The power of singular focus

How many times have you sat down, with the best intentions to draft that presentation, complete that report or review the article, only to have your attention drawn away by a ping, a scrap of paper or that stapler that needs refilling?

Before you know it you have been pulled away from the task at hand and disappeared down a “rabbit hole”, with time disappearing. We all have differing levels of self discipline, on top of that - energy levels play a large part in keeping us focused and resisting the temptation to deviate and meander. So how to cheat the distraction phenomena? 

In this context I’ve been observing my own behaviour and I’ve identified that some of my most productive bursts of activity occur when I have little choice. I can burn through my emails on the train, I can listen to chapter after chapter of that business book when I’m walking to work and I can quickly complete a weekly review when I’m queuing at the airport. The common denominator being the lack of alternative. With nothing to draw my attention away save for the relatively dull options of staring out of the train window or staring at the back of a fellow traveller’s head, my mind remains focussed and time disappears as I’m immersed in fully productive thought and ideation. 

Consequently, learning from this I have worked to build in habits of narrowing my focus. When sitting at my desk, only have one device open (such as my laptop) and keep all others (e.g. iPad, iPhone) stored away. They can always be called upon but make it you who does the calling upon and retrieval rather than the device itself with another ping, alert or vibration. These notifications have a purpose but they need to be managed or they will manage you. 

I have gone further - there is a purity and stress relief in getting rid of that pile of paper on your desk (the unpaid bill, the letter that needs action) such that you are not drawn out of the flow with nagging open loops prompted by seeing the pile out of the corner of your eye. On the face of it, it appears to be procrastination to clear a desk, inbox, briefcase before diving into the work but, trust me, it helps when you are in the flow.