3 Ways to Stop the Internet from Rewiring Your Brain
We are rewiring our focus circuits and creating attention spans of trivial length and power.
One minute here, two minutes there, jumping and jumping from task to task, content to content and each jump endures in matters of minutes if not seconds.
This multitasking is an inherent product that comes with using the internet and has become a habit that drains and destroys our focus.
Thanks to Neuroplasticity though, rebuilding your focus is feasible:
#1 Strengthen Your Focus the Natural Way
The next time that you start to read a book or text and the boredom monster creeps in, do not give in to it.
Instead, try to at least keep on reading for a couple of minutes more.
These extra couple of minutes are precisely where you are stretching your focus and making it stronger.
After several trials, what you will notice during the next attempts at reading is that you won’t get bored as quickly as before.
This means that your attention span has grown slightly and can keep out the boredom monster a bit longer.
#2 Prefrontal Workout for Improving Focus
Prefrontal workout is a fancy name for meditation.
First, focus on your breath.
You can focus on the sensation of inhaling or exhaling in your nostrils or you can focus on your chest or belly when your breath moves them.
Second, as soon as your mind wanders and you notice it, take your focus back to your breath.
#3 Be Protective Your Focus in the First Place
Now that you know how your daily seemingly-benign behavior can turn into a mental habit, you can approach things more mindfully.
Always ask yourself:
How is this approach or behavior going to change me over time?
Do you use GPS like me?
Do you outsource your memory to digital devices as well?
On the surface, such behaviors might seem harmless.
But, collectively, and in the long run, how are they going to reshape us?