How to improve your focus: what a poem and neuroscience taught me

I first came across this poem in a sports psychology class where we had to write an essay, analysing the psychological themes in a movie by the same name.

The poem and a concept we'll be delving into shortly helped me stop blaming my brain and account for my lack of focus and inactions.

When I was working on this post, this particular part of Invictus came to mind.

It matters not how strait the gate

Or how charged with punishments the scrolls

I am the master of my fate

I am the captain of my soul

Thought I would share this poem with you because there seems to be a lot of self-fight going on these days. There are other internal battles going on, but this one got my attention. Probably because I’ve been buried in textbooks for a medical neuroscience exam.

Anyway, whatever the internal fight may be, this is a gentle reminder that your brain is not the enemy here. Neither is the force (mind) behind it.

Trust me, it's the last thing you'd want as an enemy. 

Why we blame our brain chemistry (dopamine)

We blame a lot of things for our inattentiveness. But we are at a point where we’re boldly channelling this blame onto the neurochemicals in our brain. Dopamine taking the biggest hit.

Yes, our brain will always default to doing what it's wired to do…keep us psychologically and physiologically safe. It thrives on internal balance after all (homeostasis).

The 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑚 is, that safety mechanism might sometimes look like avoidance or instant gratification, especially in the case of our dopamine woes.

So we can keep blaming dopamine and our phones for why our brains and minds are what they are today.

Or we can finally address the not-so-baby elephant in the room.

By looking hard and long in the mirror. Now get your mind out of the negative space because you are not looking in the mirror to blame yourself.

I want you to look in the mirror to tell yourself something we seem to be forgetting lately.

I want you to tell yourself this.... I am the master of my fate.

If that sounds too yogi for you, try my favourite, I am responsible for getting my life together.

Then, I want you to follow this mindset shift with this simple, actionable practice. It’s what I’ve been doing.

It’s called interoceptive awareness exercise. If you struggle with sustaining attention or impulsiveness, this one is for you.

What is interoceptive awareness?

Interoception is how you perceive and interpret the internal signals in your body, such as heartbeat, breathing, or muscle tension. Think of it as a hidden sense that connects your brain to your bodily states or reactions.

It's crucial in emotional regulation and our mental health because it influences our feelings of safety and our reward system (the brain circuit largely modulated by dopamine). The very reward system that gives us pleasure when we give into temptation and scroll for hours or jump into the newest idea, leaving behind a trail of abandoned projects.

This is where interoceptive awareness exercise comes in. It’s a pause practice, and what it does is, it trains your brain to spot your impulses when they surface and redirect your focus to your set goals (the now).

When you pause in between decision-making, you activate what neuroscientists call 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑛ℎ𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 (impulse control) which is an executive cognitive function to override automatic (mostly inappropriate) actions, emotions or thoughts to help you stay on track.

Tempted to start a new project before the current one is even launched? Pause.

Tempted to scroll before you’ve even brushed your teeth? Pause.

Not for effect but to calm those thoughts running rent-free in your mind and the habits hijacking your goals.

By pausing, you strengthen your brain's regulatory networks in the part of the brain involved in decision-making and impulse control (prefrontal cortex)

How to put the science into daily practice

Let’s use an example of an interoceptive awareness exercise I started this year as a guide. I’m multi-passionate, so for me, that means interfering thoughts most of the time. I can be writing a chapter of a story, and an idea for a wireframe would come to mind.

I would stop writing and grab my sketchbook to scrawl down this new idea. Before I realize, the day is over, and I spent hours researching and designing even though that was not the priority of the day or month for that matter. This throws me off my writing schedule, and I end up with both uncompleted writing and design projects because it’s a cycle of constant thought interruption.

Now, this is what I've been doing to reclaim focus. Whenever, I feel the impulse to switch between tasks or projects, instead of being led astray by the thought and jumping right into this newest idea, I pause for a few seconds (breath work is great here) and then, recentre my focus by reading a material related to the current task I'm working on. If it's writing, this could be reading an outline of the chapter or article I'm writing.

Of course, there are times when the thought is more persistent than the sponge sellers in my local market. In that case, I will briefly write the idea down in a not now but later note and go back to writing. This kinda mimics the idea of capture habit by David Allen from his book Getting Things Done, and it has really helped to redirect my attention to 𝑛𝑜𝑤 tasks.

By the way, this may look like thought suppression, but it’s not. You’re simply choosing which thoughts or actions deserve your focus first.

So if this is something you also struggle with, try this pause exercise on any habit you find yourself doing on impulse.

Before you act on the impulse, pause.

If for nothing, to remind yourself that you are in control of your thoughts and actions.

Because whether you see the power you wield over your actions or not, you are responsible for getting your life together.

Now tell me, what is already pulling your attention in the first quarter of the year that can honestly wait?

Write it down because sometimes letting it out is the first step in guiding yourself. So write it and share it in the comments with me.