![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/crowd-attentional-focus-1024x546.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nFocused attention is the brain’s ability to concentrate its attention beam on a target stimulus for a certain period of time. Focused attention is one that makes it possible to instantly identify relevant stimuli. This means that only the information captured in the attention range will be perceived and processed. Part of it travels through the conscious pathway, the part that makes us notice that we have perceived it voluntarily, and part of the information is perceived subconsciously; we won\u2019t be aware of it, as it is involuntary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Athletes can often increase their awareness and sensitivity to information (internal and external) and simultaneously control where and what the attention focuses on. The ability to do the same can change our performance and the way we cope with different situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Science<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The brain systems that control your attention. According to Daniel Kahneman, the brain has two systems that monitor attention, which he calls, System 1 and System 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- System 1<\/strong>– Is the involuntary, always-on network in our brains that takes in stimuli and processes it. It\u2019s the system that makes automatic decisions for us, like turning our heads when we hear our names being called or freezing when we see a spider.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- System 2<\/strong>– Controls our brain\u2019s voluntary parts. It processes System 1\u2019s suggestions, makes final decisions and selects where our attention is allocated. The funny thing about how these systems work is that we assume a lot of the things we do are a result of purely conscious decisions made by System 2. However, almost everything we consciously decide on is actually based on automatic reactions and suggestions fed to us by System 1. System 2 is in charge of all things that require willpower and self-control and are too difficult for System 1.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
How do we get distracted every day?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Although System 2 is running our deliberate attention and concentration, it takes a lot of effort to stay focused on something. We are constantly distracted by the amount of information, desires, needs, expectations and goals that System 2 fights against voluntarily while System 1 does the same involuntarily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Distractions can be primarily divided into two categories, as Daniel Goleman explains in Focus: The Hidden Power of Excellence:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Sensory distractions –<\/strong> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
things happening around you,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Emotional distractions<\/strong> – <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
your inner dialogue, thoughts about things happening in your life.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/moveaway-crowd-attentionalfocus-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nHave you ever experienced something emotional weighing on your mind? You will know how hard it is to block out that kind of distraction. Goleman explains that this happens for a reason. If something is upsetting us, our brain wants us to find a solution, so we won\u2019t keep worrying about it. Putting it off doesn\u2019t help us concentrate because we can\u2019t truly let go of those thoughts until we have a plan to work through them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You might think that these interruptions are often external\u2014from the audience, the weather, phone calls or emails\u2014but actually, we interrupt ourselves around 44% of the time, according to Gloria Mark\u2019s research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These kinds of emotional distractions are the ones that plague us the most, according to Goleman: ‘It\u2019s not the chatter of people around us that is the most powerful distractor, but rather the chatter of our own minds.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even worse is that on an average, when our minds wander, they tend to skew towards negative and self-centred thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How do we focus?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Well, staying focused takes a lot of work. Like our physical muscles, even our attention ‘muscle’ gets fatigued when overworked. Pushing ourselves to cognitive exhaustion means that we end up mentally fatigued. We become less effective in our training and performance, more easily distracted and irritable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, a key element to optimise attention is by having a clear action plan that includes answers to different possibilities that might surprise us at the critical moment. Athletes should know where they want their attention to be in the most important moments of their performance.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/attentionalfocus-book-covered-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nFocusing on a task is a lot like focusing on your vision. It is essentially a top-down process. When you make the decision to focus on something, your brain first takes in all the visual information and starts processing that information to tell you what you should zero in on. It\u2019s like looking at a painting or photograph for the first time.
When the image becomes clearer, your brain moves in on one aspect that you want to pay attention to. When you achieve that blissful kind of focus where time slips by you, your perception of the world around you changes, allowing you to have a heightened ability to ignore outside stimuli.<\/p>\n\n\n\nActionable<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Bringing focus back: how to control it?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
There are a few ways to achieve this, and they are worth working into your routine to keep your mind fresh and your ability to focus sharp. Such attention training can also help shift many of the processes from overloading System 2 to smoothly functioning based on System 1. This is achieved by automating the attention shifts during peak performance. Here are some:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Cognitive training: <\/strong>Attention drills, especially for sports specifics, can increase the amount and the quality of attention. However, it is important to choose the relevant drills according to the sports and the athletes\u2019 requirements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Mindfulness practice: <\/strong>In mindfulness-based (and other types of meditation) practice, we can choose to focus on two skills: reducing noises and controlling the attention beam.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/attentional-focus-moveaway-1024x681.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n- \n
- Lose yourself in something you enjoy:<\/strong> The concept of yin and yang helps us understand that if we use our attention less, we will have more of it. Structuring times during a day when we voluntarily aim not to focus on a narrow task, can help optimise those moments when we need sharp attention.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/attentional-focus-balletdancer-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n- \n
- The art of letting go: <\/strong>As we explained earlier, we interrupt ourselves most of the time by holding thoughts and emotions unnecessarily. Training to let go of those, massively reduces the amount of information our brain needs to manage, and therefore, the ability to sustain our attention increases dramatically.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Visualisation: <\/strong>Foreseeing an expected situation during a performance or event and rehearsing it in advance in your mind will reduce the noises during the event, allowing you to be more accurate with how and what needs to be established, and freeing cognitive space to solve any unexpected scenarios in real-time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/attentional-focus-gymnastic-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nConclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
For athletes, the moment of performance means everything. Moreover, to make it count, being at your best is all about how you manage and cope with the situation, knowing there is no second chance. Therefore, it is crucial to have intentional attention focus, one that you can trust to serve you when needed. Mastering the skill of controlling attention between Systems 1 and 2 to a level where you can choose where to focus your attention\u2014even when the crowd, opponents or you, yourself, are building up constant interruptions\u2014will differentiate the great from the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Disclaimer: <\/em>The contents of this article are for general information and educational purposes only. It neither provides any medical advice nor intends to substitute professional medical opinion on the treatment, diagnosis, prevention or alleviation of any disease, disorder or disability. Always consult with your doctor or qualified healthcare professional about your health condition and\/or concerns and before undertaking a new health care regimen including making any dietary or lifestyle changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reference<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AziIXcmE9Xg<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- http:\/\/dspace.vnbrims.org:13000\/jspui\/bitstream\/123456789\/2224\/1\/Daniel-Kahneman-Thinking-Fast-and-Slow-.pdf<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- https:\/\/is.muni.cz\/el\/med\/jaro2021\/MIMO041p\/111500888\/Daniel_Goleman_-Focus__the_hidden_driver_of_excellence-Harper__2013.pdf<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- https:\/\/www.ics.uci.edu\/~gmark\/chi08-mark.pdf<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- https:\/\/books.google.co.in\/books?hl=iw&lr=&id=kO_baYlSVbwC&oi=fnd&pg=PA105&dq=attention+top+down+processing&ots=pt2DIKknP&sig=T9WOJLuEMXtmVAghBUWu4t3oHOo#v=onepage&q=attention%20top%20down%20processing&f=false<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Right after winning the five-hour long 2019 Wimbledon final, Novak Djokovic famously said, \u201cWhen the crowd chants Roger, I hear Novak.\u201d <\/p>\n
I am where my attention is. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":1165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pro-athlete"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Attentional Focus: How this can help move away from the crowd - Ultrahuman<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Attentional Focus: How this can help move away from the crowd\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Right after winning the five-hour long 2019 Wimbledon final, Novak Djokovic famously said, \u201cWhen the crowd chants Roger, I hear Novak.\u201d I am where my attention is.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ultrahuman\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ultrahumanhq\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-10-14T00:18:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-11-02T10:13:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/attentionalo-focus-crowd.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2142\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1713\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Team Ultrahuman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@UltrahumanHQ\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UltrahumanHQ\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Team Ultrahuman\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Team Ultrahuman\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/47e73966094408ddf4ebb9febb348e27\"},\"headline\":\"Attentional Focus: How this can help move away from the crowd\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-10-14T00:18:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-11-02T10:13:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/\"},\"wordCount\":1340,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/attentionalo-focus-crowd.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Pro Athlete\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/\",\"name\":\"Attentional Focus: How this can help move away from the crowd - Ultrahuman\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/attentionalo-focus-crowd.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-10-14T00:18:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-11-02T10:13:13+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/attentionalo-focus-crowd.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/attentionalo-focus-crowd.jpg\",\"width\":2142,\"height\":1713},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Attentional Focus: How this can help move away from the crowd\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Ultrahuman\",\"description\":\"Blog\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Ultrahuman\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/4Ww9Uqhk_400x400.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/4Ww9Uqhk_400x400.jpg\",\"width\":400,\"height\":400,\"caption\":\"Ultrahuman\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ultrahumanhq\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/UltrahumanHQ\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/47e73966094408ddf4ebb9febb348e27\",\"name\":\"Team Ultrahuman\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fb2a8e9f2fd4cc81b528bb78804d88f48aae6513ff4cbc7e4b6df4d72f2b5ac3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fb2a8e9f2fd4cc81b528bb78804d88f48aae6513ff4cbc7e4b6df4d72f2b5ac3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Team Ultrahuman\"},\"description\":\"Ultrahuman is the world's most comprehensive self-quantification platform. Ultrahuman's products include the Ultrahuman Ring AIR, the world's lightest sleep-tracking wearable; Ultrahuman M1, a continuous glucose monitoring platform; Blood Vision, a preventive blood testing platform with pioneering UltraTrace\u2122 technology; and Ultrahuman Home, a revolutionary health device for your home. By collating a large set of biomarkers on an integrated platform, Ultrahuman creates a grand unified view of the human body.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.ultrahuman.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/author\/teamultrahuman\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Attentional Focus: How this can help move away from the crowd - Ultrahuman","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Attentional Focus: How this can help move away from the crowd","og_description":"Right after winning the five-hour long 2019 Wimbledon final, Novak Djokovic famously said, \u201cWhen the crowd chants Roger, I hear Novak.\u201d I am where my attention is.","og_url":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/","og_site_name":"Ultrahuman","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ultrahumanhq","article_published_time":"2022-10-14T00:18:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-11-02T10:13:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2142,"height":1713,"url":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/attentionalo-focus-crowd.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Team Ultrahuman","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@UltrahumanHQ","twitter_site":"@UltrahumanHQ","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Team Ultrahuman","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/"},"author":{"name":"Team Ultrahuman","@id":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/47e73966094408ddf4ebb9febb348e27"},"headline":"Attentional Focus: How this can help move away from the crowd","datePublished":"2022-10-14T00:18:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-11-02T10:13:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/"},"wordCount":1340,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/attentionalo-focus-crowd.jpg","articleSection":["Pro Athlete"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/","url":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/","name":"Attentional Focus: How this can help move away from the crowd - Ultrahuman","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/attentionalo-focus-crowd.jpg","datePublished":"2022-10-14T00:18:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-11-02T10:13:13+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/attentionalo-focus-crowd.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/attentionalo-focus-crowd.jpg","width":2142,"height":1713},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/attentional-focus-how-this-can-help-move-away-from-the-crowd\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Attentional Focus: How this can help move away from the crowd"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/","name":"Ultrahuman","description":"Blog","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Ultrahuman","url":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/4Ww9Uqhk_400x400.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/4Ww9Uqhk_400x400.jpg","width":400,"height":400,"caption":"Ultrahuman"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ultrahumanhq","https:\/\/x.com\/UltrahumanHQ"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/47e73966094408ddf4ebb9febb348e27","name":"Team Ultrahuman","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fb2a8e9f2fd4cc81b528bb78804d88f48aae6513ff4cbc7e4b6df4d72f2b5ac3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fb2a8e9f2fd4cc81b528bb78804d88f48aae6513ff4cbc7e4b6df4d72f2b5ac3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Team Ultrahuman"},"description":"Ultrahuman is the world's most comprehensive self-quantification platform. Ultrahuman's products include the Ultrahuman Ring AIR, the world's lightest sleep-tracking wearable; Ultrahuman M1, a continuous glucose monitoring platform; Blood Vision, a preventive blood testing platform with pioneering UltraTrace\u2122 technology; and Ultrahuman Home, a revolutionary health device for your home. By collating a large set of biomarkers on an integrated platform, Ultrahuman creates a grand unified view of the human body.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.ultrahuman.com"],"url":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/author\/teamultrahuman\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1157\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.ultrahuman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} - http:\/\/dspace.vnbrims.org:13000\/jspui\/bitstream\/123456789\/2224\/1\/Daniel-Kahneman-Thinking-Fast-and-Slow-.pdf<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AziIXcmE9Xg<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Visualisation: <\/strong>Foreseeing an expected situation during a performance or event and rehearsing it in advance in your mind will reduce the noises during the event, allowing you to be more accurate with how and what needs to be established, and freeing cognitive space to solve any unexpected scenarios in real-time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n
- The art of letting go: <\/strong>As we explained earlier, we interrupt ourselves most of the time by holding thoughts and emotions unnecessarily. Training to let go of those, massively reduces the amount of information our brain needs to manage, and therefore, the ability to sustain our attention increases dramatically.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Lose yourself in something you enjoy:<\/strong> The concept of yin and yang helps us understand that if we use our attention less, we will have more of it. Structuring times during a day when we voluntarily aim not to focus on a narrow task, can help optimise those moments when we need sharp attention.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n
- Mindfulness practice: <\/strong>In mindfulness-based (and other types of meditation) practice, we can choose to focus on two skills: reducing noises and controlling the attention beam.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n
- Cognitive training: <\/strong>Attention drills, especially for sports specifics, can increase the amount and the quality of attention. However, it is important to choose the relevant drills according to the sports and the athletes\u2019 requirements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Emotional distractions<\/strong> – <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Sensory distractions –<\/strong> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- System 2<\/strong>– Controls our brain\u2019s voluntary parts. It processes System 1\u2019s suggestions, makes final decisions and selects where our attention is allocated. The funny thing about how these systems work is that we assume a lot of the things we do are a result of purely conscious decisions made by System 2. However, almost everything we consciously decide on is actually based on automatic reactions and suggestions fed to us by System 1. System 2 is in charge of all things that require willpower and self-control and are too difficult for System 1.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n