The problem is no longer a new one. We all know it and are dealing with it every day – our kids’ plummeting attention spans. Children today struggle to focus on a task for more than a few seconds, I still can’t wrap my head around how shockingly low that number is. Isn’t it really low?
How did we get here – to a world that is as attention-zapped as it is resource-abundant? I have some theories but our time here may be put to better use by looking forward. Figure solutions for the attention deficit-ness that has become characteristic of our modern world.
In this post, you will find 3 solutions that can help your teen rebuild their attention and focus. These tools are super easy-to-do but if done consistently, can yield remarkable results. I first discovered these on the Huberman Lab podcast on ‘The Science of Setting and Achieving Goals‘. Check the full episode out if you’d like to dive deeper into some of the tools discussed in this post.
Alright, what are the 3 tools that your teen can use to help improve attention?
🔧 Tool 1: Pick a point and Look
How to use: Your teen needs to look at a point in their extrapersonal space e.g. wall, and focus on that point for a few seconds (perhaps start with 30 seconds and gradually build capacity), just before starting to work on a task.
How this will help: This practise will improve your teen’s ability to focus. Staring at a point even if only for a few seconds is not only boring but also difficult to do. Usually when bored, we instantly look for distractions, something, anything to take our mind off the task at hand. Weaving in some, however small it maybe, amount of stillness and deliberate focus into the day will incrementally build your teen’s capacity for attention.
🔧 Tool 2: Visualise failure (This one is super interesting!)
How to use: Ask your teen to visualise what life will look like when they put off work on their goals. For example, if your teen is struggling to study for their midterms, them visualising failure would look like picturing rejections from great colleges because of poor grades.
How this will help: Visualising failure obviously does not feel great but that’s exactly the point. Once your teen links the act of avoiding the task at hand to a bleak future, they may feel motivated to work on their goals.
🔧 Tool 3: Avoid goal distraction
How to use: Have a decluttered, clean goal list with no more than 2-3 main goals at a time.
How this will help: Chasing too many goals together can become cumbersome and highly distracting. Having fewer goals will help your teen stay on track and focus.
A Word From Kazivu
Doing is always the hard bit. These tools (like all others) will be effective only when your teen makes a habit of using them consistently. As a parent, you can help your teen with reminders or guide them to set up a tracker so that your child is better able to personalise these tools and use them regularly to manage their attention.