Distraction or focus

Distraction or Focus?

Which is the best way to work?

At extremes there seems to be, two sorts of people Those who constantly seek distraction and those who seek total focus. Most people are between these two extremes

It can be observed that there are those who are never still, fidgeting , moving physically and mentally (and emotionally) and those who seek perfect stillness in mind body and spirit. Never exited or badly depressed, Laidback people.

One aspect that seems paradoxical, but can be observed, is that those who constantly seek distraction, tend to be so impatient that they constantly interrupt others, but they also hate being interrupted themselves. This may be because they fear forgetting what they want to say, since a mind that is constantly flitting from subject to subject; will find that it sometimes cannot retain a thought for a required length of time, especially when having to listen to other opinions.

Most of us are between these two extremes, we do get bored and sometimes seek distractions, but we can concentrate when need to. Meditation, the empty mind meditation, not the “lost in focus on a candle flame” one, can recharge a mind that has been fragmented by too many distractions, ones not intended. The claiming of “virtue” in multi-tasking has been a gift for those who do not make the effort to focus exclusively on what they are doing. Being single minded and determined to achieve a single goal has become almost a criticism, and this is a sign that the lovers of distraction are governing the way we are all expected to think. The question has to be considered; does this affect working efficiency?

Modern media, such as you tube, text messages (SMS) and all the other popular platforms are all designed to facilitate and encourage those seeking constant change. Everything is kept short, without detail, without explanation and mostly without much thought. The ancient Chinese said that the only constant thing in the universe is change- they probably assumed everyone would know that all change has a cost of some sort. Changing your mind usually involves material change, which costs money or effort; often both. It is possible that the ancient philosophers were considering that the changes in seasons, the change from day to night and the change in the direction of the wind; were all indications of the constant change they were talking about. They all seem to consider contemplation, the slow deliberate focus and thinking on one aspect of life at a time, was essential to understand anything. If you consider the great cathedrals bult in European nations during the Middle Ages, the architects and stone masons did not flit from site to site, they spent years, some decades, working on one single project. We still admire the results of their work.

News platforms are advertised as only taking five minutes to read everything you need to know, only five minutes to be knowledgeable about every event, and every issue, every controversy, that is newsworthy. Does any sane person really believe this? It is a selling claim so has to be taken with the appropriate caution, but it is a sign that the “distraction” minds have taken over running our lives when this sort of claim is considered a positive selling plug. Consider the length of a pop song compared to a symphony. Think about the need for harsh instant, powerful taste in modern food. Compare this to gentle organic natural flavouring of foods that can be savoured.

In the last fifty years we have come to regard instant, readymade, easy, as desirable. Cooking without focus on the food had become normal, eating without thinking about what you are eating is now normal. Many instances exist to indicate that our modern lifestyle is moving in a direction that is a furtherment of the distraction peoples ideal, when compared to the focus ones. Where is this going? Will we all become devoid of ability to think a process through, will we all multitask six ideas at once, making them all work but never fully understanding the consequences of any of them? Will the life expectancy start to get reduced in “developed” nations or will artificial intelligence and the automation of administrative tasks change our who outlook and philosophy about work and life? Will we become contemplative and carefully consider every new idea in full before getting the marketing people to sell it? Will government actually think right through, any new laws and consider every possible consequence of the changes they wish to make? Before rushing it into law.

Intuitively you expect those at the stillness and focused end of the spectrum to live longer but is this true? Try to think of anyone who has lived to be over 70 years old and has always been constantly on the nervous move, never still mentally or physically. Which style of thinking- distraction or focus- helps achieve targets?