The Psychology of Focus - Unlocking Peak Performance
Focus is a crucial component in achieving greatness and a valuable superpower that can result in time-bending accomplishments. When we are focused, we can produce remarkable results, lose track of time, and make our hours feel like minutes. In this article, we will explore the importance of focus and its relationship with peak performance, as well as discuss a techniques for improving focus.
Focus and Flow: The Key to Peak Performance
Focus is a precursor to the high performance state of flow. Flow is a state of optimal experience, where we are in the zone and our performance is at its best. For example, athletes performing superhuman-like feats in the heat of competition, artists creating masterpieces - these are instances of individuals in the state of flow. However, inducing this state can be challenging as our environments and society are designed to distract us and reduce our focus. This is why learning to focus is a necessary part to unlocking peak performance.
Why is it Hard to Focus?
Our environments are designed to grab our attention and focus, making it challenging to stay focused. Our attention and focus have become the currency that modern advertisers and social media platforms are always trying to capture, making deep focus work even more difficult. But, with the right tools and techniques, our ability to focus can be improved.
Tools to Improve Focus
Focus can be viewed as a muscle, and like any muscle, it needs to be trained to get stronger. To make the most out of focus and reach flow, you need to create an environment that is conducive to focus and success. Here are a few tools that have worked for me as well as some of my clients:
Rules for Focus
Create rules for what you will and will not do when engaging in deep focus work. For example, schedule focus hours during the quietest part of the day, avoid having your phone in the same room, and commit to working on a task for a set amount of time before taking a break. These boundaries can help you be more intentional when going into a focused session.
Avoid Multitasking
Many believe that multitasking increases productivity, but this is not the case when it comes to deep focus work. Instead, focus on the task at hand and resist the urge to do anything else, including thinking about anything not related to the task at hand. Meditation can be helpful in strengthening your ability to notice when your mind strays from the task at hand.
Anticipate the Walls
Getting into focus can be challenging, and there will likely be a period of initial resistance, which can last up to 5 or 10 minutes whenever you try and get into focus. I like to see this resistance as a wall that we need to breakthrough before we are rewarded with focus and flow.
Anticipating this can make a big difference as it allows you to recognize when the urge to grab your phone or do something else arises. In addition, grabbing for your phone or being distracted breaks your focus, which means when you eventually do get back to focusing on the task at hand, you will have to restart the focus process – which as we now know, starts with an initial period of resistance (wall). Recognizing and anticipating these walls can be powerful in helping you push through the urge to give up and distract yourself.
Conclusion
In conclusion, focus is the key to unlocking peak performance and can lead to incredible achievements. By creating an environment conducive to focus, avoiding multitasking, and anticipating the initial resistance, we can improve our focus and reach a state of flow. Although these are not a comprehensive list of the tools that you can use to improve your focus, these are some of my personal favorite and the ones that I recommend most to my clients.
I encourage you to start implementing these tools and watch your focus muscle grow stronger.
