The Unfair Fight for your Attention
Here's what you can do about it...
If you find it difficult to focus on the present moment, don’t be too hard on yourself. I talk a lot about the internal distractions as the mind wanders, getting lost in memories or potential future scenarios. But another often overlooked reason, is the intense competition from marketers vying for your attention.
15 years ago, a market research firm called Yankelovich surveyed over 4,000 people and determined that an average person saw up to 5,000 adverts every day. Since then, this has doubled to around 10,000 ads. Every. Single. Day.
Let that settle in for a moment. You’re seeing an ad on average every 5 seconds you’re awake. No wonder it’s so difficult to stay present and focused on what’s happening in front of you. These ads are designed to grab your attention and if they’re doing their job, they’ll be triggering thoughts of actions too.
So before you give yourself a hard time for not being able to stay present, stop for a moment and be kind to yourself instead. Acknowledge that to even notice a thought you’re having is an important step forward. It’s more vital than ever before to learn how to be aware of thoughts, and how to detach from the unwanted and unhelpful ones.
If you’re googling something, be present on the results that come up, without being distracted by the ads that pop up. Use these opportunities to practice being completely present, whether you’re searching for information, or flicking through your socials.
Serious amounts of money is being spent on trying to keep you away from being in a space free from thought. You can take back some control by just being aware of the choices you’re making, and the thoughts you’re having. Then make decisions with your attention clearly focused on what you’re contemplating, so you’re not distracted by the next ad that sneakily floats onto your screen.
Try it for yourself today - when you’re searching online, or on your socials, see if you can intentionally notice the ads in front of you. Then try to detach from those thoughts by bringing your attention back to whatever it was you were meant to be focusing on.
If it works, great! If it doesn’t, be kind to yourself and try again another time.
It’s not a fair fight, but it’s one you can win with enough practice.