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PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUE No. 1890
PSYCHOLOGICAL
ISSUE No. 1856
PERSPECTIVES JAVANAN
PERSPECTIVES

JAVANAN
Dr. Alan A.
Modarressi LOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
Clinical and A SOCIOCULTURAL AND MIND AND BODY OUTLOOK
Neuro-Psychologyst
In this column, we examine the mental health issues in the context
of social, culture, and physiological concerns of the Iranian community

CONCENTRATION PROBLEMS AND DISTRACTIBILITY

Part 1-How to Stay Focused in a Digital World

wandering mind is a com- The good news, however, is that fo-
mon and frustrating experi- cus is a skill you can cultivate and
A ence that leaves us unable improve. The trick is to train the
to focus on the task or project at brain to ignore distractions.
hand. Some different factors influ- For at-home workers struggling
ence one’s cognitive functioning with distraction, a recent survey re-
including the ability to concentrate. vealed that social media is the lead-
As a result, the overall productivity ing cause — many reported wast-
suffers, and stress levels increase.
Although frustrating, the problem ing up to two hours a day — with
children coming in second. You
is entirely manageable. Simple life- can reduce those distracting dings,
style modifications and other easy
strategies help us refocus wandering tweets and rings coming from your
mind. social media feeds, emails and text
The digital world that we live in messages by simply turning off the
has brought us more distractions and notifications.
less ability to gather our thoughts at If that feels radical, you can at-
will and focus on the job at hand. A tempt turning away from technolo-
New York Times article: "You Can gy using self-control, but willpower
Get Focused (Hint: Put Down That is a limiting resource, it’s unpleasant
Phone)—Argues that the average and we’re not willing to do it for
person’s mind wanders nearly half very long, so the best thing to do
the time. is create a situation where it’s just
The average person’s mind wan- harder to be distracted.
ders 47 percent of the time, accord- A recent research on self-control
ing to a 2010 Harvard study, so in teenagers, data showed that the
nearly half the time you’re doing farther away students placed their
one thing, you’re thinking about phone while studying, the higher
something else. Add the 24-hour their grades.
news cycle, the barrage of social When your focus wanes and you ting up clear signs so young children ing the environment in which flow
media and the countless distractions feel the urge to online shop or grab understand when not to interrupt. can actually happen may mean
for those working from their bed- a game of 2048, there are tech tools Mr. Eyal suggests finding the cra- clearly articulating boundaries of
rooms, backyards and walk-in clos- to prevent your giving in. The Free- ziest hat you can find — he calls it your time,” said Sasha Heinz, a de-
ets — a number that has more than dom app blocks websites from your his concentration crown. “When my velopmental psychologist and life
quadrupled from 8.2 percent in Feb- computer and smartphone; Forest daughter sees me wearing it, I don’t coach. “Instead of two parents half
ruary 2020 to 35.2 percent in May has you set a timer encircling the need to interrupt my call and explain working and half taking care of the
2020, according to research from image of a tree; if you pick up your that I’m busy, because she knows kids, you need to communicate with
the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas phone before the time is completed, the hat means that daddy’s working your partner and block off time for
— and it’s no surprise that people the tree withers and dies. and can’t be distracted,” he said. each of you when no interruption is
are struggling to focus. Having children at home when Distractions can make it impossi- allowed.”
Some experts would argue that you’re working remotely poses its ble to find your flow, that state when In the next article, I will continue
human attention, not money, is the own challenges to staying focused. you are deeply engaged and merged exploring our step by step tech-
most valuable commodity there is Nir Eyal, the author of the book, with the object of your focus. “For niques to enhance our concentration
and it’s the ultimate scarce resource. “Indistractable,” recommends set- parents with children at home, creat- skills.

DANESH FOROUGHI, PH.D. Alan Modarressi, PhD, QME
Licensed Clinical Psychologist, PSY13680 Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Licensed Marriage, Family & Child Psychotherapist, MFC23455 Qualified Medical Evaluator
Certified National Board of Addiction Examiners #4974 Certified Psychophsychologist
Tel: (310) 940-3642 Diplomat, American Academy of Pain Management
15720 Ventura Blvd., Second Fl. #224 Encino CA 91436 (818) 501-6080 (562) 861-7226

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