DEVELOPMENT
Focus : The science and the benefits
Find it hard to focus ? You ’ re not alone . But in a few simple steps , you and your boss can get clarity and create capacity for focused attention – Curt Steinhorst explains all
THE EXPERT
Curt is an author , speaker , business owner and entrepreneur . A distraction expert , he equips professionals across the world – from Fortune 100 companies and global leadership associations to Universities and notfor-profits – to work smarter and stronger in this constantlyconnected age .
The science of focus An executive ’ s success is contingent on how effectively they think , prioritise , make decisions , and communicate in a complex and changing environment but the challenge is that the resource they need to do this well is the one most under assault and in most limited supply … Focused attention .
Helping a leader monitor and manage this attention is what makes the PA role more critical than ever but why supporting your boss ( often unknowingly ) is nearly impossible without some understanding of brain science – in this case , the science of focus . We humans are hard-wired with two systems of attention ? Each has a different purpose – let ’ s get to know them .
Bottom-up attention The first , which scientists call ‘ bottom-up attention ’, responds to new stimuli – things that bring us pleasure or pain – and to which we react with joy ( chocolate cake ) or anxiety ( house on fire ). These stimuli help focus our attention – very helpful in prehistoric times when we needed to run from a venomous Megalania , but now spent too frequently on things like emails and texts .
Our ancestors may have experienced these anxieties once or twice a day but did you know the modern office worker can get a miniadrenaline rush every time an email requires an urgent response ? And with scores of those stresstriggering occurrences every day ( most of which are distractions rather than actual emergencies ) it ’ s no surprise our brain wants to stay in ‘ distraction-response ’ mode , even when all the emails have been handled . That ’ s why , once you ’ re neck-deep in your inbox or swamped with texts , it ’ s so hard to stop .
This form of attention is all about immediacy and makes it hard for us to focus . Its faux-urgency makes our days very busy but often we can ’ t say what we ’ ve accomplished by the end of those days .
Top-down attention The other system we have is the opposite . This is the function of the brain that allows us to plan by making active choices about what gets our focus , as opposed to responding to external stimuli . Someone operating with top-down attention may hear their phone beeping but decide to ignore it or turn it off while they put their undivided attention on something more ‘ valuable ’. This form of attention is about planning , exerting control over the future and making a difference .
The biggest mistake that leaders , PAs , and everyone else make is to assume they can spend the first three quarters of their day paying attention to immediate needs and then switch their focus to important projects or long-term priorities in the late afternoon or evening when it ’ s quieter .
While that sounds logical , it doesn ’ t work for two reasons . First , your brain has a finite amount of ‘ attention energy ’ each day and if you spend it on immediate demands ( emails , meetings and interruptions ) during the first part of the day , there isn ’ t enough left to generate quality work for the really important things later on . Second , that deep focus time has to come when you ’ re at a point of high energy – and for most people , that means the morning .
How to manage focus This is where you can be particularly helpful . Many bosses need very little encouragement to shut their door , even during prime morning time ( such as 9 ‘ til 11am three or four days each week ) if they know you ’ ll be their gatekeeper . Soon , they ’ ll find that the remaining hours are usually plenty to j
60 Executive PA | Winter Issue 2023