20 Ways To Improve Your Focus This Year
How to make it your best year
How often do we have to focus on an important task, but we cannot concentrate on it. I can understand how frustrating this is; I will share 20 tips to practice to increase your focus.
Everyone wants to focus and achieve more in less time. We know that distraction is almost everywhere. We carry distraction with us: the cell phone. The main problem is concentration. Instead of doing something in one sitting, we need to start small.
What is the focus?
Focus means to control yourself or your mental effort. The following quote describes the centration.
When you work, work.
When you play, play.
Don’t mix the two.
–Jim Rohn
In my understanding, concentration means to focus on ONE thing at a time. There will be nothing that can distract you when you are laser-focused. Environment plays a pivotal role; try to improve your surroundings with distraction-less things. Things should not be reachable when you’re in your deep thoughts.
For example: Keep the cell phone somewhere you cannot see, turn off the notifications. I check my smartphone in intervals to reduce the screen time and try my best to keep it under 90 minutes. Do not start your day by scrolling the phone.
Frequent distraction is common. We don’t know how much time we are spending each day on screens. At the end of the day or week, it’s always like 4+ hours.
I would suggest checking your screen time right now and seeing where you are spending more time. It’s social media (Whatsapp, Instagram, TikTok, etc.) or related to work. You will get an idea.
What are the main factors to distract our focus?
If I have to choose one in this modern world is constant connectivity — cell phone. It’s a crucial part of our daily lives, but it’s also the number destroyer of our productivity. Many other factors can contribute to distracting the focus.
For example, lack of sleep, noise if you are trying to focus in the traffic area, lack of sunlight which can cause of deficiency of vitamins and lead to laziness, no exercise, etc
Here are the top 20 tips to increase your focus.
1– Sleep
The number tip I can give you to get more sleep. More sleep will reset your sleep cycle, which will help you to improve your concentration.
As I mentioned earlier, it’s a digital world; almost everyone spends a lot of time in front of a screen. Study shows that digital screens emit light to stimulate your retina and prevent the secretion of melatonin that promotes sleep in the brain. Try to avoid all kinds of screens before you jump into bed to mitigate the production of blue light.
I also wrote a detailed article on the science of sleep.
2– Take breaks
Our focus starts to deplete when we concentrate on one thing for a long time. It might be counterintuitive, but a short break for 5–10 minutes will help you regain your energy level to focus. I would suggest trying the Pomodoro technique to improve your concentration this year.
I started to use Pomodoro a few years ago to focus for 25 minutes then 5 minutes break. Now I can easily focus for at least 50 minutes, and then I take 10 minutes intervals. I make sure to stand up, walk, and stretch during the break. Listen to music or practice long breathing exercises. After the break, you will be more focused on handling the task.
3– Remove distractions
Absolutely remove all the possible distractions: notifications, social media, work environment noise, etc. If you are working from home, make sure you let your family know that these are your deep work hours and do not disturb unless it’s an emergency.
I read a great article on Harvard Business Review (HBR) where the researchers found that cell phones are the main distraction and should be placed somewhere you can not see that will help us to improve our focus. A simple notification can distract.
4– Absolutely no to multitasking
Study shows that multitasking mitigates/reduce our cognitive function because the brain can only concentrate on one thing at a time. In some jobs, it’s almost impossible to avoid multitasking, but if you can focus on one thing to improve your productivity and focus, then stay on one task. I used to multitask a lot while listening to a lecture over YouTube or a productive podcast. I know it seems nothing, but multitasking can compromise quality work in the long run.
5– Eat a balanced diet
This is one of the main tasks I struggled to eat clean and healthy for a long time. Try to choose a food which is not processed. Now I buy green leafy vegetables, fruits, high-fiber foods like figs most of the time. Try to avoid sugary food and energy drinks. Maybe you will get a kick initially, but the energy will deplete faster after a couple of hours. Then you will feel dizzy all day.
The brain consumes a lot of energy; it needs adequate fat to get that energy. Try to keep some healthy snacks on the desk or at least in front of your eyes: cashews, almonds, pistachios, pecans, etc
Add berries to your diet to boost your immune system. I am a huge fan of buying, frozen or fresh, in bulk from Costco. Study shows that berries help increase focus and improve our memory function because the enzyme helps increase the blood to the brain.
Potassium is an excellent source for accelerating the connections between neurons and our brain’s response — green vegetables are a great source to get potassium. I try to incorporate spinach and broccoli into my daily life to get potassium intake.
6– Keep practicing
To build a new habit or learn something is new is not going to happen overnight. Even Cristiano Ronaldo practice a lot to stay in shape and strengthen his concentration skills.
Focus on what is essential and why you are missing responsibilities or not moving forward in life; it is the right time to improve your focus on what matters the most to you.
7– Work environment
I can understand that almost everyone is working from home amid the pandemic. Try to use the spare bedroom or empty downstairs space to make a dedicated workspace to reduce distraction and improve concentration.
At the beginning of 2021, we moved to a new apartment; I was disturbed by traffic noise and the construction in the neighborhood. To improve my work environment, I bought the Sony noise-canceling headphone, and they are working like magic.
Pro tip: Try to keep your workspace ventilated, especially if you’re working from the basements.
8– Prioritize tasks
I think it’s rare to find a job where you absolutely love everything. There will be some tasks you are not going to do happily. I suggest doing the unwanted task first thing in the morning before your motivation level depletes.
When I don’t like to do a particular task, I prioritize the task to do when I have the max energy to focus.
9– Exercise
Always start your day with some activity to move your body. If it’s summer, I go for a run, and if it’s winter, I simply go for a walk for 3–4 miles before even I start my day.
Many studies show that regular exercise helps us to improve our pasture, memory, mental health, muscles, and concentration. We already know the exercise boost the brain’s dopamine and serotonin levels to increase focus. Its also proven that people who do regular exercise have strong cognitive abilities.
10– Spend time in nature
You might be surprised why people have some kind of green plants in the office buildings or in their offices. Study shows that plants help us to focus. Plants also help to increase better air quality. I suggest that if you live close to a park, always take advantage of connecting with nature.
11– Treat your brain like a muscle
In most movies, you might remember that the main character, especially in army-focus films, is always playing some brain-improving games: chess, sudoku, brain Jigsaw puzzles, etc.
Study shows that brain-stimulating games like jigsaw puzzles help the brain create new neurons connections, which helps us improve productivity and concentration.
12– One thing
I read a book, One Thing, by Gary Keller, in which he explains focus on one thing to be successful in life. I kind of related the one thing concept with concentration. One thing also means no multitasking. You don’t need to do a million things to be more successful in life.
When you go as small as possible, you’ll be staring at one thing. And that’s the point.
–Gary Keller
13– Meditation
Meditation can offer many positive benefits, and improved concentration is just one. I am talking about just simply sitting and closing your eyes. To improve my centration level, I do the deep breathing exercise in the morning or around 2 PM when the energy level is depleting. We can quickly improve our concentration by focusing on deep breathing.
14– Build discipline
Discipline is one of the top traits to be successful in life. Discipline means to make a decision with our minds that we need to complete this task no matter what happens. You simply remove the should from your life and add must.
For example, when I say you should go to the gym tonight, it can easily be replaceable by must. Your discipline will help you remove the distraction and be a couch potato or laziness.
15– Enjoy the power of habits
Habits are the most vital component to increase focus. Habits mean you will do the thing without even thinking that you are doing it.
Take small steps to make a habit that will boost your productivity. I write a lot on this topic. Recently, I read a book, Atomic Habits by James Clear (affiliate link), in which he explains always starting with tiny habits.
For example, I did not develop a reading habit; it was not in my culture. My parents did the opposite; I was allowed to read only textbooks nothing else.
I used to read physical books. When I moved to the university hostels, I cultivated this habit; now, reading is a massive part of my life. To develop a reading habit, I like to train my brain to focus at a particular time.
16– Listen to music
Study shows that music has a therapeutic effect on our brain. I must say that not all kind of music is the same, light music might help you focus, but club music will distract you.
Now you can easily play classical music, or water sounds on YouTube channel while studying or working to increase your focus level. Studies show that classical music might help to increase your concentration.
17– Drink coffee
Caffeine is a great source to improve concentration. Multiple studies show that coffee always enhances our focus and attention.
Everyone is different; it actually depends a lot on genetics too. When I was growing up back home in South Asia, coffee culture was not strong. Every morning we used to have a hot cup of chai(tea). Now I live in North America; I feel it’s almost impossible for me to concentrate without coffee. I am obsessed with black Columbian coffee without milk or sugar at least 2–3 cups a day.
18– Hiking & Running
Hiking and running are close to my heart. I know I already mentioned doing some kind of exercise to pump more blood to your brain, which will help to increase your focus. If you can focus on only two activities rest of your life, I will say stick to hiking and running. I write a detailed article on how hiking and running help to improve concentration and mental health. Study shows that running can help to improve cognitive functions and overall brain health.
19– Start tiny
Nothing is going to happen in a day. Take baby steps to focus on anything in life. If your concentration level is maxed 10 minutes, try to increase 1 minute a day.
When I started to use the Pomodoro technique to increase my concentration level, I started with a max of 15 minutes, followed by a 5 minutes break. Now I can focus for 50+ minutes without any distraction. Practice is the key.
Start tiny is the only sustainable formula to increase your focus in the long run.
20– Reduce clutter
Study shows that clutter significantly decreases our focus. I used to keep clutter on my desk in the officing room. Since I am following this strategy, my productivity has increased.
Keep what you need on your desk and get rid of the rest. Try to add a motivational quote on the wall; it might help you stay disciplined and focused. I follow the two minutes rule.
If the task takes less than 2 minutes to do, then do it right now.
If you want to improve your focus, it will not happen overnight. All of the activities are directly related to improving your concentration and will definitely help you increase your focus.
Key takeaways
- Get quality sleep
- Take multiple breaks
- Remove distractions
- Say no to multitasking
- Incorporate healthy eating
- Keep practicing
- Optimize your work environment
- Prioritize tasks and try to do the unwanted tasks first in the morning
- Exercise at least 3–4 times a week
- Spend time outdoors
- Focus on one thing at a time
- Incorporate meditation into your life
- Play mind games: sudoku, chess, Jigsaw puzzles, etc.
- Build discipline for a sustainable future
- Build sustainable healthy habits
- Enjoy music to boost focus
- Drink coffee if you like or any kind of drink with caffeine: green tea, matcha
- Try hiking and running if you can incorporate only two exercises in life
- Start small to build momentum
- Reduce clutter to increase concentration
Thank you for reading; follow me and clap a couple of times. Good luck!
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