Consider that, whether it is your intended aim, you are constantly focusing on something.
The deliberate and intentional action of shifting your attention from one stimulus to another is known as attention switching. Absent-mindedness can result from unconscious attention switching, where you change your focus without knowing.
When someone is anxious about something, being aware of where their attention is focused can help them purposefully change their focus in order to calm down. However, consider that becoming more conscious of where your attention is focused can help you perform better when achieving intended goals or creating new things.
You may find these questions useful:
- Do you practice where you place your attention?
- Do you notice when your attention has moved to something different?
- How quickly do you notice when you are focusing on something different?
- Would you like to have a choice where you place your attention in the moment?
An Attention Journal may be a useful tool, although not necessary to follow a process with the aim to become more aware through reflection.
You can log or think about information such as:
- Where you want to place your attention during a given moment in time?
- Logging when and where your attention moves.
- How quickly you became aware of where you moved your attention.
- Did your attention move because you were distracted?
- What caused you to become distracted? e.g. technology, emotions, boredom & commitment, thinking of the past/future.
Being able to choose whether to stay with your current intention or shift your attention to be focused on something else in the moment can be empowered by understanding why and when you alter your focus and attention.
Options
Choose to pause when your attention shifts, recognising whether it is a focused change or whether your attention is shifting without your conscious awareness at the time.
Or
Change nothing if this is something you already do or not interested in.
