We often lose focus or attention due to several factors. Our success and fulfilment as individuals lie in how much attention we pay to things around us, ranging from
business, family, schoolwork, relationship, friendship down to our spiritual life. It can be damaging and even costly when our attention span is very low.
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There are some courses of life we can attend if our attention span is low. For example, it’s difficult for someone with a low attention span to become a scientist, let alone a surgeon. Many businesses lose so much because they aren’t paying attention to important things. There are various reasons why you have short attention problems.
The whole issue starts and ends with your brain – where most attention activities take place. In this article, I will explore the top five secrets to boosting your attention span.
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Stop Multitasking
This might be shocking. People often mistake this for strengths especially in the corporate world, thinking that by getting involved in many things they’ll get many things done. Surprisingly, studies have identified multitasking as a factor that hinders a long attention span. It’s logical to understand that we can’t do multiple activities without having our attention divided amongst them, which can be costly.
For professionals whose works centres on capturing data and observing and using them to provide solutions, such as scientists, having divided attention in the lab can be dangerous. Multitasking in the operation theatre can be disastrous.
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Exercise
Aside from stretching your muscles and building your body,
exercise strengthens your brain where most of the thinking, reasoning, remembering and focusing takes place. When there’s mental fatigue your attention span is bound to be poor or low.
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Your cognitive control improves after every exercise session. It is also advised that you should occasionally engage in cognitive engaging exercise, that is sports or games that encourage thinking and reasoning.
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Meditation
From experience, meditation is a medicine to the mind and soul. It brings calmness and peace, which are very essential for a long attention span. Meditation helps in selective attention because you can use its therapeutic power to focus on one thing and even see beyond it. Practising meditation can heal your mind.
People who do exceptionally well in life and business are those who give their time to meditating on issues. In meditation a lot of activities take place. You can have a clear image of a problem, understand the circumstances surrounding the problem and studying and solving it through engaging your mind.
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Declutter Your Mind And Desk
The problem with having a low attention span is that your mind is jam-packed with a lot of activities – both the necessary and the unnecessary ones. Learn to keep what’s important and throw away less important or trivial matters into the trash can.
Get this at the back of your mind: you can’t do everything, and you can be everything. Learn to have little on your table, delegate and outsource tasks while you focus on the little in your hands.
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Avoid Distractions
People who’re addicted to social media perform very badly in their workplace and their life entirely. The consequence of distraction is that occupies your mind with unimportant things. It’s very common to see people glued to their phones even when there’s someone trying to get their attention. Students glue their eyes to their phones even when there’s a lecture going on. This happens in all facets of our lives. Distraction from social media and others is the bane of a long attention span.
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This article was first published on 31st August 2021
nnaemeka-emmanuel
Nnaemeka is an academic scholar with a degree in History and International Studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He is also a creative writer, content creator, storyteller, and social analyst.
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