We live in a society where we’re all constantly being pulled in different directions. When you’re at work you have to focus on a task, but also pay attention to things like email and Slack, and then there’s that telephone on your desk and that cell phone in your pocket. With tons of distractions out there, it can be hard to focus on just one thing.
Fast Company recently posted an article on how to coach your brain into increasing your attention span. A good bit of the story offers suggestions that we all already know like getting more sleep and keeping your cell phone tucked away rather than sitting beside you buzzing with notifications.
For those tasks that you’re just getting bored or frustrated with; however, it made a great suggestion: powering through.
We all get bored and frustrated on projects, the idea here is that when you start to think about doing something else or walking away entirely, instead force yourself to work five more minutes.
It’s a small thing, but you’ll be teaching your brain that its response to that feeling should be to power through rather than to walk away. Over time, it may allow you to increase your attention span, maybe even to a point that you aren’t considering walking away mid-project anymore.
The same concept can be applied to things like checking your email or smartphone during the day. Rather than doing those things constantly, dedicate a specific time to do those checks. For instance, you might check your email and calls first thing in the morning, once around lunch, and once right before you leave for the day. Or, if that’s more important to your job, maybe you check it at the top of every hour.
Once you make a habit of those changes, then your brain will remember them, ultimately allowing you to live a more distraction-free day.
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