Being in The Moment: Staying Focused
There's nothing like getting into The Zone when using your rowing machine, or while participating in any sport or activity. Suddenly everything comes together, you glide up and down your track and it starts to feel easy - even though the readouts show you're rowing at the top of your ability. When we're not in The Zone we're either in a state of prolonged enforced concentration - a narrowing of awareness as we become preoccupied with the task in hand - or in a dreamlike state where attention drifts and we fall behind with our performance goals.
In both states we become 'switched off' to our surroundings. An athlete in the heat of competition cannot afford to spend any time in a dreamlike state, only concentrating for short periods, as this will prevent him or her achieving the heightened sense of alertness necessary for a peak performance.
There are also implications here for training or just working out, as I believe we cannot benefit fully from an activity if we are not appropriately engaged.So what does 'being in the moment’ feel like? For me, it means being totally aware of yourself, your surroundings, and how you are interacting with your surroundings without these sensations becoming meaningless or a distraction.
If you are totally absorbed reading this page, and hopefully you will be, you may not be aware of other sensations. For instance, are you aware of what is supporting you at this moment? Whether you're standing, sitting or lying down there will be a surface beneath you providing support.
If you are concentrating to the point of shutting out all else you are taken out of your immediate environment and transported elsewhere, much the same as being gripped by a good movie.
You cannot be said to be in the moment if your mind is elsewhere.
On the other hand, if your eyes are just wandering across the text and not taking any of it in, you are performing an activity that is not engaging you fully. Again, you are elsewhere and not in the moment.
Somewhere in the middle, you can be conscious that you are reading a book, taking in what is being said whilst being aware of other sensations from your immediate environment such as the feel of the chair, sounds, and internal sensations like the movement of your ribcage as you breathe. Being in the moment, in my view, is when the senses can process and filter incoming signals without being overwhelmed – something often referred to as information overload.
So an athlete in The Zone is fully conscious of every action and its influence on the game, what that action implies, and how best to respond to it from moment to moment. The effect of their action is then fed back into this loop, assessed and responded to accordingly.
In both states we become 'switched off' to our surroundings. An athlete in the heat of competition cannot afford to spend any time in a dreamlike state, only concentrating for short periods, as this will prevent him or her achieving the heightened sense of alertness necessary for a peak performance.
There are also implications here for training or just working out, as I believe we cannot benefit fully from an activity if we are not appropriately engaged.So what does 'being in the moment’ feel like? For me, it means being totally aware of yourself, your surroundings, and how you are interacting with your surroundings without these sensations becoming meaningless or a distraction.
If you are totally absorbed reading this page, and hopefully you will be, you may not be aware of other sensations. For instance, are you aware of what is supporting you at this moment? Whether you're standing, sitting or lying down there will be a surface beneath you providing support.
If you are concentrating to the point of shutting out all else you are taken out of your immediate environment and transported elsewhere, much the same as being gripped by a good movie.
You cannot be said to be in the moment if your mind is elsewhere.
On the other hand, if your eyes are just wandering across the text and not taking any of it in, you are performing an activity that is not engaging you fully. Again, you are elsewhere and not in the moment.
Somewhere in the middle, you can be conscious that you are reading a book, taking in what is being said whilst being aware of other sensations from your immediate environment such as the feel of the chair, sounds, and internal sensations like the movement of your ribcage as you breathe. Being in the moment, in my view, is when the senses can process and filter incoming signals without being overwhelmed – something often referred to as information overload.
So an athlete in The Zone is fully conscious of every action and its influence on the game, what that action implies, and how best to respond to it from moment to moment. The effect of their action is then fed back into this loop, assessed and responded to accordingly.
- Scratch the end of your nose.
- Now perform the same procedure but this time be aware of the movement of your arm as your finger comes into contact with the end of your nose.
This is an experiment from my book, The Peak Performance Zone - click on cover below for more details.
|
You may have noticed a subtle difference in the experience of two similar actions. The first way is your habitual nose-scratching pattern performed without much conscious intention – it would be practically automatic if done in response to a real itch.
In the second instance you are aware of the actual activity that has to take place in order to carry out your intention. You are consciously guiding and observing the action and therefore ‘switched on’ for the duration of the act, in contrast to the first instance where you only switch on once your finger has arrived at your nose. So for a brief time you are in the moment, existing in the ‘real’ world as you fully focus on what was happening and what was making it happen. It is also important to note that it doesn’t require effort to do it the second way - just application. |
The Peak Performance Program
|
This is a simple exercise to show the difference between an automatic reaction and mindful, conscious activity. Obviously to be in the moment whilst rowing a personal best is more fulfilling than scratching the end of you nose, but the principle remains the same. Be aware of each movement without it being a chore. Focus on parts of your technique and lose yourself in the activity, and you'll find your session can take on a whole new dimension.
Being in the moment is a place we arrive at when we switch on, wake up and start living. Although athletes may use the term ‘autopilot’ to describe their visits to The Zone, I see this as a sense of the action being automatic while ultimately they are still in control of the decision-making process. Later, we shall look at simple activities to appreciate the subtle changes required to bring us into ‘the moment’.
You are here: Home | The Zone | Being in The Moment
Being in the moment is a place we arrive at when we switch on, wake up and start living. Although athletes may use the term ‘autopilot’ to describe their visits to The Zone, I see this as a sense of the action being automatic while ultimately they are still in control of the decision-making process. Later, we shall look at simple activities to appreciate the subtle changes required to bring us into ‘the moment’.
You are here: Home | The Zone | Being in The Moment