Do you feel the urge to check your phone, even after you've just looked at it? It can be difficult to focus in a world where we are bombarded with information from all directions—our phones, emails, and social media. Yet, it is possible to improve our ability to focus and ignore distractions.

Despite the overwhelming amount of information available, we can still maintain focus with a strong ability to select what we pay attention to. This allows us to ignore potential distractions and concentrate on what truly matters.

For example, journalists at the New York Times work in an open-plan office, surrounded by noise and other distractions. Still, they are able to meet their deadlines and produce quality work. They have learned to selectively focus their attention on what is important.

Unfortunately, not everyone is able to do this. Many people get easily distracted and waste time on unimportant things, leading to decreased productivity. Furthermore, constant distractions can make it difficult to truly delve into a subject and reach a state of deep focus.

In fact, internet addiction is even recognized as a mental disorder in some Asian countries. However, by improving our ability to focus on what is important, we can increase our productivity and understanding in any task we undertake.