Top Tip for Defeating Distraction - Brave New Blokes

Have you ever found yourself at the end of the afternoon – you’ve been trying to get something done all afternoon, but you just can’t concentrate? This seems to happen to me too often. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone.

Despite its benefits for relaxation and calm, meditation is the ultimate brain training for focus and performance

Peak Mind

n a new book Peak Mind by psychology professor Amisha Jha from the University of Miami, she shows how meditation protects our ability to concentrate even in the most stressful of situations – making us sharper, more focused and enables us to concentrate for longer.

Back in 2018 I was super stressed and definitely overwhelmed. It wasn’t bringing out the best in me. Someone suggested I meditate. It wasn’t really my thing, but I was prepared to give it a go. So I started with the help of an app. I was journaling as well – reflecting on my day. I kept note of the days I meditated, but I was hit and miss with the meditation. But after a couple of months I had a rough day and was trying to work out what was different. I realised I hadn’t meditated for a few days. I looked back through my journal and there was a definite correlation between meditation and good days. So I decided to prioritise meditation in the morning – make it part of my morning routine. I haven’t looked back.

Benefits of Meditation

There are many benefits of meditation like less stress, emotional health and control, better relationships, and kindness. But the big one for today is improved ability to concentrate. This is because we are better able to handle potential distractions. Meditation acts like mental bicep curls – bringing your focus back from distraction and keeping it focused. The more we do it, the better we get. I think the other part of it is the non-judgemental aspect – rather than giving yourself a hard time when your attention wanders off, you just acknowledge it and return to your focus – much healthier and more effective.

Sweetspot

Professor Jha’s research has identified a sweet spot of 12 minutes x 3-5 weeks – so about an hour out of the 168 hours in the week that you would otherwise be on your phone anyway, in order to make the other 167 hours so much fulfilling – sounds like a great decision to me.

So give it a go – be brave – there are lots of apps and guided meditations out there to try. Headspace, Smiling Mind are a few.

If you found this helpful, give it a like or a comment. Share it with a friend, or tell me what you’re struggling with – so I can address it in a future post.