“And do not imitate this world, but be transformed by the renovation of your minds, and you shall distinguish what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:12 APBE)
When was the last time you focused your attention on a single task, without distractions, for more than an hour?
Advances in technology inundate us with more and more information and stimulation. Most of us have multiple devices vying for our attention. We no longer even try to filter out the unimportant. Instead, we have become accustomed to fragmented thoughts and diminished concentration. We cannot blame our electronic devices for our shortened attention spans. Because we have so many options and novel diversions, self-interruptions are the norm. We go searching for distractions when we feel bored or stuck. We have trained our brains to continually scan for diversions, thus reducing our ability to focus on one task for very long.
In order to retrain our concentration, we must identify the attention-span leaks and reconstruct our minds. If you find electronic devices too distracting, go back to paper. The act of writing, pen on paper, can help our brain make connections and process information. Reading paper books can be intensely satisfying. Deep work requires focus. Create physical and mental environments that block out distractions. Turn off notifications. Put on earplugs. Find spaces of solitude and quiet. Resist the temptation to multi-task; it leads to negligence. Figure out when your brain is most alert. Set aside this time for focused activities. Schedule short breaks between diligent sessions of concentration. Once you are in a state of flow, let nothing disrupt you. Do not imitate this world. Renovate your mind. Filter out the noise. Pay attention to what is good.
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