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•  

  • 
    the book

    • Find Your Focus Zone
      Tune out distractions, stay
      on track, achieve your goals

      • http://www.yourfocuszone.com
    • Lucy Jo Palladino, PhD
    • -Xv
      • :-)
        • keychains + keys provides a nice structure and mnemonic tool
      • :-(
        • sometimes it is messy
  • 0.Intro
    • empowerment
      • Learning to direct your attention empowers you.
        The more you control the demands on your attention,
        the less those demands control you.
        You exert authority over the court of your life
        and decide what you let in and what you keep out.
    • the wolf we feed
      • We create ourselves by what we choose to notice.
        Whatever we pay attention on develops and grows.
      • -A fight is going on inside me. It is a terrible battle,
        and it is between two wolves. One wolf represents
        fear, anger, guilt, greed, and senselessness.
        The other stands for faith, peace, truth, love and reason.
        The same fight is going on inside you and inside every
        other person too.
        -Which wolf will win?
        -The one you feed.
  • Part I.
    Understanding
    Your Focus Zone
    • the U
      •  

        
        

      • the curve shifts left or right
        depending on the activity
        • boxing's zone
          • high adrenaline
        • tennis' zone
          • lower adrenaline
      • the zone
        • flow!
          • relaxed-alert state
          • != too hyperfocused
            • not sustainable
            • builds up tension
            • does not deal well with
              • errors
              • frustration
              • interruptions
      • not in the zone?
        • calm down
          • signs of
            overstimulation
            • fight
              • cranky
              • argumentative
              • overly critical
            • fly
              • worry
              • anxious
              • rumination
              
          • something looking
            like lack of adrenaline
            mya be fear/anxiety in disguise
            • procrastination
        • rev up
    • ignoring the inner game
      •  

        
        

      • à la Jorge Cham
        •  

          

    • evolution
      • selective
        attention
        • ignore irrelevant stimuli
        • base of rapid cognition
          • Blink
            • Malcom Gladwell
          • think more
            quickly
            • advantage!
      • sustained
        attention
        • concentration or attention span
        • needed for
          • overcome obstacles
          • outlast temptations
          • persevere through adversity
          • become an expert at anything
        • children's ability
          • 5 minutes x year of age
      • orienting
        response
        • "what is it?" reflex
          • a safety feature!
          • an asset for a hunter
        • studied by Pavlov
        •  
          • pupil dilatation
          • reduced skin resistance
          • momentary drop in heart rate
        • can rob your ability
          to select and sustain
          your own attention
      • prefrontal lobe
        • the brain's CEO
        • dopamine
          • in adrenaline's family
          • fuels multitasking
          • controlled by
            serotonin levels
            • 40 daily minutes
              of serotonin generating
              activities
            • meditation
          
    • the digital age
      • TV
        • length of news piece
          • 1965
            • 42 seconds
          • now
            • 8 seconds
        • "jolts"
          • special TV moment
            • growing number of
              jolts/minute every year
          • triggers the
            Orienting Response
            • create adrenaline
          • we build up tolerance
            • chronic state of overarousal
            • you get bored and
              unfocused with less stimuli
            • you don't notice you're
              building tolerance
      • cognitive overload
        • drowning in a sea of unfiltered information and interruptions
        • there are limits
          • hardworking donkey
            having his food limited
            story
          • the amount of info
            we can absorb
            • depletes brain chemicals
            • calls for rest
    • brain plasticity
      • proved by
        brain imaging on
        • taxi drivers
        • musicians
        • monks
      • one month of practice provides visible changes
      • use it or loose it
        • thinking skills
          are like muscles
          • but no mirror!
          • your choice of which brain connections
            you exercise (and strengthen!)
  • Emotional skills
    • recognize your feelings
      • adjust them to be helpful to you
        • change the way you think
          ->
          change the way you feel
    • cognitive strategies
      • replace unhelpful thoughts with helpful ones
    • keychain 1
      Self-Awareness
      • keystone of emotional intelligence
      • 
        Your Observer Self
        • mindfulness
        • 
          ≠ inner critic
          • observe
            • what you feel
            • not what you should feel!
        • imagine someone else's pov
        • 
          self-awareness
          • first step towards self-control
        
      • 
        Your Adrenaline Score
        • get some anchor points
        • consider visual metaphores
        • ideal adrenaline level depends on the activity
        • calls your observer self
        • 
          benefits
          • feelings have degrees and are not
            an all-or-nothing thing
      • 
        The "What Am I not Doing" Question
        • 
          uncover hidden anxiety
          • discover the tactics
            we use to avoid it
        • we seek instant relief when
          we sense underlying anxiety
          
        • distraction
          • reduces anxiety
            • good if it over
              something that you
              don't have control
    • keychain 2
      Change of State
      • 
        Four corner Breathing
        • a picture,
          a window,
          a door...
          • upper left
            • inhale... 2, 3, 4
          • upper right
            • hold... 2, 3, 4
          • lower right
            • expire... 2, 3, 4
          • lower left
            • relax, relax, smile
        • 
          breaks feelings of self-absortion
          • worry
          • self-doubt
          • guilt
      • 
        Power Break
        • must be
          • deliberate
          • strategic
          • time-limited
        • commitment to get back to work at a specific time
        • 
          ≠ avoidance!
          • both provide relief
        • incentives to get to
          a next stopping place
        • during tasks
          • dull
            • psych up break
          • nerve-racking
            • relaxing break
        • replenishment
          • power nap
          • vacation
      • 
        Mindful Multitasking
        • intentional, strategic practice
        • increases alertness
        • decreases efficiency
        • music
          • psych
            • up
            • down
          • consider bpm
            • tangerine (mac)
            • beatunes
  • Controlling Fear
    and All Its Cousins
    • fight-or-fligt?
      • fight AND flight!
      • fear
        • is the root of
          • anger
          • anxiety
          • procrastination
        • we need to
          • recognize when
            we feel threatened
          • self-regulate
            norepinephrine
            • (fear-based)
              adrenaline
    • Keychain 3
      Procrastination
      Busters
      • procrastination
        • rising self-perception
          • 1978: 5% of Americans
          • 2007: 26% of Americans
        • linked to
          • impulsivity
          • distractability
          • dislike for the task
          • lack of believe that
            you can accomplish
            the task
        • 3 core fears
          • of failure
          • of success
          • of being controlled
      • 
        Confidence Builders
        • 1. ensure success
          • create goals you can achieve
            • and conditions so
              you can achieve them
          • aim for progress, not perfection
          • tips
            • break your job into specific steps
            • write out a simple outline or plan
            • include breaks and rewards after each step
            • if you're stuck, cut that step in two
            • no self-criticism; only encouragement
          • "what am i not doing?"
            
        • 2. reassure yourself
          • self-talk to
            • appreciate your effort
            • give up being perfect
            • remind yourself that you can tolerate
              discomfort to reach your goal
            • recall a past success
            • connect with your future self
            • remind yourself that, whatever the outcome,
              you are still a worthy person
      • 
        Lighting the Fire
        • both
          • too much stimulation
          • too little stimulation
        • need to learn to
          • + learn how to sit down and get started
            when you feel like jumping up and running
          
        • reclaim your work as your own
          • what is the core reason
            you want to do that task?
        • shot of fear
          • what is my procrastination costing me?
          • face it!
            • but... avoid too much fear!
        • look for inspiring quotes
      • 
        Rescripting the Past
        • build new pathways in your brain
        • not about putting blame on others
        • corrective
          emotional
          experience
          • return to the original situation
          • connect with the feelings you had then
          • change the scenario so you
            think, feel and act differently
        • mental rehearsal
    • Keychain 4
      Anti-Anxiety
      • anxiety
        • self-fulfilling prophecy
          • e.g.
            • math-anxiety
            • test-anxiety
          • kicks up norepinephrine
            • more anxiety
      • 
        Reality Check
        • is there a solid basis
          in reality for this feeling?
          • ask your observer-self
        •  
          • reasonable fear?
            • it's ok to be afraid
          • irrational fear?
            • learn to ignore false alarms
              • visualize it as a
                broken fire alarm
      • 
        Make a Plan
        • written plan
          • simple
          • doable
          • specific
          • positive
          • how does it make you feel?
            • burdened?
            • hopeful?
        • rational anxiety
        • irrational anxiety
          • 1. remind yourself it is irrational
            and cancel it with a rational statement
          • 2. relax
          • 3. redirect yourself to an activity
            that it is constructive and engaging
      • 
        Thought Substitution
        • you cannot "not think" about something
        • the new thought has to have a level of stimulation like the old one
        • is there anything I can do
          about my problem right now?
          • yes: do it!
          • no: thought substitution
        • called sometime "dissociative thinking"
    • Keychain 5
      Intensity Control
      • anger
        • a great moment to keep your mouth shut
        • your perception may be
          that your focus is sharp
          • narrow focus
          • lost cues
        • justifies itself
        • the angrier you get
          • the more you justify your anger
      • 
        Cool Off
        • learn to identify when anger is raising
        • mental activity breaks the
          momentum of fight-flight response
          • sing
          • try to remember the date
            or what you had for dinner
          • count backwards from 100
          • picture yourself in your
            favorite place outdoors
          • clasp your hands tightly
            and concentrate on the tension
        • stress magnifies emotion
          • calm stress before
            interacting with people
      • 
        Uncover the Fear
        • anger is fear in disguise
        • identify the underlying fear for recurring angers
      • 
        Assertiveness Skills
        • ways to use your words so you can stand for
          your rights without stepping in the rights of others
        • vs
          • passive-agressive
          • hostile-agressive
        • making a request
          • state the facts
          • say how you feel
          • see through t
            he other person's eyes
            • the other person
              feels validated
          • ask what you want
            • 
              do not start with "but"
        • set limits to
          24x7 availability
          • and you don't ow an apology!
          • Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO)
            • you also have to be able
              to say no to yourself!!
        • saying no
          • FOMO guilt
          • habit of being too nice
          • broken record technique
            • stay patient and pleasant
            • a tool, not a weapon
              • not rude
              • noy sarcastic
            • less is more
              • no details
              • don't digress
                from the message
  • $Id: focus_zone.mm 42 2010-12-07 11:40:37Z xverges@gmail.com $
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