Do you feel like your mind has a mind of its own?
It wanders off, venturing into various directions, without your permission…
Or maybe, it sneakily gets you to agree to have ‘just one little look’ at your emails/FB account/or some other innocent and quick activity and then takes off and gets you lost for much longer than you indented to?
Do you feel like you’re juggling multiple ideas at the same time?
Is this how your mind feels like sometimes?
Scientists found out that our mind wanders off track for half of the time, regardless of what we’re doing? (maybe except sex). The lack of mental focus that results from it, not only gets in the way of our productivity, but also affect our happiness. Even though people may opt in to think about pleasant topics instead of focusing on that dreaded project/exam revisions/book writing, they feel less happy when daydreaming than when doing the job they should be working on.
Wandering mind is an unhappy mind.
But if you’re an owner of a wandering mind, or a juggling mind with many thoughts at the same time, or a messy office mind, don’t despair.
You’re not alone – a lot of people have similar problems and I’ve been there, too.
With the right approach, you can regain control over your mind and improve your focus.
I’ve been there, many times. I even used to prided myself on being able to stay on top of that mess, knowing where stuff was, remembering lots of little details and being able to recall a multi-layered novel plot I developed years ago. As I grew older and busier, I started forgetting more and more, including people’s names, birthdays and even my own address!
I wrote about my system to stay on top of a messy, juggling mind before. In this post I will review the system and add some more tips on managing your wandering mind.
As a quick reminder: my approach described below is adapted from David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD) time management system. I also added a few techniques from psychological and cognitive neuroscience baskets – as usually, stuff that has been proven to work.
Step 1. Declutter your mind
Just as you would do with a real messy office, to keep your mind organised and on track, start with decluttering it.
This is one of the most powerful GTD techniques. All you need is pen and paper (or a suitable piece of software) to capture all those free-range thoughts. Better still, set up an ‘idea notebook’, so you can keep your ideas in one place (see Step 2 for details).
It’s a good initial cleanup, but works really well on daily basis. You can also do it every time before you sit down to study or to work on your project etc.
Offload all the thoughts you’re holding in your head at the moment – to-dos, new inventions, reminders, book plots, questions to ask, arguments-to-have-later, jokes-to-be-told-later – they all go on the piece of paper (into your app).
Remember, anything that’s floating in your mind, is occupying clogging up your working memory. So don’t hold back. Keep writing down what pops into your head.
Write one thought per line, so that you can clearly see your ideas.
If you are doing his exercise as an initial or a regular cleanup move to the next steps – coding and filing what you’ve just offloaded.
If not, get on with the job at hand, knowing your great ideas and important reminders are safe and you can come back to them whenever you want to.
Step 2. Have a ‘free range thoughts’ capturing system/ Set up an ‘idea notebook (system)’
Set up a system to capture your thoughts, ideas, to-dos and other thinking stuff so that you never forget.
Setting up this system requires some upfront work, but it’s worth it. Once you have it n place and using it becomes a habit, you can relax and focus on whatever you need to focus on.
What you need is a handy, reliable tool that you can carry around at all times (maybe except the bathroom). It may be a good, old pen & paper solution, or the newest electronic gizmo. I use pocket-size cheap little notebooks and I clip a pen onto it.
My humble idea notebook (vol. 9)
I prefer notebooks to using loose pieces of paper (such as sticky notes), because not only I have it all in one place, but also there is less risk of my notes getting lost. However, if you prefer using loose pieces of paper, have a physical space where you can put your notes so they don’t get lost: use an in-tray, a basket or even a shoe box.
If you prefer technology solutions, smartphones are probably the best device for capturing your scattered thoughts. These days, we tend to carry our powerful phones everywhere. And even if your phone is not a sophisticated machine, there is always some sort of recording feature available, be it a voice recording, or typing. If not, you can always text or ring yourself and leave a message.
Obviously, you can also use one of the multiple productivity/note taking apps available. Evernote is probably the most popular and most versatile of them, but there are many, many others (e.g. Remember The Milk, Teux Deux). You can download a list of most popular apps with short descriptions of main features here.
Whatever you method of choice for capturing thoughts and ideas, the key to successful implementation of this system is that:
- You only use one system. Don’t waste time transferring between systems. And don’t waste time searching two systems for your gems.
- You have it handy whenever you need it. Don’t go for anything fancy or fiddly, or too big. At the end of the day, if you can’t fit it into your smallest handbag, or it’s something you’d be too self-conscious/embarrassed/scared to get out and use, you’re not going to use it.
- Use it as soon as a thought/idea/reminder pops into your mind. Don’t wait for a ‘better moment’, unless you absolutely have to (e.g. You are in the toilet or swimming). Try not to hold those thought in your working memory for too long. As I wrote earlier our working memory is quite short. After 20 minutes we are able to recall only 60% of the information and only 50% after 1 hr. If you have to wait longer than a few minutes, repeat your idea, by eg talking through the steps or main components in your mind or even aloud.
- You can use with ease. If you’re opting for technology solution, make sure you’re really familiar with it and that operating the app does not take longer than recording of your thought.
- If you have to use an ‘interim’ system, go for something that is easy to use and store until you can transfer your notes to your ‘proper’ system and transfer your record asap. Usually these temporary systems end up being notes scribbled on scraps of paper not normally used for that purpose, such as tickets, boarding passes, paper napkins, or even your own hand. Try to minimise the need for this kind of creativity by ensuring your main idea capturing system is as portable and easy to use as possible.
Test a few solutions before you settle for your favourite one.
If you have a system in place, but not using it as often as you should/could, something is not working – review the system’s usability and your own motivation to use it, tweak and try again; repeat until you always use it.
I’ve opted for a paper small notebook and I always carry a pen attached to it. The notebook fits into all my handbags, as well as the pocket of my running shirt, so I can use it when out running.
Step 3 Code and file your thoughts
After you’ve captured all your free-range thoughts and ideas, prepare them for storage and retrieval. Even the best storage system is useless if you don’t have your items ‘coded’’ and ‘filed. What’s that?
Imaging trying to find a book in a library where all the books are on the shelves but completely randomly. Or a piece of clothing in a big pile of clothes.
Hard, isn’t it?
That’s why if you want to use your idea capturing system not only to capture your ideas, but also to easily find them, you need to design your own coding and filing system
- Create a filing system with folders corresponding all the projects/ideas you have got (work and/or life), irrespective of the stage (they would range from ‘incubating an idea’, through ‘under way’, to ‘completed’). It’s good to have folders for all projects- you may want to go back to a project you retired a while ago.
- You can use electronic and/or physical folders (paper/plastic folders, boxes, etc.). Again, it’s best if you can stick to one system, but many people opt for having both – electronic and hard copies, often for backup reasons. Test to see what works best for you.
- Use a ‘code’, which is simple and easy to ‘de-code’. It’s particularly important if you’re jugging several projects at the same time.
- Always ask yourself: is any action required? What’s the next step? What’s the timeline/deadline? – and add this information to your note
E.g. If you suddenly remember you need to ring your Aunt Betty to ask if you could borrow her boat for your holiday trip next year, you could code this reminder as:
**To do: holidays next year; ask Auntie Betty if we can use her boat -by Sunday,
rather than writing ‘Ring A. Betty re boat’
- The most common ‘code categories’ include:
– To-dos
– Ideas to consider working on in the future (’someday/maybe’
– Urgent
– Reference
– Project (A, B, C,…)
– Holidays
– Family
- If you have a filing system already in place, just use the corresponding coding categories
- Have an ‘urgent attention required’ folder in a visible place. This can be as simple as having a post-it note somewhere visible.
- Schedule the next step into you planner/scheduling system (more about it later) – electronic, paper-based, cloud-based, whatever works for you.
Step 4. Bring your wandering mind to here and now
If you find yourself day-dreaming, or going off on a tangent while doing some other intellectual work, here are a few techniques to bring your mind back on track.
#1. Identify – Acknowledge – Let go of
*{- identify you’re distracted by [thought x]
– acknowledge it [‘I’m thinking about X (again)’]
– Capture it in your Idea Capturing System (Idea notebook) if it’s worth it. if not:
– let go it it [‘Oh, well. I need to focus on my task’]. }*
– *{…}* rinse and repeat as many times as needed
#2. ‘Snap-me-out-of-it’ sensory tricks
Over the years as an owner of a wandering mind and a short attention span, I’ve developed various strategies for bringing myself back on track.
These little techniques originate from anxiety management and sensory modulation and are very effective in bringing your focus back into the here and now.
The mechanism behind those techniques is to cut through your mental noise/clutter with sensory input using your vision, hearing, touch, smell, taste and somatic receptors. We all have different sensory preferences, so again – see whatever works for you.
It’s as simple as looking around and naming 5 things you see, hear, smell, feel (touch) etc. around you. You can use your taste (e.g. make yourself a cup of tea/coffee and sip on it when you feel distracted; savour the taste) and physical activity (take a few deep breaths, stretch, wave your hand; wear a rubber band on your wrist and snap lightly when you want to refocus).
Practice doing it every time you notice your mind is wandering off or you catch yourself being preoccupied by a distracting thought.
Step 5. Develop your own ‘snap-me-out-of-it’ tricks to refocus
Developing a repertoire of ‘snap-me-out-if-it’ tricks, like the ones described above is a very effective strategy, but it takes time and practice to work. The more you practice it, the better you get at it.
However silly it sounds, come up with your own little ‘snap back into it’ gesture, just like for emotions It’s best if it’s physical rather than just mental as this will enhance the signal to refocus you’re giving yourself.
The techniques above are my favourite ‘snap-me-out-of-it’ tricks together with what other people I’ve worked with found helpful. Pick one or a couple and test if it works for you one by one.
Don’t worry if it doesn’t work straightaway. Give it some time (try for at least a few days). If one technique doesn’t work, try another one. It’s good to have a few tricks up your sleeve, so don’t stop experimenting.
Bonus: yes, you can meditate, if you like.
I need to disclose a conflict of interest here. It won’t be surprise for those of you who know me a little.
I’m not saying meditation is bad. I’m not arguing with the overwhelming evidence. Yes, motivation is the gold standard for stress reduction, improved cognitive skills, healthier body, happiness and other great things, but it just doesn’t work for me.
However, the evidence is out there – meditation can help you improve your control over your mind.
Timothy Pychyl, a procrastination researcher and expert explains that procrastination is a failure of our emotional self-regulation mechanisms: an easy way out of a task that makes us feel uneasy, stressed or simply unpleasant. He argues that the best way to redirect yourself back onto the task you should be working on, is to become mindful of your emotions and learn to regular your emotional responses. And he believes meditation is the best way to put it into practice, because it reinforces emotional self-awareness and subsequently – develop non-judgmental awareness of all your thoughts and feelings and gain control over your emotional responses.
Then, you can override your emotional reaction to the unpleasant task you should be doing and make ‘the right choice’ between procrastination and working on your task.
A 2012 study on the effect of mindfulness meditation on multitasking/task-switching found that people who trained in meditation stayed on tasks longer with fewer switches.
Chris Bailey, The Life of Productivity blogger, also recommends meditation as a way to improve your focus and productivity through prioritizing highest leverage activities and working smarter. You can find his guide to meditation here.
So where is your mind now? Still focused on this post?
Or did you have to bring it back on track several times?
How much time have you lost today on daydreaming?
Imagine it’s no longer the case. Imagine you can focus your mind on what you want to focus on – every-single-time.
And you can keep on track for as long as you want.
Imagine your mind being in your control…
How much more could you achieve? How much happier would you be?
Sounds impossible?
It’s not.
I’ve done it and you can do it to. Start with Step 1 and work your way through the system. Don’t forget to test a few ‘snap-me-out-of-it’ tricks.
And practice. Practice a lot.
You will be the master of your mind in no time.
*This post is an excerpt from my book How Laser-Sharp Focus. A No-Fluff Guide to Improved Concentration, Maximised Productivity and Fast-Track to Success. It’s been published since I first wrote this post and you can get it from those retailers:
