Struggling to stay focused in a world full of distractions? Here’s how to reclaim your attention.
Most of us have been rewired by the internet and social platforms. The algorithms are designed to keep you on their platform so they can sell advertising. Over some time, the social platforms started to reduce the length of the content they host. YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and other platforms I am not aware of that are trying to TikTok their platforms.
Every so often you see or hear something about how attention spans are declining. Recently, I saw an article that suggested that people can only provide 8 seconds of attention. This does not bode well for the future, as there is a downside to being unable to give your focus to people and your work.
If you are a salesperson, you must give your contacts your full focus and attention. If you are easily distracted, the person sitting across from you will notice you are not paying attention. Even if you are not in sales, others will notice that you are easily distracted, potentially causing them to think less of you, unless they too are unable to tear their eyes from this small screen we all carry with us every minute of the day.
Meditation Techniques for Improved Focus
To practice meditation, sit on a chair and place your palms on your thighs. Then notice. Notice the pain in your back and let it go. Notice that you are upset by a conflict you were dragged into, and let it go. Notice that there is a bird chirping, let it go. If you believe you are not supposed to have any thoughts, this is incorrect. Over time, you will gain control of the drunken monkeys in your mind.
Enhanced Attention in Personal Interactions
One way to develop your attention to benefit your relationships is to focus on the person in front of you. If you have ever met a person who is able to give you their full focus and attention, you might have liked this person, as they were able to listen to you without turning their attention to someone else or something happening in the background. Practice this skill by focusing on a single person and waiting for a count of eight before you respond to anything they say.
90-Minute Work Discipline
Discipline yourself to work for 90 minutes. If you want to do good work, you will need to discipline yourself to work in 90-minute time blocks without touching your smartphone, browsing the internet, or responding to the damnable notifications and text messages that flood into your attention every minute. If you don’t currently block 90 minutes for certain tasks, adopting this discipline can help you improve your work and help you improve your focus and attention.
Reducing Distractions by Managing Digital Tools
Close your email and your browser. If you want to reduce your ability to focus and attention, you need only keep your email open throughout the day. By closing your email and your browser, you prevent these attention thieves from pulling your mind to whatever novel thing they are offering.
Practice Single-Tasking for Better Focus
Stop trying to multitask and instead do only one thing at a time. You may notice that when people eat dinner in a fast casual restaurant, many diners watch television, ignoring the person dining with them. To increase your ability to focus and your attention span, practice only doing one thing at a time, completing it before doing something else. It may cost more to eat at a restaurant that doesn’t have televisions on the wall, but the benefits of actually paying attention to the person you’re with and your surroundings will pay off. By practicing doing one thing at a time, you can develop your focus and pay more attention to what is in front of you.
Long-Form Content versus Short-Form Content
Too short; didn’t read (TS;DR). I know you believe that this is incorrect. It is supposed to be “too long; didn’t read". You are better off flipping the saying to be “too short, didn’t read.” Twitter is short form, making like candy that has no nutritional value. Reading long-form content tends to provide you with something worth your time, your focus, and your attention. The new issue of the Atlantic magazine is sitting next to me, and I would love to read it, but I am writing, as always for my first 90 minutes of the day, as I have every day for more than 14 years.
Self-Care for Sustained Focus
Take care of yourself. You know this, but this can help you focus and maintain your attention over time. Get some exercise, hydrate, eat well, and get good sleep. The better you take care of yourself, the easier it will be for you to focus.
Benefits of Reading Books
Read books. There are so many excellent books that you might not read because of the page count. In my One-Up Book Club, some people worry about reading fast. As far as I know, there is no competitive speed-reading in the Olympics. If you like fiction, spending time in another world will help you focus. If you prefer non-fiction, reading will give you a chance to focus on the words and the concepts the author is helping you explore.
Differentiating Yourself with Focus
You can differentiate yourself from others by being able to focus for a longer time. Your attention is a gift you give to someone. Their attention is a gift they give you. In a world of distractions, you want to be the person who is able to reject them and spend your time and attention on things that matter. It is doubtful that you will benefit from any of the distractions and interruptions that pull your attention away from what’s truly important.
In the future, those who are able to focus for a significant time will have an advantage over those who are unable to maintain their attention on one thing. In case you believe you can multitask, this has been debunked. You are simply splitting your focus, something will reduce the quality of both tasks, making everything take longer.
