Focus. This can be defined as having a focal center of interest. Along with focus is concentration. Everyone wants to be able to focus and concentrate with no distractions. Is this possible in a world that’s so loud?
Well luckily for you this page contains the best tips that will help you stay focused. Focusing isn’t the issue. The issue is decision making. We convince ourselves that we can multitask, however multitasking is ineffective. Read on to discover why…
It is not impossible to multitask, as we do it all the time. Like when you talk on the phone and do work or eat and watch TV. However, it is impossible to concentrate on doing both at the same time. You’re either concentrating on what you are writing or paying precise attention to what is being said on the phone.
Multitasking causes your brain to switch your focus between the two tasks at hand. This could’ve been done seamlessly had it not been difficult for the human brain to transition so easily between both tasks.
Multitasking forces your mind to pay a mental price every time you switch from one task to another. In psychological terms, this mental price is called the ‘switching cost.’ Have you ever been in the middle of writing when you hear something interesting on the TV, so you focus your attention on what is being said?
Then when you resume the writing you have to take a minute to comprehend what your train of thought was, whilst writing that sentence. This is what happens when you multitask.
The term ‘switching cost’ is the disruption in the performance that we experience when we switch from one focus area to another. According to Infographic from OnlineCollege.org, 98% of people who try to multitask actually impair their productivity more than help it. So by multitasking, we are actually reducing our productivity instead of increasing it.
How to Focus and Increase Your Attention Span
As you read below you will see ways in which you can overcome the need to multitask and instead focus on one task alone. You may be thinking out of all the tasks I have to complete every day, how can I focus solely on one.
The Ivy Lee Method of focusing
One of my favorite methods is the Ivy Lee method. By 1918 Charles M.Schwab was one of the richest men in the world. He owned the Bethlehem Steel Corporation. He was referred to as a ‘master hustler’ by famous inventor Thomas Edison.
One day in 1918, in his quest to increase the efficiency of his team and discover better ways to get things done, Schwab arranged a meeting with a highly-respected productivity consultant named Ivy Lee.
Lee was a successful businessman in his own right and is widely remembered as a pioneer in the field of public relations. As the story goes, Schwab brought Lee into his office and said, “Show me a way to get more things done.”
“Give me 15 minutes with each of your executives,” Lee replied.
“How much will it cost me,” Schwab asked.
“Nothing,” Lee said. “Unless it works. After three months, you can send me a check for whatever you feel it’s worth to you.”
The method was:
During his 15 minutes with each executive, Lee explained his simple daily routine for achieving peak productivity:
- At the end of each workday, write down the six most important things you need to accomplish tomorrow. Do not write down more than six tasks.
- Prioritize those six items in order of their true importance.
- When you arrive tomorrow, concentrate only on the first task. Work until the first task is finished before moving on to the second task.
- Approach the rest of your list in the same fashion. At the end of the day, move any unfinished items to a new list of six tasks for the following day.
- Repeat this process every working day.
The strategy sounded simple, but Schwab and his executive team at Bethlehem Steel gave it a try. After three months, Schwab was so delighted with the progress his company had made that he called Lee into his office and wrote him a check for $25,000. A $25,000 check written in 1918 is the equivalent of a $460,000 check-in 2019.
Measure Your Results
Another way to increase attention span is to measure your progress. Focus can often fade due to lack of feedback. Our brains consistently need to be made aware of whether our goals are being accomplished. So we need to practically measure our results.
Measurement maintains focus and concentration. Through numbers, statistics and clear tracking we get an idea as to what is improving and what isn’t. The tasks you measure are the ones you remain focused on.
Unfortunately, we mostly do not measure as we are afraid to see a lack of progress. The lack of progress is what usually puts our motivation down. However, the main thing is to realize that measuring is not to criticize the lack of what has been done, rather as feedback on where you are.
Focus on the Process, Not the Event
The third thing you can do to maintain long term focus is to concentrate on the process, not the event. A common thing we do is view success as a goal that can be achieved and completed. E.g. Many people see writing as an event. They say if I get published by this company then I’ll gain recognition.
However, if you look at people that have actually succeeded, you will find that they have achieved this as they have fallen in love with the process of the goals rather than achieving the outcome. Focusing on goals and outcomes are what most people want to do, rather it’s the process that leads to the most success.
Concentration and Focus Mind-Hacks
If you have mastered the art of loving the process, knowing how to stay focused, implementing those goals can be hard. So read on to see how you can improve concentration.
