Good Life Project - 7 Habits to Dramatically Improve Focus | Jonathan Fields

Episode Date: March 27, 2023

We live in a world of near-constant distraction, making it harder and harder to focus, to be present and attentive in the activities, goals, pursuit and even relationships that mean the most to us. And, so often, the solution offered to reclaim focus are the same old tired things we hear, over and over again.So, today, in the next installment of our Life-changing Habits series, we’re exploring 7 unconventional, more secret-weapon-level, science-backed habits that can help you stay focused, be less distracted, and truly be present in the moment. These unconventional but incredibly powerful habits can transform the way you interact with the world and the people that really matter. And, pretty safe bet you either haven’t heard of them or tried them, or if you have, you never had them teed up in the context of improving focus, along with specific direction, and the science behind how and why they work. So excited to share these 5 life-changing focus-building habits with you. Submit a voice memo of your 5 Good Life Habits.If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the other episodes in this series:5 Life-Changing Habits5 Life-Changing Relationship Habits5 Life-Changing Holiday Survival Habits Check out our offerings & partners: My New Book SparkedMy New Podcast SPARKED. To submit your “moment & question” for consideration to be on the show go to sparketype.com/submit. Visit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount Codes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So we live in a world of near constant distraction, making it harder and harder to focus, to really be present and attentive in the activities, the goals, the pursuits, even the relationships that mean most to us. And so often the solution offered to reclaim focus, well, it's kind of the same old tired things we hear over and over again. So today in our next installment of five life-changing habits series, we're going a little bit rogue and adding some additional habits because we just couldn't pare them down to five. And the cool thing is these are really more unconventional, almost like secret weapon

level science-backed habits that can help you stay focused, be less distracted, and be truly more present in the moment. These lesser known focus power habits, they can transform your ability to hyper-focus, to really dial in on what you want to be present with, and to spend more time interacting with the world and the people and the experiences and the tasks and pursuits that really matter. And pretty safe bet, you either haven't heard of them or tried them, or if you have, you've never teed them up in the context of improving focus, along with getting specific direction and learning the science behind how and why they work. I'm so excited to share these life-changing, focus-building habits with you.

I'm Jonathan Fields, and this is Good Life Project. The Apple Watch Series 10 is here. It has the biggest display ever. It's also the thinnest Apple Watch ever, making it even more comfortable on your wrist, whether you're running, swimming, or sleeping. And it's the fastest-charging Apple Watch, getting you eight hours of charge in just 15 minutes.

The Apple Watch Series X. Available for the first time in glossy jet black aluminum. Compared to previous generations, iPhone Xs are later required. Charge time and actual results will vary. Mayday, mayday. We've been compromised. The pilot's a hitman. I knew you were going to be fun.

January 24th. Tell me how to fly this thing. Mark Wahlberg. You know what the difference between me and you is? You're going to die. Don't shoot him, we need him. Y'all need a pilot. Flight risk. So I am so excited to dive into this set of

really what I think are for the most part, unconventional habits that help you build focus. And we're starting off with a little something called bilateral stimulation. So what is that? It sounds like a mouthful, right? Well, bilateral stimulation, it's the process of engaging both sides of your brain through rhythmic and alternating movements or sensory stimulation, such as tapping your feet or drumming your fingers or even walking. And the interesting thing is you think about like, well, that just sounds like things that I do all day long, like kind of like fidgeting. And in fact, it may be. And in fact, that fidgeting may be playing a particular role when it's done in a very particular way.

There's science around this thing called bilateral stimulation. And what we know is the research shows us that bilateral stimulation can improve cognitive processing and emotional regulation. So that means basically the way you think and the way that you feel and your ability to not let either spin out of control, but to keep them fairly focused and dialed in. A study in the journal Behavioral and Brain Functions found that bilateral stimulation can actually enhance working memory performance and increase neural activity in areas of your brain associated with attention and cognitive control. And that's pretty cool. Bilateral stimulation, it involves engaging both the left and right hemispheres of the brain simultaneously, often through these rhythmic sensory stimulation or physical activity modes. And this technique

has also been shown to improve focus and attention by enhancing neural communication between the two hemispheres of the brain. It's sort of like bringing both sides of your brain online all at once. And you've probably heard some people say, oh, I'm a right brain person. Oh, I'm a left brain person. We've actually had guests on in the past who've kind of dispelled the myth of that. But here we're really focusing on saying, let's activate it all at once and see what happens. One area of research that has explored the benefits of bilateral stimulation is something called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. You may have heard it shorthand as EMDR, and it's a form of often therapy and a treatment method that is sometimes used for trauma or PTSD. And while EMDR's primary purpose is not necessarily to

improve focus, the bilateral stimulation aspect of the therapy has actually been found to have a positive impact on attention and cognitive performance. Another study published showed that participants who underwent EMDR therapy with bilateral stimulation, in this case through eye movement. So it can literally be simple as eye movements. It doesn't have to be moving parts of your body or limbs. You can focus in on your eyes, which makes it pretty accessible to everybody. But this study demonstrated that improved attention and cognitive processing resulted compared to a control group. The author suggests that bilateral stimulation, it might facilitate information processing in the brain by really synchronizing

the activity of the left and right hemispheres. Another study published in the Journal of Behavioral Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry found that bilateral stimulation through alternating tactile stimulation, so this is using handheld devices, actually improved participants' attention and cognitive processing. And this study, it really supports the idea that bilateral stimulation can promote better cognitive performance by engaging both hemispheres of the brain. Okay, so that was all a mouthful. How do you actually do this thing called bilateral stimulation? So let's talk about the implementation side of this. So I'll walk you through a set of steps. And again, everything that I offer here and all the steps that I offer for all of these different habits, hold them lightly and adapt them to whatever you need. So think about step one. We can explore

alternate tapping. So we want to sit in a comfortable position and then tap your left thigh with your left hand, then tap your right thigh with your right hand and continue to alternate tapping each thigh, maintaining a steady rhythm. This simple exercise engages both hemispheres of the brain and can help improve focus and attention. And you can also, by the way, you can tap your feet or alternate squeezing stress balls or little squeezy things in each hand for a similar effect. So this is kind of like a really cool and fun and

easy way. And as you're listening to this, you're probably thinking, oh, please, seriously, sitting there and just tapping my left thigh with my left hand and my right thigh with my right or alternate tapping feet or squeezing something actually could somehow improve focus and attention. So here's something kind of interesting to think about. A lot of people do these things automatically without even realizing that they're doing it. And they do it, especially when they're in a mode that demands more presence, more focus, more attention from them, having no idea that the fact that they're fidgeting or they're tapping fingers on either hand or tapping one thigh and then the other, or tapping their feet side to side, that it's actually contributing to their ability to calm down, to focus, to relax, and be really attentive. So that simple alternating tapping thing can be

really powerful and effective way. Now, another possible way to do this is an exercise that's often shorthanded as something like cross crawl exercise. And you think of this as, well, you stand up straight and literally just gently march in place, lifting your knees high. Now, as you march, touch your left knee with your right hand. So you're crossing over and then touch your right knee with your left hand. And this cross body movement can help activate both sides of the brain and can enhance neural communication between the hemispheres, improving focus and cognitive performance. So again, it's the alternating element of this that really makes the difference. So you're not just raising your knee up to tap your

left hand and raising your right knee up to tap your right hand. You're crossing over. So left knee, right hand, right knee, left hand. Plus it's kind of fun to do. It's like a coordination exercise. And you may or may not consider yourself a coordinated person by the way, but either way, so do it with friends if you want to. It can be kind of fun. Do it in private if you're a little bit concerned about your coordination. And even if you don't consider yourself a quote, coordinated person, really quickly, you'll actually find yourself being able to pick this up and get more comfortable with it. And the more comfortable you get with it, it actually is kind of telling you that your brain is adapting and you're bringing both sides online. So those are two kind of really fun ways to be

able to do this particular type of habit. Two ways for us to say yes to the exploration of that thing called bilateral stimulation. So let's move on to our second focus improvement habit of the day. And the second one is around something called binaural beats. Now I was exposed to binaural beats many, many years ago when I was actually running experiments as a yoga teacher and a studio owner in the early 2000s. And I developed a special class where we would wear headphones and I developed this special soundtrack. I literally bought software that would allow me to mix these things called binaural beats into music and then have people flow through a class while listening to them. So binaural beats are an auditory illusion that is created by playing two slightly different

frequencies in each ear through headphones or earbuds. And the brain perceives a third frequency, the difference between the two, which can promote relaxation, focus, or creativity depending on the frequency that is used. What you'll actually perceive it as is as one frequency goes into one ear and one slightly different frequency goes into the other, your brain perceives an almost very subtle pulsing sound. So it's almost like a wah, wah, wah, wah. And that can be higher pitch or lower pitch

or faster or slower, depending on the frequency. And the frequency you choose can really make a difference in the effect that it has on your brain. And studies have shown that binaural beats can influence brainwave activity, helping individuals to potentially enter a more focused, relaxed state. Studies have shown that binaural beats can influence brainwave activity by enhancing sustained attention and cognitive flexibility. And the way they do it is modulating the activity of the thalamus and the primary motor cortex. And this modulation can lead to improved synchronization between brain regions responsible for attention

and focus. It's pretty cool stuff. It's actually, when you listen to it, it feels really subtle. I'll often do this when I'm studying or when I'm really in a, I want to drop into a super focused creative mode and you can layer music over it. And there are all sorts of ways to access it. So let's talk about some of the ways that we could actually build this or experience binaural beats and turn it into a regular habit. So one, we want to select the right binaural beats. So we want to choose binaural beats that are specifically designed for improving focus and concentration. And typically these will fall within the alpha or beta frequency range. Now alpha is about eight to 13 Hertz and beta

is about 13 to 30 Hertz and alpha frequencies, they're associated with a relaxed yet focused state while beta frequencies are linked to active thinking and problem solving. And we want to invest in decent quality headphones or earbuds. It's essential to use quality headphones or earbuds that can really accurately reproduce the different frequencies in each ear.

Noise canceling headphones can be particularly beneficial because they minimize distractions from your environment. So we want to listen to it through something that actually allows the different signals to go into each ear independently, rather than just listening it through speakers or through your computer, because that actually won't isolate two different frequencies into your individual ears. It'll just become sort of like one big mashup and you won't get the benefit. And you also won't hear that very slight sound.

And that's kind of a signal that you're actually not hearing the binaural beats. Now, once we have that set up, we want to create a routine and set aside a specific time during the day when you'll listen to your binaural beats, such as during your morning routine, maybe a study session or a work break. And that consistency will really let you help make binaural beats a habit, maximizing their potential benefits for focus and attention. And when we start into them, and I'll share some resources to actually find these things, by the way, we want to set the volume. So make sure the volume is also at a comfortable level, not too loud or not too soft.

The binaural beats should be noticeable, but not overpowering, allowing you to focus on your tasks without really being distracted by the sound. So you should be able to do other things. Like if whatever it is that you want to focus in on, you don't want it to be so loud that it's distracting you from it. And then we can also combine it with other focus techniques along the way to really create a blended effect. And we want to monitor our progress along the way. So keeping track of how the binaural beats habit is impacting your focus and productivity, you might want to maintain a journal or use a productivity app to record your observations. This will help you identify which binaural beat

frequencies and listening durations work best for you and make any necessary adjustments. Now, how do you actually find these things called binaural beats so that you can actually listen to them on whatever device you're using to listen. Well, the amazing thing is when I started actually exploring these some 20 years ago, it was really hard to find any sort of soundtrack. You could buy a CD where you could buy the specific frequencies or is embedded with a little bit of melodic music or meditative type of music. Not the easiest thing to find. I literally went out and bought software that allowed me to generate my own binaural beats at specific frequencies, and it would move them through a process of different frequencies and record them onto a disc back in that time that

I would then play in my CD player. Now, the awesome thing is binaural beats are actually all over the place. Almost any listening device you listen to where you have access to music tracks, to spoken word, whether it's your podcast app, it's a pretty safe bet that whatever app you're listening to this podcast right now in that same app, if you search on binaural beats and then you choose the particular frequency, so alpha or beta, you will pull up a whole bunch of different podcasts or tracks that are actually recorded sequences of those beats. Sometimes with just the beats, sometimes with music or some other nature sounds layered over them, which is kind of even nicer and more chill.

Whether it's on a podcast app or whether you have any sort of music service that you're using, almost all of them will have probably a wide variety of all sorts of offerings with different frequencies and either just clean frequencies that you hear that slight pulsing sound or all sorts of gentle, beautiful sounds layered over them. So it's actually super easy to find these these days and be able to check it out and see how it feels. And you can often test out different ones. Well, maybe I like it where it's just the beats, or maybe I love it where it's nature sounds, or maybe I like kind of like a super chill singing bowl or melodic type of thing happening over it. So super easy to find tracks that have binaural beats generated within them these days in

many different ways and many times completely free. So you don't actually need to invest in anything to experience these. And finally, I would say here, be patient. So it might take some time before you really notice significant improvements in your focus and attention. And that's with all of these different habits. So you want to give yourself time to adjust to the new habit and for your brain to adapt to the binaural beats. Remember, consistency with this and all habits is the key to experiencing the benefits of this practice.

You want to follow them over time and really incorporate binaural beats into your daily routine. And you can create an effective habit that helps you improve focus, attention, and overall cognitive performance. I also often will listen to a binaural beat track that is tuned to the theta brainwave state when I'm meditating. And I find it really helps drop me into a deep meditative state. And that brings us to power focus habit number three. And this

is kind of a fun, simple habit. compromised. The pilot's a hitman. I knew you were gonna be fun. January 24th. Tell me how to fly this thing. Mark Wahlberg. You know what the difference between me and you is? You're gonna die. Don't shoot him, we need him! Y'all need a pilot? Flight Risk.

The Apple Watch Series 10 is here. It has the biggest display ever. It's also the thinnest Apple Watch ever, making it even more comfortable on your wrist, whether you're running, swimming, or sleeping. And it's the fastest-nest Apple Watch ever, making it even more comfortable on your wrist, whether you're running, swimming, or sleeping. And it's the fastest-charging Apple Watch, getting you 8 hours of charge in just 15 minutes. The Apple Watch Series X, available for the first time in glossy jet black aluminum. Compared to previous generations, iPhone XS or later required,

charge time and actual results will vary. Now the two-minute rule is a simple productivity and focus technique that involves completing any task that can be done in two minutes or less immediately rather than putting it off for later. And just like all of these, there is science behind the two-minute rule. So the two-minute rule can help to reduce procrastination and improve focus by creating a sense of accomplishment and momentum. According to research, completing small tasks quickly and efficiently can lead to increased motivation and a reduction in cognitive load, making it easier to focus on more complex tasks. So the two-minute rule can help reduce procrastination and improve focus by really

creating that sense of accomplishment and momentum. So what does it actually look like in practice? Because you're thinking, if I just start doing anything that takes two minutes, isn't that going to lead me to be maniacally distracted and fragmented with my attention all day, every day? Because I could kind of chunk almost anything down to two minutes, isn't that going to lead me to be maniacally distracted and fragmented with my attention all day, every day? Because I could kind of chunk almost anything down to two minutes. And the answer is, if you actually choose to just flip around every two minutes, yeah, that's actually a disaster. But that's not what we're talking about. We're talking about being really intentional about identifying tasks that can be completed from end to end, not started, not partially done, not a little bit here, and then I go back to it, and then I go back to it,

and go back to it. So it's like you're actually doing a 30-minute task, but in two-minute chunks. This is not what we're talking about. We're talking about breaking down tasks to what can really be done end to end in two minutes. So the first step is really to break down your tasks. Look at your to-do list or the tasks that you need to complete and identify any tasks that can be completed in two minutes or less. Legitimately completed. I mean done. Not almost, but done. And these are things that may include responding to an email, making a quick phone call, maybe even decluttering a small spot in your workspace. Short, sweet things that actually need to be done. Until they're done, they're going to be taking up mindshare. They're going to take up a little tiny bit of your cognitive load and make it less available for other things. And if you can knock them out

quickly and easily in two minutes, it will help you let go of them and give you more of that bandwidth to focus in on the stuff that really matters. You want to go longer and deeper in and spend more time focusing on. So once we identify those tasks, now we want to prioritize. Whenever you come across a two-minute task, prioritize completing it immediately rather than postponing it. And by addressing these small tasks right away, you also prevent them from accumulating and becoming overwhelming. I mean, how many of us get to the afternoon or the late afternoon and we keep saying no to all these tiny little things that build up in the different inboxes or checks or notifications because we've been told, batch, spend all of your time focusing on this one thing,

this one thing, this one thing for a longer window of time. And that can be a very effective strategy. But what you may also have noticed in doing that is if you still have even any level of awareness of these other things coming in, it builds up in the background and it starts to feel like, ooh, even though I'm not focusing on it, I know these things are accumulating and the accumulation can start to feel like stress and the stress can start to feel like overwhelm. So it's almost like regularly just giving yourself a tiny bit of time to let those two minute tasks sneak in and just get siphoned out of your consciousness, it stops that accumulation. It stops the stress and it stops the overwhelm. So it can be a super powerful way to not just help you focus in on the other things when you

really need to dial in that take longer time, but also reduce your stress along the way and just make you feel better. Another thing to consider is to set a timer. So to keep yourself accountable, set a timer for two minutes when you start a two-minute task. And this is going to help you stay focused and ensure that you complete the task within the allotted time. It's also going to do another thing, especially in the early days of experimenting with this. It's going to help you understand how good or bad you are at estimating how much something will really take. So in the beginning, you may be like, oh, this is

two minutes. This is 30 seconds. This is 60 seconds. Just looking at all these things and say, oh, I could clearly do that in less than two minutes. And then you start doing it. You set your timer and you're halfway through it or a quarter of the way through it or a 10th of the way through it. And you realize, oh, this is actually a much more substantial thing. So after about a week or two, you'll learn really quickly what truly is a two-minute task that you can dive into and just knock out and move on from and what actually is going to take longer and you should set aside for a longer processing time when you're doing it. And that's going to help you really estimate and use your time much more constructively.

And the other thing we want to think about while we're doing this is avoiding distractions. So while you're working on your two-minute task, minimize potential distractions. Close any unnecessary browser tabs or apps. Silence your phone. Use your noise-canceling headphones if you need. Listen to your alpha or your beta binaural beats while you're doing it. You can fully concentrate and complete your tasks by really checking out on the distractions within the two minute timeframe. Now you may be thinking to yourself, seriously, I need to eliminate distractions to just focus for two minutes. The average person, according to recent podcast guests, now has

an attention span of 47 seconds. So yes, that means, especially a screen-based attention span of 47 seconds, that means that within a two-minute window, you are going to at least be powerfully distracted by something else that is screen-based two times, if not more. So just go ahead and eliminate the distractions so you can dive in. And we want to build momentum with this. So after completing a series of two-minute tasks, use that sense of just short and sweet accomplishment and momentum to tackle larger and more complex tasks. It's sort of like, ooh, I got this done, I got this done,

I got this done. I can get things done. I have a little momentum going here. Now I'm going to focus in on this thing and spend the next 30 minutes going deep because I feel like I can and I got some momentum. So it's kind of a really cool way to say yes to this. And what you want to do as you're doing this also is periodically reflect on how the two minute rule is impacting your focus and your productivity, and consider keeping a journal or using a focus app to track your progress and adjust your approach as needed to really ensure that you're maximizing the benefits of this habit along the way.

And by implementing the two-minute rule habit in your daily routine, you can really efficiently address small tasks, reduce procrastination, and improve focus on more complex tasks, ultimately enhancing your overall focus. And that brings us to focus habit number four. And this is what we call peripheral vision training. And this is kind of a fun one. So peripheral vision training involves enhancing your awareness of the visual information in the periphery of your field of vision while maintaining focus on a central point. So it's sort of like keeping your eyes on one central point, but allowing your brain to become aware of what's moving into your field of vision that is not that central point without

shifting your eyes to look at those other things. And research has shown that training the peripheral vision can actually improve attention, concentration, and cognitive processing speed. One study actually found that athletes who trained the peripheral vision demonstrated increased attentional capacity and better performance in visual tasks. So there's a really cool science around this. Question is, how do we actually do this thing called peripheral vision training? Well, there are a whole bunch of different ways to do it and kind of fun ways to do it also.

So first, really understanding the concept. Peripheral vision, it refers to the area of visual awareness outside of your central focus. So that means it's sort of like the things that are around the edges of your field of vision that most of us don't pay attention to, but our eyes and our brains are actually taking in. So that's what we're talking about when we're talking about peripheral vision. And by training your peripheral vision, you can improve your ability to stay focused on a task while being aware of your surroundings,

potentially reducing distractions and enhancing concentration. So here's how we go about this. First, choose a location that makes sense. And you might wanna find a quiet, comfortable space with minimal distractions to practice this peripheral vision training. Ideally, the location might have a blank wall or some kind of non-distracting background, at least large enough for you to focus on a central point.

Now, here's how we practice. Sit or stand comfortably with your head facing forward towards whatever that wall or surface is. And we want to focus on a central point in front of you. So this could be a small mark on the wall or an object at eye level. I've sometimes done this literally by just pulling back from my desk a little bit and then focusing on one single item that's on my desk. So it could be an eraser tip on a pencil or a pen that's sitting there or something that's standing up on my desk. Kind of fun to do it. And if you're at a table where there's maybe a flower or something, they're just kind of focusing in on that. Now, without moving your eyes or your head, try to expand your field of vision and become aware, visually aware of objects or colors or movement in your peripheral vision. And just hold your focus for a few seconds to a few minutes,

gradually increasing the duration as you become more comfortable with the exercise. So the beginning, it's probably just a second or two. And then slowly, you may be surprised how quickly you can build that capacity up to potentially a few minutes. So some fun examples of how you might do this to really enhance your peripheral vision, try these different exercises. So first one is something we call thumb wiggling. So hold your arms out to your sides with your thumbs pointing straight up or any finger you want pointing straight up if you want, and then wiggle that thumb or finger while keeping your head engaged forward and your eyes fixed on whatever that center point is for you. Now, gradually bring your arms forward until

your thumbs are no longer visible in your peripheral vision. And then repeat the exercise, moving your arms back to the starting point. So that's one way to really focus in. But at the same time, start to train yourself to become increasingly aware of movement at the edge of your peripheral vision. You're keeping your focus on one thing, but you're allowing an awareness of the other. But, and this is where it's critical, you're actually not, you're not letting it distract you from the central point. And that's where the focus training comes in. Another approach to this is what would be called something often people call card swiping. So hold a playing card or a similar size object in each hand with your arms extended out to your side. Keep your gaze forward on that center point and move the cards slowly in and out of your peripheral vision, really attempting to maintain

awareness of them as far in and out as you go, but without losing track. Now here's another fun one that has more movement, the ball toss. Stand with your back against a wall and hold a small ball, like maybe a tennis ball in one hand or a lacrosse ball or any kind of ball you want. Toss the ball from one hand to the other, focusing on maintaining awareness of the ball in your peripheral vision as it moves. So these are just fun examples, but you can play and come up with your own. The more we do this, the better we get at it. So over time, we turn this behavior, just like all of the things I've been talking about, into a habit. And the way we do that is by incorporating peripheral vision training into a daily routine, aiming for a couple of

minutes at first, maybe eventually you work up to five to 10 minutes a day. As with all habit building, consistency is really critical in seeing improvement in your focus and attention. And by the way, you can also apply this to real life situations. So as you become more proficient in peripheral vision training,

practice applying this heightened awareness to everyday situations like working at your desk, attending meetings, engaging in conversations. It can help you maintain focus on the task at hand while still being aware of the fact that there are surroundings around you. There are other things going on. There are all sorts of things moving in and out of your peripheral vision. You are aware of them, but you've trained your focus to stay attentive on the primary object where you want it to be. And by consistently practicing and implementing this training, you can really help improve overall focus and attention, leading to enhanced performance in various aspects of your life. Okay. Now this leads us to focus habit number five, and this is something called

box breathing. Now I've actually talked about box breathing and different breathing techniques in prior life-changing habit episodes, and also just in different conversations because breathing techniques are really stunningly powerful at altering our state and allowing us to dial in our state of mind and being. Box breathing in particular, also known as square or sometimes fourfold breathing, it's a simple but powerful technique where you inhale, you pause, you exhale, and then you pause again for an equal number of counts, forming a box pattern. And like all of these things, there is science around box breathing. Box breathing has been shown to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps to counteract the stress

response and promote relaxation. One study published found that controlled breathing, such as box breathing, can improve attention and cognitive performance by modulating brain activity. And it also really helps counteract the stress response and promote relaxation. So it works on parts of the brain that are known for executive control for modulating brain activity in the prefrontal cortex and the insula. And these regions are also involved in attention, decision-making, and emotional regulation. So how do we do this thing called box breathing and then eventually turn it into a habit? Well, to really understand what box breathing is known as the four square breathing technique because it involves equal

amounts of time allocated to the four different parts of breathing. And yes, I said four different parts of breathing. Most of us think of breathing as inhale and exhale. There's only two parts. In fact, for most people, there is a slight pause between the inhale and the exhale and a slight pause between the exhale and the next inhale. So there's a pause between the breaths. Box breathing invites us to both acknowledge the existence of that pause and gently extend it so it is of equal duration to the inhale and the exhale. So this technique, again, is really powerful because breathing is

directly connected to our nervous system state. More specifically, it can either activate our sympathetic nervous system, putting us into a fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response, or it can activate the parasympathetic, calming us down, allowing us to reduce stress and improve focus. So here's what we do. Find a comfortable location and choose a quiet space if you can, just to practice this, where you don't have a lot of distractions. You can sit down, you can lie down, whatever is most comfortable for you. But try and ensure that your posture allows for gentle, deep, unrestricted breathing. Now we start with the four count. So we want to begin by inhaling slowly and deeply through your nose for a count of four, and then pause with the inhale for another count of four. Then exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of four. And then finally pause again, linger in the exhale for a count of four. This completes one cycle of box breathing.

Now, sometimes what I call a pause, people will call hold your breath. And I want to make a distinction here because when most people think about holding their breath, they think about, well, I'm going to take a deep inhale, then I'm going to close the back of my throat and then hold my breath. So there's some pressure against it. We actually don't want to do that. What we're looking to do here is simply pause with our breath either retained in us or out of us with an open back of the throat. So we inhale and we just, we let our throat relax without any forcing or any pressure against it. We just linger with the breath either held in our lungs or out of our lungs. So that's why I use the

word pause instead of the word hold. Now, I mentioned also that you can start by thinking about a four count for each size of this square or box breathing. We also want to think about adjusting the count. So as you become more comfortable with box breathing as a technique, you may think about adjusting the count to suit your personal preferences. Some people may prefer a longer count up to six or even eight count for each of the different parts of the breath, while others may actually find that a shorter count, two or three, is much more comfortable and still gives them that benefit of

kind of down-regulating their nervous system, down-regulating their state of stress, allowing them to come into more relaxed, focused state. The key is to maintain an equal count for each phase of the breathing cycle. And as always, we want to practice this regularly. So think about incorporating box breathing into your daily routine, practicing it for starting with, I'd say, three to five minutes, and then slowly working up to maybe five or 10 minutes a day or as needed to manage stress and improve focus. And by the way, you can also use box breathing as a quick exercise throughout the day, during breaks, or before maybe tackling a challenging task.

You just take two or three minutes, drop into your box breath, and you'll find yourself really calmed down and much more easily focusing on the thing that you want to be focused on. And you may also consider combining this with some other techniques if you want. But start out with just the box breathing. And then once you get comfortable with it, you can think about playing with some of the other techniques or habits that we're talking about here. You can also apply box breathing in real life situations. So use box breathing to help manage stress and maintain focus in everyday situations like before an important meeting, during a presentation, or maybe when

focused with a challenging task. By practicing box breathing in these situations, you can start to train your body and mind to remain calm and focused under pressure or stressful circumstances. And I also want to invite you to, just like we have with everything else, think about doing this on a daily basis so it becomes a routine and eventually a habit that just is your go-to state when you want to drop into a calm and focused place. By consistently practicing and implementing the box breathing habit, it can really effectively help reduce stress, increase focus, and improve your overall mental and emotional well-being. Now, when we started these five life-changing habits episodes, we kind of stopped at five.

But when it comes to focus, there are so many great techniques and sometimes surprising ones that you never would even have thought of that I wanted to pepper in a couple of extra ones today. So we're going to do a few more. And again, the idea here is that you don't have to say yes to all of these. Try different ones. See what feels good to you. See what feels accessible to you. See what feels like it's really most effective to you. And then build your own practice around behaviors that will lead to the development of an ability to just drop into focus. So we're going to move on to number six here. And number six is kind of a fun one because chances are almost everybody has heard of this, but chances are very

few people also associate it with the potential to increase your focus. The University of Victoria's MBA in Sustainable Innovation is not like other MBA programs. It's for true changemakers who want to think differently and solve the world's most pressing challenges. From healthcare and the environment to energy, government, and technology, it's your path to meaningful leadership in all sectors. For details, visit uvic.ca slash future MBA. That's uvic.ca slash futuremba. That's uvic.ca slash futuremba. The Apple Watch Series 10 is here. It has the biggest display ever. It's also the thinnest Apple Watch ever,

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later required. Charge time and actual results will vary. Mayday, mayday. We've been compromised. The pilot's a hitman. I knew you were gonna be fun. On January 24th. Tell me how to fly this thing. Mark Wahlberg. You know what the difference between me I knew you were going to be fun. January 24th. Tell me how to fly this thing. Mark Wahlberg. You know what the difference between me and you is? You're going to die. Don't shoot him. We need him. Y'all need a pilot. Flight risk.

Number six is aromatherapy. Now you may be rolling your eyes a little bit when I say that. And I admit the first time I heard this, I kind of did too, until I started experimenting a bit with it myself. And as somebody who can sometimes also be scent triggered, I had to do very gentle and slow experimentation to introduce different scents. But just like everything else I'm talking about, we have real science around this. So what is aromatherapy? Aromatherapy involves the use often of some sort of aroma or scent, often in the form of essential oils, to influence mood or

cognition or overall well-being. And what we've learned is that certain scents, such as peppermint, rosemary, and citrus, have been shown to enhance focus and alertness. In fact, research has demonstrated that these particular scents can influence brain activity and cognitive performance. One study published in the International Journal of Neuroscience found that inhaling rosemary essential oil improved memory and attention compared to a control group, which is kind of cool if you think about it. The fact that simply being exposed to a scent or an aroma may enhance focus and alertness is really powerful. And the science is showing that it seems to do this

by activating olfactory receptors, which then send signals to the limbic system, influencing memory, mood, and cognition, which is pretty cool. So it's literally affecting our brain and our ability to focus. So how do we actually do this thing called aromatherapy? And again, many of you have been exposed to all sorts of different versions of this, and maybe even a whole bunch of what you perceive as hype or mythology around miraculous outcomes. We're just focusing on the fact and the science-based fact that in fact, certain scents will lead to a shift in brain state and increase the potential for focus. So step one, first learn a little bit more about these things called essential oils. And you want to understand the properties and benefits of various different essential oils for improving focus and concentration. You may consider using

oils such as rosemary or peppermint or lemon or eucalyptus. And these oils have been found to stimulate the mind, boost memory, and enhance alertness. Now you also want to consider choosing a high quality essential oil. We want to invest in high quality, pure essential oils from reputable sources. You may think about avoiding synthetic oils, which are out there in the marketplace, or those with chemical additives, as they may not provide the same benefits and could potentially cause irritation or adverse reactions. So the rule here is quality matters. Now, how do we actually get the scent from any sort of oil into us, into our noses, into our olfactory sensors? Often people will use something called a diffuser, and we want to choose an essential oil diffuser

that really suits your needs and preferences. There are several types of diffusers available, including ultrasonic, nebulizing, evaporative, and heat diffusers. And ultrasonic and nebulizing diffusers are often recommended as they preserve more of the therapeutic properties of the essential oils and may help disperse them more evenly throughout the room so that when you interact with them, it's a more even experience. So when you get your particular diffuser, it will help give you instructions on exactly how to use it with your oils for the optimal experience. Now, some people will also take essential oils and they'll get them in the form of an oil, sometimes with a small glass tube. I've

seen them with a roller and they'll roll them onto their skin. If you're somebody where that is appropriate for a way to experience essential oils, then that may be one effective solution. And sometimes the scent can be strong enough so that you can then actually smell it. Now, we want to create a bit of an aromatherapy routine as well. So think about setting a specific time during the day when you'll use aromatherapy. Maybe during your morning routine, during study sessions or work breaks, those times when you actually really want to be able to drop into a more focused mode. Consistency will really help make aromatherapy a habit, just like everything else, and maximize its potential benefits for focus and concentration.

Other thing here to really think about, use essential oils safely. So when using essential oils, always follow safety guidelines and dilution recommendations. If you're applying oils topically, dilute them with a carrier oil, coconut almond, or jojoba, whatever is recommended to prevent skin irritation and be aware of any potential allergies or sensitivities and always discontinue use if you experience any adverse reactions. And combining aromatherapy can also be kind of a fun thing to do with other techniques for even better results. Think about the compound effect of combining aromatherapy with other focus enhancing habits like deep breathing exercises or any of the other things that we're talking about here today.

And just like everything else, I'm a huge fan of tracking and getting feedback so you can understand what is and isn't working and how best to mediate the things that actually seem to be making a difference. So monitor your progress, keep track of how the aromatherapy habit is or isn't impacting your focus. And you might even want to maintain a journal or use an app to track or record your observations. This will help you identify which essential oils and durations work best for you and make any necessary adjustments. And by following these steps and incorporating aromatherapy into a daily routine, it can

help create an effective habit that helps you improve focus and attention and overall cognitive performance. And that brings us to focus habit number seven. And this is kind of a fun one also. This one is called brain-body coordination exercises. Remember in the beginning, I shared with you, most of what I'm going to talk about today are things that either you've never heard of before, or if you have, it is in a completely different context, having nothing to do with focus, but we're showing you how it actually can affect your focus. Brain-body coordination exercises, probably something that most of you

have not thought about. So what are these? Well, brain-body coordination exercises involve activities that require simultaneous mental focus and physical coordination. Things like playing a musical instrument, practicing martial arts, even juggling. And there's science behind this, as there is for everything I'm talking about today. Studies have shown that brain-body coordination exercises can enhance cognitive function, including attention, memory, and problem solving. One study found that activities requiring both cognitive and motor skills led to increased neural connectivity and improved cognitive function.

And studies have really shown that brain body coordination exercises can affect us in powerful ways, requiring both cognitive and motor skills can lead to increased neural connectivity and performance. And engaging these exercises can help strengthen the connections between the brain regions responsible for motor control and cognitive process. And that eventually has this effect on focus. So how do we get into the implementation phase of this, just like everything else? Let's talk about how to actually do these things.

First, understand that brain-body coordination involves activities where your brain and body work together in a coordinated manner. And these exercises help improve neural connection, enhance motor skills, increase focus and attention. Now, what are these exercises or activities and how do we choose them? Well, we want to think about choosing exercises that challenge both your brain and your body simultaneously. Now, I mentioned a couple up front, like juggling is something that nobody thinks about. And most people think I can't juggle. Actually, most people can juggle two balls at least.

I know I'm pretty decent at two. When I start to add in a third, it gets a little bit more challenging. But think about juggling just even two balls. So start with two or three balls, gradually increase the number as your skill level improves if you want. The thing about juggling is it requires hand eye coordination focus and Concentration you literally cannot juggle if the only thing that you're doing is doing some sort of rote movement with your body

Your mind has to be intensely focused on the task itself Yoga can also be a practice that incorporates yoga poses and movement that require balance and coordination. So especially the balance poses in yoga, things like tree pose or eagle pose or warrior three, for those who practice yoga or the asana part of it, can bring together both the mind and the body. Your brain actually has to be really focused in the moment or else in a balancing pose in yoga, as many of us have experienced, you will tip right over. And these yoga poses, especially the balanced ones, not only improve balance and flexibility, but also promote mindfulness and help enhance focus because we're using both the mind and

the body simultaneously. Tai Chi can be another interesting form of practice that brings both body and mind on board in a simultaneous and necessary way. The movements involve coordinating slow, fluid movement and deep breathing. And this can help increase focus, reduce stress, and improve body awareness. And dance, some kinds of dance, some kinds of dance, your mind basically just completely gets lost in another place. But other styles of dance can do the exact opposite. So think about engaging in dance styles that require learning choreography and executing precise movements. Things like ballroom dancing, ballet, or hip hop. And those types of dance can

help improve coordination, memory, and concentration. And again, they're bringing both your mind and your body on board simultaneously. The fundamental nature of the physical movement demands that your mind be present and focused in it. And because of that, there's a training effect on focus and attention. Other things, which may be outdoor types of activities, like tossing a disc around, playing like ultimate Frisbee or throwing around any type of ball or playing catch. What happens if you're playing catch with a ball and you lose focus, your mind wanders somewhere else? Pretty safe bet.

Either the ball gets lost somewhere or it knocks into you at some point For me for years one of the ultimate ways that I did this type of exercise Was mountain biking and I used to love mountain biking on what's called single track really narrow Windy technical trails often surrounded by trees and I love to move at a fairly decent clip on my mountain bike and what I found was that it was profoundly focusing because the nature of the activity required my brain to be absolutely in the moment. I had to be hyper-focused in every second

because if I lost focus and the trail is winding really quickly, it's going up and down, there are roots and jaggots and rocks and there are trees on either side, I would find myself no longer on my bike, but crashing into some dirt and hopefully not trees. So these types of exercises where the fundamental nature of the physical movement demands that your mind be engaged is the type of thing that we're talking about. And you can play around with all different variations to accommodate whatever feels

yummy and exciting and fun and playful to you. Now think about also not just doing this randomly, but like everything else, if we want to turn this into a habit that starts to build a real increased capacity for focus, doing it on a routine basis. So set a routine, schedule a specific time of day for your brain-body coordination exercises. I would say aiming for a solid 20 to 30 minutes a session. And consistency is really essential for reaping the benefits of these exercises. Just like everything else we've talked about today, I would really encourage you to track your progress. Monitor improvement in each one of these by recording your progress in a journal or using an app.

And this will really help you identify areas that need more focus and ensure that you're continuously challenging yourself. It'll also help you understand how these particular exercises affect your focus when you're not doing them. So maybe you're doing the actual activity for 20 or 30 minutes, but then what happens when you sit down to study or to create or to write or to build something in a couple of hours after? Note how it changes your capacity to focus in the time that you're not actually doing this particular type of exercise.

I found for me, the flow over or the focus afterburn effect is often incredibly powerful. So choose activities that are also appropriate to your unique physical needs and abilities or limitations and level of skill or fitness. And always, always err on the side of what is appropriate and accessible to you and safe and intelligent. And you can also apply these to daily life. So as you improve your brain-body coordination, practice applying these skills to really everyday situations like maintaining focus during a meeting, multitasking, engaging conversations can help you become more present and attentive

in various aspects of your life. And that brings us, I know I promised this was going to be seven, but I'm going to sneak in a bonus final, a bonus number eight focus building habit. Why? Because it's fun and because I think we all kind of need it these days. Bonus number eight habit for focus is power napping. Yes, power napping involves taking brief, strategically timed naps throughout the day to recharge your mental energy and focus. This is so valuable for so many of us because the reality is so many people are underslept. And a lot of the challenge with focus that we're having, it actually is related to the fact that we're kind of exhausted

and our brains need a little bit of a break. And power napping can give us some of the break that we need. Even if we struggle to get the full night's sleep that we all aspire to during the evening, many of us would actually find it easy to grab a 20 minute power nap during the evening, many of us would actually find it easy to grab a 20-minute power nap during the day, sometimes even easier than it is to sleep at night. So studies have

shown that power napping can boost cognitive performance, including attention, memory, and decision-making. A study by Horn and Reiner found that a short nap of really just no more than 20 minutes can significantly improve alertness and cognitive performance compared to a controlled group without napping. And this is likely because short naps can enhance neural connections and increase the release of neurotransmitters, promoting cognitive functions and performance. So what does a power nap actually look like? How do we quote, implement the power nap habit? Well, understand a power nap is a short nap, typically lasting just 10 to 20 minutes. We're not talking 45 minutes. That's more of a legit nap. That helps recharge your energy levels and improve focus, alertness, and cognitive

performance. And power napping can be particularly beneficial for those experiencing afternoon energy slumps or working long hours. So think about scheduling your power nap. Yes, not just randomly taking it when you feel like it, but actually scheduling it on a regular basis. Choose a time during the day when you naturally feel drowsy or experience a decrease in energy, often around mid-afternoon. Consistency is really the key to maximizing the benefits of power napping. So in a very past life, I was a lawyer working at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, fresh out of law school. And one of the office managers who had been there, I think she spent her entire career there, everybody knew that at lunchtime, her door

would be closed. And she literally had a little mat that she would roll out under her desk and take a 20 minute power nap under her desk after she ate her lunch every single day and thought that this was the thing that just kept her going. And people respected it. You might think to yourself, well, if I'm in an office environment or if I'm someplace where it may not be, I'll quote, allowed, you'd be surprised. If that power nap allows you to then spend the entire rest of your day really focused and productive and turbocharged and feeling like you want to feel and being able to function the way you want to function, that is going to outweigh whatever potential raised eyebrows

you may get when you start to say, I'm gonna do this little thing, or just try running the experiment for a week or two if you're questioning it and see how it feels. So you also wanna find a comfortable location. So think about locating a quiet, comfortable space where you can take your power nap without distractions. This could be a dedicated nap area at your workspace or so many more folks are working

from home these days, a quiet room in your home, or even I know some people that will take a power nap in their car. They'll literally, they'll have lunch, they'll go out into the car, they recline their front seat, they make a nice, comfortable, warm environment, and they just close their eyes for 20 minutes, as long as it's parked in a safe location, of course. And you want to set a timer too. So before starting your power nap, set a timer for 10 to 20 minutes, and you can experiment for which is sort of most refreshing. What amount of time gets you the feeling that you want to have? Keeping your nap short will help you avoid grogginess and ensure

that you wake up feeling refreshed and recharged. Really create a conducive environment. So to promote relaxation and fall asleep quickly, consider using a sleep mask to block out light, earplugs or noise-canceling headphones to reduce noise, and a comfortable pillow or cushion to support you. And you may want to also consider using relaxation techniques. So if you have any difficulty falling asleep, try using relaxation techniques like deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, or guided imagery to help you drift off quickly. And once your power nap is complete, just take a few moments after, stretch a little bit, drink some water, or engage in just light physical movement to help shake off any remaining drowsiness if it's there or re-energize yourself for the remainder of the day.

Just like everything else we're talking about, great idea to monitor your progress. Keep track of the power napping habit, how it's impacting your focus and overall well-being. You might want to maintain a journal or track it in an app to record your observations and figure out what time of day, what circumstances, what duration works best for you. And by following those steps and incorporating power napping into that routine, you can create the effective habit that really allows you to improve focus and attention and also just straight up feel better and probably just be in a better mood too as you move into the later parts of your day. Well, that wraps up today's special, I would say slightly expanded episode where we're

focusing on habits that can really affect your focus and some new and fun and different ones. These eight unconventional focus habits can help you unlock your true potential and improve your focus in daily life. And by incorporating these techniques into your routine, you can be more present and engaged with the people and activities that truly matter. So thanks for joining us for this latest slightly rogue installment of five life-changing focus habits where we snuck in a handful of extra habits just for fun. And remember, you don't have

to do every one. Just try what sounds interesting and fun, and let us know how it goes on our social channels. And don't forget to follow Good Life Project now on whatever app you're using, so you never miss any future installments of our Life-Changing Habits series. We've got some great ones coming up. And if you haven't already listened, be sure to check out a recent episode on five life-changing relationship habits. You'll find a link in the show notes. Until next time, I'm Jonathan Fields, signing off for Good Life Project. Apple Watch Series 10 The Apple Watch Series 10 is here. It has the biggest display ever. It's also the thinnest Apple Watch Series X is here. It has the biggest display ever.

It's also the thinnest Apple Watch ever, making it even more comfortable on your wrist, whether you're running, swimming, or sleeping. And it's the fastest-charging Apple Watch, getting you 8 hours of charge in just 15 minutes. The Apple Watch Series X. Available for the first time in glossy jet black aluminum. Compared to previous generations, iPhone Xs are later required.

Charge time and actual results will vary. Mayday, mayday. We've been compromised. The pilot's a hitman. I knew you were going to be fun. On January 24th. Tell me how to fly this thing. Mark Wahlberg. You know what the difference between me and you is?

You're going to die. Don't shoot him, we need him! Y'all need a pilot? Flight Risk.