According to research by the National Center for Biotechnology Information of the National Library of Medicine, the average attention span of humans in the year 2000 was 12 seconds. By 2015, it had shrunk to 8.25; now today, it stands at about 8 seconds. In a separate study by Microsoft, they confirmed our average attention span is around eight-seconds – less than that of a goldfish.
Think about that for a moment; considering the mental capacity differences between goldfish and humans, this is quite astounding and shocking.
One reason cited for our lack of focus is not surprisingly, our digital connectiveness addiction. It’s not your fault that you can no longer listen to more than ten seconds of a YouTube video before checking out the suggested videos on the sidebar.
The reason behind our incredibly shrinking attention span is that we’re simply bombarded with distractions. We used to turn things related to work off in our mind once we left work for the day, but now we live (and in many cases expected by our boss to live) in a world of 24-hour digital connectiveness.
What Does “Being Focused” Mean?
Being focused means you have a clear set of goals and objectives and you work towards those goals and objectives while not being interrupted or thrown off course by distractions. Being focused in the present means you are solely focused on only one activity that you are currently working on.
As a matter-of fact the acronym FOCUS means Follow One Course Until Successful. It is quite the opposite of multi-tasking. Need I say more?
In contrast, those that are not focused end up chasing their tail and doing a lot of everything but what they are supposed to do. At the end of the day, they are dog-tired, but have not accomplished anything that was in their plan. Now they are a day farther behind than when they started their day.
Whether you’re drowning in a sea of distractions or you’re learning to turn distractions into opportunities for getting things done, the important thing is to identify and control your distractors and learn how to focus again. If you can do that, there are some surprising benefits you can reap.
1 – Get More Done
This should not be a surprise to anyone, but we waste a significant amount of time due to a lack of focus. And once you can see again just how much time you can gain by freeing yourself from distractions, you will want to focus even more.
The more you focus, the more you get done and the less time it takes to get that work done. Productivity skyrockets. This is a good kind of addiction!
2 – Increase Quality
Not only can you get more work done in less time, but the quality of your work improves. When you were distracted before, you had to hurry and get it done before the deadline and not as much thought or work was put into what you produced. Now you can put all your effort into that one thing until done and it is done right.
3 – Reduce Stress
By regaining focus, you no longer are trying to do multiple things at once. And the truth of the matter is our brain is not wired to work that way. While many people think they can multi-task, their brain is really rapidly switching from one task to the other and back again. However, it is stressful for the brain to work that hard.
When not focused, the lines of work become blurred and increases your stress level. You end up doing work that you should have delegated, automated, outsourced or not have done at all. But focused, you don’t have that same high level of stress because you are doing your own work – work that should be done by you.
4 – Be More in Control
By learning how to control distractions, you feel more in control. Instead of them controlling you and upsetting your world, you are in control and have more time to “work your plan”. The more you get done, the more you feel in control!
5 – Be a More Positive Person
By having a plan and a focus on that plan, you will be more positive psychologically. At the end of the day, you have a sense of accomplishment and can go home a happier person.
6 – Improve Clarity
By improving your focus, you can see your way to success more clearly when you are not distracted by other events that used to keep you from executing your plan. That path is much clearer once you have your focus back.
Computers and technology were supposed to make things easier for us, but as many have seen, it has done just the opposite. As a result, we have lost our focus – a goldfish can concentrate on something longer than we can.
However, by regaining back your focus, you can kick chaos to the curb and get back to being more productive with less stress. Of course, if you have less stress, you will be in better health – both mentally and physically. A win/win for you!
