Total Focus = Room To Breathe
I heard an interesting story today.
A guy was asked a series of questions.
“How long could you go without working out?”
“Months… heck, maybe even a whole year.”
“How long could you go without eating?”
“Hmm… I don’t know… 60 to 90 days?”
“How long could you go without water?”
“Less than that… maybe a week?”
“And how long could you go without breathing?”
“Not long… three to six minutes.”
Then came the punchline:
“Don’t you think you should focus on your breath first?”
Oh, snap! Yeah… that makes sense. I can hear Yoda, “Breathe, you must.”
Because in a way, Total Focus is exactly like that. It’s not about cramming more in or optimizing every last corner of your life—it’s about clearing enough space so that what actually matters has room to exist.
When you remove the clutter—the “too much to do, not enough time” feeling—you create elbow room. Space to stretch out a bit. Space to think. Space to breathe.
And that’s not just a nice metaphor. It actually changes how you move through your day.
Here’s another way to think about it…
Bad habits tend to work very well because they work on both good days and bad days. They don’t ask much of you. They’re always available. They slide right in, no resistance.
Good habits, on the other hand, often fall apart the moment you hit a bad day. You’re tired, distracted, a little off—and suddenly the “right thing” feels like too much.
So what we’re really after with Total Focus is something slightly different.
We’re trying to identify the handful of actions—call them habits, processes, or just priorities—that you will say YES to no matter what kind of day it is.
Good day? You do them.
Bad day? You still do them.
That’s the bar.
Today, I wanted to walk through how I landed on mine—at least for this current season—because I’m still figuring this out, same as anyone else.
Step 1: Reconnect with values and lifestyle design
I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s worth repeating because it’s the foundation.
I’m building what I call a “Back On Campus” lifestyle.
Not in the Rodney Dangerfield Back to School sense—no need to relive freshman year—but more in the sense of stepping into a version of myself that feels like a lifelong student… or a non-traditional professor of sorts.
When I look back at one of my best years in college, it had a very specific mix of elements. And when I strip away the nostalgia, what I’m left with are values I still care about today:
Health & Fitness — back then it was a bicycling class; now it’s the question: what kind of movement actually feels good and purposeful?
Simplicity — dorm living had an ease to it; today that becomes: how do I keep living arrangements as low-friction and simple as possible?
Learning — I had a course on “The Good Life” that I loved; now it’s: where am I putting myself in learning environments that inspire and expand me?
Creative Expression — I had a lead role in the school’s Annual Musical production; How do I make ongoing artistic and creative activities a significant part of my life?
Adventure — Long Weekend Trips w/ Fellow Exchange Students; How can I incorporate exploration, fun, and connection into my life on a regular basis?
Vocation — Discovering Maslow’s Self-Actualization theory; How can I develop the freedom to live my truth and help others do so, too?
Time Freedom — Summer Job to pay for school year; What can I do for a season of the year that is sort of like a “seasonal job” that could make some money, but primarily done for the adventure and fun of it, more than the money?
That’s the backdrop. That’s the “strategery.”
Step 2: Review current brainstormed goals
Back at the end of March, I put together a list of 19 things I wanted to do this Spring.
Nineteen.
Which… is already a bit of a tell.
So I went back through that list and asked a simpler question:
What actually matters right now?
Not eventually. Not ideally. Not “it would be nice if…”
Right now.
Some items were already done. Others were lingering. But what I was really trying to find were the few things I was willing to commit to every single day—come heck or high water.
Step 3: Total Focus on the few
Here’s where I landed:
Walk 15,000 steps per day until I’m back at my target weight
Rehearse my full 27-song set list daily to prepare for summer performances
Write and publish one blog post per day for a year
And then… I stopped.
That’s it.
Yesterday, I did those three things—and then some.
I ended up with 19,000+ steps, partly because the rehearsal itself gets me moving, and partly because it got me outside in some legitimately beautiful spring weather. Not a bad way to spend an hour or two.
I ran through all 27 songs, and then had the thought that I also want to keep three additional songs in rotation—so now I’m building a separate “best of” list to pull from. That’s evolving.
And the blog? Posted.
By my count, this is Day 45 of doing that every single day.
It’s a big goal—but at this point, I have no real doubt that I’ll complete it.
Not because it’s easy. But because I’ve decided.
That’s what Total Focus does—it removes the negotiation.
Now, does this mean I ignored everything else?
Not at all.
I still cleaned the apartment. Went out for dinner. Listened to some new music. Took care of finances. Moved a few other things forward.
But the difference is this:
Those three priorities were non-negotiable.
Everything else was optional.
Or as my Inner Yoda likes to remind me:
“Do them, you must.”
So I’ll leave you with this:
What are the few things in your life that actually deserve Total Focus right now?
And how do you make sure—practically, not theoretically—that you show up for them every single day?
Because when you get that right…
Everything else tends to fall into place.
Or at least… it matters a whole lot less.