How to Improve Focus

Table of Contents

September 3, 2020     

Reading Time: 4 mins                                               

Focus is the act of concentrating on a particular task. It is an essential skill for life.  When you bring your focus to achieve something in life, you will reach your goals.  Otherwise, you will end up wasting your time and energy on useless things. If you want to reach your targets, focus on your goals, and keep working until you achieve them.

Focus is the key to favorable outcomes. Most successful people on this planet are highly focused. They pay attention to the present moment and present tasks. This habit ensures they are fully engaged in activities, get more done properly, and deal with adversities better.

Focus can be achieved by following some of the routines.

Let’s take a look at some tips on how to improve your focus at work.

Proper sleep is very essential to improve our focus.  If we don’t get enough sleep at night, the next day we will not be able to focus. Our brain will not function properly because of late sleep night hours.
Good sleep can maximize problem-solving skills and enhance memory. Poor sleep has been shown to impair brain function.

Starting each morning with exercise directly improves a child’s capacity to learn. Exercise improves blood flow and memory; it stimulates chemical changes in the brain that enhance learning, mood, and thinking. Exercise changes the brain in ways that protect memory and thinking skills.
Exercise affects the brain in many ways. It increases heart rate, which pumps more oxygen to the brain. It aids the release of hormones which provide an excellent environment for the growth of brain 

“Saying No to distractions is ultimately saying Yes to Greatness”.
It’s only by saying “NO”, that you can concentrate on the important things.
How often have you been distracted at work? Few times a day? Every time the cell phone beeps? Every time someone turns on the coffee machine?  Sometimes it is all that and way more. Question is, are workplace  distractions so bad? They seem pretty harmless of course but are indeed very evil.

Here are a few tips to avoid distractions:

• Make  yourself unavailable: Keep your door closed. It will make you look busy and save you from wanderers and noises of the workplace.
• Set your productivity time: Know yourself and decide what time of the day you can get most of the work done. Also, note down your less productive hours and use them to answer emails, contact colleagues, or do other menial work.
• Organize your work area: The only way to avoid phone messages from relatives, invitations from friends, and reminders about grocery at work are to keep your desk organized. Keep all work-related things closest to you and keep all distractions away. 

Smart people don’t multitask. Multitasking reduces your efficiency and performance because your brain can only focus on one thing at a time. When you try to do two things at once, your brain cannot perform both tasks successfully. While multitasking may seem to be saving time, psychologists, neuroscientists, and others are finding that it can put us under a great deal of stress and make us less efficient. 
Instead of multitasking, focus on doing a single thing at a time and you’ll improve your performance.

Although taking breaks might sound counterproductive. It improves your focus and productivity.
Our brain needs a rest now and then. Breaks can improve your mood, boost your performance, and increase your ability to concentrate and pay attention. When you don't give your mind a chance to pause and refresh, it doesn't work as efficiently.
With all this hard work happening outside of class time, it's important to make sure students take proper study breaks. These breaks help maintain top study performance and can increase focus, reduce stress, and help students better retain the information they learn.

Goals are important in the sense that they give you direction in life. Having goals is like having a map. 
Here are some reasons why Goals are important in life:-

• Goals set direction: When you have a direction, there is less stress and strain in your life, because you know where you are going. You don’t waste time going in circles and arriving nowhere.
• Goals help you focus: When you have a goal, you focus your attention on a target, and you don’t waste your time and energy on everything that comes your way.
• Setting goals creates hope and confidence: You experience hope, inner peace, and confidence when you set a goal and work on accomplishing it. 

The food you eat plays a big part in how focused you are when you’re in class, working or studying.  Here are some things you can do to fuel your body to help stay energized and focused. 
Complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, bread, and oatmeal have more fiber and take longer to break down. This helps regulate your blood sugar and optimizes your energy throughout the day.
You need an adequate amount of proteins and fats. These keep you going throughout the day, as they take longer to digest than carbs. Including healthy, monounsaturated fats in your diet, such as fats from nuts, seeds, and avocados, are good for your brain—if you’ve ever heard these are “brain foods”

If you're really getting distracted or not being able to concentrate for long hours these are some habits you can implement. It will help your productivity and output. When you put sleep, exercise, diet, concentration and ambition together, you become the best version of yourself.   

Written by Vinita Duseja, Cuemath Teacher,