E13 - Reboot your attention with panoramic vision: [The 90-5-2 Rule]

Hi everyone,

My name is Lemmy and this is my story of how I became The Attention Master.

In Episode 13, I want to teach you how you can use your breaks to “refill” your attention..

Here is what you are going to learn today:

• What your eyes can do besides seeing

• How your vision is related to attention

• A simple exercise to regain attention during your breaks

This week’s community challenge

The new year has begun and we are full of energy. Some of you want to get sh*t done and sit down for 3 hour long work sessions without leaving your desk. Let's make the most of every minute, right?

Not surprisingly, this is counterproductive. In previous episodes, I explained why breaks are so important for deep work and why you should take a break after 90 minutes at the latest.

I also explained why it helps to drink once an hour and to adjust your posture. Today, I want to share one exercise that you can add to your break routine that will significantly boost your ability to focus after a break: Panoramic Vision.

1. The function of the eyes you don't know yet

Your eyes aren't just for seeing. They tell the rest of your brain whether you should be more alert or more relaxed.

When we are very relaxed, our pupils or the shape of our lens changes so that we actually have a wider field of vision. When we see the whole environment, we're in what's called panoramic vision.

When we are stressed or excited, our visual experience shrinks. We are essentially looking through soda straws, similar to a tunnel.

So our internal state drives changes in our visual system.

Here is the genius: vision also works in reverse.

It's reciprocal, bidirectional. What does that mean?

Well, if we expand our view of the world, if we literally force our visual field to expand, then we can be less stressed and more alert when we go back to work.

2. How to practice panoramic vision

The great thing about panoramic vision is that it is easy to do anytime, anywhere. Here's a quick guide:

• Don’t look around. Don’t move your head or eyes around.

• Try to see yourself in the environment that you're in.

• Inside: Widen your view so that you can see the ceiling, the floor and the walls.

• Outside: Try to see as much and as far as you can.

• Rule of thumb: Give yourself as wide a view horizontally and vertically as possible.

3. Why it helps you focus

Motion: Our visual system is finely tuned to motion, so observing the movement of things around us in the distance can stimulate alertness.

But as we discussed in previous episodes, you need to think of attention like a professional athlete. It's a limited resource, and you can't perform at peak levels all day long. Your attention needs rest, and there are two ways in which panoramic vision hacks the recovery process of your attention and makes it easier to return to a focused state after such a break:

1. Regulation: When you switch from focus to panoramic vision, you're essentially turning off the recruitment of neurochemicals associated with focus and arousal. This can help you manage your alertness levels and prevent overstimulation. In short, your ability to focus suffers long-term when you are constantly aroused. Without breaks, you dull your focus.

2. Relaxation: Relaxing the lens and some of the muscles around the eyes sends signals to the brain that reduce stress.

4. The Protocol to take ACTION:

This week it’s easy, here’s your protocol for the [The 90-5-2 Rule]:

• Start a timer for 90 minutes when you start working.

• When it rings, start a timer for 5-minutes.

• Optional but recommended: Drink a glass of water.

• Go to the next window and start panoramic vision (you will have more or less 2-minutes left).

• When the alarm rings, start a timer for another 90 minutes (or shorter).

• Repeat the break protocol all (work) day long.

And every good action needs a trigger.

That's why I'm providing a different visual for each community challenge. Add it to your lock screen and you'll see it every time you open your phone.

Then it's your choice: Screen time or life time?

Here's the Episode 13 Panoramic Vision Visual for DOWNLOAD and below is a video showing you how to add it to your lock screen.

Let me know if this works for you via
our brand new Whatsapp community
& see ya next week
Lemmy

Recap:

• Community Challenge: [The 90-5-2 Rule] = work for 90 minutes, break for 5, panoramic vision for 2

• Stress or relaxation <-> Vision = a bidirectional route.

• Focusing on movement in far distance can stimulate alertness.

• Without breaks, you dull your focus by overstimulating it.

• Rule of thumb for panoramic vision: Give yourself as wide a view horizontally and vertically as possible.

Sources:

• Huberman AI

• The Tim Ferriss Show