Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan recently reflected on work ethic, focus, and the growing noise of modern life through a note shared on his Tumblr account. Drawing inspiration from Steve Jobs, he wrote, “Read some of the most inspiring words on life and work ethics. Two words … Signal and noise. Signal as in focus (sic).”
Expanding on the idea, Amitabh added, “When you focus, the only matter that gets you going is what needs to be done. Not in a few days, not tomorrow, not any specific time … IT’S DO IT NOW !!!! Noise is all other attractions for social relevance, spending time scrolling media, or even family. These are distractions from the FOCUS, and are referred to as NOISE. So, either you decide to go with Focus, Signal, or Noise. The fruits come from Focus .. a most amazing education from Steve Jobs (sic).”
While focus and discipline are often linked to success, the actor’s comments raise interesting questions about balance, relationships, rest, and whether modern society sometimes glorifies “hustle” at the cost of emotional well-being.
Gurleen Baruah, Organisational Psychologist at That Culture Thing, tells indianexpress.com, “As a society, it is no longer just about time management anymore, we are living in an attention-deficit society. Constant distractions compete for our attention all the time. Attention keeps shifting in small bursts, and because of that, people struggle to enter deeper states of flow, quality thinking, and sustained productivity.”
She continues, “So yes, constant distractions, whether phones, gadgets, social media, scrolling, or notifications, do hamper productivity. What looks like a time management issue is often more of an attention management issue. The mind is continuously fragmented.”
“Yes, there can be an attempt to create a healthy balance,” says Baruah, adding, “as I said, there are constant distractions, so the real work is intentionally choosing what you want to focus on rather than letting distractions decide that for you.” This means using time and digital spaces deliberately.
“Techniques like the Pomodoro Technique, where you work for 25 minutes and take a 5-minute break, or the 45/15 rule, with 45 minutes of focused work followed by a 15-minute pause, can help sustain attention without . Even the 3-3-3 method, 3 hours of deep work, 3 important tasks, and 3 maintenance tasks, helps create structure and clarity. At the same time, breaks are important. Not endless doomscrolling, but real pauses like walks, mindfulness, meditation, sitting in boredom for a bit, or catching up with a friend over lunch. Those moments help the mind reset and refocus,” suggests the expert.
The key here is to look inward. Baruah mentions, “Constantly chasing productivity without pause may feel productive in the short term, but over time it can become emotionally exhausting and counterproductive. The mind also needs space to reset, process, think fresh ideas, and revisit problems from a different lens. Sometimes, beneath the constant ‘doing,’ there may be insecurity, fear of slowing down, or a feeling of not being enough unless one is producing all the time.”
A ‘do it now’ mindset without rest can , burnout, and mental fatigue. “Discipline is important, but sustainable focus also needs pauses, reflection, sleep, movement, and moments where the mind is allowed to just be, rather than constantly perform,” concludes the expert.
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