How do we gain focus in a world that seems so chaotic. Let's talk about our ability, or may the inability, to focus. And let's talk about distractions. And, can we use one to create the other? 

Distractions are annoying. They make us lose focus.  Ever tried to focus through distraction? Not really a play on words, but the actual act of intentionally distracting yourself in order to focus. Sounds pretty strange. But it is actually easier than you think.  

I learned to drive in the streets of Miami. If you have ever been there, you know how crazy it can be. There are two aspects to my early driving years: fortunate, because my father and older brother have amazing driving skills. My older brother, in particular, was into racing, so I learned a great deal from him. My father, who still drives at age 89, but slowly avoiding it because of night vision issues, was amazing at defensive driving. He has never been in an at-fault accident. The minor fender benders he has been in are by other drivers. Which I cannot see how since he drives a full-size SUV you can see coming a mile away. The unfortunate part? They are both impatient and fast drivers with mad skills. I spent enough time with them to become a very aggressive driver myself. Despite all that crazy driving of mine I have always been extremely respectful of other drivers: I do not cut them off or do anything that may potentially cause an accident by inexperienced drivers. But this level of consideration with aggressive driving is not a good mix. When others with aggressive driving skills do stupid things in front of me, it unleashes a monster. I get really aggravated and that speed demon emerges. I would definitely say there is an ego about me and driving. It seems that my ego lives in my car.  I would try to spend an entire day driving 'normally', if there is ever such a thing. You know, taking it easy, driving within speed limits and obeying all traffic laws. But I could not make it past 2 miles without someone doing something very stupid in front of me.  

I found that the best way to focus was to distract myself. You see, when I get in the car I have one thought in mind... to get to my destination. There is nothing else to keep me focused, so it is easy to get carried away by other drivers and their antics.  I found that by listening to podcasts and audiobooks, it grabs my attention and allows me to dismiss anything else. It puts my focus on what I am listening by distracting my attention from the exterior. Music does not have the same effect. I realized that we often shut out music because we hear the same songs all the time.   Other effects of music listening, as I have noticed, is that we tend to associate an event, action, or emotion to songs over time, which can impact us while we drive. POdcasts and audiobooks, on the other hand, have new content so we tend to focus a little more on that. It is no different than having a conversation... and often safer, as you do not have to respond to someone.  But be cautious. Humans cannot multi-task, regardless of what you have been told. Sure there are the rare cases where someone wit special skills can do two things at once... but that is a rarity. So if having conversations in a car distracts you, you may want to avoid podcasts and audiobooks as well. But the distraction trick to allow me to focus keeps me cool and relaxed during my commutes. Keeps me and everyone around me safe.