How to regain focus in a world of distractions

Having trouble keeping your eyes on the same page? Does it seem like social media is stealing hours of your time and you can’t focus? It’s familiar to many people. According to data, the average person now keeps their focus on a single screen for just 47 seconds – up from two and a half minutes in 2004. Endless news, the instability of the world and the habit of living on your phone don’t help. But as psychiatrist Michael Ziffra of Northwestern Medicine says, despair isn’t the answer, “You can change habits and train your attention.”

Our brains are designed to respond quickly to change. Millennia ago, this was a lifesaver – a rustle in the grass could mean a predator. Today we are jerked around by notifications and headlines. The pandemic has only increased the trouble: it’s as if time has stretched out and screens have consumed us more than ever, notes psychologist Stacey Nye of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The phone has become a change machine, and the brain, seeking novelty, clings to it.

One of the best ways to regain focus is to give the brain “live” pauses. Such breaks, Nye says, take as little as half an hour and can be as simple as taking a walk with attention to detail, eating lunch in another room, or chatting with a friend. The key is not to flip through the tape. Try something new: paint, meditate, cook. Cognitive neuroscientist Cindy Lustig of the University of Michigan advises putting your phone away or turning on “do not disturb” mode, especially before bedtime.

Multitasking is the enemy of attention. It creates the illusion of productivity, but the brain suffers from it. Nye suggests becoming a “single-tasker”: take on one task and gradually increase your time. Lustig likes the Pomodoro technique – 25 minutes of work, then five minutes of rest. “I tell myself, I can handle this for a short time, and the world can wait,” she shares. This approach teaches the brain to stay on task without spiking.

To make progress, choose an activity that makes you happy and set a goal. A hobby without a plan won’t have an effect, Lustig says. Want to play guitar? Dream of a concert. Love sports? Aim to improve your technique. It’s best to start easy – a novel instead of a thick treatise. And be kind to yourself: attention, like a muscle, grows with practice, but everyone has slumps. The key is not to give up and to intentionally get back on track.