How To Get Your Attention Span Back
If you’re like 99% of the population, focusing can be a challenge. Sustained focus – that greater than the meager 30 minutes – is an elusive feat that few have mastered. Research has shown that humans now have an attention span shorter than that of a goldfish. This is not going to cut it when you have work and deadlines to meet. Although a short attention span isn’t entirely your fault, these are steps that you should take to proactively regain your focus for sustained periods.
1. Block out your time – Write down the time that you are going to spend working on something. Understanding ahead of time how long you plan to stay engaged in an activity helps your mind prepare for the work it is about to undergo.
2. Lose the phone – There are a lot of tools at your disposal to shut down the distracting phone sitting right next to you. My favorite is the Freedom app which allows you to determine what to turn off and for how long across multiple devices. Once you block out the time you want to work, set that time on one of these apps to eliminate the distracting mobile device.
3. Drink water – This is a mind clearer. Nerve transmissions take a lot of energy.. drinking water keeps your mind running efficiently as neurotransmitters are in action. You will notice that you think more clearly if you are well hydrated.
4. Exercise – This is daily maintenance for your body. Your brain does not work alone, it requires all body systems to be working to run as efficiently as possible. Exercises that improve your cardiovascular durability and strength bring increased blood flow through your system. This increases the efficiency of oxygen moving to your brain and in turn improving your brain performance and increasing focus.
5. Read books – Reading stimulates the brain by making it capture the data that is coming it and processing what is being said. You will never understand a story in a book if your brain does not paint the picture for you. Reading forces your brain to understand what is being said – several neural circuits are connecting among themselves to process the information – and this connectivity can last for days, even when you aren’t reading. This connectivity brings huge improvements in the way the brain thinks and focuses.
6. Exercise your mind – Your brain is a muscle that needs exercising. Brain teasers are absolutely one of the best ways to improve your brain function and performance. When you’re solving abstract problems like those found in brain teasers, your cognitive performance speeds up as you try to tap into any and every which way to solve it. Put a timer on your puzzles and you’ll see your focus greatly improve as the brain tries to parse through your memory and find a solution quick.
7. Rest and meditation – Cognitive connections are formed when you rest and lacking sleep can greatly decrease the ability of the brain to retain information that you have learned. When well rested, your brain will be sharper and more focused, as opposed to the 5 o’clock crash so many of us experience. Meditating, on the other hand, allows you to calm down your senses and focus your energy on one thing. Those that maintain a meditation practice train themselves to slow down and focus when everything around them seems to speed up and become distracting.
