5 Scientifically Proven Ways To Improve Your Focus and Concentration
Studies show that most of us have incredibly short attention spans. Some studies have found that we have shorter attention spans than goldfish!
How can you stay focused in today’s world of constant digital bombardment and work demands? Understanding your brain’s limitations and working around them can improve your focus and increase your productivity.
Here are 5 scientifically sound strategies to improve your focus:
- Exercise
Exercise isn’t just good for the body. Especially the kind that gets your heart rate up like walking or swimming, promotes brain health, too, which is important for memory capacity and concentration. Exercise increases the blood flow to the brain which, in turn, elevates oxygen levels in the brain and improve links between neurons. Exercise promotes neurogenesis and neuroplasticity, the production of new neurons and the connections between neurons. Staying active can help memory, imagination, and even your ability to plan tasks.
- Meditate
A study found that meditation not only changes brain patterns, but it also confers advantages in mental focus that may improve cognitive performance. Meditation training helped workers concentrate better, remember more of their work details, and stay energized and experience less negative moods.
Researchers have used a number of different tests to assess how regular meditation affects people's ability to control their attention. One review found that in general, people who've been meditating for just a few months perform better on tasks that test their ability to shut out distractions, while longer-term meditators show a markedly improved ability to maintain focus for especially long periods of time.
- A Healthy Diet
Food is the fuel that regulates your energy and mood, both of which can significantly affect your focus. Food has the incredible ability to affect your mental clarity, memory, and ability to focus. If you’re looking to boost your focus, one of the places you should start with is what you’re eating.
Studies show that blueberries boost concentration and memory for up to five hours because the antioxidants in blueberries stimulate the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain and keep the mind fresh. Also fatty fish, avocados, nuts and green tea are also rich in essential oils and amino acids that aid your focus.
- Sleep
We all think best when we're well rested. A clear, alert brain allows us to focus, learn and remember information, and to be creative. When you start out tired, it's hard to focus on things..
One of the main symptoms of chronic sleep loss is poor concentration. Getting a solid 7-8 hour ahead of a busy workday could be the difference between being frazzled and being laser-focused.
- Train Your Brain
Our brain is a mental muscle that can be strengthened with exercise.
Our brains are curious and are always interested in what’s going on around us. So it’s very hard to ignore all that and to stay focused. Our inability to focus digs a hole in our productivity and, therefore, can jeopardize our chances of success. The good news is that the brain can learn to ignore distractions, making you more focused, creative, and productive.
The focus is also a muscle that you can build. Practice concentration by turning off all distractions and committing your attention to a single task. Start small, maybe five minutes per day, and work up to larger chunks of time. If you find your mind wandering, just return to the task at hand. It’s just like getting fit. You have to build the muscle to be focused.