The Power of Focus: Overcoming Distractions in a Tech-Driven world

Being in focus is a purposeful direction and control of our awareness to the present moment, where it is most needed. Never has this been more important than today, when there is such an abundance of ready distractions competing for our attention. Many of us feel anxious if we aren’t checking Facebook updates, Twitter notifications, and emails every few minutes. Unfortunately, this has turned into a chosen lifestyle for many, with our smartphones becoming our lifelines.

The Myth of Multitasking

We’re on the phone while driving and posting on Instagram while grabbing a meal. Instead of focusing on what we are doing, we take pride in “multitasking.” However, multitasking doesn’t allow us to do more; it merely dilutes and diminishes what we are already doing.

The good news is, our brain, like our body, can be enhanced and developed. And like our bodies, this takes patience, time, and effort. It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen. Building our mental muscles is the result of daily habits, and the brain is a muscle. We can train ourselves to improve our focusing power and perform better until it becomes second nature. The better we become at focusing, the better we are able to control our thoughts and actions.

Overcoming Mental Chaos

Does mental chaos seem natural to you, like a car battling heavy traffic every day? Do you wonder how some people manage to get more done and do it quicker and better? These people face the same focusing obstacles we all do. Everyone does. They have merely trained themselves to overcome it instead of remaining a victim to information and anxiety overload.

Computers allow information to be processed at a speed that would have been unimaginable just decades ago. They have changed our lives. Unfortunately, our brains are still working at the same pace. That’s why we are suffering from circuit overload. In effect, some of us exist in a perpetual mental traffic jam.

Setting Mental Boundaries

The more information we have, the harder we are forced to work. Some days, it can seem that we are controlled by our computers and social media instead of us controlling them. While we are constantly being interrupted by emails, tweets, texts, and coworkers, our own minds can add to the dissonance as we try to focus on our work while our brain keeps replaying irrelevant thoughts.

It’s time we set sound mental boundaries. We’ve allowed our brains to run amok, and it’s time to take back control. Sometimes, taking control of our mental focus is as simple as learning to say no. There are many demands on our time, but doing more isn’t the road to success; it often leads to unfocused confusion. We need to actively and carefully choose what we concentrate on. Often, this means doing less, but doing it better.

Awareness and Mindfulness

Making critical choices starts with awareness. It’s easy to push negative thoughts and emotions away and pretend they don’t exist. But those thoughts will remain in your brain, creating havoc with your ability to concentrate. The easiest way to handle these choices is by acknowledging them and saying, “I will think about this matter later and focus on what’s really important now.” This is setting a conscious boundary in your mind.

Not all focusing problems are clear. Every day, we face dozens, if not hundreds, of distractions. At the office, we may consider it necessary to check email every half hour, talk to anyone who comes into our office, and agree to take on any task we are given. Business seems to demand multitasking to achieve greater productivity. In reality, we are still doing one task at a time, but are shifting back and forth and devoting less attention to all tasks.

Multitasking: The Thief of Concentration

Multitasking is one of the major thieves of concentration power. Bouncing from one task to another makes us less efficient and robs us of needed energy. You may think you’re being productive by checking your email while calling a client, but in fact, you aren’t focused on either task and are being less effective than you could be.

Prioritising and Listing Tasks

Get into the habit of listing your priorities and sticking to them, although flexibility will be necessary at times. A daily to-do list can help you sharpen your focus. Interruptions will still occur, but you can minimize their negative effect. Our brain is genetically geared to concentrate on one thing at a time. That is how we function best.

The Illusion of Multitasking Efficiency

Multitasking actually slows down our thinking and decision-making ability. Consider that every task, no matter how unimportant, deserves your full attention. In the end, this mindset will help you accomplish more.

Strategies for Increasing Focus

If necessary, block social media and create a schedule for when to check email and phone messages. Athletes and artists use the term “in the zone” to describe that ultimate state of mind that allows them to focus only on their performance and become totally absorbed by it. At the office, it can be referred to as being “in the flow,” a term coined by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. This flow starts by setting goals for yourself. Know each day what you want to achieve. These goals should be specific.

Confidence and Visualisation

It is easier to concentrate on what you are doing if you are confident in the results. One of the most effective confidence-builders is to visualize having completed the task successfully. Confidence is a positive belief in yourself and a desire to succeed. This can apply on any level of business.

Handling Negative Emotions

Confidence challenges us to do our best at any task. Negative emotions, such as self-doubt, serve as a constant distraction as we keep questioning ourselves and our ability. Recognizing these emotions is the first step in dealing with them.

Staying in the Flow

Staying in “the flow” and enabling full concentration means saying no to interruptions, distractions, and negative thoughts. Anything but the task at hand can be handled at another time. Get into the habit of focusing on just one thing, whether it’s brushing your teeth, preparing dinner, or writing a memo to the boss. If other thoughts intrude, simply put them aside.