Hey guys , and welcome back to another episode of your Brains Coach podcast . My name is Angela Shurina , I'm your host , I'm your Brains Coach and it is my job here and my pleasure to bring to you , share with you , discover for you all the amazing , applicable , effective , fascinating and life-transforming brain-body tools so you can take better control of your thoughts , of your emotions and , most importantly , of your actions , so you could shape the life experience that you absolutely love living . And today we are talking about controlling something else controlling our focus , which defines our thoughts , our emotions and our actions . A lot of what these days we are talking about when we are talking about mindset management or mindset mastery , growth , mindset a lot of it has to do with your skills , your ability that you can develop , you can strengthen your ability to control your own focus . And there is the other side of focus which people think of when they think about mastering , improving , strengthening their focus , when they think about mastering , improving , strengthening their focus .
Speaker 1And the other side of this coin is distractions . We feel like we are bombarded and that is probably objectively true that we are bombarded with more and more distractions , things that take our focus away from the main thing , take our focus away from the main thing technology , opportunities , choices , people , things on our plate we need to take care of work projects , personnel projects , health projects , relationships , all the news , information , ai and the list just keeps growing and , from what we can tell , it's not going to get any better anytime soon . But how , then , some people are able to navigate this noisy place space that our world became and stay focused on things that matter to them , stay focused while working amidst all of the possible distractions which are common to absolutely all of us , how some people seem to navigate this space seemingly so easily , and why some people struggle so much with that . Are there more and more people with ADHD and just some people's brains are not capable of filtering out distractions ? It actually seems not to be the case at all , but what seems to be the case and the cure is something else , something else that you're about to discover and experts have been known for quite some time and there are books written about that . It's not something that's super new . Most people and great writers and scientists and entrepreneurs , and all these successful people who are able to focus , to zone in on their goal and navigating this distracted space easily and effectively those people they know something that well . Sometimes they know it , sometimes they don't think that much about it , but they all use this knowledge to their advantage and that's how their focus is so strong , no matter what kind of brain they got , whether it's an ADHD brain or some other neurodiversity kind of brain , it doesn't matter . You have the same ability to focus amidst all of these distractions , no matter what . Just some of us . Yes , we'll have to organize our environment a little bit better , train the skill a little bit more , but I mean , I'm not going to say every single brain , because there are some brain disorders , issues that are harder to navigate than others , but most people , most people , are capable of having great focus and achieving everything they need to achieve and staying productive as they need to be amidst all of the distractions . So what is it ? It's not a distractions problem , it's a filtration problem .
Speaker 1Let me read you something from Cal Newport's blog . Cal Newport , the author of deep work be that good that they can't ignore it or similar to that title , slow Productivity , among other pieces of his work , all dedicated to being your best , developing mastery , harnessing focus , which is an absolute must , which is an absolute must if you want to achieve anything worthy of mentioning in our world , in this life . So something from Cal Newport's blog the difficulty of maintaining focus in a distracted age . And , like everyone else , I've noted , along with the prohibition , sermons imploring me to limit my information diet , stop multitasking , turn off the devices at least once a week , and , like everyone else , these sermons have had no effect . What's interesting about this column in Briggs' solution , which articulates a point that I finally believe ?
Speaker 1The lesson , then , is that if you want to win the war for attention , don't try to say no to the trivial distractions you find in our information space . Try to say yes to the subject that arouses a terrifying longing and let that terrifying longing crowd out everything else . So I love this piece , which has a little bit difficult , complex language . But I love this piece which has a little bit difficult , complex language . But I love this piece from Karl Newport's blog , which he develops further in his work , author of Deep Work , slow Productivity , among others . It reminds me of this insight that I had quite a while ago while going through Tony Robbins' coaching methodologies and also neuroscience research confirming what he was teaching right . It reminds me of this insight I had a while ago also that I remembered presenting at PwC Innovation Day . So the insight people struggle with distractions , not because distractions exist they always existed , believe it or not but because people lack clarity around their priorities , the priority puzzle .
Speaker 1So a client of mine asked me recently Angela , how do I stay focused long-term on my goals , on my priorities , versus thinking about what others are doing or whether I should jump on another opportunity and do something else , switch my path ? How do I stay focused long-term and stop worrying about everything else ? To which I want to ask you a question Do you know the difference between an opportunity and a distraction ? So the difference is your purpose . The same thing can be an opportunity for someone and can be a distraction for someone else , depending on what goals and priorities they have . Questions what are you trying to achieve short and long term ? What's your number one priority ? It can only be one . What are your values In the next three to six months ? Or by the end of 2024, ? What one thing must you achieve In the next five years ? Where do you want to be ? These questions create a filter to sift through all the possible activities and find the ones that align with your goals , with your purpose . This filter helps you to know the difference between a distraction for you and an opportunity About knowing your destination .
Speaker 1Some quotes , folks If you don't know where you're going , any road will lead you there . Lewis Carroll in Alice in Wonderland Most people don't get what they want because they don't know what they want Opera . You know , folks , the true difference between you and your heroes , whether that's an Olympian , olympic champion or Jeff Bezos or Mark Zuckerberg or Sarah Blakely or whoever that might be . So the difference between you and your heroes , who achieved a lot , more , probably , than you do by now , is that they know exactly what the most important thing is and what they need to optimize for in their life . So the first step to battling distractions and winning the war on attention , so the first step is not trying to figure out the best filtration , the best way to not stay distracted , like how do I manage my devices or how do I manage my environment . The first step actually is clarifying your purpose .
Speaker 1The first step actually is clarifying your purpose . What's your purpose ? Small and big Work , relationships , health ? What are your goals to get you there ? What values will help you navigate bad choices from good ones ? What will you give up to say yes to your priority ? What are you not willing to compromise on ? Okay , what are you willing to give up ?
Speaker 1People who excel in focus , decision-making , time management , aren't free from distractions or have some brain superpower or super brain . They simply know what they want and who they are . The more clarity you have around those thoughts , those things , who you are and what you want at any given moment , the stronger your focus is going to be . You know how I can drop into focus , zone , zoning in almost immediately . You know how I can do that at the airport or in nausea escape . I know that is not the ideal environment for my brain and it's going to make it a little bit harder to zone out all the noises , because it does take your brain additional work to filter out additional noise , for example .
Speaker 1But the reason why I can zone in and write anywhere is because I first create a very clear definition of my destination . What are you trying to achieve here and why is it important ? I'm trying to write this blog bringing at least one practical value to the person on the other side , and I'm doing it because I'm Because of a few things actually because I want to get much better at writing , at communicating practical takeaways that improve people's lives , work and their goal achievement . It's important for me because my purpose is to help more superheroes to use more of their superpowers . So I have a very clear definition of what I'm trying to achieve here , what the end destination is for this piece of work and why it's important for me to show up right now and do it now . A lot of clarity before any work even begins , and that's what's been my superpower , which allowed me to not necessarily put the most amount of work but achieve pretty good damn results . And I'm yet to switch it on fully . The clarity dial around my mission , around my purpose and where I'm going . And yet right now I'm dialing in that dial to get even more focused and obsessive about the end destination . And then , just like Cal Newport wrote in his blog , distractions become irrelevant . When you're so obsessed , longing for this one pursuit , it's like the rest of the world doesn't even exist .
Speaker 1A bit of neuroscience that my clients also love . So this principle works because you have something which is called reticular activating system in your brain . It's a complex network of nerve pathways located in the brainstem extending into the higher parts of the brain , like your prefrontal cortex . It plays a crucial role in regulating various functions related to consciousness , wakefulness , but specifically attention and the filtering of sensory information . And reticular activating system is activated ta-da folks , by goal setting and knowing what it is you're trying to get . The reticular activating system is responsible for several key functions attention and focus . Including the ret Activating System , or RAS for short , helps filter out irrelevant or unimportant stimuli and directs your focus toward things that matter . It's what allows you to concentrate on a specific task or conversation while tuning out background noise . So you have this beautiful system that is already designed to keep you focused on what's important , no matter how many distractions you get in the outside world . Just , nobody really taught you how to use it properly . And that's the most important insight for today , which , again I want to read something from Lewis Carroll's book , which has quite a lot of insights for adults , not just for kids .
Speaker 1So Alice came to a fork in the road . Which road do I take ? She asked . Where do you want to go , responded the cheshire cat . I don't know , alice answered . Then said the cat , it doesn't matter .
Speaker 1So the first step to become a master of your focus and be a Jedi of eliminating distractions , the first step to winning the war on our attention , isn't try to control your devices better , but to know what your purpose is , what your goal is , what your vision is and who you are , having your values , helping you to navigate the myriad choices that the world will be presenting you more and more aware . So , today's Monday , what do you want to achieve by the end of this week ? Let's make it super simple . What do you want to achieve by the end of this week ? Let's make it super simple . What do you want to make happen by the end of this week and why is it important to you ? Answer at least those two questions in writing .
Speaker 1Be as clear as you possibly can be . Have one goal , one priority , and understand why this thing is important and see what's going to happen to your focus this week . And , by the way , I recommend restating this goal , this focus , rating it in the morning , at night , to really power up your focus , muscle and see what's going to happen with your ability to say no to distractions , whether those distractions come from other people or other sources like your technology . So figure out your purpose , your destination , where you want to go , first , and then see how better your focus is going to get . So have an awesome , focused week . Figure out what you want . Re-state it in the morning , in the afternoon , in the evening . See how masterful you're gonna be getting with your focus . Share your insights , share what's gonna happen to you this week , the successes with your focus that you're going to have .
Speaker 1Email me , angela at brainbreakthroughcoachcom . Angela at brainbreakthroughcoachcom . Also , if you'd like to work on this skill together and all the other cognitive skills , from learning to memory to emotional regulation to make better decisions , if you'd like to work on it together , then schedule a session the link is available in the show notes or maybe share it with someone who you care about , who might really need it , and thank you for it . And don't forget folks . I share this podcast with at least one other person . The more superheroes using all of their superpowers we have in this world , in the more amazing world we're all going to live , so share , reach out , angela at brainbreakthroughcoachcom . By the way , I can train your team to also strengthen their focus . Angela at brainbreakthroughcoachcom , until next time . Folks stay focused and get the important stuff done . Talk to you soon . Have an awesome Monday .