WEBVTT - 4 Simple Habits to Boost Focus & Stop Getting Distracted 0:00:01.760 --> 0:00:04.480 Hey everyone, it's Jay here. My wife and I have 0:00:04.559 --> 0:00:08.240 had so much fun creating our own sparkling tea Juni, 0:00:08.560 --> 0:00:11.160 and I've got big news for you. It's at Target 0:00:11.240 --> 0:00:13.760 and we'd love your support. If you can go out 0:00:13.840 --> 0:00:17.880 grab a Juny, You'll be adding adaptagens and new tropics 0:00:17.920 --> 0:00:21.600 into your life with mood boosting properties aimed at promoting 0:00:21.640 --> 0:00:24.760 a balanced and happy mind. Through our commitment to our 0:00:24.760 --> 0:00:27.840 wellness journey and striving to fuel our bodies with the 0:00:27.880 --> 0:00:31.360 healthiest ingredients, It's been our purpose to make healthy choices 0:00:31.400 --> 0:00:34.280 accessible for all, which is why Juni is now on 0:00:34.400 --> 0:00:37.440 shelves at Target. So head to our store locator at 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:40.960 Drinkjuni dot com and find Juny at a Target near you. 0:00:42.560 --> 0:00:45.760 We feel so productive when we're doing lots of things. 0:00:46.080 --> 0:00:49.960 We feel good when we feel busy. We feel valuable 0:00:50.520 --> 0:00:53.280 when we feel busy. So much of the reason why 0:00:53.320 --> 0:00:56.080 we enjoy being distracted is because we think we're doing 0:00:56.160 --> 0:00:59.720 more when we're actually doing less. What's required is a 0:00:59.800 --> 0:01:04.520 chain shift in our mindset and recognizing that sometimes when 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:07.920 you're doing things slower, you actually might be doing them better. 0:01:08.319 --> 0:01:11.160 The number one Health and Well in the podcast Jay 0:01:11.280 --> 0:01:19.760 Setty Jay Setty. Hey, everyone, welcome back to On Purpose. 0:01:19.959 --> 0:01:23.240 I'm your host, Jay Shetty, and I'm so grateful that 0:01:23.319 --> 0:01:27.440 you've decided to tune in. I have been thinking about 0:01:27.480 --> 0:01:31.480 this a lot lately, and it's because I find that 0:01:31.800 --> 0:01:38.920 our attention diminishes so gradually and so subtly, that it 0:01:38.959 --> 0:01:43.440 can often take months or years to realize that there's 0:01:43.480 --> 0:01:47.000 been an incredible decline. Now, I want to ask you 0:01:47.040 --> 0:01:51.080 an honest and vulnerable question. How many of you are 0:01:51.160 --> 0:01:56.040 feeling distracted? How many of you look at your phone 0:01:56.920 --> 0:02:02.720 for no reason whatsoever. Studies show we grab our phone 0:02:02.720 --> 0:02:07.160 out of our pocket around two hundred times per day. 0:02:07.880 --> 0:02:10.440 And the truth is a lot of us won't have 0:02:10.480 --> 0:02:14.640 seen the time, won't have checked anything specific, won't have 0:02:14.720 --> 0:02:21.119 done that intentionally. It will have been a completely unconscious, unintentional, 0:02:21.880 --> 0:02:27.200 potentially unnecessary action. So let me ask you again, are 0:02:27.240 --> 0:02:30.840 you feeling more distracted? Are you feeling like you're struggling 0:02:30.880 --> 0:02:35.720 to pay attention? Are you feeling challenged being present? Maybe 0:02:35.720 --> 0:02:38.760 you struggle in a meeting to really be there with 0:02:38.880 --> 0:02:42.120 everyone else that you're around. Maybe when someone's giving a 0:02:42.120 --> 0:02:46.000 presentation on a zoom call, you see yourself just drifting 0:02:46.040 --> 0:02:49.800 in and out, or maybe sometimes the meeting ends and 0:02:49.880 --> 0:02:53.079 then you finally realize that you weren't present at all. 0:02:53.840 --> 0:02:56.519 Maybe it's your partner who's pointed it out a few times, 0:02:56.560 --> 0:03:00.200 telling you, Hey, are you really listening to me? Hey, 0:03:00.200 --> 0:03:03.079 I don't think you're always present with me. Hey did 0:03:03.080 --> 0:03:05.320 you know what happened with the kids today? If you've 0:03:05.360 --> 0:03:07.919 experienced any of this, I want you to know you're 0:03:07.919 --> 0:03:13.040 not alone. It's not a weakness, it's somewhat not your fault, 0:03:13.480 --> 0:03:17.320 and it's actually something that we're all struggling with. Listen 0:03:17.360 --> 0:03:21.000 to this episode to get less distracted. Listen to this 0:03:21.080 --> 0:03:25.239 episode to increase your focus, and listen to this episode 0:03:25.560 --> 0:03:29.160 so that you can be more present in your life. Now, 0:03:29.200 --> 0:03:31.639 tell me if this ever happened to you, or tell 0:03:31.680 --> 0:03:34.320 me if it often happens to you. You're paying attention 0:03:34.440 --> 0:03:38.560 to something or someone, maybe it's a speech, an activity, 0:03:38.920 --> 0:03:40.680 and you get the urge to look at your phone. 0:03:41.160 --> 0:03:44.560 You better believe I've been there regularly. In fact, I 0:03:44.600 --> 0:03:47.040 think it's fair to say we all do this. As 0:03:47.080 --> 0:03:51.480 technology is advanced, As distractions a multiplied, our ability to 0:03:51.560 --> 0:03:55.800 focus has been shrinking. But I promise you, with some 0:03:55.960 --> 0:03:59.720 conscious effort, you can build it back. This episode is 0:03:59.760 --> 0:04:04.280 deadated to help you do just that. Now listen to 0:04:04.320 --> 0:04:08.440 this research. Back in two thousand and four, researchers at 0:04:08.560 --> 0:04:13.960 UC Irvine set out to understand how information workers divided 0:04:14.000 --> 0:04:19.320 their focus. They looked at analysts, software engineers, and managers, 0:04:19.960 --> 0:04:24.840 examining how quickly people pivoted between email, desk work and 0:04:24.880 --> 0:04:28.839 their phones, and the results were kind of mind boggling. 0:04:29.400 --> 0:04:34.400 The researchers found that, on average, people spend about two 0:04:34.560 --> 0:04:38.840 and a half minutes concentrating on a task before turning 0:04:38.880 --> 0:04:42.960 their attention elsewhere. That's not long at all, right, because 0:04:42.960 --> 0:04:49.200 that original study came before smartphones, before social media, before 0:04:49.279 --> 0:04:53.960 twenty four to seven notifications, and always access scrolling. So 0:04:54.000 --> 0:04:58.239 in twenty twelve, some of the researchers ran another study. 0:04:58.960 --> 0:05:02.200 This time they found that the average time spent on 0:05:02.279 --> 0:05:07.840 a task had dropped to seventy five seconds, and even 0:05:07.880 --> 0:05:12.799 more recently, one research discovered that the average attention span 0:05:12.920 --> 0:05:18.880 on computers and smartphones was a mere forty seven seconds. 0:05:19.440 --> 0:05:23.320 That's a whole another level of mind boggling. To make 0:05:23.320 --> 0:05:26.279 the point really clear, if you look at platforms like TikTok, 0:05:26.680 --> 0:05:31.039 platforms like meta platforms like Instagram, a lot of them 0:05:31.160 --> 0:05:35.680 count an eight second view as a view, So when 0:05:35.720 --> 0:05:39.160 you look at views, it's really someone who's watched it 0:05:39.200 --> 0:05:43.919 for eight seconds. Eight seconds is considered presence, and I 0:05:43.960 --> 0:05:46.480 think if you look at yourself scrolling on social media, 0:05:46.520 --> 0:05:51.039 you find yourself spending one to two, maybe three seconds 0:05:51.040 --> 0:05:53.560 on a video before you scroll past it, which is 0:05:53.560 --> 0:05:56.480 why eight seconds is seen as such a significant number. 0:05:57.320 --> 0:06:00.480 That's what it takes to keep or loose use our 0:06:00.560 --> 0:06:06.400 attention eight seconds. All of the social media world knows 0:06:06.640 --> 0:06:09.760 that if you don't grab someone's attention in eight seconds, 0:06:10.160 --> 0:06:14.200 you've already lost it. Now, this probably isn't the first 0:06:14.240 --> 0:06:19.440 you're hearing about this precipitous decline in focus, and at 0:06:19.440 --> 0:06:23.040 the very least, you definitely feel it. And even if 0:06:23.120 --> 0:06:27.480 multitasking may seem efficient, it actually has a negative impact 0:06:27.640 --> 0:06:33.240 on cognitive performance, on productivity and mood. Listen to this. 0:06:33.839 --> 0:06:38.800 Studies show that only two percent of people can actually multitask. 0:06:39.279 --> 0:06:41.520 And the funny thing is when ninety eight percent of 0:06:41.560 --> 0:06:45.040 us here that we all think we're in that two percent, 0:06:45.600 --> 0:06:51.320 the truth is the majority of us cannot multitask. Monotasking 0:06:51.520 --> 0:06:55.880 or solo tasking is the art of focusing on one 0:06:56.200 --> 0:07:01.120 thing at a time, the ability to dedicate that moment, 0:07:01.880 --> 0:07:06.560 your conscious effort, and your mind space to that time. 0:07:07.160 --> 0:07:09.320 One of the things I've been practicing to help me 0:07:09.400 --> 0:07:13.080 with that is leaving my phone outside of the room. 0:07:13.640 --> 0:07:17.200 Sometimes I'd have my phone in my pocket. Sometimes I'd 0:07:17.240 --> 0:07:19.640 have my phone on my desk. Now, if you have 0:07:19.720 --> 0:07:21.360 it in your pocket, you have the urge to take 0:07:21.400 --> 0:07:24.160 it out. If you leave it face up on your desk, 0:07:24.480 --> 0:07:27.600 you see notifications popping through. If you leave it face 0:07:27.680 --> 0:07:29.560 down on your desk, you may have the urge to 0:07:29.560 --> 0:07:34.320 flip it over. Just it being there causes attention and 0:07:34.400 --> 0:07:37.440 a distraction between you and the person you're with. Leaving 0:07:37.480 --> 0:07:40.440 it outside of the room has allowed me to create 0:07:40.480 --> 0:07:45.360 that space to truly monotask or solo task. I also 0:07:45.400 --> 0:07:47.960 started to realize how much I've been losing the ability 0:07:48.000 --> 0:07:51.480 to immerse myself. I remember being able to really sit 0:07:51.600 --> 0:07:54.920 with something rather and I took a trip a couple 0:07:54.960 --> 0:07:59.920 of weekends ago to Big Sir. Big Sir is around 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:02.680 and you know, I think about like seven or eight 0:08:02.760 --> 0:08:06.920 hours drive away from LA and it's known to be 0:08:06.920 --> 0:08:10.720 a really peaceful place, a very spiritual place where you can, 0:08:11.120 --> 0:08:14.200 you know, bathe in the trees, you can go for hikes, 0:08:14.280 --> 0:08:17.400 you can, you know, be in nature. And so rather 0:08:17.400 --> 0:08:19.840 than I took a break, and I noticed how my 0:08:20.120 --> 0:08:24.520 entire nervous system switched off by being there. And when 0:08:24.560 --> 0:08:28.200 we were there, it was so natural to just be 0:08:28.280 --> 0:08:30.440 present with the trees, or when we'd go on hikes 0:08:30.440 --> 0:08:33.880 and we'd see deer, to just be present, when we'd 0:08:34.200 --> 0:08:38.160 be on a walk through these winding pathways and bridges, 0:08:38.600 --> 0:08:43.640 to just be present. And if you've ever experienced deep 0:08:43.880 --> 0:08:48.920 presence or deep rest in that way, you start to 0:08:49.040 --> 0:08:51.480 value it. And I think often what we've done is 0:08:51.520 --> 0:08:54.679 we feel so productive when we're doing lots of things. 0:08:54.960 --> 0:08:58.839 We feel good when we feel busy, we feel valuable 0:08:59.400 --> 0:09:02.160 when we feel busy. So much of the reason why 0:09:02.200 --> 0:09:04.960 we enjoy being distracted is because we think we're doing 0:09:05.040 --> 0:09:08.959 more when we're actually doing less. So what's required is 0:09:09.000 --> 0:09:12.160 a change in our values. What's required is a change 0:09:12.160 --> 0:09:16.520 and shift in our mindset and recognizing that sometimes when 0:09:16.559 --> 0:09:19.920 you're doing things slower, you actually might be doing them better. 0:09:20.440 --> 0:09:23.560 Think about that for a second. It's a really random thought, right, 0:09:23.600 --> 0:09:26.440 It's kind of counterintuitive. There are a lot of things 0:09:26.440 --> 0:09:29.480 in the world that if you did them slower, you'd 0:09:29.520 --> 0:09:32.320 be doing them better. I'll give you give you an example. 0:09:32.840 --> 0:09:37.319 Iravader talks about how when you're eating food, each morsel 0:09:37.480 --> 0:09:41.240 should be chewed thirty two times. Now, I know that 0:09:41.280 --> 0:09:44.240 may sound ridiculous, but if you try and do it, 0:09:44.400 --> 0:09:48.240 there's a reason why when you bite your food. And 0:09:48.640 --> 0:09:52.240 the example or the irradic language around it is you 0:09:52.280 --> 0:09:56.440 should drink your food to your drinks. Now, I know 0:09:56.480 --> 0:09:58.440 that sounds complicated, but let me break it down for you. 0:09:58.760 --> 0:10:00.560 So you should drink your food. Does that mean if 0:10:00.600 --> 0:10:03.680 you've broken your food down, if you've chewed it enough 0:10:04.480 --> 0:10:08.400 down to feeling like liquid, it becomes easier on your digestion. 0:10:09.080 --> 0:10:12.040 If you've been able to chew your drinks, or you 0:10:12.080 --> 0:10:14.160 don't just gulp it down, but you take a moment 0:10:14.240 --> 0:10:17.920 with it, you actually make it easier to digest. So 0:10:17.960 --> 0:10:21.439 when you change the pace of how quickly you eat, 0:10:21.920 --> 0:10:26.800 how quickly you bite, how intentionally you digest food, it 0:10:26.800 --> 0:10:29.920 becomes easier for your gut. There are so many things 0:10:30.200 --> 0:10:33.600 that would be better if we did them slower. So 0:10:33.640 --> 0:10:35.880 I want to ask you to reflect. What is it 0:10:35.920 --> 0:10:38.560 that you could do more slowly. What is it that 0:10:38.640 --> 0:10:41.120 you could do more present that you think would improve it. 0:10:41.800 --> 0:10:44.520 Maybe the flusteredness that you feel in a meeting or 0:10:44.559 --> 0:10:46.959 the stress you feel in a meeting is because you're 0:10:46.960 --> 0:10:50.560 allowing your mind to jump from place to place. What 0:10:50.679 --> 0:10:53.120 if it was just in that meeting. What if you 0:10:53.400 --> 0:10:56.040 just listen to what that person was saying. What if 0:10:56.080 --> 0:10:59.160 you'd actually achieve more, You'd make better decisions, you'd make 0:10:59.200 --> 0:11:01.360 better long term decisions. How many times have you had 0:11:01.360 --> 0:11:04.160 it where someone said something, you go, yeah, sure, that's fine, 0:11:04.200 --> 0:11:06.400 and then a month later you're like, wait a minute, 0:11:06.440 --> 0:11:08.600 I don't remember even saying that I had this happened 0:11:08.600 --> 0:11:11.520 to me recently, And it's just I mean, my team 0:11:11.559 --> 0:11:13.520 will probably tell you it happens more often than not. 0:11:13.559 --> 0:11:17.240 And I started to realize how we don't make good decisions. 0:11:17.800 --> 0:11:22.280 We're just making decisions in the moment, strung between two decisions. Right, 0:11:22.320 --> 0:11:24.760 you're choosing what to order to eat at the same 0:11:24.800 --> 0:11:27.760 time as making a decision at work. You're choosing where 0:11:27.800 --> 0:11:30.880 to go out for dinner tonight, while you're deciding what 0:11:31.040 --> 0:11:35.160 to wear. Right, you're choosing you know, whatever it is, right, 0:11:35.160 --> 0:11:38.560 There's just so many things like that, So let's talk 0:11:38.559 --> 0:11:43.440 about what else we can do to combat this wavering attention. Now, 0:11:43.480 --> 0:11:47.000 one of my favorite techniques is called the Pomoduro technique. 0:11:47.360 --> 0:11:50.760 The way this works is you focus on a single task, 0:11:51.240 --> 0:11:54.360 usually for twenty five minutes. Then you take a short 0:11:54.440 --> 0:11:58.600 break around five to ten minutes, and then repeat that cycle. 0:11:59.360 --> 0:12:03.559 After four or cycles, you've earned yourself a longer break 0:12:03.600 --> 0:12:08.360 to reset. During each period of focus, you silence your phone, 0:12:08.920 --> 0:12:14.400 turn off notifications, and clear your workspace of distractions. The 0:12:14.440 --> 0:12:17.240 idea is that if you know a break is coming 0:12:17.880 --> 0:12:19.880 and you only have to put your head down for 0:12:20.000 --> 0:12:24.040 a manageable interval, then you can truly commit to the 0:12:24.120 --> 0:12:27.760 task at hand. And I mean that that social media 0:12:27.840 --> 0:12:31.600 notification can wait for twenty five minutes, right And by 0:12:31.640 --> 0:12:34.720 the way, when your mind knows that it's only twenty 0:12:34.760 --> 0:12:38.080 five minutes away, you can actually resist the urge for 0:12:38.200 --> 0:12:42.040 checking it. This is often the techniques that apply to children. 0:12:42.080 --> 0:12:44.920 When children know that there's a reward at the end 0:12:44.960 --> 0:12:47.559 of a challenge, they're more likely to sit through it. 0:12:48.040 --> 0:12:50.920 Now that said, if initially this makes you feel uneasy 0:12:50.960 --> 0:12:54.319 to disconnect like that, you can start with shorter intervals 0:12:54.640 --> 0:13:00.040 and gradually increase your focus blocks. Ultimately, with diligent practice, 0:13:00.120 --> 0:13:04.640 you'll naturally rebuild your concentration muscle. You'll naturally increase your 0:13:04.679 --> 0:13:07.240 attention span, which will serve you in the long run. 0:13:07.520 --> 0:13:09.040 And I think you really have to look at it 0:13:09.080 --> 0:13:11.360 like a muscle. If you haven't lifted a weight in 0:13:11.400 --> 0:13:13.920 a long time, you don't just go into the gym 0:13:13.960 --> 0:13:16.400 and lift the biggest weights there. So if you haven't 0:13:16.600 --> 0:13:20.520 focused and concentrated for consecutive hours for a long time, 0:13:20.640 --> 0:13:25.000 don't just force yourself to do what's ideal, what seems perfect. 0:13:25.280 --> 0:13:27.960 Take your time with it. And look, I'm not saying 0:13:28.000 --> 0:13:30.319 the Pomodora technique is the be all and end or 0:13:30.920 --> 0:13:33.560 it's just one of many tools that could potentially help 0:13:33.600 --> 0:13:38.120 you to concentrate to single task to perform at your best. Right, 0:13:38.160 --> 0:13:40.600 we live in a connected world. I'm not saying anything 0:13:40.600 --> 0:13:43.320 you haven't heard before, And at any moment we can 0:13:43.400 --> 0:13:46.680 be texting or checking emails or laughing at cat videos, 0:13:47.000 --> 0:13:49.320 which can be fine if you're waiting in line or 0:13:49.360 --> 0:13:52.079 lazing on the couch, but it's not so great when 0:13:52.120 --> 0:13:55.400 you're doing more active stuff like hanging out with friends, 0:13:55.840 --> 0:13:59.800 getting work done or simply walking around, which is why 0:13:59.840 --> 0:14:04.600 I highly recommend you also set no technology zones and 0:14:04.640 --> 0:14:08.839 no technology times in your home and in your workplace. 0:14:09.160 --> 0:14:11.280 One of the things I've done is I've disconnected my 0:14:11.360 --> 0:14:14.280 social media apps from my laptop. So if I'm on 0:14:14.360 --> 0:14:17.520 my laptop, I'm fully there for work, I'm there for email, 0:14:17.559 --> 0:14:19.920 I'm there for my documents, I'm there for my spreadsheets, 0:14:20.160 --> 0:14:23.320 but I'm not connected to social media. So when it 0:14:23.400 --> 0:14:27.760 comes to no technology times, it's like saying no technology 0:14:27.760 --> 0:14:31.160 in the house before eight am and then no technology 0:14:31.200 --> 0:14:34.280 being used after eight pm. What you're doing is you're 0:14:34.320 --> 0:14:38.800 creating barriers and boundaries, healthy points of contact so that 0:14:38.920 --> 0:14:42.440 now you're not constantly absorbed, and the whole house has 0:14:42.560 --> 0:14:45.280 rules so that you can both follow them or however 0:14:45.280 --> 0:14:48.000 many of you are at home now. This also applies 0:14:48.280 --> 0:14:52.000 to no technology zones in the home, for example, the 0:14:52.040 --> 0:14:55.600 dining table no need for technology, the bedroom, no need 0:14:55.640 --> 0:14:58.160 for technology. How can you find a way to make 0:14:58.200 --> 0:15:00.840 sure whenever you're going out to dinner having friends over 0:15:00.920 --> 0:15:05.560 for dinner, no technology. It's creating these habits that everyone 0:15:05.640 --> 0:15:10.080 can subscribe to in order to limit distraction. What we 0:15:10.120 --> 0:15:16.240 don't realize is inattention bleeds when we want attention. So 0:15:16.280 --> 0:15:19.520 what happens is we want to be really attentive when 0:15:19.560 --> 0:15:22.080 we're with our family and our friends, but we want 0:15:22.120 --> 0:15:25.000 to be inattentive at work. It doesn't work like that. 0:15:25.560 --> 0:15:29.760 You can't be absent at work and be present at home. 0:15:30.320 --> 0:15:35.360 Inattention bleeds into all areas of your life. If you're 0:15:35.400 --> 0:15:39.360 not present in each moment, it's hard to be present 0:15:39.800 --> 0:15:44.000 in any moment. And what's really important for me to 0:15:44.040 --> 0:15:47.880 say about these no technology times and zones is just 0:15:48.000 --> 0:15:54.000 creating barriers, boundaries, and healthy habits to protect your mind 0:15:54.440 --> 0:15:57.120 and the mind of others. Now, the other thing I 0:15:57.120 --> 0:16:00.680 want to discuss is we talk about distraction, is we 0:16:00.760 --> 0:16:05.800 don't realize how we can also be distracted even when 0:16:05.840 --> 0:16:09.320 we're moving. Now, let me explain what I mean by that. Obviously, 0:16:09.360 --> 0:16:13.720 it's quite common to walk around while looking at your phone. 0:16:13.760 --> 0:16:18.040 In fact, in twenty fourteen, it was estimated that twenty 0:16:18.160 --> 0:16:22.920 five percent of pedestrians in Manhattan had their rise glued 0:16:22.960 --> 0:16:26.840 to their devices. I'm guessing it's even worse today. I 0:16:26.880 --> 0:16:30.640 remember Arianna Huffington telling a great story about how she 0:16:30.760 --> 0:16:33.800 was walking through New York and she saw this building 0:16:33.840 --> 0:16:35.160 and she said to her team, she was like, oh 0:16:35.200 --> 0:16:37.240 my god, this building's beautiful, Like how long has it 0:16:37.280 --> 0:16:39.800 been there? When was it made? And they were like 0:16:39.880 --> 0:16:42.800 nineteen twenty nine or something like that, And she said, 0:16:42.840 --> 0:16:45.920 she walks down this street every day. It's right near 0:16:45.960 --> 0:16:49.200 our office and she hadn't seen it. It's so common 0:16:49.240 --> 0:16:51.080 for us. I mean, I'm sure if you're a driver, 0:16:51.680 --> 0:16:53.720 you get angry at the people are walking across the 0:16:53.760 --> 0:16:57.000 street with their head down looking at their phone. Now, 0:16:57.080 --> 0:16:59.600 we all know that our phones can distract us from 0:16:59.600 --> 0:17:02.600 the present moment, but a team of researchers in New 0:17:02.720 --> 0:17:06.200 Zealand wondered if it affected us in other ways as well, 0:17:06.720 --> 0:17:10.480 so they devised a study. Participants were asked to stroll 0:17:10.520 --> 0:17:14.320 around a park. Half of them were given smartphones with 0:17:14.440 --> 0:17:17.720 instructions to read about the park while they were walking. 0:17:18.359 --> 0:17:21.600 This phone group was told it was important to stay 0:17:21.640 --> 0:17:25.360 focused on what they were reading. The other half ambled 0:17:25.400 --> 0:17:29.680 about phone free with instructions to pay attention to the environment. 0:17:30.280 --> 0:17:33.760 All the participants wore fitness trackers and at the end, 0:17:34.080 --> 0:17:38.880 they performed self evaluations about mood and comfort, as well 0:17:38.920 --> 0:17:42.560 as their feelings of power and connectedness to nature. Here's 0:17:42.600 --> 0:17:46.119 what the researchers found. The phone group walked with a 0:17:46.200 --> 0:17:50.280 more stooped posture and a slower gate. They felt less 0:17:50.280 --> 0:17:55.280 physically comfortable. They also experienced more negative emotions and fewer 0:17:55.320 --> 0:18:00.800 positive ones, and they felt less powerful. Our own free group, 0:18:00.840 --> 0:18:07.000 on the other hand, felt positive, powerful, and connected to nature. Intuitively, 0:18:07.240 --> 0:18:10.440 this makes sense. It does feel better to stroll through 0:18:10.480 --> 0:18:14.600 a park disconnected, and clearly that would help you get 0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:18.080 in tune with nature. But what surprised me was the 0:18:18.119 --> 0:18:22.439 depth of those differences. The researchers even stated that phone 0:18:22.560 --> 0:18:27.359 use effectively reverses all the beneficial effects of a jaunt 0:18:27.359 --> 0:18:31.320 in the park. As Professor Elizabeth Broadbent told The New 0:18:31.400 --> 0:18:36.240 York Times, instead of feeling more positive after walking, people 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:42.120 felt less positive, less excited, less happy, less relaxed. So 0:18:42.160 --> 0:18:45.520 the takeaway is clear, go for a walk, but stay 0:18:45.520 --> 0:18:48.760 off your phone. And you know, this isn't only about walking. 0:18:49.440 --> 0:18:53.240 This insight holds for parties and events, lunchtime with colleagues 0:18:53.240 --> 0:18:56.000 and dinner with friends. And I get it. We reach 0:18:56.080 --> 0:18:58.399 for our phones to stay on top of things, but 0:18:58.520 --> 0:19:02.040 there are tangible benefits your mood and health if you 0:19:02.119 --> 0:19:07.280 can resist the urge. Really take a moment to think 0:19:07.280 --> 0:19:10.640 about what you can do and what you can change, 0:19:11.280 --> 0:19:13.679 because what I don't want to happen after this episode 0:19:13.760 --> 0:19:17.160 is that you feel guilty and you shame yourself because 0:19:17.200 --> 0:19:19.280 this is something we're all dealing with. This isn't a 0:19:19.320 --> 0:19:24.399 you problem. This is a twenty twenty four, twenty twenty 0:19:24.440 --> 0:19:27.200 five and the rest of our life problem that each 0:19:27.320 --> 0:19:30.399 and every one of us is living with, struggling with, 0:19:30.800 --> 0:19:33.520 and being challenged by. And so we can either sit 0:19:33.560 --> 0:19:36.720 here and guilt ourselves and make ourselves feel bad, or 0:19:36.760 --> 0:19:38.120 we can look at it and go this is something 0:19:38.119 --> 0:19:41.040 we'd have to deal with in our lifetime. Let's create 0:19:41.080 --> 0:19:48.120 effective strategies and steps to get ourselves out of it. Okay, 0:19:48.280 --> 0:19:52.120 I am so excited about this because we've got the 0:19:52.160 --> 0:19:56.880 first ever merch drop for on Purpose. It's finally here 0:19:57.359 --> 0:20:00.920 and for world Mental health. Today, we're doing an exclusive 0:20:01.200 --> 0:20:05.240 limited edition drop with all the proceeds going to the 0:20:05.320 --> 0:20:09.240 National Alliance on Mental Illness NAMI. So now you can 0:20:09.280 --> 0:20:12.280 wear your on Purpose merch, listen to the podcast and 0:20:12.400 --> 0:20:14.920 know that you two are having an impact. I want 0:20:14.920 --> 0:20:17.080 to thank you so much in advance. I can't wait 0:20:17.119 --> 0:20:20.600 to see all of your pictures wearing the merch their sweatshirts, 0:20:20.680 --> 0:20:23.879 a hat, t shirts. Check it out on our website 0:20:24.200 --> 0:20:30.560 jshetdyshop dot com. That's jshettishop dot com and remember one 0:20:30.640 --> 0:20:35.000 hundred percent of the proceeds go to Nami. Another technique 0:20:35.000 --> 0:20:38.560 I love is finish what you start. Don't start a 0:20:38.600 --> 0:20:41.560 new task before the current one is complete. I think 0:20:41.560 --> 0:20:43.879 we've got into this habit of starting multiple things at 0:20:43.920 --> 0:20:46.560 the same time, doing everything we possibly can at the 0:20:46.600 --> 0:20:50.040 same time, doing anything and everything at the same time, 0:20:50.560 --> 0:20:53.199 because it feels more fun, it feels more exciting. And 0:20:53.280 --> 0:20:56.520 what do we realize our completion rate drops. What happens 0:20:56.520 --> 0:21:00.960 when our completion rate drops, our distraction increases because now 0:21:00.960 --> 0:21:04.119 we feel we become someone who doesn't complete things. I 0:21:04.160 --> 0:21:06.919 want to read you something that I read from a 0:21:06.960 --> 0:21:10.520 book by tik Nat Hahn, an amazing Tibetan Budhist monk 0:21:10.720 --> 0:21:13.639 called How to Walk, and one of the things he 0:21:13.720 --> 0:21:18.879 writes is invest your whole body. Invest one hundred percent 0:21:19.040 --> 0:21:23.040 of yourself into making a step. Touching the ground with 0:21:23.119 --> 0:21:27.720 your foot, you produce the miracle of being alive. You 0:21:27.840 --> 0:21:32.000 make yourself real and the earth real with each step. 0:21:32.440 --> 0:21:36.280 The practice should be very strong and determined. You are 0:21:36.320 --> 0:21:40.920 protecting yourself from the habit energy that is always pushing 0:21:40.960 --> 0:21:44.720 you to run and to get lost in thinking. Bring 0:21:44.840 --> 0:21:47.800 all your attention down to the soles of your feet 0:21:48.280 --> 0:21:51.199 and touch the earth as though you are kissing the 0:21:51.320 --> 0:21:55.600 earth with your feet. Each step is like the seal 0:21:55.760 --> 0:21:59.600 of an emperor on a decree. Walk as though you 0:22:00.080 --> 0:22:05.399 print your solidity, your freedom, and your peace on the earth. 0:22:06.200 --> 0:22:09.119 I mean, how beautiful is it to think that something 0:22:09.240 --> 0:22:14.200 is simply walking could be that powerful, Something is simply 0:22:14.280 --> 0:22:18.640 taking a step, could be that monumental. And that's really 0:22:18.720 --> 0:22:23.800 what meditation is. Meditation is the ability to create meaning 0:22:24.400 --> 0:22:29.560 through the most simple, ordinary things, the ability to find meaning, 0:22:30.080 --> 0:22:35.240 to find value, to find the essence of what that does. 0:22:35.960 --> 0:22:40.520 Every step can make a huge, huge difference. While I 0:22:40.560 --> 0:22:42.360 was talking to a friend yesterday and he said something 0:22:42.400 --> 0:22:45.320 amazing to me. He said, Jay, it was only when 0:22:45.359 --> 0:22:48.000 I stopped I realized how many sensations they are in 0:22:48.000 --> 0:22:51.200 the body. He said, I didn't realize this before today, 0:22:51.760 --> 0:22:55.360 about how much is going on. And another thing Tik 0:22:55.440 --> 0:22:58.439 Nahan says in How to Walk, which I love, is 0:22:58.480 --> 0:23:01.439 he says one of the most profound is also the 0:23:01.560 --> 0:23:05.840 shortest I have arrived. Our true home is in the 0:23:05.880 --> 0:23:10.000 present moment. To live in the present moment is a miracle. 0:23:10.600 --> 0:23:13.640 When I breathe in and become fully alive, I see 0:23:13.680 --> 0:23:17.400 myself as a miracle. When I look at an orange mindfully, 0:23:17.960 --> 0:23:21.080 I see the orange as a miracle. When I peel 0:23:21.119 --> 0:23:24.919 an orange mindfully, I see that eating an orange is 0:23:25.040 --> 0:23:28.320 also a miracle. The fact that you are still alive 0:23:28.960 --> 0:23:31.919 is a miracle. So miracles are the things that you 0:23:32.040 --> 0:23:36.200 perform several times each day with the power of mindfulness. 0:23:36.560 --> 0:23:39.760 The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle 0:23:39.840 --> 0:23:42.919 is to walk on the green earth in the present moment, 0:23:43.520 --> 0:23:46.720 to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now. 0:23:47.240 --> 0:23:51.080 I perform this miracle every time I walk. You two 0:23:51.160 --> 0:23:55.359 can perform the miracle of walking any time you want. 0:23:56.080 --> 0:23:58.760 These words from tik Nahn are so powerful because I 0:23:58.800 --> 0:24:03.400 think our busy lives have made us see the ordinary 0:24:03.480 --> 0:24:06.120 is nothing but ordinary. But if you think about your 0:24:06.119 --> 0:24:09.440 favorite moments, weren't they when you took in the ordinary. 0:24:10.000 --> 0:24:13.639 Maybe it was your friend's laugh, Maybe it was something 0:24:13.680 --> 0:24:16.600 that you were both joking about. Maybe it was a 0:24:16.640 --> 0:24:20.600 shared emotion or expression. Maybe it was a joint love 0:24:20.640 --> 0:24:23.240 for food. It was something simple, It was something beautiful. 0:24:23.280 --> 0:24:27.080 It was something tiny and organic and natural. It wasn't 0:24:27.119 --> 0:24:31.200 something constructed, engineered and manufactured. If anything, when you were 0:24:31.280 --> 0:24:34.280 trying to create something, it may not have had that. 0:24:34.720 --> 0:24:37.280 So I hope this is your reminder to be more 0:24:37.320 --> 0:24:40.240 in the present, to be more mindful, to live in 0:24:40.280 --> 0:24:43.600 a way that we're not just allowing ourselves to get distracted, 0:24:44.040 --> 0:24:46.240 that we recognize that just a few of these simple 0:24:46.320 --> 0:24:49.080 tips can help us walk and live a better life. 0:24:49.680 --> 0:24:52.440 I really hope you loved this episode. If you did, 0:24:52.520 --> 0:24:55.359 please go and check out some of my meditations on 0:24:55.400 --> 0:24:58.520 the Daily Jay on calmcom dot com forward slash j 0:24:59.400 --> 0:25:03.720 and you'll be able to discover some really beautiful meditations 0:25:03.720 --> 0:25:05.760