How To Sharpen Your Focus
Recently I have been having some issues with having consistent focus and just generally being able to focus for longer periods of time without becoming distracted. I am pretty positive that this is something that many other people are struggling with, which is why I thought it could be useful to write about it and look into areas such as why a lack of focus is becoming a big issue and additionally why you could benefit from working on your focus abilities. We will also take a look into what takes away from our focus and fore-mostly what are some practical ways in which we can improve this life long skill.
I hope you enjoy and find this useful for improving your own focus abilities and getting some real focused work done.
WHY IS LACK OF FOCUS BECOMING A BIG ISSUE?
The ability to concentrate is defined as “A control of attention. It is the ability to focus the mind on one subject, object, or thought, and at the same time exclude from the mind every other unrelated thoughts, ideas, feelings, and sensations.”
I believe that in todays world it is easier than ever to become distracted, feel dis-engaged and just feel like your mental attention is being pulled in every possible direction. One of the core reasons is that we live in a very fast paced world where we live quite demanding lives, which is largely due to the integration of technology into our everyday lives.
Technology such as buzzing from our phones and constant notifications from social media keep us glued to our screens while sacrificing our attention and focus abilities and preventing us from getting much solid work done. I have written about how social media impacts our well being before and how we can have a healthier relationship with it, so if you are interested you can read more about it here
This is a big issue and one that is often pushed to the side and just accepted as a given nowadays. Technology is likely not going away any time soon, so I really want to emphasize that the digital environment which you create around yourself is up to you and up to you to control and regulate. This is one of the prime ways to calm down your mind while simultaneously improving your focus and attention abilities.
WHY IS IT WORTH TO IMPROVE YOUR FOCUS?
The list of reasons why you can benefit from improving your focus is extensive, but if you really think about it, having the ability to focus for long periods of time nowadays, is almost considered to be a superpower. It is a incredible advantage for any endeavor you set out to do, wether it be work related or a personal goal.
Improved focus can benefit you in the following ways:
Finding more motivation in work and your personal life
Making better and faster decisions
Preventing small mistakes from happening that slow down progress
Preventing memory loss and general forgetfulness
Feeling like you are cohesively working towards a goal instead of feeling like your mental energy is divided into a 100 tiny directions
Producing higher quality work and improvement in performance at work
Improving your ability to learn and absorb new information (books, workshops, lectures, meetings, presentations etc.)
Experiencing less lethargy and mental tiredness
Improving your abilities to collaborate and work with others
Improving your listening abilities
WHAT NEGATIVELY IMPACTS YOUR FOUCS?
There are a lot of activities and factors which can take away from our ability to focus well. Some of these are genuine medical conditions which impair our concentration efforts while others are lifestyle factors - most of which we have control over and can influence.
Some medical conditions which make it harder to focus are:
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Dementia
Depression and anxiety
Having experienced a concussion
Cushings syndrome
Epilepsy
Chronic insomnia
Schizophrenia
Bipolar disorder
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Other lifestyle reasons for diminishing focus are:
Experiencing lack of sleep and general fatigue
Improper nutrition and being hungry
Lack of exercise and being still for too long
Excessive stress
TIPS FOR ENHANCING FOCUS
Managing your technological environment
Turn down notifications and distractions from your phone or computer
Use focus time apps
Try out website blockers
Make other people aware when you are and are not available for talking
Manage your social media intake
Lifestyle based tricks
Aim to get high quality sleep each night
Getting in regular exercise
Spending time in nature and on fresh air
Being mindful about your caffeine consumption
Try our mindfulness exercises and meditation
Fueling your body well with the right food (Avoiding highly processed and sugary meals)
Try challenging your brain with concentration games such as puzzles, memory games, sudokus, reading and mental maths
Really try to not go onto your phone and social media first thing in the morning
Work related tips
Setting a timer for when you work (30 minutes, 45 minutes, 1 hour)
Setting yourself a reward for when you finish a set time for working
Avoiding multitasking and intentionally choose to focus on one thing
Setting 3 daily priorities each day which you will get done
Sometimes it helps to switch to doing another task to build up momentum and motivation to do something else
Have a dedicated distraction free space for working
Listening to the right music
I sincerely hope that you were able to take some valuable learning lessons from todays blog post because I truly believe that being able to focus well is a genuine super power in todays world and it is up to you to to take care of it.
Thank you so much for reading this weeks post and I hope to catch you in the next one.
