Focus

MINDSET: Focus


Recent studies reveal:


 People who focus, have self – control and delay gratification
have better quality lives regardless of


social or economic backgrounds.


 The ability to focus helps you learn faster.


 Being able to switch your focus on and off when needed makes
you happier.


Distraction and how to refocus


1. Distraction


There are two main varieties of distractions
– sensory and emotional.


Sensory distraction is just that,
background noise, sounds, shapes, colours, tastes, smells, etc.
The


brain has become good at being able to tune out these types of
sensory distractions.


Emotional distraction is harder to tune out
from. This can be any type of stress, upset, relationship issues


etc. Those who focus best are relatively immune to emotional
turbulence, more able to stay unflappable in


a crisis and to keep on an even keel despite life’s emotional
waves.


2. Five ways to help you refocus


1. Admit you are off task.


2. Remind yourself of the original task and why it’s important.


3. Eliminate distractions.


4. Refocus by choosing a starting point. E.g. a marker of where
you are reading.


5. Pay attention to small details to narrow your focus to the
task at hand.


Overload and switching off


Tightly focused attention
gets fatigued – much like an
overworked muscle – when we push to the point of


mental exhaustion. The signs of mental fatigue, such as a drop in
effectiveness and the rise of


distractedness and irritability, signify that the mental effort
needed to sustain focus has depleted the


glucose that feeds neural energy.


To restore our mental energy we need to
switch from effortful attention, where the mind needs to


suppress distractions, to letting go and allowing our attention
to be captured by whatever presents itself.


Disengagement is the first step. Fully focusing on something
relaxing where we use the sensory systems


(walking in the park, playing and having fun, nothing that
requires effortful focus). I call this “changing


channels”.


You can learn more about this and much more at
www.studysamurai.com