3 Ways to Sharpen Your Focus Today

Implement these tips to produce better work in less time.

There is a subliminal epidemic going on right now and few realize it. The inability to focus isn’t just making us less productive, it’s contributing to the plethora of mental health issues plaguing society. In this day and age, the average attention span is a mere 8 seconds!

We all have the capacity to focus, it’s in our neural programming to focus solely on fleeing when a saber tooth tiger comes at us. But let’s face it, survival today as we know it, even with its stressors, is much easier than in prehistoric times.

Focus takes a lot of energy. Chess, a game that involves intense focus, burns up to a whopping 6000 calories a day during tournaments. Energy was precious back when food was less abundant therefore it's in our nature to choose the path of least resistance. In this day and age, with the lack of impending physical threats combined with the overload of information, there is no dire need to elevate our focus past a minimum and so, some people can coast along comfortably. Yet, anyone accomplished knows that real success requires a high degree of focus and daily effort to attain.

I wrote this post because I struggled with the lack of focus all my life. It was always difficult for me to pay attention in class and remember my responsibilities. I have since made some changes in my life and found great success. I began my writing career less than 3 months ago and with my newfound focus, I’ve been featured in publications such as Mind Cafe, Curious, and The Ascent. I’d like to share with you what has helped me improve my focus and subsequently produce better work in shorter periods of time.

The mind, if trained to focus can accomplish anything. It’s just a matter of you making an effort to train it every day.

Establish a Morning Routine

Upon waking up, your body is tight from the lack of movement and your mind is dull. You cannot perform at an optimal level in this state. Morning routines place you in control of your day, prepping the stage to work on your goals, rather than just drifting passively through.

Morning routines are essential for your focus. They warm up the mind up to perform. They are little tasks that are easily done, but hard to execute. By being mindful during these simple tasks, you are priming your focus muscle, readying it to be used for more demanding tasks that follow in the day.

Morning routines don’t have to be difficult. They just need to clear the mind and energize you for the day. If your body is tight, your mind will be focused on your aches and pains. If you are depressed, you will be focused on your sadness. For these reasons, it is important to cleanse the mind and restore the body prior to taking on the day’s work.

“Renew thyself completely each day; do it again, and again, and forever again.“ — Henry David Thoreau

Your routine could consist of simply making your bed, brushing your teeth, showering and stretching, or doing yoga. It might involve walking outside for a half-hour, prayer, and a nutritious breakfast. What matters is not what you do per se, but how you do it. Are you rushing through each task just to get to the next one, or are you maintaining your presence in the now, enjoying each moment for what it is?

Listen to your body and your mind. Perhaps you’re sore from yesterday’s workout and need to spend extra time loosening up a taut muscle. Or perhaps you are stressed out because you have an important presentation later on and a little more meditation might be needed. Whatever the matter is, taking your time to mindfully care for yourself will evoke a state of awareness that will allow for more focus throughout the day.

Establish a morning routine that nourishes your mind, body, and spirit. Be mindful during each activity and this focus with translate to other aspects of the day.

Limit Distractions by Prepping Your Environment

Growing up, I always found it easier to do my homework before my family got home. I usually finished it quickly as I wanted to go hang out with friends. When I had karate or band after school and homework was pushed back to the evening when everyone was home, it became very difficult to do. Looking back, I wasn’t able to focus because my environment wasn’t conducive to it. Mom was in the kitchen banging pots and pans, Dad was strumming a guitar and my brother and sister would be bickering over the channel on TV.

Finding an environment without distraction is paramount for your focus. When you're used to scrolling through an Instagram feed every 5 minutes, it's easy to let your attention slip from the task at hand. This is why it's so difficult to produce substantial work on a train. There are constant bumps, jutting stops, screeches, visuals of towns flying by, and not to mention passengers bumping elbows together.

On the opposite end of mental clarity is a forest stream. The peaceful water flowing over rocks and the natural green hues ease your mind so you can do your best work. This is why taking a break from work to walk through a forest is so popular in Japan.

When there are distractions, your brain has to work much harder. Multitasking has been found to release the stress hormone cortisol which in excess, contributes to brain inflammation and mental distress — definitely something you don’t want if you’re trying to produce quality work.

Nowadays, when I sit down to work, I do so upstairs at a clean, white desk in my room. My bed is made and everything is put in its place. I turn on white noise or solfeggio frequencies and hours seem to pass by like minutes.

Find an environment with minimal distractions. Use headphones to block out noise. Position yourself to face away from moving people. Don’t multitask. If something pops up in your head, jot it down to take care of it at a later time. Fight the temptation to check your phone — you can even set an interval timer for breaks. Start with every half hour, then challenge yourself to see how long you can take without compulsively checking its status. Your focus and productivity will greatly improve.

Engage in Intense Physical Activity

Navy SEALs endure some of the most grueling physical training known to man. In fact, more SEALs have died during training than in combat since 2013. This is so when bombs are exploding and shots are fired, they can remain calm and focus on the task at hand.

SEALs have intense training modalities that tax their physical and mental fortitude in order to prepare them for any challenge. BUDS training includes running with 200-pound logs overhead, swimming 2 miles in the open ocean, and performing the grinder — a circuit of endless endurance exercises on the burning hot concrete, along with many other physical trials.

This vigorous training produces excellent results — the focus of a Navy SEAL is second to none. Even while engaging in firefights, jumping out of airplanes, and swimming in pitch black underwater pipes, SEALs can maintain concentration.

While not everyone can or will become a SEAL, it goes to show there are benefits to physical activity that exceed muscle strength and endurance. Engaging in physical exercise boosts dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine levels in the brain which improves focus similar to ADHD medicine. According to Dr. John Ratey, author of “Spark — The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain,” exercise also improves neuroplasticity or the ability of your brain to learn new things.

Think about the last time you ran a fast-paced mile or engaged in a vigorous workout. What were you feeling and thinking about? At the height of its intensity, I bet you weren’t focused on anything other than your fatigue and rapid breathing rate.

When I have trouble focusing, I know it’s time to clear my mind with physical training. I’ll travel to the mountains and hike many miles with a backpack on, hit the climbing gym, or go for a trail-run. I always come back with a better state of mind and a fresh perspective.

Physical training extracts rambling thoughts from your mind so that when you are finished, you can use your mind. The greater you can exert yourself, the better you will learn to focus.

Regardless of your level of fitness, physical training will benefit you. It’s all about pushing beyond your own limits. If you haven’t exercised in a while, start out slow. It’s better to stick with a moderate intensity over the long term than overwork yourself and stop. Don’t compare yourself to others, exercise at your own pace and you will see improvements with focus.

“You don’t have to like it, you just have to do it”

— Unknown soldier

Closing Remarks

We all have the potential to focus. It is a skill that can be trained with consistent discipline. While it is harder to focus with technology and expert marketing pulling at your attention, by practicing the aforementioned points, you will be able to overcome temptation, regain your concentration, and be able to produce better quality work more efficiently.

Remember to:

• Start the day off on the right foot; prime your focus with a morning routine that nourishes the mind, body, and spirit. Be self-aware — be conscientious of what needs addressing before you begin work.
• Limit distractions by finding and preparing your environment so you can focus. Set times to take breaks and check your phone. Otherwise, fight the temptation to check it.
• Exert yourself in exercise, breathe through your body, clear your mind, and maintain your focus throughout the day.

Thanks for reading! Enjoy a gift of soothing music from me.

-JP