Focused Attention

Focused attention is the brain’s ability to concentrate its attention on a particular task for a period of time.

In the process of achieving any goal/goals it’s important to be in a state of focused attention but it is important as well to take a break from it so that your mind, emotional system and even your physiology do not become overloaded. The interweaving of focused attention and relaxed attention is like a dance. There is the intense part and the recovery part. Any dance that is only intense becomes exhausting if it persists too long. If it is too relaxed it can result in a loss of interest and engagement.

The ability to stay focused for a long period of time becomes possible with practice. Incrementally increasing the amount of time on the activity and then taking a break is the best way to do this so you don’t experience overload and exhaustion.

While it is possible to achieve your goal/goals with less than focused attention, it will likely take longer and the process of getting there is likely to be less gratifying.

See you next time.