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Got a project to finish, but can’t seem to focus? There are lots of ways in which you may be able to improve your concentration. Here are just several tricks to help you focus at work.
Take regular breaks
Taking more breaks might seem counterproductive when you’re working towards a tight deadline, however it can sometimes be necessary for boosting concentration.
Studies show that we can only concentrate on a single task for thirty minutes before our focus start to waver – after this period attention to detail and motivation decrease. The Pomodore technique embraces the idea of working in 25 minute sprints followed by 5 minute breaks. This keeps the brain constantly sharp by allowing it to constantly rest.
These five minute breaks should be spent engaging in rewarding activities that offer endorphin rushes to re-energise us – this could include getting up and being active, listening to music or simply taking five minutes to close one’s eyes and meditate. You can even try setting alarms to make sure that you’re taking breaks when you should be.
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Eliminate interruptions and distractions
Distractions and interruptions can stop us from concentrating on a task by forcing the brain to think about other things. The average office is full of these – smartphone alerts, colleagues talking and outdoor noises can all serve as distractions that cause the mind to wander, whilst unscheduled phone calls and tech failures can serve as interruptions that physically put tasks on hold.
Fortunately, you can take steps to eliminate most of these interruptions and distractions. If you get easily distracted by colleagues, getting out of the office and working from home could help. Meanwhile, muting smartphone notifications could stop you being distracted by your smartphone.
As for interruptions, you may need to take more drastic steps. For instance, many companies have started outsourcing phone answering companies such as Ivy Answer so that they physically don’t have to answer phone calls anymore. Meanwhile, investing in tech solutions such as secondary wi-fi solutions and uninterruptible power supplies can prevent interruptions caused by wi-fi loss and power cuts.
Watch what you eat and drink
The foods and drinks you consume may be having an effect on your concentration too. By making a few changes to your diet, you could find it much easier to stay focused.
Most people think that caffeinated foods and drinks such as coffee, chocolate and energy drinks are great for concentration. They are – but only for short periods. After this period there is a comedown in which concentration is drastically reduced, making it a bad choice if you need to focus on a task for a long period.
Instead you’re much better eating and drinking foods that provide long term energy and nutrients to the brain. Hydrating yourself with lots of water is very important for keeping your brain working at its maximum capacity – replacing those cups of coffee with ice cold glasses of water could provide a more steady ability to concentrate. Foods such as fish and walnuts meanwhile can help to reduce concentration due to their high omega-3 content, whilst blueberries have long been linked to better concentration due to their unique mix of brain-healthy antioxidants.
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Get enough sleep
You won’t be able to focus if you haven’t had enough sleep. When we’re tired, many of us have impaired alertness and a slower sense of judgement. This can make concentrating on complex tasks extremely hard.
Getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis could help to boost your day-to-day concentration so that you’re always performing at your best. Sleep guidelines as established by the National Sleep Foundation recommend that the average adult should get seven to nine hours of sleep per night. This sleep needs to be uninterrupted.
There are so many things that can affect our ability to sleep from not taking time to destress to looking at bright screens before you go to bed. These could be worth looking into if you struggle to get to sleep at night. By feeling getting a good night’s sleep, you could find concentration much easier.