Get A 4x Increase In Productivity By Listening To Music | Focus@Will

This exploits two human flaws at once: Most of us are terrible multitaskers, and we struggle to refocus once our attention is yanked away. It takes most people more than 20 minutes to snap back into focus after a distraction.

Research by Microsoft amongst 2,000 people in Canada showed that the ability to sustain focused attention in the face of distractions had dropped to just eight seconds in 2015 – down from 12 seconds in the year 2000, before the explosion of online images, videos and mobile screens.

When it comes to focused attention, we focus on one thing only, something we can sustain for only a few seconds. The maximum duration of focused attention seems not to have changed over time (Doyle and Zakrajsek 2013, 91). Focused attention is different from “sustained attention,” which we need to stay focused on one task for a longer period and is

Deep states of focus are critical to boosting productivity and remembering more of what you learn.

When it comes to focused attention, we focus on one thing only, something we can sustain for only a few seconds. The maximum duration of focused attention seems not to have changed over time (Doyle and Zakrajsek 2013, 91). Focused attention is different from “sustained attention,” which we need to stay focused on one task for a longer period and is