At eSmartr, we’re kind of big on focus. It’s our thing… or, it’s one of our things, anyway. And we’re big on promoting focus, alongside clarity and calm, as some of the best approaches you can take to live a mindful life and get the most out of your own uniquely powerful mind. That’s why today we’re sharing an at-home-guide on object-focused meditation, an easy-to-practice technique to calm your mind and enhance your focus.

Object-Focused Meditation is very straightforward: you choose a quiet space with minimal interruptions, find a comfortable position that allows you to relax, and choose your target. It’s not as ominous as it sounds — the whole point of object-focused meditation is to place all of your focus on a single point as a way to clear your head and relax for a bit.

Your object of focus doesn’t even have to be anything special; you can light a candle and focus on the flame, but you can also choose a chair, a lamp, a glass of water, even – the point is to have something to focus on so that your mind has something to do while you meditate.

 The funny thing is that while it is simple, it isn’t easy — meditation for clarity and focus sounds straightforward enough, but, especially at first, you’re probably going to feel very distracted. But that’s okay! Start off slow, and remember that the idea — the goal — is to make that single object the recipient of your full focus. Starting to think about your next grocery trip? Stop that. Refocus. Breathe.

Maybe you start at five minutes a day. Meditation for clarity and focus isn’t an overnight thing; as you get better, more practiced, and more comfortable with object-focused meditation, you can extend the amount of time you spend doing it as you need – the benefits are amazing! Taking a little bit of time to slow things down and focus on yourself (or that one object!) can do wonders for your mental health.

Let us know how it goes at @eSmartr!