The Spotlight Technique: Close Your Tabs and Find Your Focus

About this episode

Julia Cartwright introduces the spotlight technique to help listeners focus amidst distractions.

Hey there, friend. I'm Julia Cartwright, and I'm so glad you've carved out a few minutes for yourself today. It's Friday morning, mid-April, and I'm willing to bet your mind feels like a browser with about forty tabs open right now. Am I close? Work deadlines, weekend plans, that thing you forgot to respond to this morning. Your nervous system is probably running a little hot, and your attention feels scattered like breadcrumbs on a kitchen counter. So here's what we're going to do together. We're going to practice something I call the spotlight technique, and it's going to feel like a gentle way of closing all those tabs until you're working with just one clear window of focus. Let's start by settling in wherever you are right now. If you can, sit with your feet flat on the ground or crossed comfortably. Your spine naturally tall but not rigid, like a tree that can bend in the wind. Now, take three intentional breaths with me. Breathe in through your nose for a count of four, and exhale through your mouth for a count of six. That longer exhale activates your parasympathetic nervous system, your body's natural calm-down button. One more time. In for four. Out for six. Good. Now…

People in this episode

Host: Julia Cartwright

Topics covered

• mindfulness
• focus
• mental health
• attention management
• breathing techniques

Keywords

• spotlight technique
• mindfulness
• focus
• breathing
• attention

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