It’s normal for people to lose focus from time to time. Whether it is due to stress or something else, everybody struggles with concentration sometimes. However, it can get frustrating when you are constantly unable to focus on the important stuff. We all wish to succeed in life, don’t we? You must also have a bunch of goals to achieve, and it’s infuriating when your focus makes the process more difficult. Most of the billionaires and millionaires around the world have a sharp single focus, as they don’t leave a task until they have completed it. Although it is tough to attain this level of alertness, it isn’t impossible either. Your focus works as a muscle, it will build if you work on it.
How Does Your Concentration Change Overtime?
In today’s world, every piece of information lies at our fingertips. It’s practically impossible to not get distracted by the chimes of numerous notifications. Distraction has played a huge part in withering our ability to focus. Age, on the other hand, is an important fact, too. Since age-related cognitive decline is usually unavoidable, older adults face a number of challenges in their day-to-day tasks. Mental health issues can also affect your concentration, as anxiety or depression make it difficult for your mind to calm down. It is important to avoid stress to stay calm, as it can be harmful to your productivity, creativity, and learning. Any brain injuries also contribute to damaging your focus, such as concussion. While adolescents have a great opportunity to build a better concentration at a young age, unnecessary and heavy consumption of alcohol can be harmful to their brains in the long run. Some of these reasons are inevitable, which is why science has come up with several solutions for increasing your focus.
7 Tips to Improve Your Focus
Like anything else, improving your concentration would require some effort, as well. Luckily, the changes don’t need any hard work but consistency and a few mindset changes.
Minimize the Distractions
You will find distractions everywhere, especially if you’re working from home or on an electronic device. It could be the many notifications from social media or simply a chatty coworker stopping by to talk. To minimize the distractions, it is better to put your phone aside and move to a quiet and private environment. If your family or roommates often disturb you, the library or a peaceful coffee shop could be the right place for you.
Take Brain-friendly Breaks
Surprisingly, breaks are important to maintain focus and store information for a long time. If you keep trying to maintain your focus for hours, your brain is unlikely to hold on to information. Most of the learning will shift to short-term memory, which works like the copy feature of our phones. It temporarily stores information, but a brain-friendly break of 5 minutes between a 20 to 25 minutes session of productivity makes your brain retain the information for longer.
Plan Out Your Focus
Have you ever been on an impromptu get-together? It’s surely hectic, and that’s exactly why your brain needs a plan, too. Understand the task that needs your focus for the time being and prioritize it in your schedule. It will prepare your brain beforehand to take the steps needed to complete the task, such as concentration. You need to plan out details and resources required for a certain activity, suddenness is only going to put pressure on your brain, as well as disrupt your focus.
Pay Attention to Your Environment
Our environment sets the mood for anything we do. An organized workspace can do wonders for your concentration. People have frequently shown signs of better focus and more efficient results in an office decorated with plants and pictures. Soft music, natural sounds, and aromatherapy can boost your concentration, as well.
Spend Time in Nature
Nature has always had a soothing effect on humans. People tend to work effectively and attentively when they’re surrounded by greenness. Just adding some plants to your workspace should be enough, but having lunch in the park or generally spending some time in nature is a great way to increase your focus.
Improve Your Lifestyle
Exercise, diet, and hydration are crucial for maintaining your attention. It is suggested to avoid high-sugar and fatty foods to stay focused. Eggs, plain yogurt, and oatmeal are some of the brain foods that can increase your concentration. Dehydration can decrease the ability of your brain to remember information, so drink a glass of water and take a brief walk now.
Get Enough Sleep
It is tempting to compromise on your sleep to finish a task, but what’s the point if the results aren’t satisfactory? Sleep deprivation is the worst for your concentration. Sleeping for the recommended duration of 7 to 8 hours can be very beneficial for your focus.
Conclusion
It’s easy to lose focus, but building it takes a whole lot of time. But all you need is to eliminate distraction and understand the factors affecting your concentration. Some pieces on Healthcanal.com have helped people understand and build their focus. Learn and practice, you’ll soon see yourself accomplish and feel happier.
