Relearn to focus — Why entertainment-on-demand is today’s crack cocaine

Do you find your mind wandering all the time? Difficult to focus on the task at hand? It’s time to regain your attention span…

I had a conversation with my brother the other day, and he mentioned that he’d been stuck on the same episode of ‘Narcos’ for the last couple of weeks.

The problem? He kept falling asleep!

It wasn’t that the episode was particularly complicated and he couldn’t follow it, or that it was dull and he couldn’t sit through it, he simply couldn’t keep his attention focused for long enough.

This actually isn’t abnormal for him; he falls asleep during TV shows all the time. My other brother is similar and will constantly fall asleep partway through films. The problem seems to come around the 20–30 minute mark; their minds start to wander, they lose focus, and they’re simply not watching anymore. They may not necessarily fall asleep (though they often do), they may just start playing on an app, checking their email, sending messages, reading Facebook, etc.

They don’t seem that bothered by it; it’s just part of life for them. They start watching something, their interest wanes, they refocus elsewhere. So what?

However, it got me thinking…

This actually is a problem, and it’s everywhere!

My brothers aren’t the only ones losing focus like this. I’m doing this! So are all of my friends! So is everybody I see on the train every day!

It cannot be healthy to only be able to maintain an attention span of 20–30 minutes! And do you know the saddest part? We did this to ourselves.

We created a culture in which we have entertainment-on-demand, and it’s awesome, it truly is. However, a massive reduction in our ability to focus is the result. Why do we need to power our way through 20 minutes of a TV show, when as soon as it stops being 100% engaging we can instantly switch over and choose from hundreds of others? Why do we need to watch the scenery go by on our commute, or engage with other passengers, when we can play ‘Angry Birds’? Stuck on a level? Doesn’t matter, we can switch over to ‘Candy Crush’. Even the bathroom isn’t sacred, I can use the time there to check Facebook, then review my email!

This is a problem! Growing and developing an inability to focus will make it harder and harder for us to work and be productive in our day-to-day lives. We’re feeding a hunger for instant results, and this isn’t compatible with most aspects of real-life, where things take time! We need to commit to putting hours of work into projects, or they won’t get done (or not well at any rate). 20–30 minutes often simply won’t cut it.

So, what’s the solution?

I think it boils down to two key factors…

• Recognise that you have a problem

Championed by help groups all over the globe, the first step is in recognising and accepting that you have a problem. This may sound melodramatic, but there’s a reason this is adopted by aid programs universally; it works. Your best step at overcoming this chronic loss of focus is in first acknowledging it’s there! Once you’ve done this, you can take the next steps in recovery.

• Eliminate your distractors

The next step, and what will ultimately lead to your salvation, is to eliminate the ‘enablers’ and ‘triggers’ in your life, the things that feed your wandering mind.

Again, this is from the playbook of help groups everywhere, and again there’s a reason it’s so universal; it works. Much like a drug addict can’t get over meth if he sits around the house with a baggie of the stuff in his pocket, you can’t stop your mind from losing focus if you sit with the TV on and a smart phone at your fingertips.

For starters, try reading a book instead of watching TV. You can’t ‘change the channel’ with a book, so your focus will have to remain longer. There are countless other examples and activities out there, take a look around and see what you can find.

And importantly, and most painfully for some, try leaving your phone out-of-reach. Put it on the other side of the room! Stick it on a high shelf! Put it anywhere that’s an effort to get to. This may mean putting it on loud in another room entirely, just remove the temptation for instant gratification that it provides. If you make it harder to get a fix, you’ll wean yourself off it.

What now?

I’d like you to take a look at your day-to-day activities and see where you’re losing focus. Be honest with yourself; are you struggling to remain on task? Is the mid-afternoon slump maybe the result of a chronic inability to hold your attention span?

Remember, this is step one! Acknowledge and accept that you have a problem.

Step two! Remove your distractors, your enablers and triggers, and work on getting healthy again!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this! Do you find it harder and harder to maintain your focus? Is your mind constantly wandering? Have you tried taking action against it, using the techniques mentioned above? How did it go? Let me know!

Originally published at wordsbydavid.com on November 5, 2015.

About the Author: David Whitaker is a freelance writer, who spent years in the corporate rat race before deciding that life is too short to not spend it doing what you love! He now spends his time writing about life and trying to enjoy it as much as possible.

If you like what he writes, please like, share, or comment!

David’s personal blog is at wordsbydavid.com and you can follow him on twitter at @wordsbydavid or at https://au.linkedin.com/in/whitakerd