Block Out Distractions And Regain Focus With Mental Narration

Block Out Distractions And Regain Focus With Mental Narration

If you’re having trouble focusing on your tasks, narrating a short script in your head about what you need to do might help you zero in.

Photo by st0rmz.

We all have those days where your mind doesn’t want to focus on any work. When that happens, you need to find a way to put the productivity train back on the tracks. Charles Duhigg, author of Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business, suggests that explaining to yourself what you’re going to do, as if it were a story, can help you regain your focus. Duhigg explains to Science of Us:

If you need to improve your focus and learn to avoid distractions, take a moment to visualise, with as much detail as possible, what you are about to do. It is easier to know what’s ahead when there’s a well-rounded script in your head.

The process is very similar to using mental rehearsal for planning ahead, but on a much smaller scale. Say, for example, you can’t seem to stay focused on your busy work. Take a moment (close your eyes if you like) then mentally narrate each step of what you’re about to do. Now when you return to your work, you have a script to follow and it’s a lot easier to stay focused because you know what to do every step of the way. You only need to go through the motions.

To Get More Done, Become the Narrator of Your Own Life’s Story [Science of Us]


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