How To Improve Your Focus

Jun 23

We live in a rapidly changing world where opportunities and new adventures are everywhere. Simultaneously, you may feel life is always too busy, hectic, and stressful, and that there’s never enough time to check all the boxes on your to-do list. You get messages through multiple channels (emails, social media, SMS, instant messaging platforms, etc.). You struggle with the constant sense of urgency and feel that you can never fully concentrate on anything. Why do so many struggle with their attention and mental health? How many entire books have you read during the past year? Have you noticed how challenging it has become to have deep conversations with anyone anymore?

Earlier this year I listened to an episode of Dr. Rangan Chatterjee podcast with Johann Hari about Hari’s most recent book, Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention. According to Hari we have an attention crisis. This reminds me of the work of Dr. Anna Lembke, a psychiatrist and an author of a book, Dopamine Nation. Lembke is an expert in everything addictions related. It seems that our addictions and lack of focus have something in common. Many of us are constantly in a distracted state and have this weird need to be entertained all the time in order to avoid depressive thoughts. It has become harder and harder to be fully present for ourselves, our work or those around us. And this is causing a lot of psychological and spiritual suffering.

Focus And Wellbeing

Resisting distractions and staying present have countless benefits for our overall wellbeing. In an interview for Goop, Alan Lightman, PhD shared how he is deeply concerned about the ever-increasing speed of our daily life, hyperconnectedness, and our growing addiction to the internet. There is this crazy idea ‘time equals money’, which makes us addicted to the speed. Lightman believes our minds need periods of rest and calmness. It is essential for our mental health, personal reflection, and helps us to make sense of ourselves and our world. Quiet alone time helps to replenish the mind. We need to unplug to build healthy deep relationships with friends and family, and ask ourselves life’s most important questions. Lightman explains how “waste time” - a time spent without a goal or a schedule, and time being disconnected from the vast virtual world of the internet - is necessary and valuable. If we never take a break from the artificial hyperconnected virtual world we’ll soon become mindless beings.

The ability to focus is also needed to achieve goals in life. Goal setting itself is highly important for our wellbeing because when we see ourselves progressing that makes life meaningful. This is something Jordan Peterson often discusses, and also emphasizes that we need to take as much responsibility in life as possible. I have been listening to his podcast for years and am finally reading his book, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, which is absolutely brilliant. I don’t agree 100% with everything he says but there is certainly a lot of wisdom in his words. We need to have self-discipline, determination, and structure in our life, otherwise we end up floating around and living in a chaotic state and not getting anywhere. Some things in life are out of our control but that does not mean we couldn’t plan and structure other things. When we are focused on our goals we can reach our wildest dreams and that if anything makes us feel capable, joyful, and happy.

I have always been interested in anything focus and goal setting related. There have been times in my life when I have been more goal oriented and times when I have been floating here and there without a clear destination. In a way I guess this “messier floating time” was kind of a learning journey and catalyst for change that I desperately needed. Sometimes it can take some time to figure things out in life - and that’s ok. However, you don’t want to spend your entire life like that.

Furthermore, deep focus is needed for deep thinking and problem solving. This should not come as a huge surprise. Even studies have shown how just the presence of our smartphone reduces available cognitive capacity! In other words, lower performance and quality of work. Therefore, keeping your phone out of sight is a good idea. Constant content switching and multitasking kill our ability to focus. The cognitive cost to regain your focus is high. Studies have shown how it can take anything between ten to twenty minutes (!!) to get the same level of attention back.

The ability to be still and let the mind wander are essential for creativity. Recent research shows we need periods of focus and unfocus for optimal performance. Forcing yourself too much to focus can exhaust the focus circuits in the brain. Positive constructive day dreaming - a type of mind wandering (PCD) - can help to boost creativity, energize the brain, enhance our leadership and social skills, help us to plan for the future and stay goal-oriented, among other things. As Srini Pillay, MD explains, PCD is not the same as daydreaming or guilty-dysphoric daydreaming. It happens when you purposefully let your mind wander to boost your creativity and imagination. Pillay recommends low key activities to get to this mode, such as knitting, gardening, or casual reading. I have noticed I can easily get into this mode when I walk in beautiful nature or journal without distractions - meaning without smart devices and the internet.

Overcoming Fear

Fear, anxiety, and stress are among the biggest reasons why we cannot focus. I love this quote from Marianne Williamson: “Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we learned here.” The last two years have been extremely challenging for many. When the world is full of uncertainty and fear mongering nonsense, it becomes hard to plan for the future, set goals, and stay optimistic. The good thing about all the madness is that it can force us to see what truly matters in life. The most fundamental thing is to learn to master your mind so that it won’t take over and make you feel crazy. Meditation, breathing practices, and yoga are the simplest ways to learn to manage your emotions, calm the mind, and become the observer of your mind. Something as simple as 10-15 minutes of meditation first thing every morning can make a huge difference in your life.

When you realize you are part of the big universe and as long as you do good things in this world, the universe has your back and there’s no need to fear and you can live in peace. It is this materialistic ideology and worldview that makes you believe that we need to control and measure everything in order to survive and thrive in life. That is not true. Nature is way more complex than what we can understand through our simple human senses. What we see is only our perception and illusion. Trying to control nature tends to always fail miserably. To stay optimistic it’s better not to follow so much mainstream propaganda media that makes money by selling you lies and things you don’t need. Certainly, you want to know what is going on around you but be critical and always ask questions and do your own research. I cannot emphasize this highly enough.

Digital Addiction

Many can’t go an hour without checking their phones. Smart devices have become a constant companion for many and the first and last thing to engage with every day. You see this phenomenon everywhere. Friends sitting next to each other scrolling their phones or a couple on a dinner date both with their phones. I don’t know about you but it’s a bit sad in my opinion. In particular, for lonely and isolated individuals smartphones can easily become a modern day safety blanket. Would you have ever imagined - before the era of smartphones - that we would become so attached to our devices and addicted to the internet?

I am not saying that all tech innovations are bad and that we should all live in some sort of hippie villages. Technological advancements have improved our lives in many ways but they have come at a cost, such us damaging our mental health. Also, who even knows what the constant exposure to man-made EMFs is going to do for our health in the long term?! Since technology is exponentially evolving, it is super important to learn to manage your life, time, and personal behavior and become aware of potential damage that they can cause.

Probably the most common reason for why we can’t focus is that we have become dopamine junkies. We are chasing instant gratifications and more pleasure. Dopamine is a reward neurotransmitter and the main chemical involved in addiction. Anna Lembke, MD, discusses this in her aforementioned book. Over her decades of experience she has noticed how we are now chasing pleasure at all cost and avoiding pain at all cost. Today we are almost insulated from pain: most of us don’t need to suffer from hunger, cold, or pain. We live now in the world of abundance instead of scarcity: everything is available all the time, we have more disposable income and more leisure time. Moreover, we often have this weird belief that life is always supposed to be happy and fun. Even though suffering and uncomfortable feelings are normal parts of life. As a result, it’s much easier to become addicted to various things and behaviors.

Even though phone and screen overuse aren’t officially recognized as addiction, some mental health specialists recognize that people can become addicted to their devices. Lembke defines addictions by three C’s: control, compulsion, and consequences. A broad definition is the continued and compulsive consumption of a substance or behavior despite its harm to self and/or others. Addiction is a spectrum disorder. Thus, it is possible to be a little bit addicted to something but the brain mechanisms are the same in severe and minor addictions. It may sound radical but Lembke recommends complete abstinence, or screen fast for individuals who are severely addicted to their tech devices. This means avoiding all screens from anywhere from a day (24 hours) to a month. Without a complete reset it’s hard to build healthier new habits and reset the reward pathways. When we have some distance from the drug of our choice we start to realize how bad our habit was. Lembke also emphasizes how finding purpose and meaning is what makes life joyful and worth living, and understanding this can help to recover from addictions and prevent them.

Yet, we can’t only blame individuals and their poor self-control. As Johann Hari believes, there must be a deeper issue behind, and there’s a connection between depression, addiction, and attention that stems from the culture we live in. We are often expected to respond to messages almost immediately and struggle with the constant sense of urgency we place on ourselves that now threatens our mental health too. What’s more, the Big Tech companies are literally making money from our attention, and therefore just relying on our own willpower is challenging.

And it’s not only we as individuals who end up suffering but the society as a whole. The world is becoming more and more impulsive and polarized because the content we consume online is personalized and targeted to us and as a result, we all see the world in very different ways and live in our own little bubbles. It has become difficult to find topics that you can discuss and share with others in a sophisticated manner. As James Williams, a former Google strategist, philosopher and author, explains in his essay, these companies have set very subhuman goals for us: they want to keep you scrolling and clicking as much as possible, and show you as many pages and ads as possible. And that is very unlikely to be your original intention when you take your smartphone. They want to grab and keep your attention as long as possible. As Williams points out, these companies are not designing products, they design users. And if most people use these devices and platforms in society, these companies have the capability to design society. According to Williams, these tech “tools” are not neutral: they are purpose driven. These big tech companies and money behind them, can influence our values, purposes, identities, politics, and so on without us even noticing. They want to cause polarization and show things and events that cause anger, shock and surprise because that keeps us scrolling. They decide what they show you and that affects how you see the world.

Set Rules For Your Daily Tech Use - and Follow Them

So how to get your focus back and start thriving again? Just noticing and paying attention to your screen time can be a big wake-up call and reminder how much more wisely you could spend your time. Exercising? Studying? Meeting people in-person? Maybe.

Keep your phone out of sight

Both Johann Hari and Cal Newport put their phones away while they are working. I’ve been doing the same thing for years. At home I’ll often turn it on airplane mode and always keep it in a different room so that it’s not within arm’s reach when I need to concentrate on something. If I work somewhere else, I will keep my phone in the bottom of my bag. Cal Newport advocates a similar method and calls it the phone foyer method. The key is to keep your smartphone in a fixed location so that it is not traveling with you 24/7!

Turn off notifications

They are there to lure us to satisfy our curiosity and give a dopamine boost. If you do not respond immediately to emails and messages, let that be a sign for yourself and others that you have something more interesting, fulfilling or important to do.

Schedule time for mindful scrolling and messaging

Set times each day or week to check your apps and messages, for instance after your morning routines or last thing at work. And when you check the apps do that mindfully with your full presence. Most of us take our phones the first minute we get bored or have nothing else to do. Next time when you are waiting for someone or something, instead of scrolling your phone mindlessly, take that moment as your meditation practice: close your eyes and focus on deep breathing.

Become a minimalist

I don’t have great self-discipline when it comes to digital devices, which is why I have to be strict about my tech use. I try to be as minimalistic as possible. I don’t have a smart watch, rings, etc. I do have a smartphone but I have deleted all non-essential apps (including Tinder which served its purpose but after a while turned out to be a never ending loop - and the only way out was to get out, delete the profile and the app for good). Instead of using a smartphone I prefer using a laptop as much as possible to check my emails and messages to make it less convenient.

Use your devices smartly

Customize your social media feeds, and use the technology to connect and follow inspiring people only. It’s not all bad but we have to set boundaries for ourselves. Otherwise it’s way too easy to let things go out of our control. Know your limits and what works for you. We have our individual thresholds for becoming addicts, and for how much we can use tech devices without starting to feel overwhelmed. What I have observed is that my individual threshold is quite low and therefore, I try my best to have as much smartphone free time as possible.

Structure Your Day For Mindful Living

When we live in sync with nature we are more likely to be in the right place at the right time. The first thing is to sync your life with natural circadian rhythms. All living creatures on the planet are driven by their internal clocks that mimic Earth’s 24-hour light and dark cycle. You want to have predictable daily routines to avoid chaos since in a chaotic state it’s hard to focus. For instance, always wake up by 7:00am and go to bed by 11pm. Always get natural light in the morning because this signals the brain to set your circadian rhythm.

Having tech free morning and evening time is highly important. This helps to improve any kinds of addictive behavior or mental health issues. For instance, meditate, exercise or journal, then take a shower, eat breakfast and after that turn on your phone and check the messages and respond to them. You don’t want to expose yourself to blue light in the evening before going to bed since it messes up with melatonin production and disturbs our sleep cycles. If you struggle with your sleep, this is the number one thing to start with!

Nourish Your Brain

I also wanted to write about this topic because there is always news about how ADHD is astronomically rising. We often forget how much the foods we eat affect our mood and ability to focus. As Dr Mark Hyman, MD puts it: everything we do affects the brain. For instance, eating too much inflammatory, processed and junk foods, not exercising, having negative thoughts, living in a toxic environment (pollution, mercury, lead, etc.) can all cause imbalances in the body, which will of course affect our brain and mental health too. Everything is connected! It’s absolute insanity to treat ADHD, allergies, and autoimmune disease with drug cocktails without bringing the body back to a balance with healthy nourishing foods, fixing nutritional deficiencies, and making appropriate lifestyle changes.

The key is to eat real unprocessed whole foods to get the essential nutrients for the brain, and avoid processed junk, sugars and inflammatory oils. Important nutrients your brain needs to thrive are things like:

Omega-3 fatty acids (DHA, EPA, ALA - make sure you get all of them!)
B6
Vitamin D (supplementation is often needed but make sure you also get real sunlight because sun therapy is a real thing!)
Zinc
Magnesium

All in all, this all comes down to learning to live in the present moment, nourishing every cell in your body, understanding that a meaningful life is a hero’s journey with its ups and downs, and that when you master your mind you will become unstoppable.

Keep Sharing Your Magic!

Lots of Love!