Ever felt defragmented? It is extremely common. Between doing justice to your phone, laptop, air pods and rushing into meetings, making conversations with colleagues, trying to recollect the grocery list and deciding on the cab back home, while choosing from five different cab companies, is it any surprise that we are bound to feel a brain fog? Jargon mixed with confusion.

These are the times we live in. I’d say survive in. On a daily basis, how many hours do we spend without any gadgets? Or in nothingness? Or living mindfully? Well, it feels like we have trapped ourselves in the hedonic treadmill (also known as hedonic adaptation, is the conjecture that humans quickly return to a relatively stable level of happiness or sadness despite major positive or negative events or life changes)

We get stuck in the act of gadget flipping for the sake of avoiding boredom and gaining constant happiness. This is exactly what makes us defragmented. The brain needs the fuel of boredom in order to function at its optimum level. In order to be calm, creative and focused. Been there, done that?

I have been to both ends of the spectrum. Especially, during and immediately post COVID. I am sure I was not alone. Gadget use had reached its peak. People were feeling worn out with no other outlet. And despite the world trying its best, we did not return to normal. We came up with the new normal – glued to gadgets!

But I tried something different. Addiction to gadgets isn’t my kind of thing. I realsied spending too much time with gadgets easily leads to irritation and sadness. Add to it the five second attention span that adds to further damage and longer shopping lists. So is there a way out? There absolutely is. The answer lies in deep focus, that sits on the other end of the spectrum.

Deep focus lets us engage in any one activity by completely immersing into it. For starters, it is a great idea to begin with something you love. For example, sports, arts, walks, take your pick. Start with 15 minutes a day. Put your phone on silent. Leave it in a different room. Turn off all other gadgets, music even. Open the windows, or be out in the open. Let natural air and light touch you. Be present and engage in an activity of your choice. Try this for at least a month, one day at a time. Try doing this alone. Do not look for company.

I have tried this with writing, walking and doing nothing. Going for a walk without the phone is a pleasant experience. It reminds me of my younger days when mobile phones did not exist. People would look at one another, and greet fellow walkers. Similarly, when I sit down to write, I leave my phone in the other room. I engage in feelings and writing. A conversation with just myself.

The result – deep focus. When you have accomplished engaging in a single activity consistently, over at least a month, you have built a new muscle. Now, no matter how stressed you feel, you will be able to pull off this activity with ease. I have had days when I had a hundred things on mind, both emotional and to-do lists. But it did not stop me from either walking or writing. Reason – focus, of course!

P.S. Deep focus is a superpower. And the cool side effect is a more calm mind and happy temperament. As you increase the time spent in focused activity, it increases the capacity of the brain to learn more, age no bar. And does learning bring more confidence and in turn more happiness?