Focus Your Life

Today, we are all much more distracted all day than ever before. The widespread use of cellphones and the internet have blocked our being able to get the most out of our time. Time is really the currency of life, and how we spend our time can determine our general level of satisfaction with our lives.

         Many of us are so distracted at work that we are forced to stay over or take work home. Then our personal lives become intertwined with our work lives leading to lower productivity and poor definition of boundaries. Boundaries are essential to living a full life and working to establish boundaries for work and personal life is a crucial task. Without those boundaries, life is just a blur of multitasking as we move between personal items and work items on our cellphones and computers during our waking hours.

         The only way out of this non productive distracted lifestyle is to switch to a distraction free concentration while at work. This frees you up to really enjoy personal time. The skill of being able to create distraction free concentration while at work can free your cognitive skills to function at their max.

         The shift from distracted concentration to deep concentration takes practice. The following actions can help this occur.

1. Learn to NOT multitask. There is plenty of research that has shown that switching between tasks is nonproductive. This is especially true of those tasks that require concentration. Turn off your devices when you begin an important task.
2. Plan your day. Start every day with a few moments to write down what needs to be accomplished Then go to your calendar and schedule times to get those things done.
3. Learn to meditate. The daily practice of meditation calms the brain and enables you to see life with a new clarity. There are great Ted Talks which can give you instruction on how to meditate.
4. Practice relaxing. Take breaks during the day between difficult tasks. Stop checking email endlessly. Don’t have your cellphone in the bedroom. Stop listening to disturbing news on the TV or looking at it on the internet.

Stephen L. Watson, Ph. D., Savannah Educational Consultants, 2/2/2022