Episode 334: Direct Your Focus and Eliminate Distraction

Have you ever felt challenged to direct your focus? Today more than ever, right? Every time I turn on my phone, my ability to stay focused on a task is challenged. Even in our physical environments, we can enter a room to get something and forget what we need in that room once there. Only to leave the room, remember, and then schlep back to get the forgotten item. Distraction is time-consuming and toxic. What if we could reverse the trend by learning to catch ourselves before getting distracted? I aired this 6-minute meditation in February of this year and feel this change in seasons is an excellent time to practice directing our attention. An ability to keep your focus, control impulses, and keep your mind from wandering directionless. Focus is a skill set with four aspects: directing, sustaining, noticing, and relaxing attention. Directing attention is focusing on the right things at the right time, like a flashlight shedding light on the task. Because meditation can reduce lapses in attention and positively impact our work and relationships, we can all learn this first aspect of focus. After you complete the 6-minute meditation, share it with your leadership team, staff, and family. You can hear what others go through in learning this skill of directing our attention to the right things at the right time.   The inspiration for this meditation originated from Healthy Minds Innovation and Healthy Minds @Work. I recommend downloading the free Healthy Minds APP to track your progress as you build a calm, clear, and stable mind. It is not unlike building muscles in other parts of the body. Repetitions, consistency, and intensity strengthen muscle tissue in different muscle groups building skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscles over time. Researchers have found that regular meditators have stronger activation levels in the temporal parietal junctures, a part of the brain where we feel empathy. You practice cognitive control whenever you bring your attention back to your focal point. Imagine being in a meditative state of mindful alertness all day. Directing your attention here and there, feeling empowered and joyful, not distracted with toxicity growing inside. It is possible with a mindful meditation practice. DOWNLOAD

NEXT STEP: Challenge yourself and do the Conscious Attentive Leadership Mentoring (C.A.L.M.) Activities, below.

Podcast Sponsor

Redefine how you lead and redesign your business. Dual innovation with mentoring works!

Strategies to Grow Your Business Meaningful Conversations Evolve How You Lead Get Support, Insight, Accountability

SUBSCRIBE NOW         HIRE A MENTOR Episode Resources Healthy Minds Innovations Healthy Minds Innovations   Conscious Attentive Leadership Mentoring After listening, do these three C.A.L.M. Activities: Take this risk or do this adventurous task: DOWNLOAD and complete this 6-minute meditation exercise to learn how to direct your attention. You can start each day this week with this meditation as an experimental challenge to focus on the right things at the right time. Take charge throughout the day by noticing when you get distracted and redirect your attention to the task you must complete.

Apply Self-Compassion: Notice your feelings when you get off track. Allow your mind to relax in open awareness observing the sensations in your body and the sounds around you. Gently redirect your attention and continue completing the task at hand.

Welcome Appreciation: “I appreciate being able to prepare a directed attention meditation exercise for you. I appreciate the importance of having mind flexibility and control over where we direct our attention. I appreciate the efforts you are putting in to assert self-leadership through disciplined practices like meditation to improve your mindset. I am grateful to pass on cherished practices that deliver real improvements in our abili...