27/07/2022
What was I doing again?
We are the most distracted society that has ever existed. Science says that we are distracted every 3 minutes in a day. Distractions and disruption are now normal elements yet we crave more time, so we invent more apps to help keep us on time and on track. Even driving safely has become challenging due to the road signs that steal our focus.
Today we live in a world where finishing an important job or assignment amidst of a day is almost hopeless due to constant notifications and the automatic lack of attention that our brains got used to, that make us want to check our phones all the time, not to mention the internal triggers that distract us as well, the uncomfortable emotions that we seek to escape that affect our attention span dramatically.
We did not only get addicted to scrolling down on social media and making it a part of our daily lives, but we unconsciously are also becoming less capable to focus on the things we know are important. The problem is not social media. research proves that information and technology are like everything else in the world, they are beneficial, but they can also be counterproductive. Misusing them, allowing them to control our lives, the massive information we receive every day and permitting young children to spend a lot of time on them have many downsides.
We are not addicted to social media as much as we are actually addicted to ‘’getting distracted’’. Distraction makes us less focused to our real-life problems and actual responsibilities. Our addiction to notifications steals out our energy, our attention span, raises stress hormones very quickly in the body and thus depletes our cells and tissues which speeds up biological aging and reduces immunity.
We are encouraged to multitask and cheer for each other when we can do that without noticing the effect of multitasking to our brains over time. We think it’s necessary and beneficial and smart to be able to do many things at a time. While when you joggle from 1 task to another, you are degrading your brain system, lowering your mental function, decreasing your IQ by 15 points and increasing stress hormones.
It is time to start training our minds to focus longer and to put our whole heart in everything we do. ‘The difference between outstanding and mediocre individuals is their ability to stay focused’. When you are distracted, it can take you around 20 minutes or more to be able to refocus and do what you want to do. Big corporations are looking for ways to improve the mental productivity of their employees and the major factor is to detoxify distractions.
Despite all the bad effects that distraction causes, it is actually a gift from God when we use it in the right way. A very healthy tool to use when we need to distract our brains from unhelpful over thinking, wrong interpretations, self-doubts. In this case it’s crucial to disrupt our thoughts, pause and analyze if they are helpful, and what is a different perspective we can start considering. Then we can see through the full half of the cup and have a better understanding of the full picture of a situation. So, it’s after all how you use it, to help you and push you forward in your life? Or to delay and suspend important things? Use it smartly and mindfully.
See? Now I just got distracted from the main topic. Now for a recap on how to manage distractions, here you go.
5 Ways to supercharge your brain:
1. The 1st secret of maintaining brain health is single-tasking. It boosts your brain focus & mental productivity.
2. Declutter your space & bring yourself mental clarity.
3. Plan your day don’t let somebody else to plan it for you and focus on how much time you are willing to devote to every task “input”, rather than focusing on the “output”.
4. Put a solid limit for social media apps.
5. Aim to finish a minimum number of goals a day.
Last but not least, ‘’The simple action of paying attention, is the key to connection. Connection with ourselves, others and the world’’ Jeff Klein. Paying attention is being mindfully present in the moment, it is a form of having few options and you are selecting which to take and which to decline, saying ‘Yes’ wholeheartedly to something and saying ‘No’ to something else. You said ‘Yes’ to reading this today (and I’m eternally grateful), and also you said ‘No’ to something else. Constant distraction is the thief of productivity and creativity. Remember to choose your ‘Yes’ options wisely because they will shape your future energy.
