What it is
Focused attention is when we have all of our mental faculties applied to a specific task or problem. It’s like having a workbench full of the most appropriate tools, all at the ready. Diffuse thinking is more open, off the wall, less constrained. Few tools on the workbench, more looking around at the whole workshop. The focused case can be good in many situations, but sometimes diffuse thinking can lead to out of the box solutions by applying knowledge from realms far from the topic at hand.
How to do it
Focused thinking happens in the front of the mind. We think really hard about a topic and try to figure things out by using tools very close to the type of problem. For example, when splinting a broken arm in a medical setting, we could have a variety of splints and casts and braces available. Having all of the tools at the ready makes it easy to reach for them, but it also narrows the solution space by making it hard to see solutions not possible with the tools laid out.
Diffuse thinking involves taking a break from studious focus. Let the mind wander, think about similar problems in other realms. For example, if faced with a broken arm and in need of a splint in the wilderness, one could depart the realm of medicine and consider woodworking or wilderness skills to meet that need. Some people suggest leaving the problem entirely, or “putting it on the back burner,” even thinking loosely about the problem as one falls asleep in order to have an “a-ha!” moment at the point of drifting off.
When to apply it
Any time focused attention isn’t producing an answer to a problem. Any time that you’re trying to do concept-chaining.
Bibliography
Learning How To Learn has good info about focus vs diffuse thinking.
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