In a World of Distractions Focus is King

Technology is everywhere. It has completely pervaded daily life. Not only is technology here to stay, but it’s also growing and relentlessly integrating with our lives.

From our biggest life decisions to the smallest of whims, technology is there helping us find our way. Where should I work? where can I find love? what should I eat? and maybe, most important of all, what’s a baby shark?

Whether invited or uninvited, technology rides shotgun through the car of life as our most trusted navigator. A helpful and sometimes comforting companion, it has become not just incredibly useful but something we can’t live without.

Unfortunately, with technology comes its troublesome buddy – distraction. You know, the guy in the back seat that won’t keep quiet for more than a few seconds at a time. Spouting forth his cacophony of buzzes, beeps, notifications, recommended articles, friend requests, job postings, swipe nights, “someone liked your photo,” etc., ad infinitum. Good luck getting things done, let alone enjoying the journey, with Mr. Distraction along for the ride.

But, what can we do about Mr. Distraction? In a word, focus. So let’s talk about focus, why it’s important, improving focus, and how to keep focused.

Why focus is important

Focus leads to success

In today’s world, many of us feel overwhelmed and unable to keep up with all our responsibilities and interests. We might often wonder why some people seem to succeed and we do not. One reason is focus.

People with an ability to focus often finish what they start. They are able to work long enough on something to actually complete it. Additionally, they have learned not to spread themselves too thin or jump around too much from one idea to another.

Focus is efficient

When we go from one task to the next, there’s an overhead cost involved that takes energy and time for our brain to adjust. People that maintain focus don’t waste this time or energy switching tasks.

Less overwhelming, less stress

Having a parade of ideas marching around in our heads is exhausting. It’s confusing, distracting, and makes collecting and acting on our thoughts through all that chaos an unhappy and sometimes impossible chore. Staying focused on one idea keeps your head clean and pleasantly quiet. It’s the perfect setting for your brain to do its job. Meanwhile, your other tasks can patiently wait for their turn. This means less stress too, which by the way, is a good thing.

Focus makes you happier

According to US News, being able to keep focused results in happier and more satisfying work, which, in turn, ultimately leads to a happier life.

How to focus?

There are myriad articles online about how to improve focus. Among these, you’ll find great advice such as:

  • Eliminate distractions
  • Get good sleep
  • Take Breaks
  • Mindfulness
  • Meditation
  • Finding the sublime and ever-elusive state of flow
  • Moderate caffeine use
  • Practice makes perfect – so practice focusing.
  • Set timers (The Pomodoro method)
  • Find a way to love what you do

Many of these pieces of advice all aim to get the brain into a perfect state of balance between calmness and alertness. A healthy way of doing just that, as well as increasing energy and mood, via our good friend technology is to use Feelzing’s Energy Patch. Feelzing has created a new way to find and maintain focus which over 10 years of studies have shown is a safe and reliable way of attaining this state. Check out their “Science” page to learn more.

However you choose to do it, it’s important to learn how to focus and how to keep focused.

Summary

It’s a technological jungle out there. Every day while trying to help, our smart devices offer more and more distractions. For those of us interested in leading more productive, happier, healthier, and satisfying lives, we need to find a way to use technology to our advantage but not let it use us. Focus is probably the most important thing we can learn to do well to combat distraction.

Find methods of focus that work for you and incorporate them into your habits so you can be king and not subject in your own life.