Technology has done wonders for communication but the fast-paced, convenient delivery of information brought on by technological advancements have made us distracted. Now and I suspect going forward, attention will remain in short supply.
As a society, we have difficulty communicating with others, we do not listen deeply and most have become incapable of following through with tasks. What can we do to rebuild our brains, create new neural pathways and enhance our attention spans?
Tools To Help You Focus
Structure is Key: What are your ultimate goals for the week? How are you going to work towards accomplishing them daily? Defining your goals helps promote dedication towards accomplishing your goals. Then, tune your focus by prioritizing and complete the top three most important tasks each day (as early in the morning as possible).
Structure your time in a way to work better and increase productivity. Block time for deep work (what you are hired to do), time for shallow work (calls, emails, meetings), schedule generous breaks and some reflection time between tasks.
Schedule Screen Time: Does an Instagram or Facebook notification send you down a rabbit hole of endless sights? There is just too much information to absorb. Turn off notifications so that you can only access the sites you want engage with when you choose.
Sleep: A wandering mind, poor mental performance, and a diminished cognitive ability is directly related with a lack of sleep. You have to ensure that you are getting a daily dose of restful sleep.
Exercise: One of the countless benefits of exercise are improved focus, better blood circulation and brain activation. Be sure to walk, run or do some form of exercise on a daily basis.
Meditation: Grounding yourself daily by breathing deeply and meditating oxygenates your brain, relaxes your muscles and helps you reclaim your mind.
Eliminate Distractions. What distracts you the most? Background noise, notification sounds, room temperature, clutter…WHATEVER (internal or external trigger) that breaks your rhythm – REMOVE IT when you have scheduled time to be focused and do deep work.
Use A Timebox: which is to simply allocate time to complete a task. Structure your day and use other techniques to increase productivity. For example, setting aside 20 minutes of focused time toward completing a task allows you to complete a project in bite-sized pieces.
Hydrate: Dehydration can cause you to lose focus. Be sure to drink water constantly through the day and not only before you are ready to tackle a project.
Write Notes: Go old school and begin taking notes by writing (not on a device). Writing by hand improves your memory and help you recall specific details thereby strengthening your focus.
Rewards: You can also use rewards as a tool to keep you on a focused path. For example, you can reward yourself for having a focus day by watching Netflix or YouTube when all your tasks have been accomplished.
Journaling: You can deepen your awareness and focus your mind through journaling. You can focus by writing what is randomly flowing through your mind and then conscious focusing on the most important items when you mind becomes empty. You can also prompt yourself and streamline your thinking by choosing a topic and deep-dive by writing down everything you think, question, or believe surrounding that topic.
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