Understanding Attention & Focus

Concetta Cucchiarelli
June 24, 2024 | 3 min read

"I can't focus." We've all said these words before.

But the reality is not that we can't focus — after all, the human brain is always paying attention and, consciously or not, focusing on something — but rather that we can't control our focus.

Let's look into the psychology of attention and focus to better understand how we can control our focus — and our productivity.

Imagine this:

You’re sitting at your desk writing a blog post. You know everything about the topic you're writing about. In fact, you love it so much that everything around you disappears.

This is attention at work.

But suddenly, your stomach makes noises, and you remember that you have to go get groceries because there's nothing in the fridge.

This is still attention at work.

You take note, and you get back to writing. But suddenly, the doorbell startles you, making you stand up and go open the door.

This is, again, attention at work.

How is that possible? Are you "paying attention" even while being distracted? Yes, you are. The reason this seems counterintuitive is because we tend to use the words “focus” and “attention” interchangeably.

So what’s the difference? In simple terms:

Attention means “attending to one thing among many others.”

Focus is “continuing to attend to something, without drifting away, for a prolonged period of time.”

They're both important, but they hold very different purposes.

Paying Attention

According to the Information Processing Model — a model used in psychology to describe how we make sense of the information we get from our environment and our minds, and how we take action — attention is the process that allows us to bring what we perceive into short-term memory.

By doing this, we become conscious of the perceived information and can decide what to do with it. Since short-term memory is limited in capacity, paying attention to fewer things prevents us from being overwhelmed by all the information available in the environment and in our minds.

In other words: Filtering things out is literally what keeps us sane.

In other words: Filtering things out is literally what keeps us sane.

But attention is also the ability not to be locked in a task, ignoring other, more vital possibilities.

Letting info in is what keeps us safe.

Imagine you’re reading an engrossing book when you smell smoke. Your attention on the book is interrupted by this new information filtering in. And that's a good thing!

Letting info in is what keeps us safe.

Having both the ability to be locked into a task and also get unlocked from a task is crucial from a productivity perspective, as well. High productivity is possible when we feel safe and are able to process what is happening around us.

There are different types of attention, but we'll focus on two here:

  • Top-downattention is intentionally directed to an object or task, like reading an email or writing a chapter of your book.
  • Bottom-upattention is driven by unexpected signals, such as a phone ringing or the smell of smoke.

Finding Focus

Focus is characterized by being locked into a task for a prolonged period of time. However, like attention, it is not always intentional — even if we tend to think the opposite.

Let's say you have a problem with your boss, and you can't help but think about it during your off-hours. You spend a lot of time stuck on those thoughts, and the more you try to move your mind away from them, the more it latches on. That's focus. Not a productive type of focus, but still focus. (Different mental health issues and personality types will affect how your brain handles focus, too.)

Often, we hear about concepts such as "Deep Focus," "Hyper Focus," and other types of focus with catchy names.

These aren't really specific types of focus, cognitively speaking, but simply definitions from very handy frameworks in renowned productivity books about organizing and structuring work. They can be useful in visualizing your own work.

Hyper Focus, for example, happens when we expand a task “to fill completely our attention space,” as Chris Bailey explains in his book Hyperfocus: How to Be More Productive in a World of Distraction. It is “intense focus, coupled with deliberate attention.”

Deep Focus, also known as "Deep Work," refers to focus without distractions, as Cal Newport teaches.

Whatever you call it, focus is integral to being our most productive selves.

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Remember: There is no such thing as a lack of focus, but, instead, a lack of control over it.

And understanding what focus and attention are and how they work will empower you to gain the control that makes you more productive.

Next, learn how focus affects creativity.

 

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We're just 10 weeks away from a major milestone: the 10th anniversary of Freewrite's launch on Kickstarter.  On December 10, 2014, we introduced the Smart Typewriter, then known as  "Hemingwrite," to the world.
How It Started
In September of 2014, co-founders Adam Leeb and Patrick Paul entered Hemingwrite into the “Insert Coin” hardware competition sponsored by Engadget. Described as a new digital consumer product for distraction-free writing composition, Hemingwrite aimed to deliver a singular focus on a productive writing experience. A decade later, that core mission remains unchanged.
Hemingwrite was one of 20 inventions competing that week, highlighting early-stage hardware startups from around the world that had not yet received funding or shipped to consumers.
"What the Kindle did for reading, we want to do for writing," said co-founder Patrick Paul at the time."We set out to deliver the same distraction-free writing experience of a typewriter with all of the added benefits of modern technology."
Co-founder Adam Leeb added,  "We combined all of the best aspects of the typewriter, theMoleskine, and the computer to create a modern classic."
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Adam and Patrick knew they had something special on their hands but weren’t sure if anyone was willing to pay for this idea or if it was simply interesting. On December 10, 2014 the Kickstarter campaign was launched and immediately the pledge dollars started rolling in. Within 20 hours of launch, the campaign had raised over $200,000! And just like that, the Hemingwrite distraction-free writing tool concept became destined for reality.
How It’s Going
Since that initial launch, we have developed Freewrite into a family of distraction-free writing tools with three distinct models, Smart Typewriter, Traveler, and Alpha. Each has their distinct personality, but the core value of maximizing writer productivity runs throughout. 
In 2020, The original Freewrite Smart Typewriter became part of the Science Museum, London’s permanent Printing & Writing Collection.
The name Hemingwrite was dropped in 2015 and then revived in 2021 with the Ernest Hemingway Special Edition Smart Typewriter in partnership with the Ernest Hemingway Estate. 
We’ve created Sprinter for distraction-free writing in any browser and WTF where thousands of people every week receive a writing prompt and participate in Writing Time Friday. 
The community's achievements over the past decade have been  astounding:
  • Freewrite users have created over 600,000 documents
  • Collectively,users have written more than 605 million words (equivalent to over 6,000 novels!)
It’s hard to believe that it’s already been 10 years but it also feels like we are just getting started.
To kick things off:
One Year Warranty: Now Standard
We are extending our warranty that covers manufacturer’s defects to a full year on all Freewrite devices. This means you can enjoy your Freewrite with even greater peace of mind, knowing that we've got you covered for an entire year. 

For more information, please visit our dedicated article on our new warranty policy here: Introducing Freewrite's New 1-Year Warranty: Our Commitment to You
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As of October 1, 2024, we are extending our standard warranty that covers manufacturer’s defects to a full year on all Freewrite devices. This means you can enjoy your Freewrite with even greater peace of mind, knowing that we've got you covered for a full 12 months from the date of shipment. We’re even retroactively applying the warranty extension to purchases made this year.

Here is how our new 1-year warranty will work:
  • Beginning October 1, 2024, all new purchases now have a 12-month warranty standard from the shipment date.
  • All device purchases made in 2024 will now have 12-month warranty coverage from the shipment date.
    • For example, if your device shipped on March 1, 2024, your warranty would have expired on May 30, 2024, but will now expire on March 1, 2025.
  • If you purchased an Extended Warranty in addition to your device in 2024, you will receive both the new 12-month standard warranty coverage from the date of shipment, as well as the additional coverage period from your paid extended warranty.
    • For example, if your device shipped on March 1, 2024, with a 2-year Extended Warranty:
      • Your standard warranty now expires on March 1, 2025, instead of May 30, 2024.
      • Your 2-year Extended Warranty coverage will begin on March 1, 2025, and continue until March 1, 2027.



Your trust in our products is paramount to us, and this warranty extension reflects our dedication to your satisfaction and our confidence in the quality and reliability of our devices.

Thank you for choosing Freewrite; we look forward to serving you for many years to come. Write on!

 

- The Freewrite Team



Important Notes:

  • For devices purchased in 2023 or earlier, the original 90-day warranty applies, in addition to any paid Extended Warranty coverage.
  • If you purchased your device in 2023 or earlier, without an Extended Warranty, unfortunately, your warranty has now expired.
  • We are unable to offer refunds for prior out-of-warranty repairs.

 

Useful Links:

Official Freewrite Warranty Policy

Warranty Support Doc