Boost your concentration and productivity, even amid the chaos, with this simple habit
Who hasn’t experienced that unpleasant feeling of not being able to move forward on a task? Disturbed by 36 other things, you can’t resist the call of your smartphone. Or the coffee machine!
Add a good dose of stress, and it’s an inner turmoil that disorients you or freezes you.
The result? You’re frustrated, disappointed that you’re not able to get things done faster, to the point you almost get dizzy in what quickly looks like chaos.
By the way, right here. Right now. Do you already feel the urge to switch to something else? Yes? Hang on! This post is really for you ;-). The following solution is long-term and effective. It takes practice but will increase your productivity.
Distracted and inefficient, even when all the circumstances are right?
You know you’re wasting a lot of time, but you can’t help it. You’ve read 36 articles. You know there are all sorts of tips and tricks, conditions to put in place to help you focus (isolate yourself, eliminate notifications, set aside time, etc.). But last time, before you “got down to it,” in the name of peace of mind, you took 30 minutes to… tidy up your desk! Sounds familiar? I looooove tidying up.
Of course, your motivation for the task will play a role, as is your sense of competence in completing it. Of course, clarity of purpose will also be a powerful driver.
But what if I told you that your focus is less about your external circumstances than it is about your internal state and that this later is in your hands? Better yet! That by working on it, you will reduce stress, gain efficiency, and more generally in quality of life. Let’s see how!
We are programmed for distraction
Concentration is the act of giving all your attention to a specific object (Collins). A challenge these days as we’re constantly trying to multitask, right?
Moreover, we are biologically programmed to go towards pleasant tasks (generating dopamine) and avoid others. In the age of the attention economy, especially on the web, people know how to play this principle to divert you from the path you want to take.
Let’s add that we are also programmed to detect and react to danger, whether it’s real … or not.
So, you understand that any unattractive task, any action that presents a risk, any complexity that is difficult to grasp has the potential to break your concentration. Becoming aware of this is an essential first step. And rest assured, you’re not the only one facing these “laws.”
Strengthen your focus
Have you ever seen those ultra-absorbed colleagues in the middle of a noisy open space? What are they doing differently? Consciously or unconsciously, they know how to deal with those stories you inevitably tell yourself, those mechanical impulses that lead you to the fridge or your email box searching for something more crispy or crunchy.
See concentration as a muscle. Concentration is seeing that you feel attracted to something else but choosing to stay on the task at hand, despite everything. It is consciously directing your attention for the next ten seconds and taking that decision again in ten seconds, if necessary.
By the way, right here, right now … where is your attention? Are you still with me or already in the next part of your day?
Take back control
Developing your concentration means taking back control of your attention and keeping it in the present moment. Entirely dedicated to your current activity. It is the ability to bring your mind back from the past to the present and prevent it from worrying about the future.
Dr. Dan Siegel in Mindsight (an excellent book that sheds light on the benefits of meditation from a neuroscientific perspective) explains that repeated mental activity strengthens the neural connections related to this same activity, making it stronger and more accessible. The ability to consciously bring your attention back to the present is one such mental activity. Some meditation practices, especially mindfulness, allow you to develop it. Yoga and all the balancing postures will also train this faculty, this time via the body.
How to consciously direct your attention
That said, it is possible to develop the “muscle” of concentration on the field with this simple habit. It’s a kind of mindfulness game. When you realize that your mind has left the task at hand or you have that feeling of chaos:
- Take a deep conscious breath from down in your belly and up to your collarbones. Follow the flow of the breath through your airways. Such physical anchoring will refocus you.
- Then ask yourself the following questions: Where is my attention right now? What am I aware of? See if you cannot judge the answer but observe it neutrally.
- What next? Choose to return to the task at hand. In this moment of awareness, bring meaning back to the task at hand: “Managing the paperwork, even if it is not exciting, is a pathway to freeing my mind.”
The more you bring your mind back to the task, the more you densify certain neuronal connections. The more you strengthen this “muscle,” this capacity to retract from your programs, the more you become master over your impulses and reflexes.
The observer consciousness boosts your productivity
While writing this post, I had at least three times the urge to do something else. These urges will not go away. It’s your reaction to these urges that will make the difference.
Distanced from your reflexes, from your inner speech, from the rumbling of your stomach (since you observe them), you can make choices. You are now in the position of an observer. To listen or not to listen to the urge. That is the question.
Knowing how to relax and release attention regularly will also be key: take breaks! For my part, I am a major fan of the Pomodoro method.
Beware, the tool can be double-edged: you could almost become a robot. Listen to yourself! Sleeping, moving, and healthy eating will be allies of your concentration and not elements you will benefit from skipping.
The bonus gas pedal of your efficiency
You understand that the key is to stay mentally in the present moment as much as possible. Right here. Right now. With your task. You’ll quickly notice that we tend to either dwell in the past or run to the future. Here, two complementary habits will help you.
- If you tend to constantly think about the after with some anxiety, planning for everything will help. I mean tasks/slots scheduled properly in an plan. Knowing that you thought about the other matter of the moment is an excellent mind-buster!
- If you tend to travel in the past, working on your ability to let go will bring you back into the present.
If, in addition, you can create the right external conditions for concentration, you’ll become unstoppable!
In a nutshell
Asking yourself where your attention is, hour after hour, day after day, and consciously directing it will develop your ability to concentrate. Goodbye to the long minutes wasted surfing the web or getting lost in social media!
I remember that I could mentally go into long stories at the beginning: pack my suitcase, go to the train station, take the TGV to Paris and visit the city for the weekend! Hesitating between restaurants. With time and practice, the idea of going to Paris is always there. But I usually manage not to step out of the house anymore :-).
This ability to consciously direct your attention will change what you achieve. It also has other hidden virtues that I look forward to sharing with you in a future post.
Now act. For today (and for the upcoming ones), check-in regularly where your attention is and goes and bring it back to the here and now. That’s it! You’ll start growing your concentration muscle!
Keep me posted on your experiences, and leave me a comment!
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This post was originally published in French on the blog www.theworklab.org
