Two Words You Never Thought Could Build Your Focus
Posted: April 22, 2020
As a child, do you remember the feeling of being in school and hearing your teacher announce you were heading out to recess? Oh Boy… What a thrill!!! The reason it was a thrill was after sitting all morning your body and mind needed a reset, and that came in the form of running, jumping and playing with friends. Like you as a child, your adult brain needs the same experience of the playground, but as adults it comes in the form of exercising your creativity. Doing things like crossword puzzles, drawing, art, dance, etc., are all things your brain needs for optimum function, just like the child running out to recess and then coming back in to finish the day. After giving yourself the gift of a 5 -15 minute break doing any of the previously mentioned activities, or something else that you enjoy, you will be ready to start up again with a fresh perspective.
The second work that actually improves your focus is boredom. I bet you never thought that would improve your focus! Let me explain. What happens when you have a feeling of being bored, is you are giving your brain the opportunity to rest and reset itself so it can then go back to the priorities of what is important. Like building a muscle, much of the growth comes from the rest in between sets or workouts. All push and no rest will lead to a diminished return of production. Boredom for the brain is as good as rest for a muscle.
Knowing this, think about your workday and your work output. How can you add a couple breaks of creativity and permission-based intentional boredom? Maybe next time someone accuses you of doodling or staring off into space and not getting anything done, you can confidently look at them and tell them you are actually “building your focus”.
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