Learning to Focus Better, Could Make You a New Age Einstein
- jake0347
- Jul 13, 2020
- 2 min read
Want to separate yourself from the majority and excel in whatever it is that you do?
Learn to focus.
In 2015, TIME Magazine wrote an article about Microsoft's research into the average human attention span. At that time, Microsoft's research suggested that we lose concentration after about 8 seconds. A gold fish is said to manage about 9 seconds.
It's easy to see why our attention span and ability to focus would be declining given we are constantly surrounded by stimuli and distractions.
Even when at work with your phone in your drawer, your eyes are constantly being drawn to a notification window in the bottom right hand corner telling you about an email.
Most of the time, emails you don't even need to worry about.
Seems harmless glancing off your work and off to the corner of your screen or down to your phone but according to Earl Miller, a professor of neuroscience at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in his interview with TIME, it's not the size of the distraction that matters:
"Distractions are ubiquitous, popping up as email alerts, text messages and social network updates. People think that they can multitask and check these things without losing their focus, but we have lots of studies showing that task-switching leads to mistakes and back-tracking, and that it wastes a lot of time"
Learning the art of focus is an invaluable skill. With the vast majority of people falling victim to the limitless distractions, having the ability to maintain focus will put you ahead of the curve.
You also get far more done in far less time when you're not allowing your brain to jump across to every stimuli coming your way.
Think, less time in the office and more time at home with your family or getting a game of golf in, while getting out just as much work as usual if not more).
These two videos are a great watch to get you thinking about your focus (or lack thereof):
How to Get Your Brain to Focus | Chris Bailey | TEDxManchester
Unwavering Focus | Dandapani | TEDxReno
Take care and don't work too hard.
Annemarie
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