaster.
Losing your focus is perfectly acceptable. But I’ve learned losing your focus and not thinking about it is not.
For the sake of the American taxpayer — I started addressing my lack of focus to be more productive at work. I’m by no means perfect, but here are three examples of how I’ve tried to find salvation in the details:
- My desk in the office seems to be the hub of so many interesting conversations. Solution: I bought $15 noise cancelling headphones from Amazon.
- Turns out my daily nap time from college was not a thing at Naval Reactors. I would keep falling asleep at my desk by the end of the day. Solution: I started to try to go to sleep earlier. By aiming for a 9 PM bedtime, I’d without fail be asleep by 10 PM.
- Even at my job there are still tasks I drag my feet starting. But once I start working on them, I get in the zone. Solution: I now set a timer for 15 minutes and trick myself into thinking “I’ll only work on this shitty assignment for 15 minutes”. Next thing you know I’ll have made an hour plus of progress. Works every time.
My examples are just that: my examples. You have to find what works for you. Be bold, be creative! And most importantly don’t be discouraged. You will fail many times as you cultivate your focus. But always remember, in the wise words of Admiral Rickover, “Success teaches us nothing; only failure teaches.”
Tips I use to focus:
— Learning to Focus is a continuous process not a one-time solution
— At the end of the day, learning to focus is a work in progress. You have to figure out what works for you and don’t get discouraged when you get distracted. When I first started standing, I could only stand for 15 minutes at a time. Now, I would sometimes get engrossed in my work and forget to eat lunch. Especially recently as I’ve started my career, working consistently, I’ve noticed the days that I sleep I am 100% more productive. Do I always get my sleep? No. But I have been much better. The lie I would always tell myself is staying up for 30 more minutes to get work done was worth the sacrifice. I dispelled that truth, I found myself being able to focus 10x longer at work.
To Summarize:
• Muffs to cancel out sound
• Remove yourself from distracting stimulus
• Face your back to the door
• Standing while you work
• Eating Lunch regularly
• Sleeping
• Setting a Timer to get into the zone
• Working out
You can also read:
On the Mencian Conception of Innate Goodness, and Its Survivability