Do you think your ability to focus has declined and it is directly affecting your productivity, especially in these times of uncertainty? Are you the one looking for some source of inspiration? And do you want to find out the secret to focus on your work?
Being a student, I faced these setbacks predominantly in this time of danger and unpredictability where the world is going through an adversity. My foremost reason to write this blog is to inspire all the students and young adults out there who face similar challenges and are lacking focus which hinders their productivity.
‘FOCUS’ –a 5 letter word but of prime significance which determines your productivity, creativity and commitment in pursuing anything may it be following your passion or hobby or studying and/or working.
As a student it became arduous to focus on my studies and productivity reduced. Being an ambitious person, this bugged me and I began surfing online for some inspiration and motivation. I commenced contemplating TEDx talks to motivate myself. One such talk was given by Chris Bailey- international bestselling author of ‘Hyperfocus’ and ‘The Productivity Project’. He is the most productive man I have ever listened to. The talk is titled as ‘How to get your brain to focus.’
Chris Bailey illustrates mainly our lack of focus in doing anything. Research conducted depicted that the human brain can completely focus on one thing for 40 seconds. Even our notification tones on mobile phones, I-pads or tablets, digital watches distract us and we become slothful.
I believe FOCUS is that one thing our generation lacks the most. The advancement of technology has distracted us, which hampers our ability to concentrate.
By the end of the blog, you would be able to train your brain to focus and I would be mentioning a small challenge or task which I have implemented in my life and is mentioned in the talk as well. After following it for 2 weeks, I noticed a change in myself and now I am able to focus and multi-task well.
Focus is crucial to achieve your goals. It helps us change our lives. Furthermore, it not only makes us more productive at work but expands our knowledge as well. Without focus we can’t even begin to better ourselves or channel our energy into passion.
OUTLINE OF THE TALK:
Use less technology and dissimulate your mind for increased focus and ideas.
Chris Bailey tells about various screens he sees all throughout the day and decides to take a phone-detox and noticed 3 things:
· Attention span grew
· More ideas
· More plans
He did extensive research about the effect of technology on attention span. He says that the symptom is that our brains are distracted but the deeper issue us that our brain craves distractions.
Technology has a lot of stimulation which boosts good-feeling hormones in the brain. It takes 8 days for the brain to adjust to less stimulation.
We allow our brains to wander- scatter-focus mode or diffused mode in which we think about the future half of the time. Ideas come when we are relaxed and our full attention is not trapped. We believe that ‘Distraction is the enemy of Focus’ but Chris Bailey states that over-stimulation is the real cause.
Credits: Shakshi Maheshwari
THE 2 WEEK CHALLENGE:
Try to make your mind less stimulated i.e. spend less time on the phone and disconnect it for a specific time period every day. Rediscover boredom and scatter-focus.
The more you restrict spending time with technology, the more you will see a rise in your attention span. Detox from technology means devoting ample amount of time for other plans or in simple words becoming more organized. Further, one can invest their time in a hobby which takes less focus and thereby results in more creativity.
Do try it out and let me know about your experience. Success takes time, be focused and be patient. Remember FOCUS is the only superpower you really need.
Here is the link to the TEDx talk by Chris Bailey:
