Test: What helps you find focus?

It’s not surprising so many of us feel fragmented and unfocused, when modern technology encourages us to constantly switch between tasks, diluting our attention. Blurred boundaries don’t help – when you’re available for work at all hours, even if it’s just reading emails, you’re stretching your ability to focus like an elastic band. It may feel like your only option is to work more to ‘catch up’, but all you’re doing is further undermining your focus.

If you’re always talking about how you feel overwhelmed and you want things to change, then something needs to shift to create a new period of focus and self-awareness. And sometimes the answer is far easier than we imagine, like simply paying attention to what is already there in our lives.

Living more consciously can have a transformative effect on focus, and a simple way to start is by checking in with yourself at regular intervals to see if you’ve drifted into multitasking. Focus is like a muscle that we train – it won’t improve overnight, but you can start by putting boundaries on notifications, emails and anything else that competes for your attention. Push through the discomfort and wait for the transformation.