Tips to Develop a More Focused Mind

Do you ever feel you’re always busy and the days are progressively getting shorter? Are you constantly stressed out and unable to meet your deadlines? Is the amount of time you’re able to stay focused decreasing every day?

Silvana Carlos/Unsplash | If you’re constantly working but still your tasks remain unfinished causing too much stress, you might be suffering from lack of mental attention

If your answer to those questions was ‘yes,’ you might be suffering from a lack of mental attention. Regardless of how mundane you think it is, you should know it’s preventing you from reaching your highest potential.

You can unshackle yourself from the never-ending loop by learning to enhance your focus. Of course, no-one can be 100% focused all the time, but understanding how to stay focused most of the time will help you achieve your goals and complete any task with efficiency.

Join us as we help you discover a few tips to train your mind for maximum productivity.

#1 – Look away

The human brain usually has an automatic response to a stressed out situation. For some, it could be a feeling of butterflies in the stomach, while for others it could be an adrenaline rush. We’ve all faced different stressful situations at some point, like hectic deadlines, an unhealthy family member, or an unpleasant encounter with an animal perhaps. Such situations, which the human brain regards as “perceived threats,” trigger us to either fight, flight, or freeze. The response instantly causes hormonal and physiological changes in the body, due to which, sometimes we do things we later regret.

Zeke Whiteout/Unsplash | Experts say that in stressful situations, try looking at something else to signal your brain that you’re not in danger

Thus, if you’re in such a circumstance, try looking at something else (even if it’s for a few seconds). Glance out of the window or look at a painting to signal to your brain that it’s okay to resume regular functioning. Agreed you might not always have the liberty to shift your gaze in an unpleasant encounter, but if you do, try this. It will help you get back to the grind with more focus.

#2 – Take a five minute break five times

You might have heard leaders point out that the brain needs to be trained to become stronger. In reality, this is only half true! Think of strenuous physical exercise which involves training specific muscles. If you push them beyond a certain limit, in other words overtrain them, they’re likely to get sore, right? The same goes with the brain; if you overuse it, it will likely hamper your cognitive abilities.

Therefore, it’s highly recommended to fit in a few short breaks between your work hours to recharge your brain. We know the first thing you might want to do in your break is use social media or check emails. Well, research points out that that doesn’t count as a break since it requires your brain’s information filters and processing.

#3 – Organize your time in chunks

Time-management wizard, Francesco Cirillo, devised the “Pomodoro Technique” as a magic spell for anyone who faces the challenge of running out of steam amidst 90-minute long work sessions or any task in general. This is how the technique works:

1. Set the timer for half an hour to 50 minutes
2. Then, rest for a few minutes.
3. Repeat this for three to four times again
4. Then, take a long break.

Kristin Schneider (Ph.D.) and associate professor at Rosalind Franklin University (Department of Psychology), quips that people can be so much more efficient if they’re constantly ‘on,’ and this technique lets them do just that.

Unsplash | Experts recommending organizing time and chores into chunks and taking short breaks in between to maximize attention span

To wrap it up

It’s not easy to master your focus, however, you can control your brain and boost your concentration by ensuring that you’re adequately fueling it and avoiding distractions. We hope you find this information helpful and that it will assist you in improving your concentration.