--- title: Focused Attention and It's Effect on Wellbeing description: Focused Attention and It's Effect on Wellbeing image: https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/hubfs/markus-spiske-117324-unsplash.jpg --- [![](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/hs-fs/hubfs/-_LSGO%20LOGO%20MASTER_NO%20KIDS_HORIZONTAL_FC.png?width=1015&height=237&name=-_LSGO%20LOGO%20MASTER_NO%20KIDS_HORIZONTAL_FC.png)](https://www.lifeskillsgroup.com.au/) ##### Share with your network - ** - ** - ** - ** - [** ](mailto:?subject=Focused+Attention+and+It%27s+Effect+on+Wellbeing&body=Thought%20you'd%20find%20this%20interesting:%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lifeskillsgo.com%2Fblog%2Ffocused-attention-and-its-effect-on-wellbeing) Get notified of new resources via email ## Focused Attention and It's Effect on Wellbeing By **Life Skills Group ** Published ** 16 February 2017 14.00 PM** [Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/resources) [Family Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/family-resources) [Emotional Intelligence](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/emotional-intelligence) [Classroom Wellbeing](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/classroom-wellbeing) [Teacher Wellbeing](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/teacher-wellbeing) [Educator Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/educator-resources) ## **** ##### Share with your network - ** - ** - ** - ** - [** ](mailto:?subject=Focused+Attention+and+It%27s+Effect+on+Wellbeing&body=Thought%20you'd%20find%20this%20interesting:%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lifeskillsgo.com%2Fblog%2Ffocused-attention-and-its-effect-on-wellbeing) [X](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/focused-attention-and-its-effect-on-wellbeing#) × Psychologists have identified differing types of attention that help us to process information. They are generally known as Alternating Attention, Divided Attention, Selected Attention and Focused Attention. Understanding the types of attention we use for cognition is important so we can better control it, thus improving our wellbeing and outlook, reducing our stress levels and having more headspace. Alternating Attention is switching between tasks that require different cognitive processing. Divided Attention is having the ability to process more than two responses or tasks at the same time; multitasking, if you will. Selected Attention is the ability to filter out other distractions by selecting only the information or stimuli required for the task or cognitive process. Focused Attention is having the ability to focus on one task for an unlimited amount of time without distraction. In this technical age, the distractions for learners are varied and many. With social media, television, internet, smart phones, and so much more to choose from, it seems nigh impossible to manage Focused Attention for any length of time. But the benefits of developing focused attention skills are plenty and can assist in wellbeing as well as success in other areas. Examples of focused attention are listening to a lecture, reading a book, watching a film or making something without distraction. This level of focus allows the brain to take in the whole task without it being littered with a number of other thoughts and processes. People with conditions like ADHD are unable to filter out distractions, which will detract from their wellbeing. This is a factor teachers and caregivers will need to take into account when dealing with students who are living with an attention disorder. Focussed attention leads to quicker and more directed completion of a task, thereby leading to a sense of success, thus improving wellbeing. The person will enjoy the task more, and will take ownership of the process they undertook to complete it. Concentrating fully on something requires effort, though, particularly with so many disruptions in our society. So how can we improve our focused attention? AS A TEACHER: - Allow your students consistency. Don’t move the desks around too much, and ensure students are comfortable where they sit and who they are sitting with. - A colourful classroom is great for students, but make sure there’s not too much dangling from ceilings and walls. Decorations are excellent stimuli for creativity, so they are crucial, but they are also an excellent disruption, so a balance is important. - Give clear and precise instructions so students are able to understand the task and get to work. - Encourage the class to ask questions and talk about the task before it begins, so they can understand it from a number of perspectives. - Use assessment to encourage focus. Regular tests and supervised tasks will not only improve their ability to focus their attention, but it will also prepare students for senior secondary and tertiary learning, as well as improving their skills in the workplace. - Encourage exercise and physical activity as it is well documented that exercise improves wellbeing and concentration. AS A STUDENT: - Have a dedicated homework area which is away from distractions and that you know is the place where study happens. Sitting on the bed or couch to study will not improve focused attention as the brain knows these areas are for resting. Tasks will take longer and this can be frustrating, thus having a negative impact on wellbeing. - Do one thing at a time. Complete one homework task before moving on to another. It can be very stressful completing a number of tasks at once and you will feel overloaded. Take it one step at a time and tick tasks off on a list when you’ve completed them. - Get some exercise. It will improve your attention span and wellbeing. If you’re finding it hard to focus, go for a walk, think about the task you need to do, and then start it straight away on your return. - Use a timetable or diary and fill it in regularly. Tick things off as you’ve done them, but remember to do one thing at a time. See it through, tick it off and move on to the next task. Focused Attention can have a substantial impact on wellbeing and personal success. The ability to devote attention to any one task at a time is an attribute that can be learned, practised and improved with time and dedication. --- Want to find out how Life Skills GO can help your school understand and achieve your wellbeing goals?   --- ### [BOOK A DEMO WITH OUR TEAM](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/request-demo) Book a personalised meeting with our product specialists, to will show you how Life Skills GO can help you achieve your school's wellbeing goals. We will guide you through a short interactive demo and answer any questions to help you determine if Life Skills GO is right for your school.  #### [And get started with your FREE TRIAL today](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/en-au/life-skills-go-free-trial)   Start collecting valuable, student driven data with **[Life Skills GO](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/go)**, an easy-to-use emotion and wellbeing data collection tool, designed in collaboration with educators, that measures student readiness to learn, and is supported with a comprehensive library of evidence-based and curriculum aligned resources and adaptive lessons to foster wellbeing and social and emotional literacy.   --- #### Additional Resources - [FREE WEBINARS: Find our more and register to attend one of our upcoming webinars](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/webinars)  - [Case Studies: Hear from the schools that are finding success with Life Skills GO](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/case-studies) - [A 1 Minute Video: How Life Skills GO can help you make informed wellbeing data decisions](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/hubfs/Nikki%20CEO%20Life%20Skills%20GO%20intro.mp4) - [Download a FREE 32 page resource guide to teaching emotions](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/free-guide-to-teaching-emotions-0) - [Free wellbeing resources to get started with - activities, workbooks and games](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/hubfs/2024%20Resource%20Pack/LSG_2024WellbeingResourcesCombines.pdf) - [**Start your 14 day FREE TRIAL today**](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/en-au/life-skills-go-free-trial) Topics: [Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/resources) [Family Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/family-resources) [Emotional Intelligence](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/emotional-intelligence) [Classroom Wellbeing](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/classroom-wellbeing) [Teacher Wellbeing](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/teacher-wellbeing) [Educator Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/educator-resources) ![blog 2](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/hs-fs/hubfs/blog%202.png?width=863&height=863&name=blog%202.png) #### Life Skills Group Life Skills Group is Australia’s market leader in curriculum-based social emotional and physical learning programs for students and educators. [![](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/hubfs/Life%20Skills%20Group/Resources/left-arrow.png) Previous: How students education is like riding an elephant ](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/how-students-education-is-like-riding-an-elephant) [Next: The Science Behind Self-Regulation and It's Importance in Creating a Sound Learning Environment ![](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/hubfs/Life%20Skills%20Group/Resources/right-arrow.png)](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/the-science-behind-self-regulation-and-its-importance-in-creating-a-sound-learning-environment) ##### Share with your network - ** - ** - ** - ** - [** ](mailto:?subject=Focused+Attention+and+It%27s+Effect+on+Wellbeing&body=Thought%20you'd%20find%20this%20interesting:%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lifeskillsgo.com%2Fblog%2Ffocused-attention-and-its-effect-on-wellbeing) [X](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/focused-attention-and-its-effect-on-wellbeing#) × ##### Related Resources Monday 27 January 2025 ##### [7 Simple Ways Educators Can Prioritise Their Wellbeing and Thrive This Year](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/7-simple-ways-educators-can-prioritise-their-wellbeing-and-thrive-this-year) [Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/resources) [Family Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/family-resources) [Emotional Intelligence](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/emotional-intelligence) [Classroom Wellbeing](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/classroom-wellbeing) [Teacher Wellbeing](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/teacher-wellbeing) [Educator Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/educator-resources) Tuesday 17 December 2024 ##### [7 Ways to Nurture Young Minds Over the School Holidays Without Spending a Cent](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/7-ways-to-nurture-young-minds-over-the-school-holidays-without-spending-a-cent) [Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/resources) [Family Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/family-resources) [Emotional Intelligence](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/emotional-intelligence) [Classroom Wellbeing](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/classroom-wellbeing) [Teacher Wellbeing](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/teacher-wellbeing) [Educator Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/educator-resources) Sunday 15 December 2024 ##### [Retrospective: Celebrating the Incredible Work You’ve Done This Year](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/retrospective-celebrating-the-incredible-work-youve-done-this-year) [Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/resources) [Family Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/family-resources) [Emotional Intelligence](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/emotional-intelligence) [Classroom Wellbeing](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/classroom-wellbeing) [Teacher Wellbeing](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/teacher-wellbeing) [Educator Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/educator-resources) Wednesday 25 September 2024 ##### [Life Skills GO and Aligning to the NSW School Excellence Framework](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/life-skills-go-and-aligning-to-the-nsw-school-excellence-framework) [Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/resources) [Family Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/family-resources) [Emotional Intelligence](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/emotional-intelligence) [Classroom Wellbeing](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/classroom-wellbeing) [Teacher Wellbeing](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/teacher-wellbeing) [Educator Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/educator-resources) Wednesday 18 September 2024 ##### [Excel in whole school wellbeing: What does this look like?](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/excel-in-whole-school-wellbeing) [Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/resources) [Family Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/family-resources) [Emotional Intelligence](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/emotional-intelligence) [Classroom Wellbeing](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/classroom-wellbeing) [Teacher Wellbeing](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/teacher-wellbeing) [Educator Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/educator-resources) Tuesday 21 August 2018 ##### [Generosity: The Fourth Pillar of Wellbeing](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/generosity-the-fourth-pillar-of-wellbeing) [Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/resources) [Family Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/family-resources) [Emotional Intelligence](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/emotional-intelligence) [Classroom Wellbeing](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/classroom-wellbeing) [Teacher Wellbeing](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/teacher-wellbeing) [Educator Resources](https://www.lifeskillsgo.com/blog/tag/educator-resources) Wednesday 9 August 2017 ##### [Mindfulness in Action in Schools - 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