Daniel Goleman argues that modern man may lose the ability to concentrate and control his attention. There can be many reasons for such a pathology, ranging from the rise of scientific progress and the spread of gadgets, to the growth of the information space. Psychologist and writer, bestselling author of Emotional Intelligence and the Focus study, Daniel Goleman recommends training our attention the way we normally train our muscles, otherwise fewer people will be able to focus and succeed in life.
What takes away a person's attention
Concentrating on one thing for a long time becomes an unbearable skill for an ordinary person. Every minute there are things that we are distracted by, we lose the thread of thought, then we find it again and lose it again.
Thus, a person loses time doing three or four more kinds of tasks in parallel with an important problem. Daniel Goleman blames progress and gadgets for everything. Whether this opinion is correct, you can check for yourself. Watch yourself one day: in the workplace, when the task is to do one thing, we are distracted by a thousand others: check mail, your smartphone, contacts on social networks, answer letters or messages. And this is not a complete list, which takes precious time and attention. Of course, the author does not deny all the positive qualities of scientific progress and gadgets, it's just that humanity is losing the ability to set priorities. And as a result, being constantly on the move from one task to another, the body gets tired two or even three times faster.
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Attention management: how to do it
What is the panacea – how to manage attention without abandoning modern technologies? Daniel Goleman advises to train attention constantly, every day. The most effective way to train attention, on the advice of a psychologist: with your eyes closed, concentrate on your breathing. In simple terms, meditate. Only meditation will help to keep attention on one subject, without being distracted by other thoughts and tasks. Not in a single day or month can attention control reach its climax and a person will focus on one problem until he finds a solution. This requires a lot of effort and time.
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Multitasking and Attention Management
Don't confuse multitasking and concentration, they are two different concepts.
Multitasking is the ability to switch from one task to another without due attention to detail. Attention management and the ability to focus is to keep thoughts, ideas in one picture.
It's like putting together puzzles: finding little things and putting them together. In the era of multitasking, not everyone has the ability to carefully consider things. Therefore, there is only one way out: first, prioritize, completing tasks one after another, not missing the little things and important details. And then, engage in self-training of your attention.
Science journalist and writer Daniel Goleman divides the focus into 3 types that are inherent in a person: self-awareness, empathy and social global type. Self-awareness – the ability to pay attention to oneself, to explore one's skills and abilities, to control, develop. Empathy – relationship with other people, a sense of concern for the fate of others. The global type – it is the ability to think globally, to perceive society as a general concept, without division into cultures and peoples.
How success depends on emotional intelligence
The term "emotional intelligence" (EI) came into use in 1990 with the help of researchers Peter Salovey and John Mayer. Further developed the science of the development of emotional intelligence psychologist Daniel Goleman, who identified 5 components of EI: self-awarenesse, motivationI , self-regulationme, empathyme and artso maintain relationships between people. Any quality of a good salesperson or manager depends on the emotional sphere and the ability to find a common language, conduct a dialogue and listen to the desires of the interlocutor. Also important is the ability to find a balance between your own desires and capabilities. Success comes to those people who develop leadership qualities in themselves, or, as the psychologist says, competence. Intuition is also the key to success. If this feeling is developed, then the ability to use this boon will bring a lot of benefits to the leader.
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