7 Tips on How to Stay Focused

Train your brain

While technically the brain is not a muscle, in many ways it acts as one, and it can actually be trained like a muscle. Researchers have found that you can train your brain to improve in different areas, such as memory or concentration by adjusting your daily habits. Many people unknowingly train their brain to become distracted easily by constantly multi-tasking and addressing several issues at once. While multi-tasking can be a valuable skill, too much of it can lead to a reduced ability to stay focused on one task. You can increase your concentration and focus by turning off all distractions and only allocating your attention to one task at a time. It may seem less productive at first, but you’ll soon find that with the ensuing increase in concentration, tasks will get done more efficiently.

Attack your toughest task first

When you have a lot to do, it can be easy or tempting to get the smaller, less strenuous tasks done first and then move on to deal with your biggest, most imposing task, but you should actually be doing the opposite. By addressing your smaller tasks first, much of your concentration and focus will get used up on issues that don’t require as much thought or creativity. Then when you move on to the bigger tasks, your brain is already lagging and struggling to focus on the task that requires the most concentration and creativity. By tackling the biggest task first, you can be sure that you’ll be devoting all your fresh brain power to the task that requires it, and will likely find that the task will be completed quicker and will be less strenuous.

Create the right environment for yourself

One of the biggest factors in concentration is your comfort level within the environment you’re attempting to concentrate. There are many people who are most comfortable working by themselves in silence, while there are others who are more productive working in public with inspirations for creativity surrounding them. The key is to find in what environment you’re most comfortable and attempt to replicate that environment whenever you need to concentrate. A few tips for creating a comfortable work environment would be listening to music, either relaxing or stimulating, putting away your phone, and only putting what is necessary for the task in front of you.

Stick to a sleep schedule

Often overlooked, but easily one of the most important aspects of maintaining good focus is to create quality sleep patterns. Researchers have found that getting enough sleep each night, and generally keeping to the same sleep schedule, allows the brain to recharge, and adjust itself to a familiar routine, which benefits concentration. An erratic sleep pattern can cause the brain to feel strained and tired, just like your body, and make it more difficult to maintain focus on the subject at hand. If perhaps you didn’t get enough sleep the night before, a quick nap can also be effective in providing some short-term benefits to your concentration to get you through the day.

Avoid distractions

Particularly when working on a computer, distractions are always something that need to be contended with. While it is beneficial to take a short break every once in a while, constantly pausing your work to check your e-mail, phone, or social media will quickly add up and can devour your concentration as well as your time. Keeping only what you need to complete the task in front of you can cut down on the distractions, as well as allotting for designated break times, rather than taking a break any time you feel tired, will have a strong influence on your ability to focus.

Break-up large tasks

Sometimes you’re faced with a task that is so large you find yourself having trouble focusing because you’re constantly thinking about all the work you have in front of you. Daunting tasks or big projects can be handled more manageably by breaking up the work and focusing on just one issue at a time. For example, perhaps you’re faced with writing a big essay for a college course that requires you to cover a variety of different issues. By just focusing on creating an outline before jumping into writing the actual paper, you’ll find that the whole project will come into better perspective and will seem more manageable, just by taking the time to organize your ideas first.

Consider using a Nootropic

Sometimes referred to as smart drugs or cognitive enhancers, nootropics are supplements that you can take to improve your overall cognitive functions, including focus, memory, creativity, and motivation. While some people may be wary of using a supplement or pharmaceutical, in order to be considered a nootropic a supplement is supposed to have minimal or no side effects, so they are generally very safe to use. There are a variety of supplements that can be considered nootropics and will improve cognitive function, such as gingko biloba, ginseng, or even caffeine.