5 methods to restore your attention

The modern world is very distracting, there is always something new to pull your attention away, whether it is your phone, TV, work or news. But our biology wasn't created to be constantly subjected to entertainment or dopamine hits, especially when all we have to do is open our phone to get a quick and easy dopamine hit.

The result of modern technology has led a lot of people to be incapable of focusing, we are now seeing the side effects of short form content, algorithms, and how those in communities lacking this technology don't go on to develop conditions that we are seeing rising mostly in western culture.

So how exactly do we regain our focus? If you've started to notice your attention become fragmented or you're less able to make sense of large amounts of information, this article is going to provide some simple steps to restoring your focus and how each method does just that.

1. Reading

For many people the phone has replaced their bedtime read, it's now more enticing to sit and scroll social media than it is to read a good book, but the damage that late night scrolling does isn't just to your sleep and circadian rhythm, it also damages your ability to focus clearly.

Reading helps us focus on a story or at least large amounts of information. We need to follow along or else we'll lose track of what's happening and not understand the book. Reading is such a powerful tool for restoring focus, literally helping your brain rebuild synapses and pathways to longer, strung-out thinking. We are also exposed to different ways of thinking, descriptions we must imagine for ourselves and new vocabulary, all helping to build our brain's focus and retention capabilities. Nothing beats a good book, and if you want to be able to focus better, put the phone down and pick up the book.

2. Ditching short form content

Short form content is exactly that, short. And it changes fast, we see something, we feel something, and then we move onto the next short clip. Now our brains are smart, they will adapt to this stimulus and shorten attention span so that we can better decipher a quick video. The problem is, when you then come away from short clips you are forced to focus on one thing at a time and for more than just 60 seconds. Ask yourself, do you really need to click on that reels or shorts tab? Instead work to curate your feed with who you follow and prioritise longer form content such as YouTube videos, movies or documentaries.

When we are required to follow along as we are with books, our mind needs to hold the story and add pieces to it. If you have ever spent an hour watching short form content, could you recall anything about what you watched? What was the 50th video you watched about? I can almost guarantee you cannot recall it, and that equates to you being entertained, emotions passing, and you not consciously remembering that it happened, therefore shortening your attention span and affecting memory.

3. Prioritising sleep

The first two can lead to better sleep, the earlier we put the phone down and the less we subject ourselves to a bombardment of different emotions in short form, the better we can sleep. Sleep is a huge pillar of your overall health, the moment sleep is reduced, far more than just focus is affected.

We have all felt grumpier or foggy after a bad night's sleep, and this is because our brain didn't get what it needs to clear and restore itself. During the night the brain works hard and the glymphatic system gets to work, if we have given our eyes a proper light environment up to bedtime and a nutrient dense diet, then we have given ourselves the best chance of great sleep. But unfortunately so many subject themselves to blue light before bed, unknowingly affecting their sleep quality and therefore focus the next day.

The moment we prioritise sleep and begin to wake up feeling refreshed, our focus and clarity return, never neglect your sleep and give yourself the best rest you can.

4. Telling stories

Like reading, storytelling requires us to follow a story, recall lots of information, and order it so that it makes sense in our heads. But telling a story goes a step further, we also have to articulate it in a way that makes sense and is easy for the listener or reader to understand.

Recalling and articulating a story is becoming a lost art, those who know how to tell a good story are very captivating and can keep us waiting on their every word. So start practise telling loved ones what happened in your day, in an engaging way, and this can help you build up your storytelling ability and therefore your ability to focus and think clearly.

5. Not multi-tasking

Modern movies and TV shows are now produced with the idea that those watching are also on their phone at the same time, reiterating points as well as the storyline again and again so that it gets through. But this only affects your ability to focus further, as you become reliant on a story update constantly, compared to older movies and TV shows where lots happens and lots of characters are introduced, meaning you have to keep up or get lost!

Multi-tasking is seen as a good thing in today's society, but if you want to do something well, you do one thing at a time, not five in a distracted manner. When talking in a group, watching TV, working, or whatever it is, put the phone away and focus on the one thing you are doing. Notice how your mind will wander and want to do another task, but often, if you keep focused for just long enough, you become immersed in the task at hand.

What to take away

These methods can help you restore focus, but only if a good diet and healthy lifestyle are there too, you are what you eat but you are also what you do. Modern technology is setting us up for attention fragmentation and an inability to make sense of the noise, instead turn to older ways to restore focus, get into a good book, treat sleep as a sacred ritual, tell stories, and avoid taking on too much at once.