Strong concentration and focusing on the task at hand, without distractions, is crucial for achieving success

Krishna: Strong likings and interests can sometimes be a double-edged sword. While they can motivate and energize, they can also lead to distraction and difficulty focusing on other tasks, especially if the interest becomes all-consuming. This happens because intense focus on one thing can pull attention away from other, leading to a decline in cognitive performance in those other areas.

I want to give examples from my own experiences from my field (1).

Whenever I do my research or any other complex work, I make a few silly mistakes sometimes while doing ordinary things outside my lab/studio & later on after realizing my mistakes I feel bad about them. My cousins consoled me several times by telling a story about a famous scientist.

It seems the scientist had two cats-one kitten & its mother. The scientist built a house for his two cats. He left two openings to the house – one small (for the small cat) & one big (for the big cat). It didn’t occur to the scientist at that time – who 's considered as a genius – that one big opening was enough for both the cats! (1)

Another story: Norbert Wiener, an American mathematician, was known for his absent-mindedness. He used to drive to work at Harvard in the morning and come back home in the evening. One day there was to be a change in the routine. The Wieners had sold their house and were moving to the new residence that day. His wife had spared him all the details of the transaction and simply told him that they had sold the house and were moving to another that day, so he must remember to come back in the evening to the new address, which she gave him along with instructions on how to get there. Of course, Wiener forgot and, like on every working day, came back to the old house which he found locked. He could not figure out why. Then he saw a young girl standing near the gate and asked her if she knew where the Wieners had gone. The girl replied: “Yes, daddy! I will take you there. Mummy had told me to bring you when you returned here from work.” :) (1)

A scientist’s/genius's/polymath's mind will be completely drowned in his/her thoughts & work most of the time. It doesn’t take notice of other things that happen around it & doesn’t think about normal things! So scientists/intellectuals/polymaths behave in weird & stupid ways sometimes! They make lots of mistakes while doing ordinary things. It doesn’t mean that they are stupid or weird. They just don’t care about mundane things & don’t want to waste time by thinking about them & do them very casually as their priorities lie elsewhere. Unless & until they cut off the world around them and completely immerse their minds in their work, they cannot find solutions to the complex & difficult problems they deal with. They have to decrease the cognitive load on their minds by removing small and unimportant things from their minds. (1)

Several of my scientist friends too support me by saying, " If you are not making any silly mistakes, your mind is not working hard enough!" That might lead to a burn out for some, but a polymath mind relishes it.

Image source: Deposit photos

Now let us see the reasons for this in an orderly way.

Diverted Attention: When someone is deeply engaged in a strong interest, their brain becomes highly attuned to that particular stimulus. This makes it harder to shift attention to other tasks, even if they are important or require focus. The brain's attentional resources are heavily invested in the preferred activity, leaving fewer resources available for other tasks.

Emotional Involvement: Strong emotions associated with a particular interest can further disrupt cognitive processes. Intense feelings can trigger the release of neurotransmitters that affect focus and concentration. For example, excessive excitement or worry about a specific interest can make it difficult to think clearly about other matters.

Time Management Issues: If someone spends excessive time on a loved interest, it can lead to neglect of other responsibilities, including work, school, or personal obligations. This imbalance can create stress and anxiety, which further impair cognitive function.

Cognitive Interference: The mental processes associated with a strong interest can interfere with the cognitive processes needed for other tasks. For example, if someone is deeply immersed in a complex game, the problem-solving strategies they're using might not be relevant or helpful when trying to perform a different task.

Sleep Deprivation: In some cases, intense engagement with an interest can lead to sleep deprivation if it takes up too much time or interferes with sleep patterns. Lack of sleep is known to significantly impair cognitive function, including attention, focus, and concentration.

Strong focus is very important to achieve success in any field. If that focus sometimes blurs other things in the visual field, that is actually a sign of good thing, not a negative one.

The story of Dronacharya and Arjuna from Mahabharata (one of the two important epics of ancient India), often cited as a lesson in concentration. Dronacharya, a renowned archery teacher, tested his students' focus by having them aim at a wooden bird. Arjuna's unwavering focus on the bird's eye, while others saw the entire bird and surrounding elements, impressed Dronacharya and led to his success.

Dronacharya placed a wooden bird on a tree and asked his students, including Arjuna and his brothers, to aim for its eye. Before allowing them to shoot, he asked each student what they saw. The other students described the tree, the sky, the leaves, and the bird itself. When it was Arjuna's turn, he declared that he could only see the eye of the bird. Impressed by Arjuna's singular focus, Dronacharya instructed him to shoot. Arjuna's arrow pierced the bird's eye as intended. The story emphasizes that complete concentration and focusing on the task at hand, without distractions, is crucial for achieving success. (2)

Image source: YouTube

Footnotes:

1. Intelligence Redefined
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_guMeI-XVQ&t=164s