Nearly three-quarters of us have felt so stressed that we’ve been left feeling overwhelmed or unable to cope. In a world full of distractions and notifications, where the pace of life often feels like a treadmill set to sprint-mode, many of us are finding ourselves trapped in this cycle of busyness and brain fog.
But is there a way out? Chris Griffiths and Caragh Medlicott, authors of The Focus Fix: Finding Clarity, Creativity and Resilience in an Overwhelming World, certainly think so. Here they explain how to relearn the art of concentration.
From the moment you first wake up, how long is it before you pick up your phone? For many of us, the answer is a matter of seconds – especially as so many of us use them as an alarm clock. Then, from this point onwards, our day is marked by the constant flash and ding of technological notifications.
Whether it’s messages from group chats or emails at work, our lives are increasingly managed and connected through our devices. Of course, theoretically, this should make our lives easier - you can get in touch with almost anyone at any time.
But as with everything, there is also a downside to this continuous connection. In this case, it’s the rise of a phenomenon known as technostress.
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The term was first popularised by the psychologist Craig Brod in the 1980s.
Of course, Brod could never have imagined just how widespread and pressing this phenomenon would become when he first wrote about it. At the time, he was referring to the general sense of being overwhelmed generated through the attempt to keep on top of a number of different technologies.
Fast forward four decades and many of us are all too acutely aware of this feeling.
The quality of our focus is regularly sacrificed as a direct result of our device use – we may find our attention wanders easily, and once called away from a task we find it challenging to refocus again.
It may be tempting to manage this issue with more technology, for example by installing more apps to help us stay on top of it all. But like too much oil in a machine, this can actually exacerbate the problem – leaving the cogs spinning at a frenetic, unsustainable rate.
Yet it is definitely possible to reclaim control of your focus in a distracting world. And even though it might, at first, sound paradoxical, you really will find you achieve more by spending time doing less.
(Getty Images)Chunk communication
Many of us have formed a bad habit of replying to messages and emails as they arrive. While this might seem like a productive move in theory as it stops them from piling up, it actually becomes a constant source of distraction.
It takes the average person 23 minutes to refocus after being distracted – that adds up to a lot of lost time if you’re constantly fielding messages throughout the day.
Instead, you can save multiple hours by dedicating a block of time each day to catching up on emails and messages.
Depending on the number you receive on a daily basis, this could be anything from 20 minutes to an hour.
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But doing this regularly helps to contain the onslaught of distraction and even helps to manage expectations of those who you regularly message or talk to because they will stop expecting an instant response. Ultimately, you’ll find you become significantly more productive if you spend less time jumping into your email or message app.
Go outside
It might sound somewhat simplistic, but going outside really is good for your brain. Whether it’s a walk along a river or run through the park, the combined effect of being active and stealing a moment in nature is like hitting the neurological reset button.
People are often resistant to this suggestion as the idea of taking time out when there’s already too much going on can be daunting.
Yet the reality is you’re not operating at your best when you’re feeling burnt out and overwhelmed. After all, it doesn’t matter how long you spend hacking away at the tree – if your axe is blunt, the effort you put in won’t necessarily match what you actually achieve.
The benefits of time in nature, however, are indisputable – with research linking exposure to natural environments with improved working memory, cognitive flexibility and attentional control. It might feel like dilly-dallying, but allowing yourself to simply step away from your work for a short time could ultimately be the answer to getting more done.
Entertain yourself a bit less
These days, boredom is practically a relic of the past. Whether you’re standing in line at the shop, taking a train to work, or even just cooking your dinner, the option to occupy yourself is always there.
Today, time is no object – be it a spare two minutes or two hours, there’s always an entertainment option to fill every free moment, whether that’s social media or streaming your favourite podcast.
While this certainly isn’t a bad thing in itself, we’re leaving ourselves less “idle time” than ever before. The problem with this is that even though we feel like we’re relaxing when watching our favourite show or checking out what’s happening on Instagram, in reality we’re still exercising our focus to keep our attention on what’s in front of us.
This might not sound problematic in itself, but daydreaming is actually a crucial neurological function, which has been linked to a whole host of associated benefits such as increased creativity, problem solving skills and decreased stress. To access this state, we need to allow our minds to become idle and bored in order for it to naturally begin to wander.
Consider, too, that regular breaks have been repeatedly linked to improved productivity (and, conversely, research from Microsoft has shown that back-to-back meetings cause stress to build up in the brain). Allow yourself to combine the two by carving out small sections of the day in which you purposefully allow yourself a break in which to simply daydream. It’s something entrepreneurs Bill Gates and Richard Branson are said to benefit from.
You can try a number of techniques to prompt this daydreaming state. It could be doodling, working through some chores that require little thought, such
as washing up or ironing, or simply give yourself permission to just stare out of a window.
You may just be surprised to find that this period doing nothing actually greatly increases your overall effectiveness when back on-task.
You’ll find you reap big rewards for both your productivity and your overall wellbeing too.
- The Focus Fix: Finding Clarity, Creativity and Resilience in an Overwhelming World by Chris Griffiths and Caragh Medlicott is out on July 3 (£14.99; Kogan Page)
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