On too much focus

There is such a thing as too much focus.

I do experience it every now and then. When I obsess over a piece of code, or I go down the rabbit hole of doing my taxes.

In those moments I find myself as if awakening from a daze realizing I’ve spent the last few hours deeply busy with the task at hand.

This is the state of flow, which is one of the most enjoyable states to people.

“The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”

― Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow

As much as I enjoy those moments of flow, I am learning that there is such as thing as too much flow and too much focus.

Mindfulness is an effective path here. To find my balance I pause and take a deep breath.

We seek the flow, but we must find balance as well. Letting go is part of being on the flow.

“Whether we are happy depends on inner harmony, not on the controls we are able to exert over the great forces of the universe.”

― Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow