We tend to think of attention as a single phenomenon, something we direct somewhere to enhance processing information selectively. But that’s a misconception.
In her book Peak Mind, Jha writes that attention is made up of three subsystems, with each doing something distinct. Jha calls them the flashlight, the floodlight, and the juggler.
Let’s look at each in turn and how understanding them improves our focus.
The Flashlight
Our attention is like a flashlight, illuminating what we focus on. For instance, if I’m doing a good enough job summarizing this big idea, you’re pointing your flashlight at the words you’re reading.
By contrast, anything you’re not pointing your flashlight at—the sensations in your body, the sound of traffic outside—retreats into the background and remains unimportant, darkened, and dampened.
“We have this fantastic capacity to willfully direct and select with this flashlight of ours,” writes Jha. “We can shine it as a person we’re with, into the past or into the future—anywhere we want, we can point it.”
The Floodlight
Where the flashlight is narrow and focused, the floodlight, also known as the alerting system, is broad and open. When we use the floodlight, our attention is ready for whatever or whomever it is.
Jha compares the floodlight to what happens when we see a flashing yellow light while driving. We’re unsure what we’re looking for, but we know we’re looking for something and are ready to act if need be.
But the floodlight isn’t limited to our external environment. We can also point it at ourselves and attend to any thoughts or feelings that put us in a state of vigilance.
The Juggler
The juggler directs, oversees, and manages what we’re doing and ensures our actions align with what we’re trying to accomplish. Whether it’s reading to the end of this article or pursuing a big goal, the juggler ensures we stay on track.
We use our juggler to override automatic tendencies (like checking our phones with each notification), update and revise our goals based on new information available, and refresh those goals to remind us of what we’re trying to do.
Our attention is adequate when engaged with any of the above subsystems, but it can’t operate in multiple subsystems simultaneously. To improve our focus, we need to practice one key daily habit.
Twelve Minute Mindfulness
In her work with the U.S. Army and others in extremely high-stress occupations, Jha and her team of researchers found that practicing mindfulness for twelve minutes a day can lift the mental fog, declutter our minds and strengthen our focus.
Jha writes that breath work is particularly effective for mindfulness practice because it targets all three of our attention’s subsystems:
- Focusing on the breath (the flashlight);
- Staying alert to mind wandering (the floodlight); and
- Redirecting our focus back to our breath when it does (the juggler).
To get started with training our attention, Jha recommends the following three-step practice to help “find your flashlight”:
- Sit upright, inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth, and follow the natural rhythm of your breath;
- Tune in to breath-related sensations such as your belly moving in and out; and
- Notice when your flashlight has moved—a to-do that comes to mind, a memory floating up—and then move it back again.
You won’t notice improvements in your attention system immediately. Like any workout, you need to put in the work. But in time, with enough practice, you will strengthen your attention and have it and your disposal when it’s most needed.
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