The Attention Crisis

"Attention is your ability to selectively attend to things in your environment".

According to recent research, an average office worker can only hold their focus for 3 minutes. This drops to a mere 65 seconds for the average university student.

Many of us view our inability to focus as a personal flaw, however, that may not be the case. 

Our ability to focus and pay attention plays a crucial role in our ability to achieve our goals in life, as well as our ability to maintain healthy relationships with others and ourselves.

 So, why is our ability to focus getting shorter and shorter?

‘Multi’-tasking

Do you ever feel like you are spinning plates in your daily life? Trying to keep on top of so many things by jumping from one thing to another and yet feeling that you aren’t really getting anything done?

Research has recently uncovered the dangers of ‘Switching’. Switching refers to when we split our attention between tasks. This can reduce our ability to process and hold information as our eyes may be on the task in front of us while our mind is still on the previous or next task. Think of sitting at your computer working on a document when an email notification pops up on your screen, followed by a social media notification vibrating in your pocket. In the course of a few minutes, your attention has been split three different ways.

Stress 

You know the saying diamonds are made under pressure? This was often the excuse we presented to our parents as they questioned why we left all of our schoolwork until the night before the due date!

For adults, there is healthy pressure which motivates and pushes us forward to complete a task effectively. However, there is a difference between this and stress. Stress is when you feel overwhelmed by the pressure you experience. 

But why is stress so bad for our attention? 

Imagine you were attacked by a bear. Following this attack, it is helpful for your attention to flip from normal attention (where you can focus on things in front of you) to a state of vigilance where you are scanning the environment for other bears. This is an involuntary physical response as you are scanning for dangers. 
Now, imagine you were attacked by a bear again, you may enter a state called hypervigilance where you are constantly on the lookout for risk and danger. 

Many people live their daily lives in that state of hypervigilance. Another example of this may be, a single mother in a tough financial situation. That mother may find herself living in constant fear of her washing machine breaking, or her car breaking down and the financial implications it would have. This is a state of hypervigilance where you are constantly scanning for risks that would put us in the danger zone. 

Perhaps those who are struggling to focus and direct their attention are not displaying character flaws, but instead are displaying a completely appropriate response to their current life. 

Why is our ability to focus so important?

Many aspects of life require a strong ability to focus to succeed. As people begin to lose this ability, it becomes harder to express kindness and empathy.

Creativity is another casualty of switching between tasks and distractions as we do not stay in one frame of mind for long enough to engage in creative thinking.

Everything we have ever achieved in life is because at some point we paid attention.

How can I increase my attention?

Mind Walking / Wandering 

Going for walks in the absence of technology can help regain creativity as it utilises the freedom of mind wandering. 

If you feel like your mind never stops, you may find going for a mind walk beneficial. This is the process of actively clearing your thoughts and allowing your mind to wander, as you take a leisurely stroll. You will be amazed at what you notice in your surroundings. 

Through the process of mind wandering, we give our brain the opportunity to make sense of what we have experienced. It helps us to look forward to and anticipate the future, as experiences are categorised and processed for future reference. Whilst walking practice a simple grounding technique by focusing on how your feet feel on the ground, what you hear/see/smell etc. 

Practice single-tasking

Create a to-do list each day and place your phone on do not disturb while each task is ticked off. When you complete each task take your phone off and do not disturb for a 10-minute check-in. Set a timer to remind you to return to your to-do list. When creating your to-do list, always start with the most enjoyable and achievable activity. The more passionate we are about a task, the more likely it will hold our focus. Once we achieve this task, we often find ourselves in an attentional rhythm. Slowness builds attention.

Sleep 

Sleeping is essential for attention. By following these simple steps above we will naturally reduce screen time which will have a positive effect on sleeping patterns, which can benefit attention and concentration levels. Sleeping provides an opportunity for the brain to process and make sense of what we have learned during the day. Poor sleep patterns have a significant effect on concentration. 

In conclusion, the faster your life feels the less likely you will pay attention. Think of trying to pay attention to the scenery whilst driving. You won’t see anything but a blur at 100 miles an hour, but you will at 30. Intentionally engaging in activities such as single-tasking or mind walking will down you slow down your environment and increase your capacity for attention. 

 Want to learn more? Why not check out this fantastic podcast:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4K4qYnxPeKoVX9HItcrnjk?si=PNU4zkxkTcK9PcYrJBaQ-Q&nd=1