Dr. Jaymie Albin on Heightening Focus and Improving Behavior.
For most of us, a good portion of 2020 was plagued with multi-tasking and a nearly constant division of attention. When we are trying to work from home, we have to help the kids with virtual school. When we are preparing dinner, we need to consider the complications of even the most basic task of safely procuring supplies. Even though we have become accustomed to the 24-hour news cycle, have developed a near dependence on social media, and can generally handle the barrage of information constantly being thrown our way, we are still struggling to focus on every day tasks.
As a clinical psychologist, cognitive behavioral therapist, and yoga instructor, I can confidently tell you the good news: focus, mindfulness, and attention are skills you can acquire and hone. With a few minor tweaks, we can teach our brains to tune-out distractions and zoom-in on the task at hand. These are just a few techniques to try to improve attention and heighten productivity even during the pandemic.
- Dial Back the Distractions: Almost all of our devices and applications are set to alert us to incoming information. The near constant dings, tweets, beeps, and icons can make it very hard to focus. I recommend turning off notifications, or at least setting specific times for silence, during your average workday. If that’s too harsh for you, or you are worried about missing something super important, you can Dial Back the Distractions: Almost all of our devices and applications are set to alert us to incoming information. The near constant dings, tweets, beeps, and icons can make it very hard to focus. I recommend turning off notifications, or at least setting specific times for silence, during your average workday. If that’s too harsh for you, or you are worried about missing something super important, you can designate a screen monitor in your home. Every two hours, someone else is in charge of all the mobile devices in your household and s/he will responsibly interrupt your work flow when that critical text arrives.
2. Establish Visual Cues: Children, and even some adults, have a hard time discerning the right time to disturb a parent or colleague. If you are lucky enough to have a home office, the closed door might not be enough to keep the distractions (or distractors) at bay. So when you really need to focus, when you are racing to meet a deadline, when you are on a call, or even when you just need a few minutes to yourself, set up a visual reference to indicate your busy. You can choose a hat or crazy t-shirt to wear to signal to everyone you are not to be disrupted. A sock on the door handle or even a light on the doorframe can also be sufficient indicators. Explain your selected cue to the people around you and get to work.
3. Set a Schedule: It is not easy to plan when policies and protocols are constantly changing. But establishing structure in our day allows us to divide our attention thoughtfully instead of in an ad-hoc manner. With defined times for starting and ending the workday, we are less tempted to get in “just one episode” of a favorite show or “take a break” to do errands. By sticking to a schedule, we signal to our brains that there is (or will be in the near future) time for all the activities we need and/or want to accomplish so our mind and awareness don’t have to wonder.
4. Make a List: All the individual items that need our attention can be very distracting when they exist only in our head. That is why I suggest turning that seemingly endless mental checklist into a real list. I prefer old-school, handwritten lists, but a similar function on an application or spreadsheet is fine. Once it is all down in front of you, it is easier to prioritize, allot times, and design a plan for getting it all done. There is probably no greater satisfaction than checking a task off your to-do list. The simple pleasure of knowing you have completed an assignment or chore is enough to motivate you to get it (and others) done.
5. Be Kind to Yourself and Others: The loneliness, stress, and anxiety of the pandemic have us searching for comforts in all sorts of places. We turn to food, social media, news sites, and every other possible diversion to escape the worry and distress. Doing good things for ourselves can snap our attention span back into the right place. When you need to refocus your energies and concentration, try cooking a healthy meal, reading a good book, doing an at-home facial, getting some exercise, or pursuing a hobby. These types of self-care reinvigorate our inner (and even outer) selves and make it easier to commit to our other responsibilities. Similarly, look for opportunities to do good for your friends and loved ones. Surprise someone with flowers or dinner, offer to do a grocery run for a quarantining neighbor, or reach out to someone you know is struggling right now. These acts of kindness release positive endorphins in our brain and stimulate good energies. Leverage those positive feelings and channel that momentum to getting tasks done.
Nothing is easy right now, for anyone. Remember that you are not alone, and you are not the only one being pulled in a million directions. By committing to being more focused and giving yourself and each of your responsibilities the deserved attention, you are taking one small step toward choosing positivity and productivity over chaos, confusion, and commotion.
