In a digital world designed to be distracting, it’s difficult to pinpoint where your attention lies. But according to Dr. Gloria Mark, a professor and researcher at the University of California, Irvine, that is the true key to deep focus at work.
What is focus in relation to our attention spans?
Most people believe that attention has two states: either you are focused or you are not focused. But the truth is much more complicated than that. Instead of focus being linked to one fixed spot in the brain, we actually have three core attention networks that operate at any given time.
There is a network responsible for selecting the information we focus on. Then there is another network responsible for alertness – sustained attention on something. And finally, there is a third network involved in defensive work. It filters out side information to prevent us from drifting away from focus.
When you are focused, all three networks function well. They select and prioritize what we want to work on. We can be focused on something and filter out distractions.
In your book, you discuss some common misconceptions about focus. Can you discuss one of these misconceptions and how to counter it?
One of the common narratives we hear is that we must always strive to focus and attempt to do as many tasks as possible and thus be productive. But it is very difficult for people to maintain sustained focus for long periods in the same way we can’t lift weights all day without feeling fatigued.
It is really important to take substantial breaks to rejuvenate ourselves and restore our energy so we can focus better when we return to work. People have limited attention resources, and when we maintain sustained focus for long periods, we drain those resources.
The best break is to go outside for 20 minutes. And the best thing of all is to be in nature, because we know it is considered one of the most rejuvenating types of breaks for the soul.
You mentioned how our attention spans have drastically diminished from about two and a half minutes to about 47 seconds over the past decade when we engage with screens. What are the potential consequences of this collective decline?
We know that when people switch their attention rapidly – which is multitasking – it affects performance in several ways. The first thing is that people make more mistakes. There’s a study conducted with doctors showing they make more prescription errors when their attention shifts.
The second result is that it slows people down. We believe that by shifting our attention, we achieve more, right? [We think] we are working on more different things and faster, but there’s a cost every time. Imagine you have a whiteboard in your mind, and that board holds a representation of the information we need to perform a task. Then suddenly, we shift our attention and do something else – let’s say email. It’s like erasing that whiteboard and then writing new information.
The worst part, in my opinion, is that rapidly shifting our attention causes stress. We know from decades of lab research that blood pressure rises. In my research in live labs, we see that when people wear heart rate monitors, when they rapidly shift their attention, their stress levels rise.
How can we regain control of our attention?
We achieve this through what I call self-awareness, which is being aware of what we are doing as it happens. I gained this during the pandemic. We were working from home, and my university offered a mindfulness-based stress reduction course. I realized that we can do the exact same thing when we are on our devices. We can learn how to focus on the present moment so we can filter out all those other distractions.
When
I have the desire [to distract myself], I interrogate myself: why do I have this desire? Why do I need to check the news right now? Usually, the reason is that I’m bored or I just want to procrastinate. [If] I face those reasons, I can become intentional. I can take action and change. No one can maintain long periods of sustainable focus without taking breaks and expect to perform at a high level.
Once we become more aware of our attention, how can we direct it towards deeper focus?
Attention is goal-directed. We direct our attention according to our goals. If my goal is to work on a report, then that is where my attention goes. If my goal is to check social media, then I have this urge to check social media. That is where my attention is.
I have done some work with Alex Williams and my colleagues in Microsoft research on a very simple chatbot that asks people at the beginning of the day: “What do you want to achieve and how do you want to feel?” Simply asking those two questions helps people stay on track because they keep the goals front and center and help direct attention.
Goals are dynamic. They fade and appear in our minds, and it’s really important to remind ourselves what our goals are. Writing them down on a piece of paper, or having an audio recording – anything it takes to remind ourselves what our goals are.
You mentioned that technology helps and hinders our focus. In what ways can it help?
When we think of AI as a helper or coach, I believe there is promise there. Imagine having a personal assistant that can help you learn this concept called self-awareness and understand when you are feeling overwhelmed. It could nudge you – “Hey, don’t you think it’s time for a break?” If you’re spending too much time on social media, it could mentor you and say: “It’s time to get back.”
The agent shouldn’t do all the work for you but should learn about your behavior and mood so it can help you respond and adapt better to the environment. The role of technology should be that of a supportive agent, while the individual is the main player.
For more conversation, listen to the Remotely Curious podcast, Dropbox’s podcast about remote work.
Source: https://blog.dropbox.com/topics/work-culture/gloria-mark-on-why-multitasking-is-the-enemy-of-focus
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