MULTITASKING AND ALTERED FOCUS OF ATTENTION, Part 2
HOW TO RELEARN FOCUSED ATTENTION ABILITY AND SUSTAIN IT?
Neuroscientists using functional brain scan imaging ( f MRI ) have shown that neural cells activities for focused attention originates in the pre-frontal cortex (executive decision region) of the brain and simultaneously, in many other parts of the organized brain regions. This means that focused attention is a very complex process and simultaneously involves many parts of specialized brain. It is believed that for focused attention; working memory, knowledge, experience, and sensory processing are all involved. This is why the practice of focused attention would sharpen our sensory processing, discrimination of information, learning from work, memory and our decision-making abilities.
Other studies have shown that our existing brain’s protective selective attention capacity can be broken by continuously repeating the same messages or information. This fact is very well known by advertisers, social media and corrupt politicians. That is why they keep repeating their annoying advertisements, messages and promises. After a while, we start to pay attention to them and even start believing in them. Therefore, our most valuable asset to deal with all these repeated messages is our brain’s selective attention capacity. We should protect this asset by any means possible.
Especially now, because of deadly coronavirus pandemic, many of us are required to work from home and these annoying interruptions become even more problematic.
A recent survey has shown that the leading cause of interruption of our work is caused by social media with their alerts, rings, dings, messages, DMs, texts and phone calls. Besides causing distraction from our work, we spend or waste, an average of two hours every day responding to social media notifications.
According to the same survey, the second most common cause distraction while working at home comes from children, pets, our significant others and household chores. So, what can we do under these circumstances to prevent distractions at work?
Here are some of the measures we can take as well as proven methods that we can try. Some of these measures are easy to do right away, but some of them you need time to learn to master in order to make them a routine part of our working life:
1. We should schedule specific time slots to interact with our social media. Turn off social media connections outside of this time.
2. Create a suitable environment for work, with rules and regulations that you can’t be disturbed during this time unless it is an emergency.
3. If you like to listening to soft music during work hours, try instrumental music so that you are not distracted by its lyrics.
In order to learn, improve and master our focused attention skills, let’s first try to define and understand what attention is and how many types of attention are there? Attention could be defined as a cognitive and behavioral process of selectively concentrating at a discrete aspect of information or task at hand by using our willpower, while ignoring other perceivable information, and also preventing our mind to wander away from the task at hand. According to cognitive psychologists, there are different kind of attentions: automatic (spontaneous) attention, divided attention, selective focused attention, executive attention.
Paying attention, especially sustained attention, is a difficult task by itself and requires mental energy expenditure. Our brain spends 20% of its mental energy for focused attention and thinking. Mental energy is a limited factor. Therefore, it is normal to have lapses of attention. Even though our automatic attention span is very short, we can learn to prolong our sustained attention for hours. Studies have shown that our brain is able to have sustained attention for about 2 hours, after which we need a break for 20-to-30 minutes to refuel.
To selectively focus our attention to any task (whatever it may be - work, studying, learning, reading) and sustain it, we have first to use our willpower to clear our mind off every thought and prevent our mind from wandering. Studies have shown that if we are mindful of our work and participate in our work actively, with full concentration and critical thinking, by asking critical questions like, why, how and what is the reason, or how could it be done better? And then trying to find their answers by logical thinking and reasoning, we can easily sustain our attention for hours and enjoy our work better.
4. Learn to refuel after a period of focused attention. Take microbreaks for short, unfocused and activities like coffee breaks, lunch break, a quick walk in the neighborhood or park, etc.
5. Develop a routine exercise schedule and time, stick to it and make it a habit. Studies have shown that exercise is a proven way to strengthen our willpower, improve our focused attention ability and our productivity.
6. Learn to meditate, 20- to- 30 minutes every day. It helps to strengthen our willpower and our focused attention.
7. Learn to play games that require logical thinking and sustained concentration like chess, try to solve mathematical puzzles like Sudoku and Ken Ken in your spare time.
8. If you plan to do anything new (plan A), always have an alternative plan B ready just in case plan A doesn’t succeed.
Learning and applying all of these measures are not easy, but if you did, you would soon realize that they have made you a successful and happy person.
