Staying With It

 

“Drift” occurs.

 

 You’re either with it and on top of it or you’re drifting.

 

While there are a number of reasons why attention drifts, and remedies for each, there is also the simple ability to keep ones attention focused. You can increase the length of time you stay focused by drilling it.

 

You can treat your attention as a tool. You can let it get dull or sharpen it up and keep it in good shape.

 

Here are some attention drills:

 

Drill One

 

 1. Put your attention on something.

 2. Notice when you have drifted.

 Repeat often. Get faster at realizing you have drifted.

 

Drill Two

 

 1. Decide to Focus and do it.

 2. Decide to Drift and do it.

 Get better at doing either “on command”. Controlling one's attention when things are quiet or hectic is a very good ability to have

 

Drill Three

 

1. Put your attention on something.

 2. Notice when it has drifted.

 3. Put your attention back on it

 4. Notice when it has drifted.

 Keep repeating this for 10 minutes or so. Do this drill daily. Some days one is better at it than others. However, overall one develops longer, better and closer attention to things in life and becomes aware that his attention is a tool.

 

Drill Four

 Have a friend try to distract your attention while you are holding it on something.

 

1. Put your attention on something.

 2. Hold your attention on it while someone trys to distract you.

 3. Keep putting your attention back on it each time it comes off.

 

You either ignore the distraction or put a tag on it for handling later and return your attention to now and the thing you're holding your attention on.

 

Do it for 5 or 10 minutes every day or so.

 

Drill Five

 

1. Put your attention on one thing and hold it there.

 2. While holding your attention on the first thing ALSO put your attention on a second thing.

 3. Practice holding your attention on both things calmly at the same time.

 

This is real work. But it develops and broadens your attention skill. As you get better at it try taking on a third point to hold. And so on.

 

This is actually what we are doing when we have something we want to do or say and we are instead listening intently to someone telling us something important.

 

- your attention is on:

 

1. what you want to say.

 2. what someone is telling you.

 3. what you have to do with what they are telling you.

 4. and do something with the phone when it rings in the middle of all this.

 and be nice all at the same time.

 

Your attention is a tool.  It can be sharpened. It can get dull. Its something you have.