One Apple A Day #220
Concentration is a precious resource. It is so hard to concentrate on one thing with our attention constantly pulled away by something.
When I realised how many external distractions was depleting my ability to focus and affecting my results, I made a commitment to silence the world as much as I can. I disabled almost every notification on the phone, I removed the automatic pull of email, I left my phone in the kitchen before going to sleep, I define “social media” free zones during the day and so on.
All this effort paid off, but not as much as I hoped. The biggest enemy of my focus is still there. Or I should better say that it is still here.
Because it is inside my head. My mind is my highest source of distractions. I became so addicted to multitasking that I struggle to keep my mind laser focused on a single thing.
Like any addictions, I know I can fix this. A few strategies that I’m using with positive results are:
Keeping my body healthy and fit; our brain needs a lot of energy. It consumes up to 25% of our daily calories.
Prioritize keeping in mind Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Last two weeks I was searching for a place to live. That task took over my brain, and I found impossible to focus on anything else.
Unload your brain; I journal every morning, and I write my goals and task for the day. Once they are on paper, I don’t have to keep them in mind.
Create structures and habits; both things support me removing the need to deliberately focus. I created structures and habits, so I just do things without having to think about doing them.