David Cummings on Startups

Things Occupying Space in Your Mind

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David Cummings

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Recently I kept thinking about this one difficult interaction I had with another person and that I couldn’t get it out of my mind. After talking to another entrepreneur, he offered up that he tries to be conscious of what things occupy space in his mind. I thought about it for a minute and he’s exactly right.

The mind is an amazing tool to solve problems, innovate, and do great things. Only, there’s a limited amount of space to juggle high priority items. If there’s something that you constantly worry about, but can’t control, it’s occupying space. If there’s something on your mind that needs to get done, but you don’t do, it’s occupying space. As tough as it is, the key is getting the mind to focus on the right things.

The next time your mind starts focusing on something, step back and ask yourself if it’s a worthwhile endeavor. While it can be difficult at times, especially keeping the thought of thinking top-of-mind, optimizing what’s occupying space in your mind will make a serious difference.

What else? What are some other thoughts on things occupying space in your mind?

Comments

5 responses to “Things Occupying Space in Your Mind”

  1. Barrett Brooks Avatar
    Barrett Brooks

    The real challenge is when things that are important, worth pursuing, and out of your control are occupying space in your mind. I find those to be the hardest to control and the hardest to conquer. My personal strategy has been yoga, meditation, and weightlifting. I’ve also forced myself to continue to be productive with the core of my work so that I don’t let my thoughts reduce the quality of my work.

    Reply
    1. aiyshah2014 Avatar
      aiyshah2014

      I agree with you on productivity. It means you are always moving forward no matter what.

      I think too if you can get yourself a good team around you, sharing the load is really key. Of course at the end of the day the buck will stop with you, but make sure you can make a decision and take responsibility for it.

      I’d say most of my stress comes because of people rather than things…I need to take a couple of steps back and really think about what it is that is consuming me, and often it is about a person or group of people rather than an event or thing.

      Reply
  2. Ron Stebenne Avatar
    Ron Stebenne

    David and Barrett…thanks for your insights…spot on. This is an area I’ve always struggled with since I’m involved with so many things to begin with. To help with this issue, I hired a consultant to give me an objective view of all the things I was paying attention to in business. It was helpful to have someone point out to me that I paid most attention to new endeavors at the expense of my established paying endeavors. This revelation helped me to focus on the ‘right things’ as you suggest David. That said, it may be helpful for folks like me to find a trusted person to provide an unbiased analysis of where you spend your time and energy.

    Reply
  3. Eric Santos Avatar
    Eric Santos

    Great post David. It reminded me of this older article by Paul Graham.
    http://www.paulgraham.com/top.html

    Thanks Ron and Barrett for the insights as well.

    Reply
  4. Peter Baron Avatar
    Peter Baron

    David, your post reminded me of a small book by James Allen published in 1902, called As a Man Thinketh – now its available online, its a quick read too http://jamesallen.wwwhubs.com/think.htm I hope this adds to your insights. Peter

    Reply

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