Too much of (free) time, but no real output — Decoding “Distractions”
If you are too distracted/bored to read this article, just skim through the bold sections first, you’ll at least get a few bytes, but yeah, you’ll miss out on many, so ready it anyway :)
In this post, we are going to explore -
- Why Focus is not what you think
- 4 hack to get better at avoiding distraction (pssttt.. it also involves tips for taking breaks)
- And why having your own morning routine to manage emotional stress goes a long way to deal with distractions.
Hey Folks,
The other day, I came across this interesting quote:
“ If you don’t come out of this quarantine/lockdown healthier, stronger, fitter or with a side hustle, time was never the problem” — internet
Isn’t it true? Time is never a problem. If anything, it is a finite resource, waiting to be used
The underlying, profound problem, on the other hand, is “focus”.
We have all experienced, great difficulty in maintaining focus on something, for an extended period of time. In fact, many of us have tried multiple meditative processes and exercises to improve focus, yet, when the time comes to delivery, our brain fires in all directions! puffff…
Focus is not a…
Our collective failed attempts have convinced us that “focus is an impossible task”
Let me tell you a little secret — It’s true!
Focus is an impossible task, simply because, it is not a task, but a “Lifestyle”.
And hoping that your 5-minute meditation practice gives you permission to play your 24-hour distraction game, is like hoping to get healthier eating junk all day just because you had an apple in the morning.
It simply doesn’t work that way! Rigorous, regular practice is a necessity.
Understanding Distractions
To understand this lifestyle of focus, let’s look at what distractions are…
Distraction is not the absence of focus. Technically, you don’t lose focus, you merely trade the task that you were supposed to focus on. Let’s call this task as the “prime” task. Your shift from the prime task to a trivial one/s and this is referred to as a distraction.
Your brain is wired to get distracted!
It is natural for your mind to have the desire to wander to anything apart from the task at hand. This happens so splendidly, merging well with what you were already performing, that by the time you realize it, it’s already a bit delayed, if not too much.
A Fair Warning
The internet is full of “expert” advice on how to focus but many of these tips have no relation to the discoveries about the way the human mind works.
So, the best tip that I can personally give you is Experiment, Experiment, Experiment!
And remember what the legend, Bruce Lee often said:
“Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is essentially your own.”
Now, assuming that everyone has a “smart schedule”, (if not, please make one or read this, let’s look at these 4 powerful hacks will help you to regain your focus in a way that is natural to the flow of your thoughts.
- Develop the art of Refocusing
As simple as it may sound, re-focusing on the task is a crucial step.
The trick here is to not indulge in some guilt-trip or regret, rather catch yourself in the act (of distraction, of course) as early as possible and without further adieu, get on with the (prime) task you had initially planned to do.
The earlier you catch yourself and the quicker you come back in the rhythm with the prime task, you get better at refocusing.
The intent is to drive the duration from where you get distracted to where you find yourself distracted to an absolute “zero”.
According to a study done by the University of California Irvine — “it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to the task.”
The only solution to this is to not leave your task, until it is absolutely important and refocus faster if you do.
Cognitively, refocusing enables a behavioural rectification (habit) i.e. every time you interrupt the distraction, the power of that distraction is reduced slightly and that is why focus is sometimes referred to as a muscle (metaphorically). Hence, refocusing should become a regular practice, thus forming a habit to make a comeback, every time you get distracted.
2. Identify the Triggers and Develop a System to Sequence it
For a moment, think about what comes just before the distraction?
A trigger!
It could be a phone call, or a WhatsApp, or the thought of your loved ones, or simply to switch off the gas — anything could be a trigger to distraction.
Firstly, perform your key tasks in a distraction-free zone i.e. no checking notification for a dedicated amount of time, closed room — probably with a sign that says “do not disturb” (little far-fetched, I know)
Once you know the trigger, ask yourself these 3 questions
+ Is this important — what is the consequence of not doing it?
+Is this immediate — can I schedule it for a later time period?
+ Is this outsourceable — does this really require me?
If you have identified it as an immediate task ex: switching off the gas/stove which has the highest consequence (I mean, nobody completed a client’s report, being dead), then that becomes your super-prime task but you park the current prime task as your queued task (next in line).
Most often, distraction happens not when we change our prime task, but when we miss queuing tasks.
Next, those minor tasks that keep popping in, which are slightly important but not immediate, needs to be tackled.
But the challenge here is that these brain-waves/reminders tend to get miss often, if not acted upon soon!
Taking inspiration from David Allen — The rule here is to allow yourself to do those pebble tasks which takes less than 2–3 minutes to complete (ex: send a WhatsApp message, remind your Wife about your Mom’s birthday) immediately, else capture them on a trusted place, which you can visit later (ex: a to-do app).
Develop a habit of getting back to your trusted source after a particular interval.
Needless to say, outsource the task of minimum significance and ignore your trivial distraction
In fact, I would strongly urge you to develop a system of your own. You can begin with David Allen’s GTD method.
Remember, we are only capturing the important ones. So, if you spend your time replying to every WhatsApp messages you get. Then things become stressful. The idea is to come back to the prime task as quickly as possible, and preferably under 5 mins.
3. Find your optimum Breaks and schedule it in
Although counter-intuitive, many studies has shown the importance of scheduling “smart breaks”.
Be it watching cat-videos (and I mean literally) or going out for a walk or doing a few rounds of breathe works, etc. can be a huge stress buster.
The reason being — our minds get habituated to anything that we do for a longer period of time.
According to Psychology Professor, Alejandro Lleras from the University of Illinois “…Sustained attention to a thought should lead to that thought’s disappearance from our mind!”
in other words, you start losing track of that thought.
Think of the first time you held a high-end device (ex: your smart phone), you must have been wowed by its feature. You tend to capture details of those experiences. But, after a year or so, the fascination fades away.
So, deliberately letting your mind off the hook now and again, pay dividends. But make it a point that you come back to your task, after a particular interval
But how long?
Although it depends on person-to-person, studies dating from the 1990s suggest that we can stay focused for approx. 90 minutes before needing a 15-minute break.
Hence, smartly schedule the breaks that would rejuvenate you!
4. Listen to your repeated trivial distractions
Sometimes, distractions are your brain’s way of capturing your attention, to tell you something more deeper. Any repeated urge to do something (ex: playing a video game or searching about “distractions”) is your mind’s way of raising an alarm.
The wisest thing to do is to capture it and make it a prime task for some other time.
Develop a routine to manage Emotional Triggers
The needs of the mind, are sometimes weird, we need to dig deeper to understand its very purpose.
For example — the need to play a mobile game arises from an emotional need to be competitive that your current tasks are not allowing you to be. Or, if it is a worry, take out time to address it or talk to someone who can help. We are emotional beings and there is nothing wrong in asking for help.
As a matter of fact, emotional triggers form a major part of our distraction and they are very repeating in nature.
Exercising and strong morning routines, helps us to be in the right state of mind and to tackle the challenges of the day, rhythmically. This is where guided meditation and reframing comes into the picture. They are tools of creativity.
(Will cover more on that in a separate dedicated article)
For the time being check out Vishen Lakhani’s 6 phase meditation or Amy fletcher’s Ziva meditation, to begin with. Also, Andy Pudicombe’s headspace app can help you follow a meditation practice.
So to sum it all up -
+ Learn to Refocus, quickly and repeatedly. Trying to minimize the duration to bring back your focus and achieve the flow state again.
+ Develop a method to capture and sequence the pop-ups — something that bears value, but still shouldn’t have the right to distract you
+ Smartly schedule the breaks and find your healthy method rejuvenation
+ Develop effective Rhythmic routines that prime our brain and prepares it to focus. Manage your emotional junk! But don’t forget to take what’s useful.
The bottom line is that distractions are inevitable since focus (like many other things) is a finite resource. But it is an expandable resource, i.e. you will always have a finite amount of focus, but it can be expanded through practice.
Think of it like money -
just because you have a finite income now, doesn’t mean that you can’t increase it
The lifestyle of focusing allows you to do the important things before we run out focusing power.
I would love to hear what made you read and (in all probability) keep your focus on this article. Feel free to comment or DM me.
Until my next brain-wave strikes, ciao!
Bonus: Two books that I would recommend reading on this subject: Indistractable by nir Eyal and Getting Things Done by David Allen
Source: Banner Image by Kirill Averianov from Pixabay
