{"id":"7919975","name":"focus facts","tree":["1698687","1698618","7919975"],"pillar":{"id":"1672635","name":"focus"},"body":{"type":"body","children":[{"type":"heading","level":1,"slug":"20-key-facts","children":[{"type":"text","value":"20 key facts"}]},{"type":"list","level":1,"ordered":true,"block":true,"children":[{"type":"list_item","index":1,"children":[{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"our brains are busier than ever;"}]},{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"in addition to millions of pieces information our body sends to our brain every second,"}]},{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"we are assaulted with an ever increasing number facts and pseudo facts all posing as information"}]}]},{"type":"list_item","index":2,"children":[{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"figuring out what we need to know"}]},{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"and what we can ignore is exhausting, both physically and mentally"}]}]},{"type":"list_item","index":3,"children":[{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"many people turn to multitasking as the answer,"}]},{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"but multitasking has been scientifically proven to be a myth"}]}]},{"type":"list_item","index":4,"children":[{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"we are not multitasking,"}]},{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"we are constantly toggling, shifting and switching our cognitive resource"}]}]},{"type":"list_item","index":5,"children":[{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"shifting attention from one activity to another causes our brain to burn up oxygenated glucose"}]},{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"depleting the nutrients we need to stay on task"}]},{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"leading to compromises in both cognitive and physical performance"}]}]},{"type":"list_item","index":6,"children":[{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"multitasking also increases cortisol production, putting us into a stressed state"}]}]},{"type":"list_item","index":7,"children":[{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"when we multitask we perform tasks more slowly, make more mistakes and reduce our creative thinking"}]}]},{"type":"list_item","index":8,"children":[{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"we are hardwired to be distracted"}]}]},{"type":"list_item","index":9,"children":[{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"we seek to minimise pain and maximise pleasure"}]}]},{"type":"list_item","index":10,"children":[{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"our “wanting system” fuelled by dopamine, makes us desire and search"}]}]},{"type":"list_item","index":11,"children":[{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"our “liking system” delivers consummatory pleasure via opioid receptors"}]}]},{"type":"list_item","index":12,"children":[{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"our “wanting system” is more powerful than our “liking system’"}]}]},{"type":"list_item","index":13,"children":[{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"we crave and desire more and more and feel satisfied less and less"}]},{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"this is known as the dopamine loop"}]}]},{"type":"list_item","index":14,"children":[{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"the dopamine loop is significantly more powerful than our human gift of self-control"}]}]},{"type":"list_item","index":15,"children":[{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"we live in a world of distraction,"}]},{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"the average person spends almost half their time thinking about something other than what they are doing"}]}]},{"type":"list_item","index":16,"children":[{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"our brain’s default mode of operation is to contemplate events that happened in the past, or might happen in the future, or may never happen at all"}]}]},{"type":"list_item","index":17,"children":[{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"mind-wandering has been directly correlated with decreased happiness"}]}]},{"type":"list_item","index":18,"children":[{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"focussing is the gateway to all thinking skills:"}]},{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"remembering, understanding, applying, analysing, evaluating, creating"}]}]},{"type":"list_item","index":19,"children":[{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"the majority of people find it easier to focus in the morning"}]}]},{"type":"list_item","index":20,"children":[{"type":"paragraph","quoted":false,"children":[{"type":"text","value":"a minority of people find it easier to focus in the late afternoon / evening"}]}]}]}]}}