In this episode of the Being Well Podcast, Dr. Rick and Forrest explore improving focus and fixing our attention spans in a world that is constantly trying to distract us. They discuss common reasons it’s hard to focus and three key interventions that can help most people. Rick teaches approaches from mindfulness practice, and Forrest explains how we can improve focus motivation and distress tolerance. Topics include ADHD, the role of dopamine, expanding the “Goldilocks Zone,” the practice of doing hard things, and how we can become less reliant on willpower.
Key Topics:
- 0:00: Introduction
- 5:25: Three key areas where we seek focus
- 9:10: Self-belief and inner turmoil
- 14:10: Three factors for sustaining focus
- 20:50: The goldilocks zone, physical health, and emotional preoccupation
- 24:40: Difficulties with meditation and mindfulness
- 32:40: Willpower vs. motivation
- 40:20: Quieting the mind
- 41:25: Decreasing the reward value of our distractions
- 48:35: Being present with others
- 54:05: ‘Going wide’, self-compassion, and other tactics for completing tasks
- 1:02:10: Choice and rumination
- 1:06:15: Recap
Forrest is now writing on Substack, check out his work there.
