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The next step is to implement routines and rituals in your life that will help train that mental muscle, so you can move beyond willpower and good intentions. It doesn’t mean I always succeed in fighting off the distraction, but I have become hyper-aware of the urges and that is a pretty good first step. I catch myself when I’m reaching for my phone the moment I stand in a queue. I notice when I feel the urge to abandon the presentation I’m working on and open my emails. What I have found though, is that reading about it has helped me with awareness. Of course, you won’t get far with just reading a book. But this understanding ignores the difficulty of focus and the hours of practice necessary to strengthen your “mental muscle”. This mind-set is appealing because it implies that you can transform your working life from distracted to focused overnight if you can simply muster enough motivation.
#UNDISTRACTED ATTENTION HOW TO#
It has become a skill that we need to learn, and like any other skill, it takes effort.Īs Cal puts it: It’s common to treat undistracted concentration as a habit, like flossing - something that you know how to do and know is good for you, but that you’ve been neglecting due to lack of motivation. Our primitive brains are no match for advanced technology and all the distractions around us. Unfortunately, in the world we live in, it’s not that simple anymore. ‘Focus’ is often seen as something we can force ourselves to do when we need to. The truth is, I was getting frustrated with how hard I find it to concentrate on difficult work tasks, or how I’m incapable of waiting for anything for longer than 10 seconds without reaching for my phone. I admit, a book with the words ‘work’ and ‘rules’ in the title doesn’t sound very enticing. That was my mom’s reaction when I told her about the book I was reading - Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, by Cal Newport. “Why do you need to learn how to focus? You just do it when you need to.
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Charlotte Grysolle - 8 min read Photo by Nong Vang on Unsplash
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