Our life is accelerating day by day: we are scurrying around, trying to do as many things as possible in a short period of time, and … we have no time. Modern technical tools help to always be in touch: answer business letters during a Sunday family dinner, do homework with children and view stock quotes, meet friends and send files to the boss, however, oddly enough, things are getting bigger. The brain of a modern person works in a mode called continuous partial attention: we are overloaded with information that we cannot absorb because we cannot concentrate.
In the digital age, distractions lie in wait for us everywhere. According to a study at the University of California, the global stock of information is increasing by 30% annually. So, in 2002, 5 billion SMS were sent daily in the world, there were 20 thousand television channels producing more than 30 million hours of unique content per year. Free time and personal space have disappeared, the need for sleep and relaxation has increased, but their time has decreased, and caffeine and sugar have become the best friends of modern man.
Right now, focusing is more important than ever. Only by effectively managing your own attention can you achieve harmony and success in life. The book “Find Your Focus Zone: An Effective New Plan to Defeat Distraction and Overload ”offers effective ways
– fight against procrastination;
– reduction of emotional and mental stress;
– building trusting relationships with loved ones;
– gaining self-confidence;
– increasing the efficiency and productivity of labor.
1. Focus: 21st Century Issues
1.1. Concentration zone
The concentration zone is a relaxed-concentrated state when the muscles are relaxed, and the consciousness is maximally mobilized for a particular type of intellectual activity. Attention psychologists call this condition optimal arousal. In this state, you have adequate stimulation and the necessary level of adrenaline, you feel confident and focused.
It’s nice to be in the concentration zone, the nervous system remains in a level, quite excited state, you feel the strength in yourself and do things efficiently, are able to listen carefully, plan, make reasonable decisions and bring things to the end.
Inverted parabola has been used in psychological literature for 100 years. It demonstrates the Yerkes – Dodson law, which was deduced by American psychologists Robert Yerkes and John Dodson in 1908 to explain the results of their series of experiments. The law states that the result (in this case, attention) improves with increasing motivation (or arousal) to a certain limit. When the level of motivation becomes too high, the result worsens.
The top of the parabola is the peak state in which the ratio of excitement and attention is optimal. Zones of concentration differ depending on the type of activity: physical activity is characterized by a higher level of excitement, while mental activity requires more attention.
It is not easy to be in the concentration zone for a long time, but you can control this condition.
Step 1: Stop and realize that you have left the concentration zone.
Step 2: Choose one of eight strategies to cheer up or calm down.
1.2. Cognitive overload
Too much information flow and a constant change of activity leads to brain overload: it tries to save energy by slowing down work and decision making. However, this does not always work, and the system completely fails: you can no longer concentrate and make decisions or lose your temper. In any case, you move away from your concentration zone, where attention works best. The more personal time you spend on work, the more your family suffers. Constantly distracted, you have time even less. As a result, cognitive overload occurs.
1.3. Boredom
Boredom (or apathy) also interferes with concentration. Since the 1960s, the average duration of a news announcement has been reduced from forty-two seconds to eight. A modern viewer would fall asleep during a leisurely news broadcast of the time. If two or three decades ago, death in a television series made people startle, but now broadcasts about crimes, details of violence in the news and a sea of blood in popular video games have become common. Today, a prime time series seems frivolous if no one dies in it. The word “sexy” used to describe a woman in a short dress or skinny jeans, then there appeared girls in bikini from “Rescue Malibu”, erotic music videos and half-naked beauties from an advertisement for lingerie. Our susceptibility to screen images and huge billboards, which until recently seemed provocative,
The previous generation could still sit still in one place for a while. Today, mouse clicks, remote access and multi-channel television have accelerated the familiar pace of life. It is necessary to remove special effects for a while, and we are overcome by boredom.
Apathy has become an epidemic . School teachers are not able to compete with the special effects that provide youth with the Internet, video games and television. On the one hand, apathy prevents children from assimilating material, while at the same time, fear of getting a bad grade does not allow them to concentrate during the test or an oral response. These two extremes prevent them from staying in the concentration zone for a long time.
2. Strategies for focusing
The author offers eight strategies that facilitate entry into the concentration zone and a long stay in it. Each strategy includes three techniques that reinforce emotional, mental, and behavioral skills. Some of them will be effective for you personally and will help develop your own strategy.
2.1. Strategies for Improving Emotional Skills
Emotional intelligence is the ability to be aware of your feelings and, as far as possible, to manage them for your own good. However, it happens that feelings control you and prevent you from staying in a zone of concentration. Usually people do not try to control their emotions, believing that this is impossible. By and large, it is, but feelings can be controlled indirectly. You cannot change the emotions themselves, but you are able to change the mindset that will affect perception.
Strategy 1. Identity
Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, argued: “Self-awareness – understanding an existing feeling – is the foundation of emotional intelligence.” Self-awareness is not an easy skill. In the modern world, it is easy to lose yourself, constantly distracted by activities that provoke a large adrenaline rush , and forgetting that you need to focus on business. We unconsciously try to avoid unpleasant emotions, duties and relationships. At the same time, these feelings prevent the full use of the power of attention. The identity strategy consists of three important aspects: the ability to self-observe, assess adrenaline levels and answer the question “What am I not doing now?”.
Introspection. You work and suddenly hear a pleasant voice at the end of the corridor. You jump out of the chair and are ready to join the conversation, but stop and look inside yourself. Your internal observer notices that you are bored, but you must definitely finish the work today. By switching to self-observation mode, you have established a connection between the part of the brain that is responsible for the feelings and its thinking part. You have a choice: to make an effort on yourself and continue to work, or briefly distract and go to say hello to colleagues to cheer up and thereby stimulate yourself to further activities. If you just sit and listen to the conversation or impulsively join the conversation, you will certainly be late for home for dinner. However, if you turn on self-monitoring,
Assessment of adrenaline . Approximately evaluate your adrenaline level on a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 is a completely relaxed state, 5 is a relaxed-focused state, and 10 is an extreme stress. Depending on the type of activity in working order, the optimal level of adrenaline should be from 3 to 7. An indicator from 0 to 2 is good only if you are relaxing by the pool, and from 8 to 10 if you are playing for the NHL club. If you are not attracted to numbers, use your own visual images to assess the emotional state. Someone might imagine a boiling pot or a frantically spinning drum of a washing machine. One way or another, it is important to understand whether you need to calm down or, conversely, find a source of additional stimulation.
The question “What am I not doing right now?” . Often outside employment hides the avoidance of something unpleasant. Constantly ask yourself: “What am I not doing right now?” For example, if you always try to help others, does this mean that you are hiding from any problems in this way?
Strategy 2. Change of state
Sometimes you spend long hours at work, and work seems to stand still. In this case, a change of state is the best way to deal with routine and maintain concentration . The author offers three universal techniques for changing state: square breathing, restorative respite, and deliberate multitasking.
Breathing squared. Find with your eyes a rectangular object: a picture, a window or a door. Look at the upper left corner and inhale, and then count to four, look at the upper right corner, hold your breath and count to four, look at the lower right corner and exhale, counting to four, look at the lower left corner and say: ” Relaxed, smiled. ” If you rated your adrenaline level too low or too high, breathe in a square until you move at least 1 in the direction of improvement.
Recovery respite. Sometimes you are too wound up or you don’t have enough energy to concentrate. In this case, you can take a break by clearly defining how much it will last and what you will spend it on: you can drive a car, turn on loud music, lie on the floor and play with a dog, go to the nearest park, sit on a bench and watch the birds . Recovery respite differs from avoidance in that it is short-lived, and you will definitely return to work. Here are some tips to make this comeback enjoyable:
– Choose the business that you like best than the rest, and do it first.
– Grab something tasty at the workplace.
– Immediately plan the next break: when it will happen and how you will spend it.
Conscious multitasking. You begin to do several things at the same time, realizing that you are temporarily reducing productivity, but thus struggle with apathy: turn on the music, watch a funny video, read the mail. You need to do this purposefully and strategically, limiting yourself in time (five to ten minutes – and you return to the main task).
We often cannot physically get away from the stimulus or provocation, but try to run away mentally. The result is one of three conditions: procrastination, anxiety, and anger.
Strategy 3. Combating Procrastination
Pierce Steele published a paper in which he analyzed the problem of procrastination and found that it was becoming more widespread. If in 1978 only 5% of Americans considered themselves chronic procrastinators, then by 2006 the figure had grown to 26%. Dr. Steele also revealed the relationship of procrastination with the impulsiveness and distraction of a person. Modern technology creates an incredible temptation to put things off for later.
Another procrastination specialist, Jane Burka, names three main reasons for this phenomenon:
– fear of failure;
– fear of success;
– fear of being in control.
To overcome these fears, Ms. Palladino offers three tricks: develop confidence, light a fire and rewrite the past.
There are 2 ways to develop self-confidence:
1) Make yourself a success. Define the goals that you can achieve and the conditions for achieving them. What matters is progress, not perfection:
– divide the work into parts;
– outline a simple plan;
– include breaks and rewards in the plan;
– if you are at a dead end, break this stage into 2 parts;
– Do not criticize, but encourage yourself.
2) Praise yourself for your efforts, regardless of whether you have achieved success or not. Record one or more installations and carry with you:
– Appreciate your efforts: “I am proud to have this experience”;
– Do not strive for perfection: “I am not perfect, and I like it”;
– remind yourself that you can cope with discomfort for the sake of the goal: “This is not easy, but I am strong”;
– remember past successes: “I completed that project ahead of schedule!”;
– remind yourself that in any case you deserve respect: “Even if something did not work out, I am proud that I tried.”
To kindle a fire , you need to learn to treat the matter as something personal. Identify the reason why you are doing this and repeat it as a mantra when you don’t have enough stimulation: “earn money”, “be proud of your job”, “earn the boss’s approval”. It’s good to write motivating quotes on cards, for example: “Procrastination is the thief of time” (E. Young).
Sometimes procrastination has roots in the distant past: you put off things, fearing the punishment of your father, or pretended to be sick, so as not to write a test paper. It’s time to grow up, rewrite the past and change the usual pattern of behavior! Perform “mental training”, repeatedly returning to the past and imagining how you could change the situation by doing differently.
Strategy 4. Suppressing Anxiety
In an effort to keep our attention under control, excitement works against us. Anxiety reduces concentration, and distraction causes excitement. Everyone knows the situation: you were distracted and did not hear what they were talking about. From ignorance of what you missed, you feel the excitement, and it makes you even less collected. The anxiety suppression strategy consists of three techniques: realize reality, draw up a plan, and replace a thought.
First of all, you need to realize the reality of your fear, identifying its rational and irrational causes. Then you need to tell yourself that fear is normal for any person.
Once you have realized your fear, you need to draw up a short written plan to get out of the situation. For example, a person who is afraid of exams can write: 1) reduce pressure from the outside, 2) focus on learning, 3) mentally train how to behave during the exam. Then the plan can be supplemented by indicating the details of the work on the problem, writing down internal dialogs and techniques that can help.
Do not try to get rid of frightening thoughts. As soon as you forbid yourself to think about something, the thought becomes more intrusive. Better think about something else, replacing the frightening thought : do something that you like, and thoughts themselves will change direction.
Strategy 5. Tension Control
When a person is angry, it seems to him that he is focused as never before. In fact, he misses something important, hurts himself and offends others. The angrier you are, the more you justify your anger. If at the same time you argue with someone, then anger increases in both. The tension control strategy consists of three self-control techniques: cool down, detect fear, and insist.
If you hurt yourself, then apply ice to the sore spot in order to relieve pain and prevent inflammation. In case of emotional overstrain, it is also necessary to cool down, isolated from the source of irritation. This is the only way to reduce the level of adrenaline and return to a reasonable state. There are many ways to calm down, you just need to choose the one that suits you:
– slowly count to ten or quickly – from one hundred to zero;
– start humming your favorite song to yourself;
– squeeze your hands tightly and focus on how tense the fingers are;
– close your eyes and imagine yourself in your favorite place in nature;
– Remember what date is today and what did you eat yesterday for dinner.
If you are on the verge of collapse and are not able to think about something, just go to a deserted place (close in the car) and turn on the music.
Anger is a masked fear. When you cool down a bit, you can discover your fear . At work, people are usually afraid of losing money (they will not give a bonus), respect, time, status. When you are angry with a child, you are afraid for his safety, for the fact that he will not succeed or repeat your mistakes. Quarreling couples fear separation or loss of freedom. Recognizing fear helps you gain control of your situation.
Persistence should be in a certain pattern: admit the facts, evaluate your feelings, look at the situation through the eyes of the interlocutor and demand what you want, proposing specific solutions.
For example, you need to talk with a stubborn boss.
“There were difficulties in the project, and the price became higher than indicated in the commercial proposal.”
“It’s not easy for me to tell the client about this because I am interested in cooperation.”
“I understand that you consider this project promising.”
“Let’s get the meeting together and listen to the views of the members of the working group.”
2.2. Strategies for Improving Mental Skills
A mental skill is the ability to use one’s mindset to achieve a goal. Strategies 6 and 7 help to replace unnecessary thoughts with necessary ones and create sustainable motivation.
Strategy 6. Self-motivation
Achieving a long-term goal can be compared to a marathon. At the start, you are full of enthusiasm and energy, and when you see the finish, a second wind opens. However, most of the way you must convince yourself to continue running, despite fatigue and boredom. The author of the book offers three techniques for achieving personal victory: to set significant goals, to be self-confident and to periodically test oneself as a deathbed.
First of all, set significant goals that can truly captivate you.
Be confident in yourself.
– The goals set should depend on your efforts, and not on external circumstances that you cannot control.
– Determine exactly where you are going and when you plan to get there. Write down your plans, making them more tangible.
– Remember: the goal should guide you, not control you.
– When it becomes difficult: you do not have enough strength, time, you lose motivation, – imagine yourself in the form of a tall tree with powerful roots, which bends in a storm, but does not break.
The deathbed test is one of the most powerful motivating techniques. When you need to make an important decision, ask yourself the question: “If I remembered this moment on my deathbed, what decision would I praise myself for?”
Strategy 7. Following the course
To stay in the zone of concentration, you need a structure – a schedule, plans, task lists. Otherwise, you will either feel insecure (at one end of the inverted parabola graph), or you will be furious (at the other end). Setting a deadline may improve your attention for a short time, but overall you will be less focused. This strategy consists of three techniques: internal dialogue, attitude change, and mental training.
The internal dialogue helps guide oneself to accomplish tasks with the help of specially selected words and expressions, and there are five types:
– a list of three cases: simplify plans and highlight the main points;
– self-regulation: if you can’t forget about work, on the way home repeat many times: “I am at home”;
– anchors: remember past successes and people who believe in you – this will give you confidence;
– affirmations: focus on your abilities and strengths: “I can do everything”, “I can finish today”, “I am smart and quick-witted”;
– substitution of thought: an unnecessary thought – “I’m too tired to think”; a useful replacement is “Let’s see what I’m capable of, but if I get tired very much, take a short break.”
Changing attitudes involves rethinking the situation:
– get rid of the negative attitude to plans, schedules, alarms and organizers, perceive them as allies;
– leave the comfort zone to gain concentration;
– Do not be afraid to miss something important.
Mental training: conduct repeated rehearsals before an important event (exam, public speaking), and you will feel more confident when the “hour X” comes.
2.3. Behavioral Skills Strategy
Behavioral skills are regular actions that become habitual over time. Good habits help people to be more collected.
Strategy 8. Good habits
Do not rush yourself when you decide to change your lifestyle. New habits need time, perseverance, enthusiasm and self-forgiveness. Good habits are formed in three stages: calm and focused behavior; friendship with people who understand you, and liberation from unnecessary things in life.
To achieve calm and concentration, you need: good sleep, proper nutrition, sports, entertainment, relaxation and avoiding the abuse of stimulants (sugar, caffeine, alcohol).
To acquire and consolidate good habits, you need to communicate with the right people . We act on others and are influenced by them, therefore, if the lives of our friends are streamlined and structured, this will help us make our own lives more logical and measured. If you have a goal or project that needs a motivating push, call a friend with similar interests. The best way to find a friend who is ready to help is to become one yourself:
– regularly communicate with friends;
– tell them how much you value your friendship;
– be an attentive listener.
Extra things are distracting. However, the fear of loss makes it difficult to part with unnecessary things. Sometimes we cannot decide what is valuable and what is not. To disassemble the rubble and get rid of unnecessary trash, you need to think less about what you lose, and more about what you gain in return.
“When the workplace is in order, order is in my head.”
“I will find the necessary faster.”
“I like the feeling of freedom. I own things, not them. ”
3. Children and attention
3.1. How to teach children to be attentive
We cannot control our children, but we can teach them self-control. At different ages, children are taught self-control by various methods. Young children need simple, easy-to-understand rules: less explanation and more work. Make a simple diagram: depict the main responsibilities of the child in the pictures. Mark their implementation with stickers.
Teach your children self-discipline by following these guidelines:
Be a good role model.
Sarah studied poorly and could not do one type of activity for a long time. Her mother, Jackie, accustomed to living in multitasking, did not know what to do. The problem was solved when the woman began to find time to calmly deal with matters requiring concentration (paying bills, analyzing mail), while her daughter was doing homework.
Encourage mindfulness, not distraction.
When Sarah was asked a difficult task, Jackie washed the dishes, quietly following the actions of her daughter and encouraging her after each step: “You are doing well.” In high school, Sarah was already doing homework in her room, and Jackie would occasionally bring her an apple or lemonade, not forgetting to praise.
Teach your child concentration techniques. With your child, write down three techniques that are effective for him.
Set boundaries. The child should have a daily regimen corresponding to age norms, restrictions on nutrition, watching TV and using a computer.
Believe in your child. This creates the foundation for his future success. Learn how to respond to difficulties. If you get angry or lose your enthusiasm, remind yourself that your child’s childhood will pass very quickly. Leave negative emotions and enjoy these priceless moments. Appreciate yourself, your efforts and be proud of how you deal with parental responsibilities.
3.2. Attention deficit disorder
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a relatively new diagnosis around which controversy continues. Even the name of the disease itself misleads us: in fact, people with this syndrome can be so concentrated at times that they don’t see anything around. However, they have difficulty managing their attention, it is difficult for them to prioritize, adapt to the rhythm of other people in joint activities and work at a steady pace.
Nevertheless, there are a number of hypotheses that ADD is not a disease and not a mental disorder, but an individual feature: such people have a highly developed orientational reflex, they are attracted to everything new, which helps them become brilliant researchers and successful entrepreneurs.
High school student Ben suffered from ADD. He studied poorly, and teachers considered him a bummer. In the summer, he went to China as part of a group of schoolchildren. While his classmates were weighed down by exotic realities and dined at McDonald’s, Ben immersed himself in the life and culture of China: he worked in the fields, ate with chopsticks, enjoyed tasting dishes from turtles and fish heads. He became a researcher: he studied the language and lived the life of a real Chinese.
If you or your child have ADD, you can make your life easier by observing the daily routine, eating balanced, and playing sports. In addition, getting ready for work, it is necessary to conduct an internal dialogue during which to recognize the problem and choose the appropriate strategy.
Recognize: “I am putting off work.” Use the strategy: “I plan more time for its implementation.”
Recognize: “I need additional stimulation.” Use the strategy: “I’ll go work out in a cafe.”
Admit: “I need silence.” Use the strategy: “I’ll go to work in the library.”
Conclusion
The book “Find Your Focus Zone: An Effective New Plan to Defeat Distraction and Overload” not only explains the origin of problems with concentration, but also offers effective methods to stop wasting time in vain, waiting for inspiration, and take action.
First of all, you need to learn how to find your zone of concentration – a relaxed-focused state in which the mind is as ready to do the job. Cognitive overload, boredom and external stimuli prevent us from staying in the concentration zone for a long time.
The author offers eight effective strategies to achieve and maintain maximum concentration: self-awareness, change of state, struggle with procrastination, suppression of anxiety, control of tension, self-motivation, following the course and good habits. Each strategy includes 3 techniques for reinforcing emotional, mental and behavioral skills, having carefully studied which you can develop your own strategy of concentration and effective activity.
Parents cannot constantly control their children, but their duty is to teach their son or daughter self-control. How well the child learns to concentrate attention depends on his success both in educational and professional activities, and in his personal life. Even children with attention deficit disorder can be taught to organize their life as efficiently as possible. Parents should be good role models, encourage mindfulness, teach a child concentration techniques, set clear boundaries and rules, and most importantly, believe in him.
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