May I have your attention?

Attention is one of your most precious resources. In this blog, you’ll learn how to improve your attention, enhance your productivity and increase your success. 

I often tell my coaching clients “Your 3 most precious resources are time, energy, and attention”. Use these 3 resources well and you stand a good chance of being successful in whatever you do. 

The subject of attention is the topic of a fascinating book I am reading called Peak Mind, by Amishi P. Jha. She begins by explaining that research shows we are missing 50% of our lives. Why? Because we aren’t paying attention (at least) 50 % of the time. 

Many people feel chronically stressed, depleted, mentally foggy, scattered and distracted today. In part this is because our attention is being pulled in a million directions by sensory and information overload. It takes a lot of energy to focus your attention today. What’s more, attention is depleted by boredom and by stress. 

Turns out our brain is not designed to pay attention for long periods. You may have heard of “monkey mind”… when like a monkey hopping from branch to branch your mind hops around. One moment thinking about what you are working on, the next moment thinking about a noise outside, the next moment thinking about what you’ll have for dinner, then back to what you’re working on, then distracted by the ping of an incoming notification… and so on. If this sounds familiar, don’t worry it’s normal! 

While “monkey mind” is normal it is not helpful and it prevents you from doing your best in all aspects of your life. 

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way. Attention is trainable. Dr Jha’s research set out to discover how we can reliably train attention and the answer surprised her… mindfulness training. I use the word training because like physical training it requires consistent, regular effort and time (it’s about rewiring your brain, and that takes time). With mindfulness training you can learn to be more in command of your attention… more in command of your life. 

Dr Jha recommends at least 12 minutes per day of mindfulness training. This investment of time has a great ROI (return on investment) because over time you will learn to be more in control of your attention and you’ll be present for more of your life! 

Try this quick mindfulness exercise to help improve attention. 

Put your hand on your tummy and focus on your breath. 

Focus on the rise and fall of your hand on your tummy, for 10 breaths. 

Move your hand to your heart, feel the rise and fall of your hand on your heart, for 10 breaths. 

Put one finger under your nose, notice the cool air moving in and the warm air moving out, for 10 breaths. 

Listen to the sound of your breath moving in and out, for 10 breaths. 

If you struggle to sustain attention, start with 5 breaths per instruction. Then repeat daily, and increase the number of breaths. Be kind to yourself. Remember it’s normal for your attention to drift. When you notice, bring your attention back to the breath. 

This is just one example of a mindfulness practice that can help you train your attention. So my challenge for you this week is to notice where your attention goes. If your attention drifts from what you want to pay attention to, notice and bring your attention back. The more you do this, the more you will have control of your attention.

“What you pay attention to IS your life” –  Amishi P. Jha