5 Ways to Keep Your Squirrely Soul Focused

Squirrels are cute little creatures. Growing up in West Virginia, squirrel hunting is often a gateway into the harvesting of other larger creatures such as deer, turkey, or black bears. I no longer hunt and I don’t know this for a fact, but I suspect the reason we start with squirrel hunting is that it’s easy. While squirrels are hyperalert little creatures, their extreme alertness seems to work against them. Alert to everything, the squirrel is incapable of focusing on anything. The squirrel notices the hunter, but also the rustling leaf, and the cardinal’s chirp, and the sudden wind and he is unable to keep his attention on which of those things matter most in that particular moment. It is the distracted nature of the squirrel that makes him such an easy target.

Many have observed that distraction is a common problem in the 21st century. With only anecdotal evidence in support of my claim, I will venture to say that the problem has worsened since COVID-19 began dominating the news cycle. Observe the squirreliness of my soul at any given moment these days: “It’s time to work on my sermon for Sunday. Let me just check the news headlines and see if there are any new developments with the virus. [Nineteen minutes later…] Alright, no true updates, it’s time to work on my sermon. First, let me see if I’ve gotten any feedback on my Facebook post. [Twenty-five minutes later…] Okay, now that I’ve seen all the latest memes about toilet paper hoarding and how to escape one’s family while under stay-at-home orders, it’s time to work on my sermon. But before I get into that, let me see if there are any urgent emails that require a response. [Fifteen minutes later…] Nothing urgent but now I know it and don’t have to wonder anymore. But I do wonder how the market is doing, let me check real quick. [Eight minutes later…] Before I get started I really should just make sure no one has posted to Facebook. [Thirty minutes later…] Oh, I almost forgot, I was going to look on Amazon for…”

And so it goes. Distracted? Yeah, I’d say so. And this from a guy who a number of years ago took the StrengthsFinder test and scored very high in the area of “Focus”. Am I unique in my present levels of distraction? I think not. And like the squirrel, we’re easy targets for the Enemy because we’re hyperalert to every sound and movement yet incapable of paying attention to the ones that matter.

Is technology the problem? Is it the cable news cycle? Is it social media? It’s safe to say that none of these things is helping the problem, but these are not the problem. In an article for Forbes back in 2018, Curt Steinhorst puts his finger on the issue:

“…distraction isn’t technology. It’s not a second screen. It’s not social media or email or smartphones or any of the things we often associate with it. In reality, these things are simply ways we fill the time in which we’re already distracted. Because distraction, at its core, is this: confusion about what matters.”

Curt Steinhorst, “Distraction is Not What You Think” in Forbes Magazine

Are you confused about what matters? The degree to which you are confused is the degree to which you are distracted. And the solution to the problem is not to ‘focus harder’ but to be clear about what matters. How can you do this practically?

1. Start your day in God’s Word. Before email, before the news, before social media, train your attention on the Truth that never changes. Consistent Bible reading as the first activity of the day is one of the most difficult, and therefore most neglected disciplines that could do more to keep you focused on what matters than anything else. I know by experience the seemingly irresistible pull of “Oh, I’ll just check one thing while I wake up before I start into my Bible reading.” It’s a black hole, don’t believe it. If you start your day focused on the temporal and fleeting things of news and social media it will be very difficult to rein your soul back into a place of attention.

2. Prioritize weekly corporate worship. When we gather (online these days) with God’s people each Sunday we are forcibly reminded of what matters through music, Word ministry, prayer, sacrament, and Christian fellowship. Making sure you’re always present for this gathering will ensure that once a week at least you will get clear again on what matters most.

3. Take a day of rest from the noise. I take Fridays and keep my devices on airplane mode, or on occasion simply turn off all notifications. I refuse to do email, text, or phone calls. I stay off of social media. Having one day in seven where I turn off the noise going on around me and listen to the ‘still small voice’ inside has been one of the most important disciplines for helping me remember and stay focused on what matters.

4. Utilize tools to help you stay focused. I use an app called “Freedom” that works across all of my devices. I could go on and on about why I like this app so much, but here’s the proof of my affection: it is the only app or digital service I actually pay a subscription for and I don’t regret one penny spent. Essentially the app prevents me from checking my email, social media, or browsing the internet for as long as I choose. It also gives me the ability to ‘whitelist’ certain websites or apps that I may need to access during my time of focused activity. Of course, there are other free services you can use to accomplish a similar outcome such as utilizing the Screen Time features on your Apple devices. The point is not to convince you to use one particular app or service over another, but rather to encourage you to boost your technological self-control by utilizing the technology available to help limit your time on things that aren’t feeding your soul. (Click here if you want to try out Freedom.)

5. Practice a daily or weekly review. At the end of the day or week, ask yourself honestly: ‘Have I stayed focused on what matters or have I gotten confused?’ If you’ve stayed focused, celebrate that fact! If not, how did you get distracted? Was it something you could control or was it out of your control? What can you do tomorrow or next week to help ensure you don’t get confused about what matters?

So these are just a few of the ways that I try to stay focused in a world full of attention-grabbing noise. What are some tools or practices that have helped you stay focused?