{"id":1615,"date":"2019-01-01T20:16:52","date_gmt":"2019-01-01T20:16:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bloomsoup.com\/?p=1615"},"modified":"2021-09-19T16:55:13","modified_gmt":"2021-09-19T16:55:13","slug":"focused-attention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bloomsoup.com\/focused-attention\/","title":{"rendered":"Focused Attention: The Secret to Success"},"content":{"rendered":"
Focused attention is perhaps our most valuable resource.<\/p>\n
Let’s face it, when we\u2019re just one distraction away from losing our train of thought, it\u2019s easy to become derailed.<\/p>\n
When our phones offer the quick dopamine hit of diverting our efforts, it\u2019s unsurprising that many projects never begin, tasks remain uncompleted and startups go unstarted.<\/p>\n
After all, most worthwhile endeavours require sustained concentration, yielding tremendous benefits for those willing to work on their attention muscle.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, our brave new world doesn’t always make it so easy.<\/p>\n
“When you pay attention to boredom it gets unbelievably interesting”<\/span>\u00a0Jon Kabat-Zin<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The Technology of Distraction<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Let’s face it: the speed of information transfer has never been quicker.<\/p>\n
Gone are the days of waiting painfully for the click and whir of\u00a0dial-up\u00a0internet to satisfy our thirst for knowledge or diversion.<\/p>\n
Now, if a site doesn\u2019t load immediately, we click away in disgust.<\/p>\n
Just reflect on our internet browsing habits and how quickly we jump from one site to another.<\/p>\n
A new language has even been devised to cater for such online behaviour, with terms like “bounce rate” indicating how many visitors\u00a0land on a site before immediately clicking the back button.<\/p>\n
There are even employees whose entire jobs centre around getting us to spend more time on a website.<\/p>\n
Just look at Facebook with its infinite scroll feature, making it even easier to get sucked into another round of inane friend updates.\u00a0No wonder ADHD among children is on the rise<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The world of instant gratification is certainly seductive. We’re surrounded by adverts selling us the instant lifestyle dream. We want information and moreover, we want solutions, quicker than ever.<\/p>\n
And despite the obvious benefits of the breadth and depth of information available, we’ve become more unwilling to direct sustained attention at a problem, forever preferring the shortcut or hack to bypass the effort of staying engaged.<\/p>\n
However, for those willing to develop their powers of focused attention, the rewards are endless…<\/p>\n
When everyone’s looking for a shortcut to mastery (spoiler: it doesn\u2019t exist), showing up every day, focusing on the next task and putting in the effort is an easy way to set ourselves apart.<\/p>\n
So, how exactly do we do it?<\/p>\n
Mindfulness<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Firstly, reflection is a pre-requisite.<\/p>\n
Most of our mindless consumption occurs when we cruise through our days on autopilot, unaware where our energy’s directed and how that affects our subsequent behaviour.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a bit like Netflix’s automatic play feature after each episode. If we\u2019re not careful, one action can bleed into the next…<\/p>\n
Unproductive activities like scrolling through social media may well be the trigger for flicking on the TV and passively consuming whatever\u00a0regurgitated\u00a0material has been programmed for us that night.<\/p>\n
Part of the discovery process, therefore, involves becoming more mindful. There are different ways to achieve this, the most effective of which is perhaps focus meditation<\/a>.<\/p>\n