In this era of information explosion, people are filled with a lot of complicated information every day, which distracts valuable attention.

I was thinking about finishing a manuscript, but I was disturbed by the drip of mobile phone information, so that I finally dragged it to the deadline; I clearly wanted to enjoy a good meal, but I wanted to see if there were any friends' messages on WeChat, so that I finally shelved the food in order to reply to my friends' messages.

As a research report said, modern people should check their mobile phones every six minutes and stroke them 2511 times a day! Indeed, mobile phones have become an indispensable thing in our real life, and even sometimes we don't seem to know what to do without them. And we gradually lose our attention, so that we can't experience and enjoy the present life.

facing the gradual lack of attention, how can we regain it? This Art of Observation provides us with 131 exercises to fight against distractions, find inspiration and discover daily fun. It takes only 11 minutes a day to get your attention back to normal.

This book was carefully written by three authors, namely, Rob Walker, Peter Mendelssohn and Oliver Munday. It was also recommended by The New York Times's The New Yorker, The Guardian and Harvard Business Review.

here are three kinds of small exercises that can help you gradually get your attention back on track.

11 Do one thing at a time

Writer Maria Konykova once said, "We don't pay enough attention to everything, so we sacrifice the quality of attention. When we pay attention, those fleeting glimpses of attention disappear in a flash, as if they were voluntary. "

Have you ever thought that from the moment you make up your mind to write a manuscript, your focus will shift to this matter? Even if there is a jam in the middle, as long as you hint that you will not leave your desk, then you can certainly finish your manuscript.

Just like Jason Kotek's experience mentioned in the book, he said, "mowing the lawn makes him extremely satisfied, making all the grass the same height. Surrounding the remaining uncut lawn with newly mowed grass in a concentric rectangle can make him feel dizzy and calm." This is actually what psychology calls the state of producing flow.

It can be seen that doing only one thing at a time makes it easier to concentrate your attention and achieve a state of flow. The more you immerse yourself in familiar things, the more fun you will have. Even just mowing the lawn, because the freshness is reduced, it can produce more satisfaction.

12 Being alone in public

Imagine what it would be like to eat alone in a crowded canteen. The book mentions an article published by Andrew Reiner, an educator, in The New York Times, which tells the story that he assigned students a particularly arduous task, that is, to eat in the crowded university cafeteria, and not to bring homework, laptops or smart phones, or friends. "

maybe you will find it incredible. After all, in the era when social networks are particularly important, how can we lose such necessities as mobile phones and computers?

But there is such an interesting study that challenges our potential fear of being alone and being judged. This is a study published in The New Yorker magazine. By comparing the experience of visiting an art museum alone or with a group of people, the researchers found that both solo and group visitors can actually have the same fun. Admittedly, being alone is not a punishment, but an opportunity. It is not expected by others, nor influenced by mobile phones, and it is an opportunity to exist completely freely.

13 Make a list

When it comes to making lists, everyone will think of to-do items. It is true that making a list can record all the important things in a day, but it is also a simple way to focus on what we are used to ignoring.

for example, when you are stuck in the waiting hall, you are bored to death. Instead of losing your temper or turning to Baidu, make a list. Pay attention to everything around you and think about why they are there.

It seems that this is just a simple procedure, but it is the starting point of many creative undertakings, large and small. For example, as mentioned in the book, artist and educator Kate Bingemann-Burt asked her students to make and draw their own personal lists: everything they carry, or everything they have but want to get rid of.

simply put, use the above tips to create your own list. A list can reveal something about space and something about you.

Of course, if you want to be more quantitative, you can also make a detailed and outrageous list for yourself. It can not only regain your attention, but also record your insight in detail, which is really killing two birds with one stone.

written at the end

Wu Xiuming, a law professor, once said, "In the next century, the human resources that need to be preserved and protected most are probably our own consciousness and psychological space."

If you also feel distracted at this time, I suggest you take some time to stop and practice careful observation according to the methods provided in the Art of Observation, so as to concentrate your attention little by little.