5 Actionable tips to Improving your concentration
Do you find it difficult to focus for an extended time to work?
It can for many especially in the fast-paced, technology-driven environment.
Ranging from the different distractions such as social media notifications, messages and other digital interruptions.
It can be easy to feel frustrated to not make any decent progress in your work due to your mind wandering and being distracted.
A study conducted involved individuals participating in an attention-demanding task where a phone notification went off and was told not to interact with the phone resulted in a decrease in performance than those who did not receive a notification.
Therefore the mere presence of a notification can cause disturbance in your attention. This indicates why it is important to remove distractions from our environment when we decide to put our full attention to an activity.
Acknowledging this common experience can be a helpful way to start a conversation about improving concentration. Recognizing this common experience can remove the feeling of self-blame and shame and progress towards improving your concentration.
Actionable tips to practice concentration and focus
- Reading the number of words in a paragraph
It involves you to pay attention to the task at hand. By counting the number of words, you are attempting to force your brain to focus rather than become distracted.
Starting from a paragraph is quite manageable to accomplish and can build on that to 2–3 paragraphs.
You would first count the numbers of words and recount them to make sure that you got it correct. However, you may begin using your fingers to count but try to transition to using your eyes to count only.
2. Removing distractions
To have your thought process to be interrupted by distractions such as notifications on your phone or the television can allow you to reduce temptations from breaking your concentration.
The common phrase “out of mind out of sight” is a prime example of how removing distractions can prevent you from thinking about them intervening with your focus.
3. Start with small goals
It can be difficult for someone who has bad focus to start to concentrate for a long period. Just like any skill you need to practice to get better.
Therefore start by giving yourself a certain time to remain focused whether that is for 10 minutes or 25 minutes on a particular activity away from distractions.
4. Not working in the room that you sleep in
Working or trying to focus on a particular activity or action in a room where you sleep can make it difficult to change that mindset from being lazy to laser focus.
In addition, do not wear the clothes that you wore to bed while trying to be focused.
This could be trying to create a separate room in your house where that is just considered as the working room. and separate an area for you to relax.
5. Get Enough Sleep
Not having the right amount of sleep daily can affect your concentration and focus.
A study, Sleeping may indicate a role in removing toxic waste products accumulated in the brain the interstitial space to allow maintenance of normal function of the brain.
Having the ability to sleep 7–8 hours of sleep daily is an important habit that is often overlooked and compromised.
Final Thoughts
Just like anything skill, you require practice. Concentration is such a powerful tool to direct and focus all of your energy on a task to the highest standard possible. Giving it your all will provide you to reach your potential.
