#focusdriven

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Daily focus is exactly what it sounds like. It’s one key thing that you want to give your attention to today. There are so many tasks, events, and distractions that vie for your attention on any given day. Setting a daily focus is like shining a spotlight on just one thing. Everything else does not disappear; it’s just that the spotlight reminds you to draw your attention back to that one important thing so you don’t forget about it. That goal you have set for yourself – whether it is work, personal or a combination. It’s too easy to get caught up in what needs to be done day-to-day without giving space to the things that will actually contribute to your goals in the long run. Yes, you need to do the laundry and juggle meetings and cook dinner, but will any of those things progress you toward your dream of writing a book? Or at work, maybe your day gets filled with important meetings all day, though important, doesn’t help in your goal of getting the yearly numbers to the accountant so taxes can be filed. Setting a focus makes sure you put aside a little bit of time to work on what’s truly important as well as the things that are immediately pressing for your attention. But does it actually work? YES! In psychological terms, setting a focus means we’re using top-down attention, also known as goal-driven attention, as opposed to bottom-up attention. Bottom-up attention: When we’re exposed to a stimulus — say a sudden noise — our attention is involuntarily drawn to it, and then our brains work to make sense of what it is. In this scenario, what we perceive externally drives what we think and how we act. Top-down attention is the opposite: It’s when we deliberately choose what to focus on, and our thoughts, knowledge, plans, and goals drive the way in which we perceive things. Using top-down attention has various benefits,  like improving performance on tasks and enhancing control over neural processing.  Additionally, choosing a focus sets your intention to work on that thing for the day. And when you register your intention to do something, you’re more likely to follow through. Daily focus can also be used for a variety of work. For example, if you set your daily focus to “writing” then you might put aside several hours where you have blocks of 45 minutes of focused work followed by a 15-minute break. This kind of schedule is great for getting into a “flow” state, where time seems to stop and you’re completely immersed in what you’re doing. Spending time in flow is great for health and happiness, and contributes to our quality of life by giving value to our momentary experiences. This method is great for those of you that pat yourself on the back for scheduling out your day. If you were like me, you filled that appointment book up and of course, you reviewed it every morning to see what the day had in store. Bad part, I never allowed for the unexpected, not even for coffee or bathroom breaks. But, for years live under the stress because I could not get it all done. Duh! 15 minutes every hour gives you some wiggle room for the unexpected. And guess what, I ended up getting more done with less stress. How to set the focus: 1. Single out one particular area of your life to work on. It may be work, family, your physical health, mental health, or any other area.  2. Think about what you specifically want to focus on in that area. Try and make it something that contributes to a long-term goals. For example, as of this writing my focus is on mindfulness. On my way to work rather than stress out over traffic and the events ahead, I focus on the route and sites on the way to work. 3. Alternatively, your daily focus could be something general that spans different areas of life. For example, trying new things, being more present, or being kind to others are all things that you can do at home, at work, or anywhere else. 4. Your daily focus can be a short statement or a single word. The idea here is not to get complex but rather to give you a simple broad concept you can anchor to when planning and executing your day. For example, you might just write down the word “walk” and know that, for you, it means taking every opportunity that day to go by foot rather than take other forms of transportation. 5. Once you’ve determined your daily focus, keep it in mind while filling in the rest of your day. Subscribe and have the latest updates delivered to your email. Receive our Free Lifestyle Assessment. Also, two subscribers will be chosen monthly for the Gift of The Month Read the full article

Daily focus is exactly what it sounds like. It’s one key thing that you want to give your attention to today. There are so many tasks, events, and distractions that vie for your attention on any given day. Setting a daily focus is like shining a spotlight on just one thing. Everything else does not disappear; it’s just that the spotlight reminds you to draw your attention back to that one important thing so you don’t forget about it. That goal you have set for yourself – whether it is work, personal or a combination. It’s too easy to get caught up in what needs to be done day-to-day without giving space to the things that will actually contribute to your goals in the long run. Yes, you need to do the laundry and juggle meetings and cook dinner, but will any of those things progress you toward your dream of writing a book? Or at work, maybe your day gets filled with important meetings all day, though important, doesn’t help in your goal of getting the yearly numbers to the accountant so taxes can be filed...read full blog Subscribe and have the latest updates delivered to your email. Receive our Free Lifestyle Assessment. Also, two subscribers will be chosen monthly for the Gift of The Month Read the full article

Daily focus is exactly what it sounds like. It’s one key thing that you want to give your attention to today. There are so many tasks, events, and distractions that vie for your attention on any given day. Setting a daily focus is like shining a spotlight on just one thing. Everything else does not disappear; it’s just that the spotlight reminds you to draw your attention back to that one important thing so you don’t forget about it. That goal you have set for yourself – whether it is work, personal or a combination. It’s too easy to get caught up in what needs to be done day-to-day without giving space to the things that will actually contribute to your goals in the long run. Yes, you need to do the laundry and juggle meetings and cook dinner, but will any of those things progress you toward your dream of writing a book? Or at work, maybe your day gets filled with important meetings all day, though important, doesn’t help in your goal of getting the yearly numbers to the accountant so taxes can be filed. Setting a focus makes sure you put aside a little bit of time to work on what’s truly important as well as the things that are immediately pressing for your attention. But does it actually work? YES! In psychological terms, setting a focus means we’re using top-down attention, also known as goal-driven attention, as opposed to bottom-up attention. Bottom-up attention: When we’re exposed to a stimulus — say a sudden noise — our attention is involuntarily drawn to it, and then our brains work to make sense of what it is. In this scenario, what we perceive externally drives what we think and how we act. Top-down attention is the opposite: It’s when we deliberately choose what to focus on, and our thoughts, knowledge, plans, and goals drive the way in which we perceive things. Using top-down attention has various benefits,  like improving performance on tasks and enhancing control over neural processing.  Additionally, choosing a focus sets your intention to work on that thing for the day. And when you register your intention to do something, you’re more likely to follow through. Daily focus can also be used for a variety of work. For example, if you set your daily focus to “writing” then you might put aside several hours where you have blocks of 45 minutes of focused work followed by a 15-minute break. This kind of schedule is great for getting into a “flow” state, where time seems to stop and you’re completely immersed in what you’re doing. Spending time in flow is great for health and happiness, and contributes to our quality of life by giving value to our momentary experiences. This method is great for those of you that pat yourself on the back for scheduling out your day. If you were like me, you filled that appointment book up and of course, you reviewed it every morning to see what the day had in store. Bad part, I never allowed for the unexpected, not even for coffee or bathroom breaks. But, for years live under the stress because I could not get it all done. Duh! 15 minutes every hour gives you some wiggle room for the unexpected. And guess what, I ended up getting more done with less stress. How to set the focus: 1. Single out one particular area of your life to work on. It may be work, family, your physical health, mental health, or any other area.  2. Think about what you specifically want to focus on in that area. Try and make it something that contributes to a long-term goals. For example, as of this writing my focus is on mindfulness. On my way to work rather than stress out over traffic and the events ahead, I focus on the route and sites on the way to work. 3. Alternatively, your daily focus could be something general that spans different areas of life. For example, trying new things, being more present, or being kind to others are all things that you can do at home, at work, or anywhere else. 4. Your daily focus can be a short statement or a single word. The idea here is not to get complex but rather to give you a simple broad concept you can anchor to when planning and executing your day. For example, you might just write down the word “walk” and know that, for you, it means taking every opportunity that day to go by foot rather than take other forms of transportation. 5. Once you’ve determined your daily focus, keep it in mind while filling in the rest of your day. Subscribe and have the latest updates delivered to your email. Receive our Free Lifestyle Assessment. Also, two subscribers will be chosen monthly for the Gift of The Month Read the full article

Turn your sight to better things! #focusdriven

#firestarter #focusdriven #meditation just sit and listen.