I woke up this morning with a big “to do” list, even though it’s the weekend. That is another issue of a plate that is over-full right now, but let’s stay focused on the topic, which is distraction.
How easy it is to turn our mind away from what we are trying to accomplish, be it big or small, to do any number of other things—often on our digital devices.
And we have so much to be distracted by these days, especially with 24/7 news cycles. Remember (or remember hearing about) the days when there was only one hour of news in the evening (Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather) and the physical daily newspaper? You couldn’t record the news (until the 1990s). You had to be there, focused, or you missed it.
News itself is one of the biggest distractions we have, and it won’t be going away any time soon. I remember, in years past, having days go by without thinking about government or politics. Not anymore! It’s now on my mind several times a day—and has been for several years.
Having worked in TV news (a long time ago), I understand part of the issue. All of these 24-hour news channels need to keep the eyes on the tube so everything becomes sensationalized. In a sensational news year, that’s exhausting.
I also remember spending more time quietly reading a book, which seems so much harder to do these days. How about for you? There is a reason for that.
Research indicates that prolonged exposure to smartphones, tablets, laptops and other internet-based technologies is not only changing the way we work and play, it is also dramatically affecting the way we think.
“Our brains are becoming accustomed to a constant overload of visual information, including text, graphics, videos and other digital stimuli. Our brains are learning to scan information and pick out what appears important whilst disregarding the rest. Rather than reading articles deeply, we narrow in on snippets of detail and form key takeaways.
Many researchers fear that our brains are losing their facility for prolonged concentration, such as is required to read novels and other long-form writing. Some studies indicate that the key skills needed for critical thinking and long-term learning are being replaced by a shallow engagement due to our split attention spans.”
Do you relate? I do. So what the heck can we do about it?
It’s not so much that we are “losing” our ability to focus, we are just not exercising those muscles in the brain that help us concentrate.
The article, How the Internet Destroys Your Focus (And How to Get It Back), by technology expert and writer Thomas Frank, lays out the problem (and ideas to counter it). The key isn’t to simply stop using the internet, which would be almost impossible. It’s to increase the activities that will promote the neurological changes that allow for long-form deep focus and concentration. Here are three (out of ten) of his top suggestions, and one of my own*:
Now, those are four things I can do that sound delightful. The discipline is putting the phone down and away.
My daughter, Emerald, and I are going to spend a couple of hours today breaking down the huge task of applying for graduate school into manageable weekly activities. It’s a classic way to eat an elephant, one bite at a time. We’re using a tool that I’ve recently discovered for planning—Asana. I’ve used many tools in the past, but this one offers a great program for free and is my current favorite. Today is Emerald’s 25th birthday!! She wants to spend some of it getting focused on her big goal.
Wishing you all more focus and concentration to do the things in life that matter to you!
Barbara Fagan-Smith
CEO, ROI Communication
Chief Catalyst, Living ROI
P.S. We talk about the topic of focus, and much more, in The Enlightened Workplace Project online course that is launching this Friday! If you’re interested, register using the code: ROISPECIAL for a significant discount. Or, if you’d be willing to participate in a focus group, reach out to me, by replying this this email, and you can join the course for free.
