If you experience frequent issues with concentration, racing thoughts or a lack of focus, you’re not alone. Difficulties around the ability to buckle down and focus are incredibly common, and there’s little wonder why. In a world filled with distractions, packed to-do lists and constant demands for your attention, trying to focus on one thing at a time can seem impossible.
Luckily, there are several things you can do to improve your focus and ability to concentrate. Read on for tips to help you improve your capacity for focused attention.
1. Clear Mental Clutter
With all of the work responsibilities, personal obligations, household chores and various life stressors you have to weigh on your mind, it can be incredibly challenging to cut down on all the mental noise in order to focus on just one thing. A mentally overloaded brain may not have the capacity to concentrate completely, no matter how hard you try to zero in on a single task.
Take a moment before it’s time to sit down and focus to practice a soothing task aimed at emptying your mind as much as possible, such as deep breathing, meditation, natural CBD cigarettes or a quick walk in nature to soothe your senses.
2. Remove Distractions
In order to achieve a fully concentrated state, it’s important to get rid of distractions that may attract your attention and pull you out of whatever task you have at hand. Be sure to silence your phone or take it out of the room entirely, and try to find a quiet space that allows you to work alone and unbothered by loud noises, incomplete chores or friends and family that may unintentionally interrupt you.
3. Create an Ideal Environment
In addition to removing things that may present a distraction while you work, it’s a good idea to set yourself up for success by creating a space that is conducive to a fully concentrated state of mind. Consider wearing a pair of noise-canceling headphones, setting the room at a comfortable temperature, putting on comfortable clothes and ensuring you have everything you need to work well before you get started.
4. Train Your Brain
Over time, giving in to distractions and temptations can rewire your brain and diminish your potential for long durations of optimal cognitive performance. Fortunately, you can retrain your brain to better retain information, sit with a task for a longer amount of time and increase your problem-solving skills. You can do this on your own by slowly extending the amount of time you work by a few minutes each time, but there are also a number of brain-training apps and games available to help you build some of these skills to have some fun while you’re at it, too.
5. Mind Your Health
When you’re hungry, tired, stressed or dehydrated, your system doesn’t have the proper fuel it needs to stay focused and alert. Make sure you get at least seven hours of sleep at night, eat healthy meals throughout the day, drink plenty of water and take some time each day to relax and melt away some of the tension that may be interfering with your ability to concentrate.
6. Focus on One Thing
Contrary to popular belief, multitasking is a highly inefficient way to work. Your brain only has a certain amount of attention to afford to tasks at any given time. When it’s split, your productivity and output diminish. If you have several things on your to-do list, carve time in your schedule for one at a time. If you must do two things at once, try to pair critical thinking tasks with non-critical thinking tasks, such as reading while listening to calm music or listening to a podcast while doing the dishes.
7. Take Breaks
Trying to push through distractions and disturbances may end up robbing you of the valuable mental energy you need to complete your tasks in the end. Instead of expending that energy, it’s okay to step away from your work for a while to recenter yourself and give yourself a moment to breathe. You may even find that you’re far more refreshed and ready to tackle the next project when you return with a clearer head.
