In a world where focusing on anything for an extended period of time is an ever-diminishing commodity,

you can truly separate yourself by learning and practicing your ability to focus. 

Look around you, so many people have their phone in their hand most of the time they are awake.  Throughout the day, they are on their phone to scroll social media, check email, listen to music, and all of the other forms of distraction.  It seems no one can stand in line at the grocery store without scrolling to keep themselves entertained.  It has become a rampant problem.

You want a hack that helps you separate yourself from the masses?  Learn To Focus.  Sounds easy, but it is not.  I have spent a lifetime knee deep in activities that require focus for success, and even I struggle at times with this.  For example, I love flyfishing and do it as often as I can.  Some days the action is fast and furious, and it is easy to stay mentally engaged.  Then there are days where I fish for hours, and no fish want to cooperate.  And sure enough, just as your mind starts to wander, a fish will hit your fly, you will react late and you will miss the only fish you had cooperate for a large block of time.  In an instant the opportunity was missed.  There was intel that was missed too, such as where was the fish laying when they took the fly, how soon into the drift did it take? Was it a smashing take or a subtle hit?  These things matter, because they are clues to solving the riddle of what to do differently to increase your chances of success.  You have to stay laser focused for hours on end.  The same is true with hunting, of which I have done a fair amount when I was younger.  In either case, as soon as you lose focus, something important occurs that you are not prepared for.

What does this have to do with daily life?  Everything, in my opinion.  If you can transfer this skill to other activities, like studying for an exam, plowing through a big project at work, whatever, you will be better than most.  Too many people have trained themselves to not have the ability to focus for long periods of time.  The format of most social media is randomized short videos or statements, a never-ending array of different things for your mind to ping-pong around on, all day long if you allow it.  I know, because I am not coming from a position of “holier-than-thou” I don’t do this so you shouldn’t either.  I indulge in social media, TikTok being my personal favorite for the aforementioned reasons.  While I justify some of it with microlearning, much of it is mindless and a time-suck.  Guilty as charged, with an asterick…I do my best to control the intake.  Any time I have work to do, I do it.  Only when I have completed my task list do I open one of the “crack apps” and start scrolling.

Shifting perspectives to my day job role, I am on a management team where this topic of conversation has been an issue more than once.  My team members work in a call center environment which can be sporadic in activity, and it is easy to default to the cell phone to pass the time.  That is fine, IF you pause what you were looking at to answer the next incoming call.  What we have seen as a trend is for people to get comfortable with the workflow enough to think they can do both.  They cannot; you cannot watch a video and be engaged in a conversation where you are gathering demographic data without making errors or asking someone to repeat themselves.  It’s not possible, you are not the exception, don’t even bother trying to argue against it.   We have amassed ample proof that it is not humanly possible, and yet so many live like it is.  If you wonder why you struggle to recall important information despite spending multiple hours looking at it, this is likely why.  You either “corrupted” the input of the data into your memory bank in the first place or your mind has been trained through repetition to jump from one topic to another, quickly purging what you just were exposed to for the next dopamine dose.

You need to reverse this trend, and fast.  Play sports, learn to play an instrument, take up fishing.  Here’s one for you, start in a martial arts class.  Getting punched in the face should quickly teach you to pay attention to only what is directly in front of you.  PRACTICE the skill of focusing for long periods of time.  Embed this ability as an underlying skill that will pervade everything else you do.  Whether you use this skill to get eight hours of work (for others) done in six and give you more free time, or it helps you stand out as an employee and advance through the ranks into higher paying roles, practice the art of focusing for extended periods of time.  It will pay dividends, literally and figuratively throughout your life.

Cell phone addiction is a real thing; every class I speak in I ask everyone to grab their phones and look at their digital wellness setting.  Many are stunned that they spend six, eight, even over ten hours of screen time in just one day.  One Day!!!  Any time you want to change a habit or behavior the first step is to be aware of the issue in the first place.  By shining a light on this, I am helping people recognize that this is in fact an issue for them, and now they can start the process of changing that behavior towards a more positive one.  BTW, the highest number I ever heard was 16 hours, and that person did go to class that day too.  Crazy…

Set yourself up for success, learn to focus.  They go hand in hand, there is no doubt in my mind.  The ability to block out the noise and distractions and stay tuned into what you are doing while you are doing it is a valuable skill.  It takes practice but it is achievable.  Just like everything else, it will be tougher at first but once you get the hang of it, you will improve.  Stay engaged, and see the benefits of higher quality output, more free time and much more.  It’s one of the best skills you can possess and deploy to your advantage.

As always, I wish you luck in your endeavors.