In essence, our life is what we focus on, says writer Winifred Gallagher. So, if we learned to consciously manage attention, we could change our lives as we wish.
Trained as an artist, Winifred Gallagher made a career change and made a name for herself as an advocate for the behavioral sciences. Dramatic circumstances – doctors discovered a rare form of cancer in her – forced the writer to take a fresh look at how people live their lives and what they spend their time on. She summarized her findings in the book “I’m All Attention.” Gallagher argues that our whole life depends on what we focus on, our failures, experiences, conflicts are just what we voluntarily decide to pay attention to. Attention is one of our most important resources, which we are free to spend as we see fit. So is it possible to make sure that we always remember this, and not be forced to turn our gaze in this direction when a crisis occurs in our life? “It’s easier than ever to spend your whole life in confusion and confusion, dreaming of better times,” writes Gallagher. “The real problem is that we don’t value our ability to use our attention to choose and design our lives the way we really want them to be.”
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We are constantly distracted to look at Facebook, we fight the temptation to check new messages on the phone, even while meeting with friends and loved ones. It would seem, what is it? But attention is the same resource as, for example, money, its reserves are not endless, Gallagher emphasizes, referring to the research of neuroscientists. In her opinion, any success or failure is due to how effectively we distributed our attention, whether we were able to highlight the main thing and devote enough time to it.
There is another important aspect in its concept: if we focus on our failures, then our mood, self-esteem and life in general will be filled with negative experiences. If we shift our focus to what we did well, then even if the task as a whole was a failure, we have every chance not only to be in a good mood, but also to work more efficiently and solve subsequent tasks.
Practical recommendations:
1. Plan your vacation, not just work. Many people claim that they prefer free time to work, relaxed rest to activity. But in fact, doing nothing brings us much less pleasure than we think. Research shows that we are much more likely to experience a pleasant state of engagement and engagement only when we are doing something that requires concentration. The way out is to structure your leisure time. When planning your vacation, include more active activities in your schedule, and the result in the form of excellent well-being – physical and mental – will not keep you waiting.
2. Remember that attention shapes a lifestyle. Gallagher cites a study in which spouses were asked to list the most memorable events of the past week. Did they quarrel? Did you make love? Were you consumed by parental responsibilities? The answers of the spouses most often did not coincide: having experienced the same events together, the partners singled out completely different things as important. It turns out that it is not the events that form our picture of the world, but what we tend to focus on. Keep this in mind and use your attention to live in the world you really want.
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3. Meditate. Meditation is a kind of simulator for attention, it teaches you to concentrate on the main thing and let go of unnecessary thoughts. Close your eyes, gently direct your attention to your breath, be aware of your body, the tension in it and try to gradually release it. When you are focused on sensations, thought disappears. It is impossible to feel and think at the same time. If you notice that thoughts begin to fill your mind, do not drive them away. Calmly welcome, observe, and then let them go, returning to your body and breath again. These simple techniques can be mastered on your own.
4. Start the day with the main thing. At work, devote the first hour and a half to the most important thing of the day. After that, you can take a break from the prefrontal cortex of the brain (responsible for self-control, goals and aspirations) and do less important things: check email, drink tea or coffee (especially since caffeine will help you focus). And then back to the main point. An important point: you can’t be distracted by anything before the break, because it takes up to 20 minutes for the brain to tune in again!
Pass the tests
- How is your memory structured?
- Which hemisphere is your dominant?
By the way, if it’s hard for you to concentrate when it’s noisy around, carry earplugs with you and, if necessary, plug your ears without hesitation, without fear of sidelong glances. At least that’s what Winifred Gallagher does.