“I feel like my brain is broken.” “I can’t focus.” “I can’t think of words anymore.” “I sit in front of the computer all day, but get less done.” Sound familiar?
Concentration is essential to success in business, academics, writing, homemaking, playing an instrument – in short, it’s essential in our daily lives. To be honest, I experienced my own lack of focus as I’ve sat at my computer. I stared at the screen. I got up to make another cup of tea. I felt as if all I could write was the equivalent of “See Spot run.” I was stuck and it was more than writer’s block.
It’s important to recognize that lack of focus is a common problem and that, with the addition of a pandemic, concentration feels more elusive than ever. Beside the stresses of life, again increased by the pandemic, many aspects of our lifestyles are more conducive to diminishing focus rather than improving it. I’ll address some of those things below. We know too well that when we have trouble concentrating on the task before us, getting anything done becomes more difficult and more time-consuming. Errors can occur. The quality of work can suffer.
When we are calm and focused, we can accomplish more in less time. We think more clearly. We make better decisions. The good news is that there are simple steps we can take to help regain our concentration and focus, and to improve memory. Try one or two of these steps at a time (don’t overwhelm yourself). Approach these steps with gentleness, patience, and self-compassion.
Some ways to help improve your focus:
Morning Meditation: In my experience, the best thing you can do for yourself is to include five minutes of meditation in your day, particularly as morning routine. Meditation will calm your mind, help you feel grounded, reset your nervous system, increase your attention span, enhance your concentration, and help you become aware of your thoughts. It helps you remain focused on the task at hand, rather than what you need to do later today, tomorrow, or somewhere out there in the future or what you should have done yesterday. Meditation also helps reduce stress hormones, like cortisol, which can impair memory. Five minutes a day will make a difference.
Avoid Multi-tasking: Let go of the myth that multi-tasking makes us more productive. We unconsciously sabotage our focus by stopping to check emails, going from one open window on our computers to another, or taking/making a call. One study that showed that when we interrupt a task to read an email, it takes 25 minutes to regain the focus we had before we read the email. Our minds aren’t wired for multi-tasking. When we multi-task, our focus is never fully on one thing. More information is available in Julie Morgenstern’s book Never Check Email in the Morning.
Limit Interruptions: A Fortune 500 software company in India set a policy that no interruptions were allowed before noon on designated days. The results were impressive. When employees had monitored the uninterrupted time, 47% had above-average productivity. When it became a company policy, that rate increased to an impressive 65% above-average productivity. Not only did the company benefit, but having a sense of progress is an integral factor in daily motivation and satisfaction.
Stay Hydrated: Stress dehydrates us more quickly. It’s been reported that even 3% dehydration has a negative impact on our mental activity. One of the best and simplest things we can do to help ourselves is to keep a glass of water at your bedside (at least 8 oz.) and drink it upon waking. If you drink coffee, be aware that coffee has a diuretic effect, so you lose water from your body. Be mindful of this and drink more water during the day to compensate for the diuretic impact of coffee.
It’s a great idea to eat your water, too. Enjoy fruits and vegetables for their flavor, their nutrients and for their hydrating benefits. Berries are a wonderful way to hydrate, and watermelon lives up to its name. Just keep in mind that watermelon is also high in sugar and may not be your best choice, depending on your own dietary guidelines.
Spend Time in Nature: Go for a long walk. Studies have shown that spending time in nature, or even looking at pictures of natural scenes, can improve cognitive abilities. If the weather permits, take your shoes off and go barefoot in the grass. It helps us feel grounded.
Get enough sleep: Try to get seven to nine hours of rest a night, as advised by the National Sleep Foundation. If you can’t do that, as an alternative, try going to bed early one night a week. To help you sleep, disconnect from all electronics at least 30 minutes before going to bed.
Minimize watching TV: Scenes in TV programs shift every few seconds, which has a cumulative effect of decreasing our attention spans and therefore our concentration.
Read a book: You may have a list of books you want to read. I do. Reading can be a wonderful way to stretch our shrinking attention spans. A lot of press has been given over the past several years to studies that showed attention spans were decreasing. Mystery author James Patterson spoke of this in an NPR interview and stated that his chapters had become shorter, as have sentences and paragraphs in most textual media. Note: It’s best to read a hard copy book. Despite their convenience, E-readers and tablets emit blue light which affect our brains and can make it harder to sleep.
Concentration is something we can improve. I hope that at least one of the above suggestions appeals to you. Keep me posted.