Give Me Your Undivided Attention: Bet You Can't

I remember my teachers using the phrase "undivided attention" a lot when I was in school. I was expected to give them my "undivided attention" as they pontificated from their podiums, bestowing their wisdom from on high. 

These days, though, I wonder if "undivided" attention even exists. In fact, if we are able to singularly focus on one thing, we are likely considered slow or behind the expected productivity. We are a society that reveres multi-tasking, task-switching, and juggling while hustling. Do you remember learning how to open a new tab in your Internet browser and thinking, "Woah!"? That seems a lifetime ago, doesn't it? Now, you likely have no fewer than three tabs open. Many people have multiple monitors going at once. 

This emphasis on divided attention is well-intentioned, isn't it? How else are we to compete in this modern, hectic world we find ourselves in? Everyone wants us to respond 24-7. Everyone wants a slice of our time and attention. How else to make it all fit into one day than to divide our attention? 

(Heck, even as I pretended to listen to my supposedly sage-like teachers in high school, I was busy writing notes to my friends to pass in the hallways between classes.) 

If you've ever tried to meditate, you know how hard it can be to pay attention to one thing (your breath) at a time. I am a fairly regular meditator, and it still usually goes something like this:

I breathe in, focusing on how the air feels as it enters my body and fills up my lungs. Then I remember that I forgot to send that email earlier, and I start worrying about what else I forgot. Then my leg itches, and then I scold myself for not focusing on my breath. Then I hear something from another room, and I start thinking about what time it probably is, and how soon I should start dinner. Then I scold myself again for losing focus, and I bring my mind back. 

You get the idea. 

Some days, I can get a few minutes of actual focus. Most days, 30 seconds feels like an accomplishment. 

What can we do? Well, for starters, acknowledging how hard it is to pay attention these days is a good step. We need to take a moment to realize how many demands are made of us every day. We process something like 74 gigabytes of information a day. Of course we are struggling to focus. Who wouldn't be?

Next, we need to discern what is really worth our attention and what isn't. From social media to advertisements to idle gossip, there are many demands on our attention that don't necessarily deserve our attention. Decide what truly matters to you, and let the rest go. 

We need to regulate -- this may be through taking a walk, calling a friend, writing a blog. The brain needs to process through all that has been thrown its way, and our bodies need to return to a calm state. 

Finally, we need to seek out stillness and silence. Our brains need a break from the constant stimulation. Our ears and eyes need a break. When we are calm and quiet, yes, our monkey minds will want to swing through every vine in the jungle, but we can train ourselves to redirect back to the present. 

We may not be able to change the modern world, but we can change how we choose to interact with the modern world. Step off the hamster wheel and remember: you are in control of what you choose to pay attention to.