Have you ever intended to be fully absorbed in your work but found yourself distracted (走神) by e-mail, the Internet and other things throughout the day?
"People often lose their concentration when they are bored, of course, but also when they are engaged in challenging tasks," says Peter Bregman. "They sometimes have a feeling to escape from what's difficult or boring, so they jump out," he says. The part of the brain devoted to attention is connected to the brain's emotional center. Any strong emotion-quarrels with colleagues, problems at home-can interrupt our attention. Studies over the last decade have shown that too much work to do at a time can easily lead to distraction.
Refocusing is hard for many people. Robert Epstein suggests the following, "Stop and listen to music for a few minutes. Go for a short walk or take a deep breath, where you breathe in deeply, count to five slowly, hold it and breathe out very slowly." This can "blow out all the tension and the unwanted in your mind to restore your focus."
Take more control by structuring your time and becoming more aware of your behaviors. "Setting the phone alarm to go off every hour is my way of creating awareness," Mr. Bregman says," You have to inform yourself that you've lost focus in order to do something about it." Starting the day with a to-do list is important, such as when to eat, when to go to the gym or take a walk. But if it's overly ambitious, you will put yourself in a state of anxiety, which makes it hard for the brain to concentrate. "Choosing three or four things as your priority (优先) for the day allows your brain to settle down and focus," he says.
Topic | How to become more (76) ___ on the work? |
(77)___ of getting distracted | ▲People tend to get away from things that they're (78) ___ up with. ▲Strong (79) ___ affect the brain' s part for attention. ▲People get distracted easily if (80) ___ multitasks at a time. |
(81) ___ of strong emotions | ▲having a (82) ___ with a colleague. ▲meeting with problems at home |
Tips on holding attention | ▲Stop working to restore your focus by (83) ___ your breath and try different relaxing things. ▲(84) ___ your time effectively and create awareness of your be- haviors. ▲Make a to-do list at the beginning of a working day. ▲Focus on 3 or 4 things and get them done (85) ___ for the day. |