Hyperfocus

"Distraction is the thief of concentration, robbing us of our ability to focus on what truly matters."

We all want to do well in the task we undertake and many times we succeed but sometimes we do not. There can be multiple factors for the quality of the output but one which is common and of great importance is deep focus, to enhance one's productivity and creativity one must cultivate deep concentration. The article discusses the anecdotes from a book titled ''Hyperfocus'' by Chris Bailey. The author, after vigorous research and analysis, shares the importance of hyperfocus and how to develop this very much-required quality. My motive for taking up this topic is to make students as well as the elders aware of the ways to channel their energy into fruitful and right directions where their invested interest pays them back.

Talking about "Hyperfocus" by Chris Bailey, it is a hard-earned work to explore the science behind focus and strategies to centralise the focus. “Hyperfocus" is an astute probe that demonstrates ways to manage distraction. It translates complex scientific concepts into practical strategies that anyone can implement in their daily lives. 'Hyperfocus' comes to grips with two types of distractions namely-External and Internal. People visiting, digital notifications and noise from around have been characterised as External Distractions that last for almost 21 minutes on average (to regain his original state of attention) whereas Internal distractions are more dangerous and caused due to persistent thinking and anxiety which take 29 minutes for an individual to regain his original state of attention. Approximately 47% of our time gets squandered due to these interruptions. This dissipated behaviour when brought down to 30% leads to astonishing results spearheading creativity, productivity, and overall well-being.

When we enter a state of hyperfocus, the world around us fades away, and we become fully immersed in the task at hand but if there are continuous disruptions then the state of hyperfocus is never achieved. There are certain ways to get away from these distractions. We all are aware of distractions but seldom try to notice and get rid of them. So, one must pen down the distractions and work on them to reduce the frequency of distractions. It is observed that our likes are the shadows of our desires, the dim reflections of our inner selves, so we find it easy to do things that are of interest. The mobiles, tablets, TVs and other such gadgets are part of our lives but unfortunately, we have made them our lives. If we master the art of controlling self and use it only when we need they are wonderful tools otherwise big problem as we all realise but never able to come out of the dark cave. I do not say that only gadgets are responsible for distractions but these in today's life cycle, seem to be the most common and easy way of distractions. Seeing mobile and switching it on/ off is almost in autopilot mode and we do not even notice it. If I say it is a kind of addiction,  

When we have several tasks to accomplish at our disposal, the biggest challenge faced is which one to do first. In the want of completing the task, the work is completed but the quality of work assigned is put at stake. We tend to get into intricacies of mundane tasks that we forget that the time is running short and thus we end up leaving the tasks in between. To figure out the completion of the task keeping in mind its purpose and necessity, two parameters are suggested by Bailey. One is the purpose and the other is the necessity.

 

If we follow the purpose on the X axis and the necessity on the Y axis, then we create four quadrants The first one can be considered the positive side of the X and Y axis which has purpose and necessity. And now if you move clockwise (or anti-clockwise) then the third quadrant will fall on the negative X and Y axis. The third quadrant mentioned above has no purpose and no necessity. So we must first do the tasks which fall in first one ignore the ones which fall as the last priority which can be done when you have no important or necessary work to do and such time comes in life not very often. For example, if one is called for a meeting without knowing the agenda it so frankly there is no purpose known but being a team member in an organisation it is necessary to attend the meeting. The purpose and the necessity of clarity will help us prioritising our work and get better outcomes accomplishing the work with a sense of happiness.

To achieve hyperfocus you must first find out the distractions and then try to curb them. While working on a complex task you must keep your mobile away from your reach. The notifications in the mobile must be off until it is an urgent task being performed online with your team members. Let people know not to enter your room just for the sake of meeting you and if possible have some indicators outside which will let visitors know that you do not want to be visited at the moment. This may seem a little rude but people will understand and appreciate it after knowing the importance and they may follow the same in their work space as well. This way the productivity of all will improve in the chosen field they work. According to the researchers, there must be some specific intent behind all that you wish to do. If we take the example of the students then you will find three major categories. Some are serious with strong intentions and focus, some have vague intentions and take it lightly and others just do for the sake of doing. The quality of work of the children who do work wholeheartedly with a specific intention is 60% more than the others. For the ones who do the work with vague intention, the quality of work achieved was 25% more than the ones who had no intention

I must caution all that hyperfocus requires attention with intention and this eats away a lot of energy so you need to re-energise yourself at regular intervals (the duration will depend upon the complexity of the task). So here comes the concept of scattered focus which is equally important. In hyperfocus, we tend to collect the dots while in scattered focus we tend to connect dots. This means thereby hyper-focus adds to productivity while scattered focus enhances creativity. Two are complimentary to each other. One is to gain in-depth knowledge and the other is to put that knowledge into practice. Scattered focus is letting your mind wander freely and not forcing it to remain occupied with something which does not let it free space.

Too much hyperfocus can affect one's ability to do work. Adequate energy is required to give a crisp start to the work at disposal. Had Isaac Newton not given a break to himself the thought of falling an apple from the tree would not have struck his mind. Similarly, while taking a bath in the bathtub, Archimedes thought of floating off the objects. But we can't put their action into hyperfocus. It was coined that people when doing nothing come out with great ideas and have a special type of focus called scattered focus or mode. A person does not think necessarily about a certain object, issue or matter but ends up having a brilliant idea of something that already exists in his subconscious mind or anything at random. Many innovative ideas come when a person is in scattered mode. Please relax yourself and let your children do the same as and when possible. The rest in between (which might take us to the scattered focus stage) should not be taken as guilt of wasting time but an opportunity to re-energise and create something (out of the box). So hyperfocus does not mean to cut off from the world forever but to achieve better results in a shorter time. So work hard when you need to do but enjoy also with family, especially with the children as often as you can. Listen to the stories and tales of the task performed by your children with attention and convey genuine appreciation always.

In the end, I would like to mention that If mindfulness is achieved at the initial stages, meaning that attention is used with intention, there would be fourfold productivity and the outcome achieved would provide a delightful sleep. Bailey illustrates a compelling and informative read that is sure to resonate with readers seeking to navigate the challenges of our increasingly distracted world. Lastly, intentions are the starting point of every dream. The bigger your intention, the more significant the outcome.

“Harness Your Attention in a World Full of Distractions”