Distraction is not the sole preserve of our manic modern world.

Nearly a hundred years ago, in 1918, Theron Q. Dumont shared some eternal wisdom about how to maintain your focus in his book “The Power of Concentration.” Many of the examples are fairly simplistic, but when we look back at our days and analyse how much we have achieved, we too often rue the hours that have slipped carelessly by.

Firstly, the book contended that if we need to focus our mind, we have to be in control of our body. Just as the sun focuses through a magnifying glass, a concentrated effort in a given direction has the potential to yield the most amazing results. Dumont suggested such exercises as sitting perfectly still for five minutes, learning to fix your gaze on an object, and opening and closing your fists. These simple actions allow you to train your attention to focus on the most mundane of activities. When you can do this, you are so much more aware of the world around you, and conversely are able to shut it out when required.

Attention is a rebellious mistress; Dumont suggests that you can tame her by first learning to focus on that which is near. Looking at the tip of one finger is nearly impossible to do for five minutes. Try it. You’ll see how distracting your surroundings really are. We give in to that normally, all the time. As Dumont said: “The person that can concentrate can gain full control over his body and mind and be the master of his inclinations; not their slave.”

Another area of focus that Dumont explored was the control over our desires. His approach was more about the need for “gentlemanly” self-control, but it is equally relevant for our smartphone obsessed age. How many of us can hear it buzz with a text alert and leave it on the table until we have finished the work that we are doing? Not many I would wager, but it often takes us far longer to regain our concentration after even the smallest distraction. As Dumont said: “Be ever on the lookout for opportunities for the practice of self-control. He that ruleth his spirit is greater than he that ruleth a city.”

The last exercise that I wish to share with you is an interesting one, and a very valid one in our age of information overload. He suggested to read a page of a book and write a summary of the contents.

Then maybe read two sentences and copy them word for word from memory. If you do this enough, you will retain more of what you are reading, and your will get a tangible return on the time that you have invested reading it. How many Forbes articles have you read, only to forget about them the next day? In the age of the internet, we are surrounded by so much amazing information, but, because there is so much, we often fail to absorb as much as we could.

I tried my best to write this post without pausing “for thought” or seeking “inspiration” in other activities. That might help every now and again, but most of the time it is an excuse to look for a distraction.

I didn’t manage it, but I’ll try again next time.

Remember, focus tends to be the key ingredient in the secret recipe to success.