Your Focus
Learning Competencies
- Research Focus
- Design a plan for focusing during Foundations
Summary
Staying on task can be difficult, but it can be particularly challenging when surrounded by constant distraction. In today's always-connected world, diversions are nothing more than a click away. Even during quiet moments, distraction is literally at your fingertips.
Fortunately, focusing is a lot like a mental muscle. The more you work on building it up, the stronger it gets.
- Assess your focus
- Eliminate distractions
- Focus on one thing at a time
- Live in the moment
- Apply the principle of "just in time" learning
- Take short breaks
- Keep practising
Time Box
| Exploration | Time to box |
|---|---|
| Explore | 30 minutes |
| Discuss and Reflect | 10 minutes |
Explore this Domain
- Read the material below
- Explore the domain of focus
Assess your focus
Before you start working toward improving your mental focus, you might want to begin by assessing just how strong your mental focus is at the present moment. Consider the following statements and select the ones that seem to describe you best:
- I find myself often daydreaming when I need to be working on an important task.
- I find it difficult to tune out distractions.
- I often lose track of what I am working on and have to start over again.
- I tend to focus on complex tasks during times of the day when I know I will be the most alert.
- I like to set goals and break tasks up into more manageable segments.
- If I find my mind wandering, I'll take a short break and then return to what I was working on.
If you identify more with the first three statements, you probably need to work on your mental focus. If the second set of statements seems more your style, you probably already have good concentration skills, but you could be even stronger with practice.
Eliminate distractions
While it may sound obvious, people often underestimate how many distractions prevent them from concentrating on a task. Such intrusions might come from a radio blaring in the background or perhaps a flatmate who drops in to chat.
Minimising these sources of distraction often sounds easier than it is.
One way to deal with this is to set aside a specific time and place and request to be left alone for that time. Another alternative is to seek out a quiet location where you know you will be able to work undisturbed. The library, a private room in your house, or even a quiet coffee shop might be good spots.
Another essential thing to remember is that not all distractions are external. Environmental noises and interruptions are often easier to control than internal distractions that might make it difficult to focus your attention. Exhaustion, worry, anxiety, poor motivation, and other internal disturbances can be particularly difficult to avoid.
A few strategies you might want to try to minimise or eliminate such internal distraction are to make sure you are well-rested before the task and to use positive thoughts and imagery to fight off anxiety and worry. If you find your mind wandering toward distracting thoughts, consciously bring your focus back to the task.
We recommend:
- Turning off your phone and notifications
- Minimise external distractions
- Be selective about the environment you are studying in
Focus on one thing at a time
While multitasking sometimes seems like a great way to get a lot done quickly, it turns out that people are rather bad at it. Juggling multiple tasks can dramatically cut productivity and make it much harder to hone in on the necessary details. Why? Our attentional resources are limited, so it is essential to budget them wisely.
Think of your attention as a spotlight. You can see things very clearly if you shine that spotlight on one particular area. If you were to try to spread that same amount of light across a large dark room, you might instead only glimpse the shadowy outlines.
Part of improving your mental focus is about making the most of the available resources. Stop multitasking and give your full attention to one thing at a time.
Live in the Moment
It's tough to stay mentally focused when you are ruminating about the past, worrying about the future, or tuned out of the present moment for some other reason. You have probably heard people talk about the importance of "being present." It's all about putting away distractions, whether they are physical (like your phone) or psychological (like thoughts about the past/future) and being fully mentally engaged in the current moment.
This notion of being present is also essential for recapturing your mental focus. Staying engaged in the here and now keeps your attention sharp and your mental resources honed in on the details that matter at a specific point in time.
Apply Just in Time Learning
Instead of delivering you a bunch of contexts, we provide the bare requirement of knowledge and skills needed to solve each challenge. This differs from the 'just in case' philosophy of many educators, where students learn many things they will rarely or never use in practice.
The world of web development is diverse and rich in complexity. You will want to know more than you have time to learn. Your curiosity will want to take you on various meanderings around certain domains. Don't be tempted! There will be plenty of time for that later! Stick to the learning competencies and trust that a "just in time" model will serve you in strengthening your skills and adapting quickly.
Take short breaks
Have you ever tried to focus on the same thing for an extended time? After a while, your focus starts to break down, and it becomes more and more difficult to devote your mental resources to the task. Not only that, but your performance ultimately suffers as a result.
Traditional explanations in psychology have suggested that this is due to attentional resources depleting. Still, some researchers believe that it has more to do with the brain's tendency to ignore sources of constant stimulation.
So what's the solution?
Researchers have found that even taking brief breaks by shifting your attention elsewhere can dramatically improve mental focus. So the next time you are working on a lengthy task, such as preparing your taxes or studying for an exam, be sure to give yourself an occasional mental break. Shift your attention to something unrelated to the task at hand, even if it is only for a few moments. These short moments of respite might mean that you can keep your mental focus sharp and your performance high when you need it.
Keep practising to strengthen your focus
Building your mental focus is not something that will happen overnight. Even professional athletes require plenty of time and practice to strengthen their concentration skills. One of the first steps is to recognise the impact that being distracted has on your life. If you are struggling to accomplish your goals and get sidetracked by unimportant details, it is time to start placing a higher value on your time. By building your mental focus, you will find that you can accomplish more and concentrate on the things in life that truly bring you success, joy, and satisfaction.
Shared via VeryWellMind.com
Reflect
- Write down what you have learned today. Reflect on what you've achieved.