This may not be easy and comfortable for a lot of people to admit but social media and multi-function devices can sometimes make us lose our focus. Losing focus simply affects productivity and efficiency. The phenomenon of losing focus because of the Internet was expounded by Nicholas G. Carr’s 2010 book, “The Shallows”. Sometimes, the inability to focus is also a result of anxiety. Anxiety may come from the pressure of deadlines and quotas that need to be fulfilled. So it is unfair to keep blaming technology for things that humans can take control of. One way to control your focus is to use some gadgets. Except the brainwave headbands, these gadgets were manufactured for many other purposes and if used wisely, they could greatly help in focusing or concentrating.
Brainwave-Monitoring Headbands
The Melon headband was released in May of this year. It is a device that monitors brainwave data to help users achieve better focus. The brainwave data it gathers is interpreted through a mobile application that also provides tips and insights on focusing. When it reaches a full production run, the Melon headband will cost not more than $100. Muse, another brainwave-monitoring device was launched. The Muse headband connects to gadgets like Smartphones and tablets via Bluetooth allowing your mind to control some applications. It costs $199 and works much like the Melon headband using EEG sensors to track brain activity. Knowing your brain activity in a very tangible way because of these gadgets can help you be more in control.
Head/ear Phones
Is it the noise that makes it too hard to concentrate? Put on a headphone or an earphone with high sound isolation capacity and wide drivers. This helps even if you are not really listening to anything although playing classical music at low volume is most recommended by experts for the purpose of concentrating. Songs with lyrics that you sing along to might just become another distraction. So have a headphone and an iPod handy whenever you feel anxious and unable to concentrate.
Single function devices
Single function devices such as eBook readers and digital organizers help keep your attention on the task at hand. For example, you are plotting your schedule for the month. If you are using an application in your Smartphone, it may receive a call or a text message any minute prompting you to shift to another task. How about the eBook reader? You can save documents that you have to concentrate on reading in PDF form. With services like virtual PBX, almost every document in the office can be received and accessed in digital form. Gather all documents you need to work on and download them to your eBook reader. Compared to using a tablet or a laptop for the same purpose, using an eBook reader assures you that there will be no prompts that will pop out any second tempting you to log in to your Facebook or Twitter accounts. That is if you turn off your e-book reader’s WiFi at least while you want to keep your concentration to finish a task.
As mentioned earlier, these gadgets can greatly help in maintaining focus but they should not be relied on 100%. In the end, it is all a matter of self-control and humans are very much capable of that.
