How to Focus Better: 11 Ways to Improve Your Concentration

To have the ability to focus better on any given task you’re doing is essential. This way, you can be as efficient as possible in completing it on time to the best of your abilities. There is one problem though. Once we start on something, we find that there are a lot of distractions around us.

These can be primarily your thoughts, other people, your phone and so on. These constant distractions mean that you take more time to do one thing. Additionally, you will find yourself pushing back a whole load of other things for later as well.

So, what can you do to improve your concentration so that it’s beneficial to you? Keep on reading to find out 11 surefire ways that are scientifically proven to help you.

Your mind is the key

The #1 detractor when it comes to your focus is your wandering mind. You should pay special attention to how your mind behaves & tends to carry your thoughts away.

Sometimes, it’s the mind itself that wanders. At most other times, it’s about the signals that your eyes, nose and body send to your mind to which it reacts. For instance, you will see, hear and feel your phone. And then, your mind directs you to engage with it.

In that millisecond your work focused train of thoughts have been interrupted and now your mind’s focus is on some social media post. You scroll on to the next post, and the next and before you know it, it’s been a good half an hour. That’s one valuable half an hour that you will never get back.

Mindfulness Meditation

If you find that your mind wanders too much and hinders your concentration, try meditating. Ideally, you could have a 5-minute meditation session in the morning right before starting your day. This is a good time to get in that mediation time as your ‘morning mind’ is less cluttered and you can mark it off as ‘done’ for the day as well.

Specifically, look in to the Mindfulness Meditation technique. Mindfulness Meditation is the best form of meditation that helps you focus on the present moment. This occurs as it makes you aware of your senses and feelings.

As you keep practicing, you will have a deeper understanding of how your mind reacts to sensations from the surrounding environment. Among other benefits, this technique has been proven to reduce stress, improve your focus & overall well-being.

Find ways to reduce stress

A stressful mind can never focus properly. Stress can come to you from so many different sources. For instance, it can be your job, relationships, health, financials etc. But whatever the reasons are there for you to be stressed, you need to find ways to combat it.

Eating healthy foods, exercising and the above-mentioned Mindfulness Meditation can work wonders to reduce stress. This in turn can help immensely when the time comes to focus & concentrate on any given job in front of you.

Avoid Multitasking

We’ve all being there. We assume that doing two or three things simultaneously will help us in getting everything done at the same time and faster. But the reality is that, conversely, you’re obviously losing focus & being inefficient on top of that. This inevitably makes you waste valuable time.

Try reading an e-mail on your PC while scrolling on your Phone. You will see that it just doesn’t work well at all. In order for you to be able to truly work on something in a deep way, your full concentration should be focused on a single task.

So, the best thing is to work deeply on your current task. And then, finish it as fast as possible and move on to the next. In turn, this will make you as efficient as possible.

Work deeply

Try to focus your eyes, ears, mind & body on whatever you’re doing. By nature, all of these sensory organs are receptors you have, that are constantly on the lookout for signals. Knowing that you’re designed to be ‘disturbed’, you need to pick and choose to which interruptions you respond to.

If you’re seated at your desk, the things that you should give your attention to other than your work would be close to zero. If you’d happen to be walking in the middle of the jungle, that would be a whole different story.

Always be mindful of this, so that you know why your mind behaves the way it does. Understanding this makes you disregard any unwanted disturbances as soon as they even try to distract you.

So, focus on your work & try and absorb every detail of it. Use your full mental capacity to understand & do what is in front of you. Immersing yourself in this way is a good way to counter any and all interferences.

Disregard any interferences

Your mind will trick you into checking your phone. Your ears might try pick up some random sound. And your eyes might try & sway your attention in another direction.

Understand that these are biological defense mechanisms that have being perfected for thousands of years. They are there to protect you from any danger. But, right now it’s going to interrupt your workflow.

So, disregard all these unwanted sensory stimulants & focus with your full concentration.

Get enough Sleep

If you want to be ultra-focused, you need to be physically fit. In order to be physically fit, you need ample sleep time to repair & rejuvenate your body. For this, it’s absolutely essential that you sleep at least 7 hours a day.

To get this done its best to sleep on a set schedule every day. This will also help you maintain a healthy circadian rhythm which is beneficial in many ways too. The circadian rhythm in short is  a natural, internal 24-hour cycle that regulates sleep and wakefulness.

Research has shown that sleep deprivation can lead to reduced attention span & impaired concentration among other negatives.

So, make it a point to get a good night’s sleep so that you’re a ready to take on the next day with ease.

Do Regular Physical Exercise

It goes without saying that there are many benefits of regular exercise. One of them that is most beneficial is that exercise helps you focus more. This happens because exercising speeds up your blood pressure sending more blood to your brain.

Consequently, this fires up the neurons in the brain. And these neurotransmitters, namely, dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin all help in focus & attention. This will take you out of your slumber & put you in a state of higher awareness. A sharper mind equals a focused mind.

Just half an hour to one hour a day of exercise would help you immensely. And from so many like Weight Training, Running, Cycling & Martial Arts to choose from, you’re bound to find something that interests you.

Avoid eating Unhealthy Food

Unsurprisingly, your diet plays a crucial role in your mental well-being as well. Try your best to consume foods that are natural as much as you can. And avoid the following food categories as much as possible:

• Trans Fats – Margarine, Fried Foods and Baked Goods.
• Sugar – Soda, Energy Drinks and Fruit Juice.
• Refined Carbs – White Flour products like Bread.
• Highly Processed Foods – Sausages, Snacks etc.
• Alcohol – Wine, Beer, Whiskey etc.

The above is just a guideline, and moderation is the key if you absolutely must indulge in the above food & drink from time to time. But, keep in mind the tradeoffs you’re doing with your concentration and brain power if you feel like you’re going overboard.

Instead, Eat Good, Nutritious Food

In place of the above-mentioned unhealthy options, it’s always better to eat unprocessed, natural foods as much as possible.

Try to add superfoods that provide nutrients to your brain and help its optimal functioning such as:

• Eggs
• Avocado
• Salmon
• Turmeric
• Olive Oil
• Citrus Fruits
• Dark Chocolate
• Green Tea
• Nuts
• Pumpkin
• Berries
• Leafy Greens
• Pomegranate
• Flaxseed

These foods contain the following Vitamins, Minerals & Nutrients:

• Omega 3 Fatty Acids – increases learning, memory, cognitive well-being, and blood flow in the brain.
• Flavonoids – protects against neurotoxins & helps promote memory, learning & cognitive abilities.
• Antioxidants – fights against oxidative stress.
• B6 – helps create neurotransmitters & regulate the brain’s energy use.
• B12 – for overall brain function.
• B2 (Riboflavin) – helps correct any underlying brain damage.
• B9 (Folic Acid) – for overall brain function.
• Vitamin E – helps maintain cognition & brain plasticity.
• Choline – increases dopamine receptor densities & helps memory.
• Calcium – essential for normal brain functioning.
• Copper – essential for redox balance, neurotransmitters & neurons.
• Iodine – helps with neuromotor function & cognitive performance.
• Iron – essential for oxygen transportation, DNA synthesis, mitochondrial respiration, myelin synthesis, and neurotransmitter synthesis and metabolism.
• Magnesium – regulates metabolism in the brain.
• Potassium – helps brain cells communicate with each other.
• Zinc – neurotransmission and sensory processing.

that help you improve your memory, focus, concentration & is beneficial to your overall brain health.

Take a Short Break

Taking a short break in-between tasks helps you to reset & get back to work again. You can take a 5-minute break every half an hour or so to break the continuous focus on what you’re doing.

This might sound counterproductive given that our aim is focus. But a break actually refreshers your brain without allowing it to tire, which would result in poorer performance as the time of work lengthens continuously.

Walk around a bit looking at the surrounding greenery to relax your eyes. Call a friend. Or you can do some stretches or other simple exercise to warm up and revitalize yourself. This will awaken your mind again. Once you get back to your work, start working as deeply as before.

In Conclusion

Focusing your mind at a chosen task might sometimes be a difficult thing. But by following all or some of the above points you will be able to improve your concentration.

What points do you follow to keep yourself focused? And what points would you like to add to the list? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.