You are busy with your work, reading, or listening to a lecture, when suddenly you realise that for some time you forgot what you were doing. Instead of focusing on your work, book or a lecture, you were lost in a reverie about something else, completely unrelated to what you were doing.
Did you sit at work, in a classroom or a meeting, while your mind was miles away busy with other things? Suddenly, you realised that someone has asked you a question. You see him or her staring at you, but you don’t know what the question was. This could be embarrassing.
The strange thing is, you don’t even recall when your mind distracted and for how long.
This happens to everyone, and sometimes, even in situations where you cannot risk losing attention, such as driving.
Losing attention and allowing the mind to wander are quite a common daily occurrence. This happens in all ages and to all people. This often occurs when you are bored, tired, or disinterested in doing something. If you don’t like your work, your attention might frequently wander to other subjects.
Losing your attention could be risky, especially if you are a driver or work with machinery. It could lead to mistakes and errors, and to inefficiency in every kind of work.
It is less likely for the mind to wander when you are doing something which you love doing or are excited about. The excitement and interest do not allow your mind to wander away.
Let’s do an experiment. Start focussing on a square for a minute or two. Be careful not to strain your eyes. Blink, if you feel the need to. Do it now!
What happened during these moments? Were you able to hold your attention steady? Probably not!
Just a few seconds later your attention would wander to other thoughts. Then, you will realise that you were not directing your attention to the square. You will again try to focus your attention to the square. This would perhaps happen quite a few times.This exercise proves how easily the mind wanders away. I am sure you realise by now how important it is to try to focus your mind on what you are doing. You might say that you enjoy mentally wandering away while working and think of other things because you don’t like your work. Actually, I am inclined to believe that a great percentage of people daydream for a part of the time they are at work, especially when engaged in some mechanical activity.
The mind might wander to something more pleasant and enjoyable than what you are doing at the moment, but it can equally wander to negative thinking, worries and problems.
Would it be useful to develop the skill to control the attention? It certainly is! With this skill developed, when you work, the likelihood of making mistakes decreases. You do your work better,more efficiently and finish tasks in a shorter span.
At a lecture, you don’t miss anything. While driving, you are aware of the road and how you are driving.
When with friends, or meeting, or with clients, you don’t miss what’s going on, and are always aware of what people say or ask.This ability is also useful when you meditate. It helps you to focus and clear your mind of unessential thoughts.When you control your attention,you avoid being absent-minded and stop thinking about other matters in places and times when you should be alert and attentive.
Sasson is a life coach and motivational speaker