Do you ever feel like all of your thoughts come all at once? While talking with my colleague Jorge, we realized that we go from one subject to another in a matter of seconds. From �Oh, you should really listen to that audiobook�, to �What is the status of that project you�re doing? �, to “Do you know this festival I went to last weekend?”, to �Oops, I forgot to do my laundry�. We have a continuous stream of thoughts and ideas and easily get distracted by them. This makes us feel creative, spontaneous and sometimes chaotic, but also overwhelmed at times. There�s a gap between ideas and the actions we must take in order to accomplish them. We know these feelings are not unique to us and that there are many people who struggle in similar ways. Do you recognize yourself in this as well? In this blog we�ll share some tips from our own experience and research.

What can we do?

Why are we so easily distracted and overstimulated? How does it affect our daily life? Do we feel fulfilled at the end of the day? And, now that we are a bit more aware of the limits of our attention, how can we thrive in a hyperconnected world with an ever-growing number of distractions? We decided to make this our new personal goal: we have to train our attention and create the best possible environment in which we have a good sense of fulfilment and we feel more connected to others. We started doing some research on attention.�

Facts about attention and focus:

• Attention and focus are two different things.
• Attention is selective attention: we can�t perceive everything at the same time. With attention, you select what�s important. Think about notifications on your phone while working; your brain is wired to check your phone. You can fight against it, but you will most likely lose.
• Focus is sustained attention: how long can you keep your attention on something? When you experience sustained attention, you will get into the flow and do deep work. This will make you better at what you do, help you achieve more in less time and it will make you feel true fulfilment.�

Tips to help you throughout the day

We researched and tried out some attention deficit tips and these were the ones that worked for us:

1. Keep a steady routine in your daily life activities. This means doing things such as going to sleep, preparing your meals and exercising at fixed times, so that you get used to them and don�t spend too much time and energy on them.�
2. When you experience attention problems it can be difficult to distinguish between essential and side tasks. Every time a great idea pops into your mind while you�re doing an important task, make sure you have a notebook or an app to write it down. This will allow you to continue what you are doing without being distracted.�
3. Experiment and find out what your optimal work environment is. For example:
   1. Go to the office instead of working from home when you�re sensitive to distractions.
   2. Make sure your phone is not visible when you are doing important tasks.�
   3. Make sure you make your work environment clutter- and distraction-free.
4. Break tasks into small chunks that are easily achievable: focus on one thing at a time. Even if you don’t feel like doing it. It is better to start small and tell yourself to work on something for at least 10 minutes than to say you will do it later.�
5. Disable smartphone notifications. Most of the notifications you get on your phone aren�t urgent, so disable sound and vibrations. I even bought an old Nokia phone to detox and experiment with basic functionalities, such as calling and texting (back to the old days).
6. If you are sensitive to news, social media and emails: try avoiding checking these media frequently. If you really want to, allow yourself to have a couple of fixed time slots during the day to do so.�
7. Encourage yourself like you encourage a friend. If you find yourself in autopilot mode:
   1. Accept it and decide to consciously make a change, discipline yourself.�
   2. Don’t be too hard on yourself (judgemental) if things don’t go as planned.
   3. Learn to forgive yourself.
8. Have an offline hobby/craft/sport: it is proven that these allow us to enter a flow state. In a flow state, you are totally absorbed by and deeply focused on something. You are beyond the point of distraction. Flow is also seen as a perfect hypnotic state between training skills and challenging yourself. It can also help you to break the cycle of rumination, for example worrying about a deadline, presentation, meeting or something else that causes stress. Exercising, crafting or enjoying a hobby helps you relax. Even if you feel tired, there is a difference between physical and mental tiredness. So stop thinking; just do!�
9. Find support: don�t be too hard on yourself and don�t be afraid to ask for help from family members or friends.

Get support

If you feel like you experience severe attention disorders, it�s essential to seek professional help. If you feel like your own attention deficits are really disturbing to you or others, it might be interesting to talk with experts in the area of AD(H)D.

Concentration is the capacity to control your attention in such a way you can focus on 1 task, object or thought. Controlling your attention is important to prevent distraction. In the busy world of today we�re used to do all kinds of things at the same time and we process a lot of data during the day. This causes our brain to adapt and gets used to rapidly shifting your attention to different things.�

Maybe you recognize it that you want to study, but you also to respond to a message or you promised your grandma to call her. Because you�re spending time and attention to everything at the same time, you�re in fact way less efficient.�

If you have trouble concentrating, there�s a big chance you will quit doing your tasks faster. Because what�s the point if you just can�t concentrate? Luckily, concentration is a skill, which means you can improve it.�

Tips to learn to concentrate

Below you will find exercises that help you improve your concentration.

1. Try focusing on a simple task. For example making a puzzle or color a picture. Try to do it for 10 minutes straight. Do you notice any distraction? Try to force you to finish those 10 minutes first. If you are able to complete simple tasks fully concentrated, you will notice you will get better at doing more complex tasks too.
2. Play some music and practice shifting your attention by listening to the different elements in a song. Listen for example 10 seconds to the vocals first, then move to the drums and then listen to the melodies. If you think 10 seconds are easy, try adding 5 seconds each time.
3. Count back from 100 to 0 in your head. If this is very easy for you, try skipping 3 numbers each time. So 100, 97, 94 and so on.
4. You can practice your concentration while walking outside on the streets too! Try paying attention to your surroundings and count all the red cars you�re seeing for a few minutes. Done? Then switch to counting all the blue cars. If you feel this is becoming easier, you can try to count both the red and blue cars at the same time. Challenge yourself!
5. Take 5 minutes to relax and sit down and focus on everything you sense. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you feel? What do you taste? What do you smell? If you notice your thoughts are wandering off, try to focus on your breathing. Or focus on a central point, for example a wall.

Do you notice that you are getting better with these exercises? Challenge yourself and make the exercise more difficult! Maybe you�ll discover you are able to visually concentrate very well, but sounds are still very distracting. Then you can aim your exercises to practice with sound.�

The exercises are mostly meant to be examples. Try applying them on your own creative way! If you notice you�re having a hard time, you can try to do a relaxation exercise first. That will always help!

With the constant stream of emails, social media updates and apps, there are now more things that require our attention than ever. It is therefore no surprise that we find it harder nowadays to concentrate and get things done. Fortunately our adult brain is still flexible enough to be trained.

In his book �Hyperfocus: How to Be More Productive in a World of Distraction� (2018) Published by Penguin Random House, Chris Bailey offers useful insights and effective tactics to manage our attention. We will provide you with some of his useful insights and effective tactics to be less distracted, more focused and to improve the quality of your attention.

The quality of your attention

Intentions are key for your attentional space; they let you be productive and keep distractions out. It is not possible to stay focused all the time; because there are always things that we suddenly have to do. Still during a large part of the day, we can do what we had planned and get a lot done.

Formulate your intentions more often

The best way to improve your attention is to determine what you want to get done before you get started. At the beginning of each day, choose three things that you would like to have done at the end of the day. To-do lists are useful for putting all kinds of odd jobs in a row, but these three tasks must be the most important work of your day.

Be aware

It makes little sense to formulate objectives and intentions if you are not doing what needs to be done. One way to ensure that you are on the right track is to regularly check what occupies your attentional space.

Avoid distractions

We cannot prevent all distractions. We do control our response to these distractions though. The best way to deal with things that hijack our attention span is to keep your original intentions in mind and get back to work as quickly as possible.

Overcome your mental resistance to certain activities

Don�t think that you don�t have time to do something. You always have time; you only spend time doing other things. If this �I don�t have the time� excuse sounds familiar, think about an exchange. For example, if you have “no time” to catch up with a friend, ask yourself if you would have the time to watch TV or scroll through social media?

How much time do you spend on your intentions?

A wandering mind has a bad reputation. That bad reputation is partly justified. Because if we want to focus, and our mind wanders from a task, it can disrupt our productivity. However this state of mind can be remarkably powerful if entered into deliberately. Mind wandering is very effective if we want to solve problems, think more creatively, brainstorm about new ideas or if we want to refuel our energy and plan for the future.

Chris Bailey is a Canadian writer and productivity consultant who recently published a book called “Hyperfocus: How to Be More Productive in a World of Distraction.” His book is a manual with practical tips for managing your attention – the most powerful resource you need to become more creative, get things done and live a meaningful life. Because in a world with so many incentives, it is sometimes difficult to let go of our focus.

Our brain and focus

Compare your focus with the use of a flashlight: the only thing you see is what is in the ray of the light. You don’t see the things around it, no matter how important and/ or interesting they are. This means that if you only focus on one subject, it is possible that you miss other important messages.

Bailey identifies how our brains have two modes that control our attention: focused mode and unfocused mode. Focused mode is a familiar state, and one that is most powerful when we focus on a single important thing. He calls this state of total focus �hyperfocus�. We slip into unfocused mode (�scatterfocus�) when our mind wanders from a task, or when we let it wander, like when we go for a walk or take a shower. Scatterfocus focus help you focus on what is really important, without being too sensitive to external distractions. With hyperfocus you put your attention outward, while scatterfocus is about turning inwards. According to Bailey, hyperfocus is the most productive mode of the brain, while scatterfocus is the most creative.

Why is scatterfocus important?

Scatterfocus gives you the opportunity to formulate intentions and plans. It is impossible to formulate intentions if you are completely absorbed in the now. When you rest, your mind will automatically make plans for the future; you just have to give your brain some downtime for that.

It also nourishes creativity. This mode helps you connect old ideas and create new ones.
If your job requires you to be creative, the more important it is for you to use scatterfocus. Pauses between activities are also just as important as the activity itself because research has shown that this is the best way to learn, remember and make connections.

Scatterfocus also gives you new energy while hyperfocusing and the other hand costs a lot of energy.

Defocus

Are you often switching between activities? Can’t stay focused on one task for long? Do you need more time for work? And do you often choose less important tasks that requires less energy? These signals are letting you know that your energy supply is running out.

The secret to a balanced and healthy brain is variety. To keep your brain fit and balanced, you must switch between periods of focusing and defocusing. When you do this, you will become more productive. You will also have more energy and you will experience less stress. So don’t forget to take a break from your focus moment and take a defocus moment! A refreshing break meets the following conditions: it is and feels familiar to you, requires little effort, it is something you really want to do and is not an obligation.

Want to know more about productivity? Check out Chris Bailey�s TEDx Talk about his approach to productivity.

Good luck with defocusing!

Mindful eating means that you are aware of the thing you are eating and why. It helps you to listen to your body. Food is the fuel of our body, if we get hungry it means that we need more of this fuel. But these days we do not only use food as fuel, but for 100 other reasons such as stress, boredom, habit, coping or celebration. We are longing for food without the physical sensation of hunger, let�s call this �appetite�. With mindful eating you primarily focus on why you are eating something: are you physically hungry or are you just having an appetite for food? The latter is not a bad thing, because eating has an important role in social and cultural contexts, but it is good to be aware of this.

Awareness

Were you ever halfway your meal or snack when you suddenly realized: what am I eating, I am not even enjoying this. This is because we often eat on the automatic pilot, which makes us unaware of what we put in our mouth. With mindful eating you are truly noticing what you eat and giving your senses what they deserve by giving time and energy to taste a meal. You are adding something to a meal: attention. You can start really enjoying food if you are present with your attention. Attention makes your food more fun, surprising and special. You can amaze yourself over the little details: smell, color, and taste. In this way, every bite will become an amazing experience so you will feel both physically and mentally satisfied after a meal.

How do you eat mindful?

You can only know what mindful eating can mean for you if you try it. Eating mindful takes practice. Especially for fast eaters it can be tricky to slow down. To practice mindful eating, here is an exercise.

Primarily you will notice how much hunger your body has, is it hunger of appetite? Then you choose the food what you are in the mood for. You take a relative small portion. Focus on the moment and deeply breath in and out a couple of times. Ask yourself if you are willing to pause all your other activities, and really take the time for your food.

Then you observe your food, perceive the different colors and textures. How does it smell? Slowly take the first bite and savor this bite in your mouth without chewing. Do you notice that your hand knows exactly where your mouth is? How does the food feel in your mouth? Warm or cold? Firm or smooth? Consciously chew one time, what happens? What does your tongue do, what do you taste? Chew consciously and taste your food. Notice the change of the texture and taste of the food with every chewing movement. Chew at least 20 times before you swallow your bite. Swallow your food consciously. Take the next bite in the same way. And the next bite. And the next bite.

Try to notice that you start to feel satisfied, do not cross that line. When you are satisfied, stop eating. Evaluate how it was to eat mindful. Did you manage to focus your attention to the moment and your senses. Did you like it? Did you notice a difference with how you usually eat? Give yourself a compliment that you tried this exercise and took the time for it. Practice this exercise everyday or every other day. You can write down your findings to become aware of any changes in your attitude towards food. Perhaps you ate things you did not like without being aware of it? Or you enjoy your food more? Which bite is the best?

Tips to help you eat mindful

If you lack the time, you do not always have to go through the entire cycle of mindful eating. You can also use the separate parts of eating mindful to see which ones work for you. Below, you will find 5 tips. Try using them and see which one works for you.

1. Make an intention to really taste your food and enjoy it in the current moment. Focussing your attention only works if you make a true intention.
2. Use your senses to take in all the aspects of a meal, like color, texture, and smell.
3. Pause between every bite by laying down your cutlery. Take a deep breath. In this break, try focussing on the taste and aftertaste of your food.
4. Evaluate afterwards what you ate, how you ate it and how you experienced it.

Compliment yourself on taking the time to enjoy your food. You took a step in getting in touch with yourself and the wealth that a meal can offer you.

What if it fails?

Good news: it can�t! Mindful eating can not fail because there is nothing you have to do right. You only have to be aware of what is happening. You notice without judging. Notice how you eat, when there is attention and when there is not. Adjust your eating behavior to the circumstances: eat some more the one time, and a bit less the other time. When you enjoy immensely, do not worry about it, the next time will be different. Relax. Eating mindful does not strive for perfection, but for relaxation. If you strive for perfection, you will never be satisfied and the chance is bigger that you give up. We are curious about your experiences with eating mindful, tell us by leaving a comment below!

�When walking walk, when eating eat�

Goal:�Write down in the �Feel Goal� what your first experiences are with eating mindful. What did you notice, what happened?

Mindfulness is a state of mind that is characterized by the awareness of someone’s physical experiences, feelings and thoughts, without having an automatic reaction and having an opinion right away. To work towards mindfulness you can do training, meditation and other attention exercises. Mindfulness is getting more popular, but how did it actually come into being? You can read more about the history of mindfulness in this article!

Buddhistic origin
Mindfulness is a term that originates from Anglo-Saxon language, whose origins lie in Buddhism. Buddha (560 yr BC) has dedicated his life to investigating the causes of suffering in the world, and especially why suffering persists. He has devised ways to reduce suffering and free people from it. According to him, suffering is caused by ourselves, we are inclined to attach ourselves to pleasant experiences and to turn ourselves against unpleasant experiences. An attitude of friendly attention and attention is the way to suffer no longe and to have peace with ourselves and the situation, even when the situation is uncomfortable.

The founding father Jon
The American Jon Kabat-Zinn was the first to get the concept of mindfulness out of his Buddhist context and developed an eight-week training course, namely mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) training. In Dutch this is also called the attention training. As the name says, the development or improvement of attention is central. Jon worked at the University of Massachusetts academic hospital. It struck him that people who could not be treated anymore because of their terminal illness, had to face an agony. People with a terminal illness were often told that they had to ‘deal’ with their illness, but nobody could tell them how.

Jon Kabat-Zinn is a molecular biologist and he also has a lot of experience with meditation and yoga. With the knowledge of both areas he developed a training with the aim to provide patients with means to improve their quality of life.

Jon takes over
In 1979 Jon Kabat-Zinn opened the �Stress Reduction Clinic� at the hospital of his university, which was later called ‘the Center for Mindfulness’. The training sessions proved to be successful: many patients appeared to benefit from the training and the effectiveness was confirmed by scientific research.

More and more therapists came to Massachusetts for an education. Thousands of people have now followed the training. To this day, Jon is giving seminars, workshops and lectures about mindfulness worldwide.