Breathe to focus.
It sounds simple, even foolish, but it’s not.
Daniel Goleman recently gave a presentation on his new book Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence, which was reviewed by IMD. Goleman explains why attention is a little-noticed mental asset that makes a huge difference in how well we find our way in our personal lives, our careers, as parents and partners, and in virtually everything we do.
In the business environment, mastering focus is crucial. And there’s a simple mind exercise we can all do to improve our focusing ability. Simply close your eyes, relax and breathe calmly. Listen to yourself breathe, over and over. And slowly, as your mind starts to drift to a foreign thought, stop it and bring it back to focusing on just the breathing. Over time, the exercise will expand your focusing ability.
“The brain captures and records everything we do in life and makes a mental recording of what works and what doesn’t,” said Goleman. “All decisions that we make are related to these recordings. By engaging in the mind exercise, you work on your cognitive control, keeping the mind focused on a goal, while forcing out distractions.”
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