What's around the bend?

Let me start by saying, I love driving. I love seeing new places and new roads. Sometimes I want to know where I am going, sometimes I just want to drive and see where I end up. But there are different types of roads. Let's talk about two.

I went to central Illinois for the first time a few years ago. The first time looking out across the prairie and fields was amazing. The corn fields dancing in the breeze, the streams slowly drifting across the landscape cutting straight across fields and property lines. The sky went all the way from the east to the west. A full 180 degrees above and 360 degrees in every direction. The sun hit the house at 5:30am and didn't set until 9:30pm. While receiving directions I was taken outside. The gentleman points and says, "you see those light fixtures? They are six miles away. They are at the exit. If you go toward those lights the whole time, you will get there." Sure enough. I could see those lights almost the entire 6 miles. Got there with no problem.

I knew how fast the wind was blowing by looking at the wind mill 10 miles north of our house. The point is, on the prairie you can see a long ways away.


Now I live back in one of the most interesting places on the face of the earth, the Cumberland Plateau, it's a part of the Appalachian region. (And for you foreigners, that is pronounced App-uh-latch-un). The plateau is marked by steep hills, cut by streams constantly running between them and large rivers that flood. The roads here move with the bends and turns and elevation the streams and rivers contain. Houses are build on the sides of the mountains. If you have flat river bottom land, it's valuable. The sun might hits our house around 9:30am and set around 7:30pm, but my parents only get about 5 hours of sun in the winter. People don't usually live at the top of most mountains, because it just quickly drops off on both sides.


This type of terrain makes driving interesting. You move with the mountains and land. You cruise along with the rivers. You don't just drive across the ground, you and your car are a part of the road and the world around you. I love to take the long way here.

BUT, this means you have to be careful. You can't see what's up ahead. You don't know whats around the bend. Ice may be covering the road that hasn't melted on the North side of a holler. You don't know how long or steep the curve. You can't see most entrances onto the main roads. Driving requires a lot of caution and a lot of faith.

But isn't that how FAITH is described. Abraham didn't have all the details as he went west and could not see over the next hill. Joseph didn't know what would happen when being taken to Egypt. Joshua didn't know all of the places he would fight. Elijah could not see past the end of his cave. Mary and Joseph didn't have all the details of their family. But they went with God anyhow.


Sometimes it's tough though, isn't it? Trusting that God will lead me around the curve into something great and beautiful. To trust God enough to believe his vision placed before me, even though I can only see so far.

The vision God gives us takes on traits of both types of roads. He gives us a long vision and a bunch of short visions. We spend more time on the short vision road, though. God shows us a little bit at a time. We have to have faith to go to the curve. There might be a huge drop off on one side or it may open up to a beautiful valley or mountain top view. It's as if God is saying, "It's OK. Keep your head, take your time, we will travel together and we will get there." But also he says, "Roll the windows down, feel the curves, smell the air, listen to what's going on around you. I've made this journey for you."

Ask the Spirit to show you what to do, where to go. There are signs along the way, people to stop and ask (usually in your church), maps that tell what to expect (the Bible). If we are willing, God will set us straight. He has prepared good works for us do since the beginning of time.

It makes the drive even more enjoyable, to know God has laid out the road and is taking us along on it. He is pointing out the directions. Allowing us to enjoy what he has done.

Let God take you down the road. Slow down going into the curves, punching it coming out. Let's see where God will take us.

23 Signs You Do Not Have ADHD

This is a great list of things to know about Adult ADD.



23 Signs You Do Not Have ADHD

The Coffee Psalm

I love when I find new ways of expressing ourselves to God. In looking for a way to teach my kids Thanksgiving and worship I came across this psalm.

There could be the thought, that this psalm is making trite (overused and consequently of little import; lacking originality or freshness) the worship of God. In fact this psalm is doing the opposite. It is relating to God in a new way. Expressing to God our inner thoughts based on what we know, have, and enjoy.

So enjoy this little cup of praise.

One Way to Have Good Understandable Notes

Through this discussion I am using the example of preaching. What I have learned though, applies to all kinds of projects, notes, speeches, preaching, or just getting ideas down on paper. So enjoy my process. I didn't, until the end.

I have tried preaching for a number of years. I do not get a lot of opportunities to preach probably because I'm not good at it.
I love studying the Bible and what was going on in history around the events of the Bible.
I love learning how things were done in the times of the Bible accounts of History as opposed to what we think in our western mind.
I love figuring out what God would have me do with what I learn, or apply it to my life. (Which in reality isn't that difficult, God is pretty clear on most things.)
I love figuring out what is cultural, what is a suggestion and what is a "mandate" from God. (This is mostly so I can play Devil's advocate with people who are hard nosed on non-salvation issues.)

I love compiling these things in my mind and thinking over them, meditating for you churchie peoples.

I do not love writing a sermon.

I feel like it is writing a paper for school or work. I feel life it's pre-programming me to stand up in front of people to be different that I really am. I am purposefully acting outside my character and personality.

I went to Bible college and had excellent men teach me the art and science of preaching. I still use those study notes and format to get myself thinking and processing and compiling in an orderly manner. Thank you Dr. Enyart for your homiletical handbook. The writing of the sermon, that is where I fail myself,and I think God.

What have I taken to the pulpit with me, you may ask. I have tried a full manuscript sermon. Everything is written out word for word. I ended up reading it with my head down, even though I knew it inside and out. I have tried an extremely simple outline, but I would get distracted and not know what I was doing and have to take a second to figure it out. That is embarrassing and does not bring glory to God. I have tried a "heavy" outline, that is somewhere between the two. I have done fairly well, but still get confused or lost, and have a hard time doing it.

I used to drive my wife nuts. When I take notes in a class or church, I draw a lot of my notes. I try not to let people see it, so they don't think I'm just doodling. They are not specific notes. I don't put much detail. I use an ink pen and what I have is what I have. The process does not allow for detail. Key words, images, quotes, and scripture are included in the drawing in one form or another. I spend less time thinking about what the preacher said, thus missing what is said next. I do seem to retain more of the picture, important things.

Along came Paul.

Paul is the Associate Minister at Cornerstone. We were both writing sermons one week and discussing our process. We both hated our outlines and preaching notes. He made mention of a guy that draws his sermon notes. I didn't think too much about it at the time, but the idea stuck, and swirled around until I could see the pictures on the page. After all we think in images. It's completely natural. This sent me to the greatest authority I have at my disposal, Google.

I found a whole world of Sketch-takers.(See how I replaced "notes" with "sketch", oh yeah.)

There is a group called the SketchnoteArmy.com/blog .  Their benevolent holy man and prophet is Mike Rodhe (http://rohdesign.com/) who wrote books called the Sketchnote handbook and Sketchnote workbook. These seem fun and you may have seen Mike Rodhe's commercials on TV, though I forget what they are at the moment. Check them out. (You can get me one of those books for Christmas.)

This got me to thinking. If I like to take notes by drawing. If I think in pictures. If I like drawing. If these other people are doing this, then maybe I can too. So I took my sermon notes and started thinking of them as a Big Picture Diagram.

What I came up with is more like a story board. I printed a comic book page layout I thought would work for me. I put really important notes in red. I wrote scripture stuff in green. I think I used orange and a couple other colors for fun.  I really had to think about what was in the Bible, in order to draw it, and then to describe or make it usable. Again, I kept them simple. I'm not that good of an illustrator, so simple is good.

  

    

So here is what I came up with . This is a sermon on the Apostle Andrew. I was terrified to preach with this method. But the words of the great Yoda returned to me, "Do or Do Not. There is NO TRY." So I went with it.

I was surprised. I didn't get lost in my sermon and scratch the top of my head while I figured it out. I made better eye contact. I told the stories better. I didn't have to think about putting words together, because I just had a BIG word or picture to bounce from. I also believe it made me think of the sermon as something alive. Something that has motion and activity and feelings. It made events take place in time and space, because I had to think about where, when, who, how things were happening in order to draw them. I got all of that from a stick figure with his hands raised standing in the water. I don't know if my sermon was any better, but I seemed to present it better.

Why is this important. I have waited 36 years for someone to tell this is ok. So, if you think this way, IT IS OK. Let yourself draw your notes. I'm not talking about doodling and zoning out. I'm talking about staying engaged and interacting when your brain wants to repel off a cliff, so you can bike down the mountain. If this works for your kid, get them a good mole skin blank paged journal and colored Sharpie pens. If you have to preach or present, try it. Nobody is going to know unless you show them. It may just help you get more out of your topic.

Set your active brain into motion on a direction with a Good Understandable Notes.

6-Plus Tips for Praying with an Active Brain

Most people, according to people who study people, pray everyday. Now I don't know who they pray to, or what they are praying. Most people people think prayer helps and God answers prayer sometimes. Prayer in some form or another is done all over the world in most cultures. Christians pray because we believe and know God, Jesus,and the Holy Spirit will work in our lives to change things, give comfort, guide, counsel, listen, and fix. 

Prayer is a difficult thing and a simple thing. It is simple because we can be honest and open and just talk to God. It is difficult because we have these high ideals that we think we have to live up to. Almost a ritualistic structure that has to happen. We kneel down and solemnly pray quietly with serene look on our faces, pouring out worship and intercession to the loving heavenly Father, at 4am. That is a lot of pressure.

Richard Foster writes in his book Prayer that “none of us will keep up a life of prayer unless we are prepared to change. We will either give it up or turn it into a little system that maintains the form of godliness but denies the power of it—which is the same thing as giving it up.”

I don't want us to give up prayer, just because we have a hard time focusing. Here are a few "methods" I have found that help me to pray with an active brain. 

1. Pray Out loud

I knew someone who wouldn't pray out loud, because she didn't want Satan to know what she was praying. She thought he might interfere with the person or activity. I also knew a guy who always prayed out loud because he thought Satan would know a head of time he lost those particular battles and wouldn't bother them.
I pray out loud because it helps me stayed focused on my prayers. If Satan hears he can do what ever he wants, because God is bigger and stronger anyhow. But our brains take on several ways of staying on track. By praying out loud I am using my brain, my mouth, and my ears. The more senses stimulated for the same purpose adds control and retention. The same is true for learning. Other people pray out loud for the same reasons. It keeps us from thinking about other stuff and wandering down fox trails.
So find you a quiet spot where you can talk, scream, laugh, or cry out loud to God and people will not have to wonder as much about your sanity.

2. Write as Much as I can.

I like to write my prayers at times. Usually these are worshipful are thankful prayers. When I'm mad or scared out of my shorts, I'm not able to write those types of prayer. Sometimes I will get an idea to thank God for a specific thing or specific way and that should be written down. If we are true and the prayer is true, it can be read or prayed several times. I think God is OK with this sort of things, after all there are 150 prayers recorded in what is called the book of Psalms in the Bible.

If you are poetic or words are a gift to you, this can be a very rewarding practice. I love reading prayers of other people, but more about that in a minute.

Writing prayers is also way to be able to come back to our prayers. We are not likely to start writing about the stupid person who cut us off or what we might wear if it rains later.

Lots of people have written about journaling and this is a benefit of that. But most of us can't even keep up with a journal much less know what to write in it. Regardless where, prayers are a great thing to write. It also helps us see our growth, and if you can find your prayer book months later you can write in how God has answered your prayers.

3. Climb a tree.

I had a professor in college who taught me more about prayer than anyone else I've learned from. I was a young broken college student with a young family and thought I had to have all my ducks in a  row and the only thing reason I can think to have ducks in a row would be for a ring toss game. So I had a lot to learn. I really thought being at Bible college was a very short step from the monastic lifestyle. I thought everyone just knew how to pray for hours and study the Bible and prayed for a few more hours. I tried everything. I tried praying at night. I'm not a night person so I usually just fell asleep. I tried to pray first thing in the morning, but I couldn't keep up with all the things I had to do for the day. I tried in the middle of the day literally going into the closet. That caused me a lot of issues I'm not going into here.
Anyhow, this professor everyone called "Doc" because he was one of those cool profs who you could do that with. He would walk to class with one arm stuck out to the side at times. He would walk to class singing and talking to himself. He would ride his bike at extremely fast speeds with lots of focus. So I scheduled a time to talk to him. I told him my problem, and he asked me a lot of questions. He asked me what I liked and disliked. Likes- being outside. Dislikes - my face in the carpet for an hour.

He came up with some suggestions I have modified and added to them:

• Go for a walk with your "arm around Jesus shoulder" and just talked to him. (Oh, that's what he was doing with his arm stuck straight out to the side, I thought he was airing his pits.)
• Climb a good strong tree, and at every branch stop and pray about something or someone. By the time you get to the top of the tree, you will be closer to God. (Get it, closer to God the higher you go? The president of the college caught me climbing the Holy Prayer Oak on campus. That was hard to explain and I immediately through the blame on Doc.)
• Go for a hike when needing to talk about direction or which path in life to take.
• Get on you bike, pedaling hard, and praise God for an awesome attribute of his at each power pole, and by the end of your ride you will better understand His power.
• Chop wood, whether you need it or not, repenting of sin and asking God to cut that out of your life. (Or pray like King David that God would chop your enemies.)
• Pray while mowing the grass. No one else can hear you and you can prayerfully Cut your problems away.
• cooking (lord make me better, God's provisions)
• sewing (keep our marriage bond strong)
• sanding (reconciliation with others)
• building something (the church to grow)
• taking a shower (clean from sin, usefulness of each body part to bring glory to God.)

Hopefully you have the idea by now.

4. Read prayers.

I have a book of Jewish prayers. I have books of prayer and meditation by monks. I have prayers that are from the New Testament. The book of Psalms. The book of Lamentations. Prayers are a great thing to read devotionally because it helps us see we are not the only ones feeling or needing a certain way. I usually read the prayer and if it fits today, that's my prayer and my starting point.

5. Start Small.

Don't expect to sit down and have an hour long conversation with God right off the bat. Some people can, but I can't even do this well with someone in front of me. I have do things in simple forms.
Max Lucado is releasing another book titled "Before Amen" and this is the simple "form" he suggests most all prayers take in the scriptures.

"Father,

You are good.

I need help.

They need help.

Thank you.

In Jesus’ name, amen." 

- Max Lucado

It is a good simple pattern for prayer. It's a simplified version of the Lord's prayer and easy to remember. I pray through the Lords prayer, well, most of the way through, at different times. I say my Father in Heaven, Hallowed is your name", and then I praise him for things. "Give me this day my daily bread"here is what I think my needs are. ""deliver me from evil" I repent of this and this and that and those, and you know the list, I've given it to you before. 

I would think as we are getting started or trying to get "better" God is good with dozens of 5 minutes honest prayers as he is to one hour long prayer. (Please take note, this is an opinion I've devised to make myself feel better about short prayers)

6. Remove Distractions

Have I ever mentioned the idea of removing distractions. Turn off electronic devices. Turn off lights. Get a drink of water. Have a notepad/ journal and pencil on hand. Have your devotional/ prayer book on hand. Turn lights back on so you can read it. Make sure no one else is around if you can.

7. Just talk ... and listen

Just talk to God. The point of going to God in prayer is to build our relationship and make us closer with the Father. The Point of prayers is to be in contact with our Dad who has the strength, power, and ability to change things. So letting God know what's on our heart and our mind is good for us. It opens us up to the seeing where God is working and making changes. If you want a churchie word for that, it's miracles. Our honestness and openness allow God to work in us. So just talk to him. And then listen. He talks to us in different ways. Sometimes it's in our "intuition", church members, always the Bible.
It might could feel like you are talking to yourself. So find a picture or form one in your mind of what God might look like as you are talking to him. Is he sitting across the table with a cup of coffee with you? Is on a bench outside beside of you? Is your arm around him? Is he pulling you up a tree?


Prayer is all about change. Whether it is us who need to change or circumstances, we have to believe God can change things. That is the purpose of prayer. These 7 things are not a formula, program or system. These are just ways I have learned to pray and find meaning and purpose in my prayers based on my personality and active brain. So spend some time with God in prayer. He understands how our brains work, even if we don't.



Some research and further reading on prayer can be found here, if you enjoy those types of number games.
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/05/01/5-facts-about-prayer/
http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/150915-us-statistics-on-prayer.html

Dad Day: Chucking Tomahawks

What guy, in his right mind, having grown up watching westerns and revolutionary war movies doesn't long to know how to through a Tomahawk. Even if I wasn't raised in the mountains and didn't spent all my early years in the woods, I would love to know how to throw one  properly, accurately, and consistently. After all, what red blooded American Man hasn't thought of needing to go all Benjamin Martin if the red coats re-invade the states.

In our house we try to learn as much as we can about how things were done 100 plus years. They were geniuses back then and our thought is this will help learn creative problem solving, self sustainability and it's just flat out cool. We planted the "Three Sisters" Indian crops this summer, corn, beans and squash. They did amazing and we have enjoyed eating them. We have learned to shoot archery and guns. We learn to harvest woodland vegetables and mushrooms. We learned to throw Tomahawks.

Now I must admit, I have always wanted to learn to properly throw a Tomahawk. That is way up there on my list. I don't mind if my kids learn to throw them. I didn't expect it to be like this, however.

It started out as any family outing, setting up the tents, taking hikes, fussing about playing in the fire that only I should be playing in. We did the interpretive stuff around the park and had a great time. Friends that we like to hang out with were there. We ground cornmeal and got to take a big bag of it home. But the whole weekend was leading up to the Tomahawk throwing.

I thought there would be some beardy mountain man looking feller with a coyote skin hat, leather satchel, and lace-up buck skin moccasin boots.  I also thought there would be a safe distance, well marked perimeter, and guy that would DEMONSTRATE how cool he was by throwing tomahawks in dozens of different ways and distances never missing.

Elijah throwing and Caleb watching.

When I pull up in the truck from loading all our camping gear, there is one old man. I mean helped Daniel Boone blaze the trail across Pine Mountain and decided to just stay there old, with a string of 7-9 year old boys lined up with looks of pure exstacy and adventure in a trance as metal weapons sliced through the air in a terrifying dance of deadly summer-saws. Then just at the split second when you think the dance will end, they spring back through the air with an encore of misguided ricochets that reminds you of a Miley Cyrus performance. The weapon then falls into the leaves waiting for its little dance instructor to come and give it new life in its next chilling routine.


But there are two throwers, at the same time. As the little Mahican goes after his tomahawk, . . . you guessed it, the next kid releases his macabre dance of terror.

Gasps sucked the dried leaves from around the area as moms closed their eyes, babies cried, and men fainted. Actually the men didn't notice. We just wanted to throw, and we are coaching our kids to properly throw a weapon we have never attempted in all our live long days.

We wanted to get our hands on those little axes and release our inner William Wallace.

I would love to tell you this scene only played once, and some one went over and helped the little old guide control this band of blood thirsty woodsmen. No, it happened a couple of times, exactly like that. So, finally when my loving, caring, protecting wife had practically hyperventilated, and our friend was ready to scalp someone, I went over.

Lucas throwing and Mollie getting ready.

They were a good bunch of kids and we talked about safety and how it was like shooting a BB gun or archery. How we had to wait, watch and listen to everything going on around us. We had to watch out for others around us. How this was a weapon that deserved the same respect as other weapons. I was instilling in these strange boys life lessons that would make them better men and husbands.  I was shaping them into respecters of people and tools. I was the Jedi Knight training these young unknown padawans. Their mothers would thank me with words of undying gratitude. Their fathers would hear my prophecy and carry them on. It was a good day. Nobody had died, yet.

Targets were cross cut logs with 2x4's nailed onto it and one boy knocked the leg off. Some dads went over to pick it up and nail it back on, so the fun would continue. The throwers were all back were they were suppose to be. The hawks were pointed down. Everyone's eyes were on the dads who had stepped up to save the day. Then, it happened. The tomahawk came up and released into the air without anyone noticing. It's sick little dance was short and like all the others, bounced off the second log with morbid desire to take life and limb. It wanted to continue it's dance, not settling for the mere wood stump it was sent flying at. Oh no, it leaped up into the air cart-wheeling itself towards it's new destination and landed with a ghastly curtsy next to the leg of the dad of the thrower.

There was that movie perfect moment when every breath stopped and every brain had to process what had just happened. When time stood still as every person there locked eyes on that weapon that stared at the ankle it had so wanted to find.

It was a good weekend. Nobody died. Nobody was injured. But there was a lesson learned there that was not taught by me or any other dad. Lessons we learn the hard way. Lessons that teach louder than words and are carried on to the next generations. Lessons that as men are never chucked away.

We like learning new things, especially traditional hands-on skills. As for the Estep household, the kids did well, and listened as good as any other kid. They even made them stick a few times. I know what you really want to know, and I don't think we will be getting throwing tomahawks any time soon.

Go do something new this week.

8 MORE THINGS TO HELP THE A.D.D. BRAIN, kinda

All of these tips and tricks for staying or getting focused don't work all the time. They do work most of the time, and sometimes have to be done in different combinations. But they are always worth trying. These also work for those of you who have Attention Focused Order.

Beginning a new job kinda gives me a clean start. I get to set things up how I want them in my office. I can control what is there and off and out. (Don't tell that to Ms. Priss in the desk behind me. She'll prove me wrong.) So I am trying to collect and compile the little things that help.

Trying to figure out what works and what doesn't is not as easy as you think. Things that work, you really don't realize it, because they are not distracting you. Things that don't work, you don't remember because your chasing other little thought and ideas like a hound dog after a rabbit.

With some help of a few other buddies who think like I do, here are some more things that seem to work.

1. Hard Deadlines

I like hard deadlines. I like them way in advance. It doesn't mean I'm going to get it done way in advance, but I know what is expected of me and when it is due. I will start it when I first learn about it, but I might be up at 3am to have it finished on time. Those "whenever-you-get-it-done" projects don't get done. (ask my wife, I have a list a mile long of not completeds) Most husbands do have this problem with their wife's list, but this is with everything.

2. Instrumental Music

This helps me. I like epic movie music. Wandering tunes through the Shire. The sound of battlefields in Scotland. The rhythm of the plantation in the south. The feel of battles across the galaxies. I like the idea that my little mundane life has some sort of far reaching impact and will change the world as i know it. Ok, it won't. But, if attacking paper work with a sense of  defeating the foul nemesis to send it back to the metal filing drawer of the abyss helps, then so be it. You have to listen to what works for you. Sometimes it's helpful, sometimes not, but experiment and you'll figure it out. My opinion is if that music gave Samwise the strength to carry Frodo up Mount Doom, maybe it will do the same for me.

3. No Notifications

I turn off all the notification on my computer. No email flash in the lower right hand corner. No FB pings. No text message tones. It all gets turned off when I have to work or concentrate on something. Actually it's usually turned off anyhow. If you don't know how to do it write yourself a note so you don't forget what your task is and hit the F1 key while in the program to search for it. Turn notifications off.

4. Preparing to Work

Preparing to accomplish something is like a dog preparing to lay down. Sniff the area, walk around it sniffing. Come back. Sniff the area again. Dig a little. Lay down. Dig a little more, sniff, lay down, lather, rinse, repeat. Lay down. Getting me ready to work is as much work as doing the work. Clearing the area, removing distractions. Get a drink. Sit down. Scan the area. Remove other distractions. Get the tools and books. Get a drink. Wait I already did that. Oh well, I have two now. Which one do I drink first. Sit down. Get up and change into comfy cloths. Sit back down. Maybe work. Make sure you have what you need and ONLY what you need. Pop a few Altoids. Drink a Monster energy drink. Oh wait, already had two drinks. Get to work.

5. Specify End Results

When asking a person with ADD to do a task for you, teach a lesson, preach a sermon, plan a meal, build or make something, BE SPECIFIC. Whatever-you-want-to-do's only give us a sense of anxiety and eminent failure. You see we know how things go in our brain. We know we try and try and still come up short of expectations. We have thoughts and good ideas and loose them. LOTS of them. So be specific. Give us a very narrow window of the end result, then leave us alone. Don't micromanage, or tell us how to do. Our opinion is if you want it that specific, do it yourself and I'll go over hear and play with something.

6. Drink heavily

Our brains need water. It activates it and hydrates it. It helps those little neurotransmitters stay fueled and firing. Drink lots of water. It helps everyone with focus and attention so it has to help us as well.

I'm pretty careful about this one. Energy drinks are a poor substitute for vitamins and nutrients, but they can help at times. Energy drinks with B vitamins and Ginkgo Biloba can give a shot of NOS to your brain if you need it. The extra sugars and corn syrup can have negative effects. The high dose of caffeine, a stimulant, can make the brain too relaxed. So drink them carefully, if at all. A coffee has enough caffeine to relax my brain and get it focused, or help me get to sleep.

7. Turn the lights off

I turn the lights out a lot. This causes my eyes to focus on whatever I light up and shuts everything else out. I get up and work in the morning a lot while it is still dark, for this very reason, but I'm not a night owl. Light, like TV and hand held devices stimulate the brain in different ways, so turn those lights off as well. Remember the point is to remove distractions and calm the brain so you can focus on something specific. I have the lights out a lot and that really helps. 

8. Leave us alone

One of the worst things to do is stop a focused person. If we are in the grove and being productive and really absorbed in our work, leave us there. Unless of course the building is burning down around us or the zombie apocalypse is beginning. We may not get that kind of focus for a couple of days, so let us and you take advantage of it.When we are focused we can be very productive and creative and turn out some good stuff.

These are just things I've found to help with focus. Your list might be different or similar. Maybe let me know if you do somethings that I've not listed. If I come up with more, I'll share them. If not, then I probably forgot I made this list and will keep doing things the same old way.

Keep watching out for squirrels.