Focus is incredibly important, for a number of reasons.
First, it is a sign of respect. Paying attention to someone shows that you care about them, that you are interested in them, and that they are important to you. If someone is talking to you or trying to show you something, and you aren't paying attention to them, you have shown them that they don't matter to you. This is true for adults as well as children. If you're talking to a peer, and they're playing on their phone, how do you feel?
Second, focus is critical for us to learn. Whether it's school, taekwondo, church, work, online, or anywhere, we have to be focused in order to learn new things. When we let our attention drift, we will miss important information! By doing so, we set ourselves up for frustration or failure. Strong focus allows us to think quicker, perform better, and retain what we learn.
Third, having good focus actually decreases stress. Dealing with lots of distractions can make it harder to get things done. As adults, multi-tasking is often lauded as a positive trait, however, when taken to extremes, it can decrease productivity and increase stress. Having good focus can help keep us from getting overwhelmed.
So how do we improve focus?
First, we need to prepare our bodies. It is hard to focus when we are tired, hungry, thirsty, or lacking exercise. If you are having trouble concentrating, address these issues first!
Next, we need to practice. With children, I usually start with physical methods. We start by identifying parts of ourselves that can use better focus. Examples: eyes, hands, mouths, limbs. What part is struggling to stay focused? Zero in on one part at a time, and focus on keeping that part focused.
For adults, I suggest starting with identifying goals. They can be extremely short-term. Set goals for what you want to accomplish in a certain time period - like the next five minutes. Set yourself a task, and stay focused on that task until it is complete. Then move to the next goal. Eliminate distractions where possible. Remember your goal and remind yourself to stay focused. If you have trouble tuning out distractions, keep your time periods short. As your mental muscles get stronger, you can expand your time limits. It is critical that during these exercises, you live in the moment!
When you've been focusing for a long time and it starts to get hard, sometimes the best thing you can do is take a break. At home, this might mean listening to music for a few minutes, meditating, or going for a walk. In taekwondo, sometimes this means a wiggle break or a brief change in activities. At school or work, this might be dependent on your circumstances, but lacking time for the other options, you could possibly take a moment to close your eyes and take some deep breaths. In all cases, use this break to reset, so that when you return to your task, you are ready to use your best focus.
Focus is a critical skill for all martial artists, and as our focus grows stronger, we will be better able to become our best selves.
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