Despite what some people believe, experts haven’t found out for certain if our attention spans have shrunk over the past decade or so. Still, you probably don’t need scientists to tell you if you have a concentration problem. The fact that it, say, takes you an hour to finish writing a two-paragraph email can tell you that.
Luckily, you don’t have to wander around in a time-wasting limbo forever. There are plenty of methods to improve focus you can use when you need them. Read on to learn about seven of them.
1. Don’t Multitask
It takes your brain time to become focus your attention on a task. Once you become focused, you’re able to work most effectively. You should then be able to perform the task until your next break.
You’re Breaking Concentration
When you multitask, however, you’re constantly breaking your mind’s concentration. If you write an email while watching a movie while talking on the phone, your brain keeps getting pulled in all directions.
Your brain keeps resetting and trying to build up focus again every time you switch tasks. Eventually, it may get to the point where it’s in full focus. But then you’ll switch to another task.
One Task at a Time
You should now see how this can lead to a disaster of focus. Keep yourself focused on one task at a time. It may seem like you’re not being as productive, but you should complete more tasks this way.
2. Avoid Distractions
Switching to another task isn’t the only thing that can break your brain’s concentration. There are a lot of common distractions that can pull you out of the all-too-necessary “zone”. Examples include background noise, people who want your attention, and so on.
Get Away
It can sometimes be impossible to get away from all distractions. Your affectionate pet, for instance, probably won’t obey when you ask them to leave you alone. However, there are plenty of distractions that you can eliminate.
Consider trying to find a silent, lonely place where you can finish your work. You can also ask the distractions that will listen to you to leave you alone for some time. Some people also like to drown out background noise with something like white noise.
Experiment
Different people find a variety of things distracting. You’ll probably need to experiment a bit to find out how you can best avoid distractions.
3. Improve Focus With Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a type of therapeutic technique that involves observing your thoughts, feelings, and environment. Experts have found that it can reduce stress, improve memory, and improve concentration. There are several different mindfulness techniques you can try.
Body Scan Meditation
This type of meditation involves observing how every part of your body feels. Lie on your back and focus your attention on one body part at a time. Observe, as objectively as possible, how each part feels.
Focus on Your Breathing
This one can be very helpful if you’re having some emotional struggles. Whenever you start having negative thoughts, sit down and start breathing. Focus completely on how your breath feels as it moves in and out of your body.
This should pull your attention away from your negative thoughts for a few moments. When you return to the present moment, you should be calmer.
4. Improve Your Mental Health
Mental health problems can also cause concentration issues. You can probably understand why this is the case. It’s hard to focus when anxiety is pulling your attention away or depression is zapping your energy.
Get Help
Seeking therapy or other treatments is the most effective way to rid yourself of mental health issues. If you can’t afford traditional treatment, try looking into alternatives like state programs or cheaper online services.
Try Different Techniques
Healthy techniques such as eating right, getting exercise, meditating, and such don’t work for everyone. However, as they have worked for some people, they’re worth trying. Try some of these techniques and see if your mental health (and concentration) improves.
5. Take Short Breaks
Stress can build up over the time that you take to complete part of a task. This can wear your brain down to the point where it can’t focus anymore. To prevent this from happening, you should take short breaks in between sections of your task.
Pomodoro
The Pomodoro Technique is a commonly used way of organizing your work and break time. Usually, you work for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break. After doing this four times, you take a longer 15-30 minute break.
Do Something Uplifting
To reduce your stress even further, do something that uplifts you during the break. Watch a funny video, listen to positive music, etc. The positive attitude that you go back to work with should give you the energy to continue.
6. Spend Some Time in Nature
Another concentration-improving activity you can do during a break is taking a walk in nature. Experts have found that those who spent significant time in nature gained improved concentration and memory. If you live in an urban space, try finding a nearby park to spend some relaxing time in.
If There Are No Parks
Are you unable to easily reach a beautiful green area? Don’t worry! Adding plants to your workspace can help you focus as well.
7. Try Certain Supplements
Allegedly, certain supplements such as adrafinil may improve your concentration levels. You can find products that contain these supplements and try them out.
Our Other Articles Have Even More Useful Information
Practicing and following these techniques consistently should improve focus. You can also research some other techniques to supplement the ones above. Also, be sure to not give up, as it may take some experimentation before you can find the techniques that work best for you.
In between doing all this, consider improving your life even further with the information in our other articles. We have articles about food, entertainment, marketing, and more. Check them out throughout our site.
