I love talking about focus because I believe that it is in the top three most important life skills for people to master. If you are anything like me, you have days where you are not feeling focused and days where you feel very focused. On those really focused days I feel unstoppable. I can accomplish twice as much as I do on a non-focused day. If you have experienced this, you probably find yourself chasing that feeling of being incredibly focused, because it feels good to get things done efficiently.
So how do we get more focused in our day to day lives? It’s great when a focus day comes along and we can do everything we planned to do in a day in three hours, but wouldn’t it be better to spread this out and be better on most days? Well the good news is that focus is something that can very much be learned and trained. We have talked about some leadership skills that are innate and can be taught over time, but most people are born with those inclinations. While some people might be born with a greater capacity for focusing than others, focusing is a skill that you can fully develop even if you start at the lowest point of that ability.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, guided meditation is so important for finding focus. Some people are immediately turned off to the idea of meditation because of stigmas surrounding the practice. Some might believe that it is spiritual or promoting a belief system that contradicts their own. While this type of meditation exists in the world, the large majority of meditation shared in a modern context is non-religious/non-spiritual. Another thing that keeps people from trying meditation is the idea that it is too “hippie-dippy,” “new age,” or just plain silly. Meditation gets a reputation for being very verbally flowery, but the best guided meditations discuss the science of your brain and why it easily gets distracted. Lastly, people are uncomfortable with the idea of meditating in a group of people, especially strangers. Gone are the days of going to a class at the library or your public gym to meditate in a group of people you do not know and to inevitably hear someone in the back snoring. Nowadays apps like Headspace and Calm provide inexpensive subscriptions to countless guided meditations that you can do anywhere you can bring your phone.
I personally use Headspace. What I appreciate is that it categorizes goals of the meditation practice in different multi-day courses. Topics like “finding focus,” “managing anxiety,” and “dealing with distractions” equip you with the ability to strengthen your focus and cut back on what is distracting you. Focus is just like a muscle, you need to continually use it and strengthen it to improve it. Setting aside 5-10 minutes a day to work on your focus is just like setting aside time at the gym to work on your physical fitness. SImilarly, over time you will begin to notice that exercises are getting easier. You can put yourself more quickly into a state of focus.
If you have never tried working on your focus, try this simple practice today. Put a timer on for 6 minutes. Go somewhere quiet and sit or lay down. Close your eyes and use the time to focus on different parts of your body. Start with the top of your head and move down. As you get to each new part of your body take a second to realize how that part is feeling. Is it comfortable? Is there any pain there? Go throughout your whole body and if the timer isn’t done yet then pick one thing you want to accomplish that day and really think about it. Everytime your mind starts to wander from the topic, recognize that feeling and go back to planning. The practice of acknowledging distractions and resetting can help strengthen your focus in the long run. Eventually you will find yourself with less distractions as you strengthen the awareness and correction of these distractions. Just like the gym, results won’t happen overnight. But with a little dedication, you can easily improve and sharpen your focus, great benefitting other areas of your life. - Bria