Focusology & Comedy

Thoughts On Where We Put Our Attention

So much of stand-up comedy has to do with timing, delivery, and writing, but there’s a sense in which none of that really matters if you’re not focused. What got me thinking about this was author Penny Zenker, who calls herself a “Focusologist.” In her book The Reset Mindset, she talks about the science of focusing and the importance of where we put our attention. She also deals with how we manage distractions, and how we can get ourselves to reset when we lose focus.

I’m learning that comedy requires relentless focus. Writing jokes, crafting sets, testing material, analyzing crowd reactions, adjusting delivery, noting everything going on around you, posting on social—it’s all a game of attention management. And yet, distractions are everywhere. Self-doubt, comparison, overthinking, performing poorly, etc. Here’s something I’ve realized as a truism for pretty much every area of life: If you don’t control your focus, your focus will control you.

It’s easy, for instance, to lose focus in joke writing. Here’s one example that’s happened to me countless times: I start with an idea, then jump to another, then check my phone, then debate whether the joke even works, then rewrite the whole thing until it’s unrecognizable. Sometimes following the tangents is great and yields some good stuff. Other times, not so much. But at some point, I just have to lock in and get to work, even if it’s messy. For me, a finished bad joke is more valuable than no joke.

Zenker talks about identifying what truly matters to us and directing our time and energy toward that. This year, my two big comedy goals were: 1) Create and grow my social media presence; and, 2) Perform more. I’ve be working at both a lot. I’ve been going so hard on the first point that this past week I forced myself to take 3 days off. That’s not good for the algorithm, but it was good for my health.

As for the latter point performing stand-up is an exercise in extreme focus. The best comedians are present. They’re dialed into every reaction, every shift in energy. They’re not in their heads thinking, what’s my next joke or why isn’t this guy laughing? They’re in the moment, adjusting, playing, focused on the audience in front of them. That can be really fun at times and, in other moments, tortuous.

I’ve had sets where I lost focus mid-joke. Maybe I got distracted by a weird reaction. Maybe I overthought a punchline instead of just delivering it. Maybe I started the joke wrong. And every time that happens, the set suffers. The more I focus, the better I do.

Stand-up is a marathon, not a sprint. And staying focused on my goals—my voice, my style, my growth—is key. Penny Zenker talks about resetting your mindset when you get off track. In comedy, that means letting go of bad sets, ignoring negativity from others, staying committed to writing and performing even when you don’t feel like it, and avoiding the comparison trap with other comedians.

In life in general it’s easy to waste energy worrying about things outside of your control. Who got booked? Who went viral? How’d they do it? Who’s getting attention? I just need to focus on my work. Work rewards those who stay locked in, keep writing, keep improving, and keep showing up. In the end, the ones who succeed aren’t always the funniest—oftne times they’re the ones who stayed focused long enough to get better or, even more, get great.