Mostly Tryin’: The Art of Concentration

The other day I was mindlessly trawling the depths of Youtube conducting targeted online research when I was struck by the excessive array of windows and tabs littering my computer screen and I began to wonder, where does my focus truly lie? Is it possible to genuinely give a hundred percent if our attention is habitually divided?

I have always been led to believe that the ability to multi-task is an attribute to be celebrated, after all, it is supposedly where women excel! So, what is concentration if not the ability to give one’s full focus to the task at hand?

Now my daily practice begins with small tasks; cracking an egg, cleansing my face. Seemingly mindless tasks but there is a simple pleasure to be found in giving a tomato it’s dues as you slice through ruby skin.

The notion of lending one’s full attention to one task at a time sounds simple but in practice, I have found it to be an exercise in mastering the art of presence and I suspect it will be a life-long study.

As I type, an alert from Net-a-Porter momentarily flashes on the screen, I have to make a conscious effort to resist the urge to switch tabs and peruse new editions. I suspect this flitting practice is a half habit and a half “fear of missing out” but it is a pattern I am determined to master…in the long run.

Wishing you all a very happy and present Christmas. Bisous