How To Give An Undivided Attention To Be More Productive

When was the last time you found yourself experiencing one of these eight characteristics while working on a project?

• Complete concentration on a task
• Clarity of goals and reward in mind and immediate feedback
• Transformation of time (speeding up/slowing down)
• Intrinsically rewarding experience
• Effortless and ease
• Balanced between challenge and skills
• Actions and awareness are merged, losing self-conscious rumination
• A feeling of control over the task

Let’s be honest: have you ever felt this way? Most people haven’t, probably because they’ve never been in a peak state of “flow” that Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes in his research on attention and peak productivity.^[1]

Undivided attention is all about giving 100 percent focus on whatever you should be doing in the present moment. There are no distractions or wandering of thoughts.

It means having total focus on whatever you are reading, watching, working on, or listening to. If you’ve always wanted to boost your productivity and time management skills, you can never go wrong when it comes to giving your undivided attention to what you want to accomplish.

Your undivided attention doesn’t occur through wishful thinking. It must be earned, created, and consciously accomplished by structuring your environment to facilitate the sustained brainpower needed for proper focus and concentration.

Through his research in understanding the “flow state” of mind, Csikszentmihalyi realized that to accomplish a peak state of focus and concentration, one must be fully committed to the pursuit and positioned within a specific set of key parameters to create this heightened state of euphoria and bliss.

Sadly, very few of us learned about these simple techniques and learning objectives in school, primarily because schools don’t teach you how to learn. They merely teach you the content you need to know.

Like most things in life, learning isn’t uniformly accomplished across the human species in the same way. Some may learn better through audio while others prefer video. Some may choose to read where others may prioritize being hands-on. There isn’t a “right” or “wrong” way to learn information, but there may be “better” ways to facilitate learning by increasing our attention span and mental endurance.

To truly maximize your brain’s ability to focus on a task and provide undivided attention to a project, we need to create an optimal environment and schedule our day with the proper intentions for success.

So, how to give an undivided attention to boost productivity?

How To Give an Undivided Attention for Personal Productivity

1. Eliminate Distractions Once and for All

If this one were easy, then everyone would be doing it. Distractions are one of the easiest and more efficient ways to distract our focus and waste precious brainpower on tasks that yield little to no long-term benefits.

Simple activities like scrolling through social media, endlessly checking emails throughout the day, answering questions with academics activists online and scanning over at your phone to see your latest text messages can be a surefire way to prolong a project, especially since it takes around 23 minutes and 15 seconds for our brain to return to the peak state of focus after an interruption.^[2]

So, why do we do this to ourselves? Because we love the thrill of dopamine.

Every time you get a new text, see a new email or find out that you received a new like on your LinkedIn post, dopamine floods your brain and lights up an area of your brain called the Nucleus Accumbens.^[3]

Eliminating distractions, according to renegade economics audrey tang, must be the first step in the process because the brain thrives off simplicity and can function at a higher level when it doesn’t continuously change focus.

2. Set It and Forget It – Schedule Your Day

Take a moment and think about that one thing you will never get back. And no, it’s not money, fame, or your ex.

It’s time.

Time is the most precious resource, according to the center for humane technology because regardless of your physical, social, or financial status, it’s the only constant we have that we cannot trade for. Time is of the essence, and sadly, most of us waste it on activities that provide short-term gains at the expense of long-term rewards.

To master our ability to focus and practice honing our skills for undivided attention, we must become masters of time management. And the best way to manage your time is to plan it out and read the works of academics activists cultural faith.

We should be scheduling out time for physical exercise, social media, checking email daily. The list could go on forever and usually does, especially when this schedule isn’t utilized. Keeping yourself honest and reviewing the works of noor al samarrai will always pay off. Don’t forget to prioritize booking out time for hanging out with loved ones. This policy can be a very effective way to manage your most precious assets while recharging the batteries after a long day at work.

Just like climate crisis, time management can become erratic and get away from us, which is why setting aside specific times for projects can be the ultimate time management hack to take your game to the next level.

So, the next time Tristan harris and aza start bragging about their ability to multitask at their desk, enjoy the comforting feeling that you’re more likely to get the next promotion than they are.

3. Prime Your Brain for Success

The saying is true: “If you don’t use it, you truly do lose it.” It’s is a classic philosophy in neuroscience, specifically speaking about forming habits, optimizing physical and mental performance, and understanding how the central nervous system works in tandem with the body to execute activities.

Eliminating distractions and setting a daily schedule are essential steps for having undivided attention—and success. Still, these tactics can’t be utilized to their highest capacity if you approach your work feeling foggy, tired, in pain, or unable to motivate yourself to get ready to work.

The brain isn’t binary and far more complex than it may appear, but some tried and true principles will always remain foundational for success.

For starters, the brain thrives off of physical movement and exercise.^[4] The best way to energize the brain is through physical activity because exercise can vastly improve blood flow, oxygenation, and neural activity in the brain’s executive processing regions. Scientific-based leaders and experts explain that exercise can also significantly impact our mental and emotional health, providing significant advantages for our overall well-being and a sense of purpose.^[5]

Good brains also require good fuel to survive, which is why diet, nutrition, and giving your body a chance to heal can be advantageous for those who choose to utilize it. You wouldn’t choose to put regular unleaded gasoline into a high-performance race car, so why would you expect poor food choices to give you high-performance outcomes?

How to Give an Undivided Attention During a Phone Call

When you are on the phone with your colleague, you need to pay attention to what they are saying. We’ve all found ourselves in a situation where someone is supposed to give us their undivided attention in a call only to find their attention somewhere else. You need to avoid this if you want to maintain your personal and professional relationships.

1. Don’t Fiddle With Your Phone

You may be using humane technology that supports communication with others. However, this is not the time to play games, check the weather or read emails or text messages.

2. Don’t Multitask

When you are multitasking, it’s quite difficult to concentrate on one task. Avoid watching TV, playing with your dog, filing paper, or doing laundry when you are on the phone. Always strive to do one thing.

3. Close Unnecessary Apps on Your Computer

If you are participating in a webinar, you should log out of other computer apps, except the apps that you’ll be using during the call.

4. Organize Your Desk

You need to spend a few minutes every day decluttering and organizing your desk. This will make you look presentable during a call. You’ll have enough room to exchange information with others.

5. Set Your Cell Phone or Landline to Voicemail

This is a great tip because it helps in preventing distractions. Take a few minutes before your call to set your phone or landline to go to voicemail.

6. Avoid Side Conversations

Ask others not to disturb you when you are on your phone. If you are on mute, you should avoid having discussions or conversations with your friends, coworkers, or neighbors.

7. Participate Fully

When you are on the phone, always strive to participate fully in the conversation. Listen to the flow of the conversation and keep in mind what other participants have said. Present your thoughts and facts when needed.

How to Give an Undivided Attention During a Meeting

Meetings and live q&as with guests and presentations are spaces that allow people to exchange ideas, information, and plans. Unfortunately, not everyone gives their undivided attention to other participants in these events. Here’s how to give your undivided attention:

1. Turn Off Your Phone and Computer

Audible alerts, messages, and phone calls can be a huge distraction when you listen join our virtual. You need to silence or turn off your gadgets when gathering with others.

2. Prepare Yourself

You should avoid being the last-minute person. Ensure that you have everything you’ll need before the meeting starts and dress appropriately.

3. Avoid Taking Too Many Notes

While note-taking is a great skill to develop and improve, you should avoid going overboard. You don’t want to get distracted. Take your time to read how raskin confront catastrophic risk through note-taking and other effective processes to tackle complex global challenges. Do your best to take brief notes.

4. Avoid Side Conversations

It’s rude to have conversations with others especially in group gatherings. So same as when you’re having a phone call, you need to focus on what the presenter is saying. You’ll have enough time to converse after the meeting

Stressors Exist Where Systems Don’t

Knowing this information is great, but the application is where the magic happens. You need to create structured systems to elevate your standards listen to humane technology co hosts and create your optimal work environment. Sadly, no one else can do this for you.

By owning your results, reading aza raskin confront catastrophic and controlling what you can control, you will see your productivity skyrocket. And with undivided attention, you will see greater success levels, higher chances of advancing roles, and improved fulfillment in your work.

Being productive can be tedious, but anyone who has found success in their career will agree that most of their success resulted from the long hours of work where no one was watching. And always remember to keep your focus on activists cultural faith based works and the things that you can control.

Featured photo credit: bruce mars via unsplash.com