I found a list of 63 ideas on How To Stay Focused – by Mike Michalowicz. Here are some that caught my eye:
Get into the spirit of it.
Focus on your strengths, don't let thoughts of self-doubt harbor in you.
Slay the dragon first - Once the thing we're dreading is out of the way, all the rest looks like cake.
Always remember that procrastination is the thief of time.
Staying focused on your goals, not the clock, will help you achieve them.
Spend time doing nothing... idle time is when ideas come to mind and a time when we can re-charge.
Whether we are driving in a nail, training a horse, or working at anything... we need to keep our eyes on the goal, or we will miss the target. I have enjoyed watching Olympic events on TV all week, especially the equestrian competitions... requiring focus from both the horse and rider. The US Men's and Soviet Women's gymnastics fell short because of lack of focus when things started to go wrong. Women gymnasts and divers really focused and did well. Michael Phelps got tagged out at the finish of the 200 Fly because he drifted for a 100th of a second. Winning competitors must always maintain their focus.
I was amazed at how the bikers
moved in a pack, like a herd of horses,
at almost 30 mph, without (hardly) ever crashing. You can see this when you watch a flock of birds flying or a school of fish swimming. Their focus must be peripheral as well as on what's ahead. I think how we focus, or what we focus on will also affect our mood. Is the cup half empty or half full?
Keeping focused on God really helps
to keep things in perspective, and to find good, in spite of
the bad. I do not know what these two ladies are focusing on, but I am
sure the old lady is enjoying some attention from Britney almost as
much as Britney is enjoying conversing with her.I felt pretty productive about my day Monday, I guess because I focused on keeping busy. I went around several trees and flower beds and weeded and trimmed. It amazes me how much weeds can grow in this
drought. Look at the roots on these
thistle. I also picked up sticks
and other debris from the yard. I had to refill cow, horse and poultry water midday due to the heat. Daily watering often means filling buckets two or three times. 
Abey spent way too long trying to catch this mouse on the front porch as it hid in and around the gliding rocking chair. I just caught the side of her in this photo. Both cat and mouse were focused on capture or escape. I finally opened the porch door as it scurried away from Abbey... and made it safely out. It probably will not fare as well out there with the barn cats. We didn't have Growth Group again, so Dan, Joe and I enjoyed fresh picked corn-on-the-cob with dinner, and I watched Olympic diving and gymnastics with Joe.
I was going to take Roni to the park to ride mid morning Tuesday, but was drenched in sweat after morning chores, so had second thoughts. I was thinking, I should focus on the task, not the discomfort... but then I
decided to just change the task. So,
off to air conditioned
stores I went, to do some price comparison power shopping for some home
improvement items. I also grabbed a few groceries. I try to focus on
just getting my listed items, but I did get distracted by this awesome
find... and on impulse, bought it. :-) I have since been enjoying
chocolate cookies with my tea all week.
Dan went with Joe and I to the Replex and swam laps with me. I
cooked pork tenderloin and made mashed sweet potatoes for dinner along
with more corn on the cob. Then Joe and I continued our evening viewing
of the Olympics. We have had full moon nights with the moon lingering in the morning sun. To the right, Kaysha during a morning walk out back on my new trail by the tracks. Below, Stew waiting for his morning bottle. I have cut out the noon bottle, so feed at 8 am and 8 pm usually. You can see the tarp on the old manure pile, and the new pile growing in size. 
One night the barn cats were playing on the tarp in the moon light.
The noise and movement had the horses convinced it was a monster come to
life and they started racing around the paddock.Wednesday morning, I got an invite to go with Marj to the fair and jumped at the opportunity to tag along. Not seeing her in awhile, we had some catching up to do. I had a fun time watching all the horses and people at the fair and loved talking with horse friends and meeting new horse people. I also saw Eliot and his mom working with the eight chickens I had started for them. The chickens had grown a lot and looked good. After being in the sun all day, I wasn't good for much when I got home. Like Abbey, I just wanted to lie around. How do cats sleep in
such strange positions and in odd places? Is it due to a complete lack of focus, or do they focus on not letting anything bother them? I watched some Olympics but couldn't stay awake even though I tried to focus, so I went to bed early. Thursday morning I gave Dan a ride home from Hutch's automotive in LeRoy, and then worked with Amiga and rode her for 15 minutes. She really needs a lot of work with the cues. I will take it slow and easy with her. I need to stay focused with the training of both my horses who are at different spots in their education. I took Roni out to Moraine View for a ride. I wanted to look for my earring I had lost in the woods last time I was out there. A branch had caught it and flung it... and I remembered exactly where the spot was. I tied Roni to a tree near by and he stood quietly for many minutes while I searched. All the dried fallen leaves made it near impossible to spot anything, and I finally gave up on it. Roni did
perfect during the whole two + hour
ride...
except in one spot, when I was talking with two ladies I recently met.
Roni stood great the whole time we talked. Finally, when they
rode off, he thought we ought to go with them... but we were headed in the opposite direction. He turned toward them twice trying to go with them, but I just circled him
back. He was getting mad, but finally decided I must know where I
was going, and complied. 
It was a foggy Friday morning with the moon setting in the east.
When the horses first go out into the back pasture, they always check for any left over hay that Babe might have missed.
Kaysha ready to go on our walk.
I took several pictures with the rising sun to the east. Below you can see dew on the electric wire at Brian's farm.
Coming back, the fog was lifting.
Roni, willow and Babe.
The sun continued to burn off the fog.
I made it out to Moraine View earlier than the day before, which allowed me the opportunity to spot
deer. It wasn't so easy to get their
picture though. Roni has gotten used to them, but will still jump/freeze when they startle him. 
I also saw raccoon tracks and coyote poop on the trail, but did not actually see these critters.
After our ride, I sponged off Roni and let him graze while he dried. I have started using this new campsite to park in, which I really like because it is always shady.
Once home I worked with Amiga, riding for about 15 minutes. I am not real sure what to focus on with her, but need to keep it short and simple to start with. She was a little better than the day before. Then I ran Dan to LeRoy to get his car so he could go to Chicago. I relaxed most of the afternoon, until Joe got home at 3:30 and we went to the Replex. Actually, I never did swim laps, so guess I relaxed there too. Our focus was drawn to the Olympics all evening.
I was up at 4:30am Saturday, did
chores early, and was ready to head
to the park at 6:15. I spent more time riding at the meadow's edge since it was still cool and we were in the shadows. I thought I would see more wildlife at the early
hour, but only spotted a big raccoon. Oh, there were also some wild
looking primates coming out of their trailer to give
their horses their morning hay when I first arrived at the camp ground.
Notice all the dried, dead leaves in the photo to the right. Roni does better every day I ride him at the park, and today was no
exception. He was really sweaty by the time we got back, so the sponging off was helpful. He also loves the opportunity to munch on the grass at the park while drying off. I was home by 10 am, ate a very early lunch, dinked around here on my computer, and then went out to give everything a good watering. I gave acid fertilizer to all the shrubs and bushes that would benefit from that. After an afternoon nap and working on this Blog, we went to LeRoy for dinner. It had gotten very windy and cloudy and you could see it raining to the north, but all we got were a few drops.
We did finally get a thunderstorm (with rain)
at 1 am Sunday morning. I went out to bring the horses in, but they were too afraid to come into the barn. The rain had just started coming down while I was standing by the corn crib. I had opened it for Babe to go into. I could hear the rain hitting the metal roofs. It moved (like a giant monster) across the paddock from the west. First hitting the sides of the grain bins and corn crib roof, then log shed roof and finally the barn. Because of the noise of rain hitting the metal roofs all over, the horses were racing all around the paddock. They settled to standing out by the south fence with their butts to the rain and I gave up on getting them into the barn. I got soaked on my "sprint" back to the house. I tried to go back to sleep, but was worried about the horses. I didn't want them slipping in the mud or tearing up the paddock. I finally got up and halter led each
horse into the barn just before the next
storm hit. I sat by the stalls, petting the barn
kitties and listened to the pouring rain until the need for sleep washed
over me. I was back in bed by 3am and then Joe was up at 4am to start in on State Farm work. The two above photos of my garden were taken this morning. Everything but the spinach and sugar snap peas is doing great. Notice Brother jumping over the fence to come greet me.
The rain really cooled things off so Kaysha and I enjoyed a brisk morning walk. I had to have a second cup of caffeine tea before heading off
to Church. I did a little shopping on
the way home, and then went to Courtney's to fill up our water jugs. We had turned off the air and
opened windows first thing this morning. It was nice to have a fresh
breeze blowing in. Abbey enjoys looking out and listening to the birds, or just taking a nap with her head on the sill.
I worked on this Blog and watched Olympics most of the afternoon. Then Joe and I went to the pool. I continue to progress on my swimming, going 12 laps today. While drying in the sun, I tried to get a picture of Joe and I, but kept laughing at the shot of myself. 
My laughing finally woke Joe up and I caught a not so happy expression on his face. LOL The things this poor guy has to put up with.
This picture of an Orange Breasted Bengal Green Pigeon family was on Facebook today. I couldn't help but be struck by it. What love and care this parent shows for its young.
This photo of Wood duck fledglings leaving a nest box was taken by Joanie McGinnis. It was posted on Facebook last week. These babies are just so darn cute too. I imagine a parent was below, encouraging them to jump. Look at them focus for a landing, as they glide through the air.
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