7 tricks to improve your focus
Have you noticed that it is more difficult for you to fully concentrate on reading or watching a movie? Or maybe you lose track of the story or get easily distracted by messages, social networks, or email? Lack of concentration hinders not only our personal development, but also our academic and work performance.
In 1994, Edward Hallowell, an American psychiatrist, coined the term “attention deficit trait” which differs from, for example, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder — the latter is congenital, while the former is acquired as a result of the overload of modern life. The good news is that attention deficit trait can be reduced.
Here are the signs of attention deficit trait:
- constant hurry;
- the inability to focus on text, image, or reasoning;
- impatience, boredom, anxiety, irritability;
- jumping from one idea or task to another;
- making decisions impulsively;
- procrastination;
- feeling overwhelmed even when not being busy;
- feeling guilty for the job not done.
If most of these sign apply to you, then you should probably consider working on your concentration.
Causes of distraction
To deal with the problem, you need to get to know it firsthand. So, what causes distraction?
Among the reasons behind attention deficit trait, Hallowell names addiction to checking gadgets, multitasking, switching from one idea to another, anxiety, priority of others’ interests over their own, excessive self-criticism.
Nicholas Carr, author of several books on the impact of modern technologies on people, argues that the use of the Internet makes people distracted — it is filled with hypertext, notifications and visual materials that are fighting for the user’s attention.
But the Internet is a part of our life and work, which we cannot exclude, but are fully capable of limiting.
Focus exercises
Tom Wujec, author and editor of several books and an adjunct professor at Singularity University, states that there is no quality that would be as important for intellectual preparation as the ability to focus. He suggests the following exercises that improve concentration.
- Working cycles
Divide every task into parts and fully focus on them. Wujec gives an example of washing the dishes: take a spoon, tell yourself “Start”, fully concentrate on washing it, set it aside and only after that say “Stop”. Then do the same with another piece of dishware.
This principle formed the basis of the famous time management technique — the Pomodoro technique that involves focusing on a task for 25 minutes followed by a 3–5 minute break.
By the way, a recent study adjusted the duration of one “Pomodoro” — now it’s 52 minutes of continuous work followed by a 17-minute break. This is explained by the natural activity of the brain: about an hour of work at the peak of energy followed by its decline for 15–20 minutes.
In any case, the principle is the same: you work on a small task or a part of a large task for a long time, and then you take a break. The main thing is not to be distracted while working on the task. A brilliant idea came to your mind? Write it down and get back to work.
- Thinking breaks
Put a small object in front of you: a coin, a pen, or a paper clip. Set the timer for 5 minutes. During this time, concentrate only on this subject.
- Pulse of attention
Take a sheet of paper and a pencil and start drawing a line, fully focusing on it. When you reach the end of the sheet, turn it over and continue drawing the line in the opposite direction. Draw peaks similar to heart rate markers on the cardiogram every time you digress. Pay attention to how long you can keep focus.
- The center of the universe
Don’t know how to kill time in public transport or in a traffic jam? Choose an object: a car bumper sticker, your friend’s earphone, or a handrail and focus on it for five minutes. Keep your focus even if you are awfully bored.
- Sasaki’s method
Photographer Chris Sasaki shares the trick that helps him collect his thoughts in a few seconds. When he gets distracted or daydreams, he says to himself “Attention!”, then he looks around and tries to understand what he is doing. Try this trick the next time you get carried away watching funny videos on YouTube.
- Rereading
You are reading a complex text, get distracted, and your thoughts are already far away from what you should do. Mark the place where the distraction began. Go back and reread the text. If you still can’t retell the main idea of the text, go back to the paragraph above and read it again.
- Assuming an uncomfortable position
Do you daydream at an important meeting or start feeling sleepy five minutes after they began a presentation? Assume an uncomfortable position that will make you feel tension in your body. This will help you wake up and get back to the point of the meeting. Don’t let your body relax and your mind will also be awake.
Another way to improve your focus as recommended by the psychiatrist Edward Hallowell: he believes that one of the most successful ways to make your brain work in a new way and keep focus is to take lessons on a completely unfamiliar subject. These may be special courses on developing attention, speed reading classes, or any classes that require the ability to concentrate, such as drawing, handicraft or music.
