Lacking Focus? In-Depth Tips to Improve Concentration

Lacking focus? This blog is packed full of in-depth tips to improve concentration addressing many problems most people don’t even consider. Also, this blog provides the most in-depth advice on how to improve these concentration issues. I’ve talked a lot throughout numerous blogs about how such and such improves concentration, but I thought it would be good to have a list of all these things in one central location.

Having concentration issues is common today with the increase in technological advances. Today, many people struggle to focus due to numerous distractions. One common reason for this is many of us always have our phones nearby, and can’t resist the temptation to access information, play games, watch videos, text, scroll social media, etc. Additionally, many people feel the need to instantly check or respond to social media notifications, texts, phone calls, etc. Then, the ability to do nothing while waiting in line, waiting for a meal, etc., can feel impossible when we have our phones to entertain us.

1. Take Your Focus Away From Your Phone

I am guilty myself of being too attached to my phone. However, I avoid checking my phone every time it makes a noise, I don’t check social media everyday, and try and be mindful of how attached I am to my phone. Most days it doesn’t keep me from concentrating on my work, being fully present when I’m with friends, being present with my husband, and I never fall down a rabbit hole of watching an hour or more of mindless videos and reading useless articles. But there is definitely still room for improvement!!

Does your phone keep you from concentrating on important tasks, your work, or engaging with others?

Do people text you a lot? Let people know that you are not always going to respond right away to texts, and if they need to tell you something important that they should call. I don’t care how much my friends love to text, I tell my friends if something is that important they need to call. My wellbeing is my first priority, so sometimes I avoid texting for a few days. I can also go days without checking social media (which I should do more often).

What can you do? Set a time at lunch or when you have a break to do all your texting and other phone activities. Don’t text or respond to social media whenever your phone has a notification. If that is hard, turn off notifications, turn off your phone, put it on “do not disturb”, or set locked times on your Apps. For a full overview of how to do these things and other ways to be less attached to your phone view my blog: Addicted to Your Phone? Ideas for Spending Less Time on Your Phone.

2. Watch What You Eat

Processed carbohydrates and foods high in sugar can cause brain fog. For example, if you eat things like waffles or pancakes for breakfast without eating at least some protein, you can get some serious brain fog. Fiber, protein and fats help to slow down the digestion of carbs and delay their absorption into the blood (Joslin Education Team, 2021). This helps to prevent spikes in glucose levels after eating (Joslin Education Team, 2021). All this sugar will certainly make it harder to focus.

One way to improve concentration through food is by adding some superfoods into your diet. There are many foods that provide nutrients to help with mental clarity. View 11 Superfoods for a Diet Higher in Nutrients. Also, a nutritional deficiency can actually cause a person to experience brain fog. My husband was experiencing some brain fog, and I knew an Omega 3 deficiency can cause this. So I ordered him an Omega 3 test, and it turned out his Omega 3 levels were pretty low. So he started taking a fish oil supplement and saw significant improvements. View my blog Everything You Need to Know About Supplements.

Coffee is a great way to increase focus. But be careful not to become heavily reliant on it, it is easy to become addicted. And coffee isn’t a healthy replacement for not getting sufficient sleep. So of course we need to talk about the importance of getting adequate sleep.

3. Sleep

You probably know this already, getting sufficient sleep helps your brain work better and leads to greater concentration. But do you know how well you are sleeping? How much deep sleep you get? Do you struggle at all with sleep? If you want to improve your sleep, I have a blog that covers all these things. It even has a checklist of items on what to change if you are struggling with sleep. How to Sleep Better & What to do When You Can’t Sleep

4. Drink Enough Water

Water is used to perform a multitude of specialized operations for the body: protecting organs, flushing out waste and toxins, and carrying nutrients and oxygen to the cells (Knowles MD). Without enough water, these functions become inefficient leading to physical and mental health problems including fatigue, headaches, difficulty focusing, dizziness, nausea, muscle cramps, and more. It can take as little as two hours of dehydration for cognitive impairments to take place.

Do you struggle to drink enough water? View my tips on How to Increase Water Intake.

5. Declutter Your Space & Your Mind

Clutter can distract the mind, it creates disorganization, it makes tasks harder to complete, and of course it creates added stress. View tips on how to Remove Clutter Around You & In Your Mind.

You can also struggle with concentration if you are uncomfortable in the space you are in for whatever reason… poor lighting, the decoration in the room, the functionality of the desk or space. Consider whether your space pleases your eyes, feels comfortable, and if there is a way you can create a more motivating space. Maybe this means some motivational quote posters, some plants, a painting of a waterfall to relax you, or just a painting from an artist you love.

6. Manage Your Busy Brain & Overwhelming Emotions

If you are overwhelmed because you have too many thoughts racing through your mind, the best plan of action is to write it down. You might make sense of your thoughts through journaling about them, just writing them down without any formality to it (this is called brain dumping). Or you might need to organize them into a to-do list, prioritizing your thoughts.

However, if your thoughts are emotionally based, if you struggle with ruminating (the same thoughts spiraling over and over in your mind), then you may need to write them out. Utilize some of the questions from my last blog post: Changing Negative Thought Patterns & Ruminating. I also talk about fixing ruminating thoughts linked to trauma, and other strategies for negative thoughts.

A Huge Lesson I’ve Learned Recently Tied to Happiness

We need to express and feel our feelings, you have to feel them to move on. Our society often teaches us to push our feelings away. But it actually leads to better mental health and happiness when we feel them. So if you feel angry, get that anger out by finding a safe place to scream, punch the air, smash some objects in a smash room, do some boxing, listen to some angry music, etc. If you feel sad, but crying isn’t natural, listen to some sad music, share with a friend, write about it, and feel it. You should feel better afterward. However, in some situations it make take several feeling sessions before you see real improvement.

7. Take a Break

Often when you don’t have time for a break is when you need it the most! A 2014 study performed by the productivity tracking company DeskTime found that the most productive people work for 52 minutes and then take a 17-minute break (Scott PhD, 2023).

The best rule to follow is to take a break every hour, and this is what I do. If you have a job where you sit all day at a desk, it is also super important to get up and move around every hour. Also, give your brain a chance to relax! Enjoy a walk, meditate, listen to some music, etc. Also, always us your vacation time! Even if you can’t plan a trip anywhere, vacation time from work is a necessity.

8. Eliminate Social Distractions

It is okay to tell your coworkers not to bother you for a few hours while you are working on a difficult task. You probably can’t tell your boss to leave you alone, but you certainly can let your coworkers know when you need to focus. If you work from home, set some ground rules! You might have a rule that when the door to your office is closed, you can’t be bothered. Setting boundaries is perfectly okay. Make time to play with your pets, so they are not all over you.

9. Listen to Music or a Podcast

Sometimes the best way to focus is to have something to listen to that puts you in the right mood. Some people like to listen to their favorite songs, some people listen to light piano music, some classical, some like EDM, it is whatever works for you.

If you are doing something really boring, a podcast may help to stimulate your mind so that you can focus better on the tedious or boring task.

10. Improve Your Stress

In order to stop stress from wreaking havoc on our lives, we need to actively pay attention to signs we are stressed and engage in activities to stop it. Stress shouldn’t be ignored, it is often a leading cause of concentration problems and health issues in general. Learn how to manage 3 stages of stress: stopping stress before it happens, relieving stress after it happens, and managing chronic stress. PLUS, how to develop a stress relief kit. Read my blog: Managing 3 Stages of Stress (Conscious, Hidden Stress & Preventing It)

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References:

Joslin Education Team. (2021, July 8). Beth Israel Lahey Health Joslin Diabetes Center/Carbs, Protein and Fats – Their Effect on Glucose Levels. Retrieved from: https://www.joslin.org/patient-care/diabetes-education/diabetes-learning-center/carbs-protein-and-fats-their-effect#:~:text=Because%20the%20combination%20of%20fiber,in%20glucose%20levels%20after%20eating.

Knowles MD, Kenneth. (2019, July 3). dispatch HEALTH/How Does Dehydration Affect the Body?. Retrieved from: https://www.dispatchhealth.com/blog/how-does-dehydration-affect-the-body/

Scott PhD, Elizabeth. (2023, November 8). verywellmind/How to Take a Break from Work (and Why You Need To). Retrieved from: https://www.verywellmind.com/why-you-should-take-a-break-3144576