since we live in a fast-paced world it's only normal that we may feel overwhelmed from time
to time this means that no matter what goals or profession you're currently pursuing having a
focused mind is critical for success since things that can cause distractions are ever on the rise
sustaining an improving focus on things that matter is getting tougher and tougher but don't
worry there are some brain training techniques you can practice to get you right on track
are you ready to know how well here's how to get your brain to focus 1. avoid distractions people
tend to underestimate the many distractions that keep them from focusing on what they're doing
these distractions may come in the form of a loud radio or television and although it
might be easy to just turn off these devices for example it's much harder to avoid intrusions from
your co-worker child or spouse especially during these times when more people are working from home
some of the ways you can deal with this is allocating a specific amount of time and place
and has to be left alone until that time is over another solution is to find a
place that you know you'll be less likely to be distracted this could be a private
room in your house a library or even a quiet coffee shop for college students keeping their
grades up holding down a part-time job and balancing relationships can be really hard
students are easily distracted by texts phone calls and pop-up notifications both in class and
outside it a study carried out by a professor at california state university show that the average
student is distracted for at least five minutes within each 15-minute period that they set aside
for studying and this is usually a result of texting and spending time on social media
with so many things on your plate it might be a tad difficult to stay focused but rest assured it
isn't impossible try as much as you can to avoid distractions and give your brain a chance to focus
2. limit your focus multitasking might seem like a great idea but trying to juggle
multiple tasks at the same time makes you less productive and lowers the quality of your work
a spotlight is a good way of looking at this if you shine your spotlight in one particular area
you can see things very clearly but if you choose to spread your light to various areas you only get
to see a glimpse and not the entire view studies show that we aren't adept at multitasking as we
might think as a matter of fact scientists suggest that multitasking can lead to a 40
drop in productivity so you may be wondering what is it about multitasking that makes productivity
that much lower well it might appear as though you're getting a lot done by doing a lot of
tasks at the same time but actually what you're doing is shifting your focus and attention from
one thing to the other and this makes it hard to block out distractions and can even create mental
inhibitors that only serve to slow you down to maintain focus try and limit the amount of
tasks to be done to only two instead of trying to juggle several another trick is to use the
20-minute rule which involves devoting 20 minutes to one activity before switching to another
remember that a huge part of improving your mental focus is about making the most out of the
available resources so instead of multitasking keep your focus on one thing at a time
three take breaks focusing on one thing for a long period of time can be challenging with time your
focus withers and it becomes harder to concentrate on that task and your performance suffers as well
in psychology it's believed that this is because of the depleting of the attentional resources
but some researchers suggest that to a great extent the brain's tendency to disregard sources
of constant stimulation researchers seem to think that taking breaks from time to time by
shifting your attention improves your mental focus substantially so whenever you're doing
something that requires or takes a lot of your focus remember to take a mental break taking
a step from something also allows you to see things in a different way than you did before
a 2011 study at the university of illinois found that the brain is designed to detect and respond
to change and that prolonged attention to a single task interferes with performance
the brain isn't able to operate at full throttle all day it needs time to rest and re-energize it's
for this reason that we need to give our brains a break throughout the day even a very short
break will improve your focus significantly when working on one task for a longer period of time
four grab a cup of coffee you probably can't get your day going without a cup of coffee
the caffeine boost contributes greatly to how you perform in school or in the workplace
a strong cup of coffee doesn't only revitalize you it can also help boost your focus and ability
to solve problems according to research if you need a caffeine boost during the day
a cup of coffee is exactly what you need a french physiologist by the name astrid nellig wrote in a
piece published in the journal of alzheimer's disease that there's a link between caffeine
and cognition the physiologist suggests that although caffeine doesn't improve learning and
memory it awakens your physiology making you more inclined to pay better attention
5. turn on some music as mentioned before too much background noise can be very distracting
but a study published in scientific report says that playing music helps you focus
on your thoughts the only hitch is that you have to like the song the researchers wrote
that given that musical preferences are uniquely individualized phenomenon and that music can vary
in acoustic complexity and the presence or absence of lyrics the consistency of results was expected
a 2007 study conducted by the stanford university of medicine supports this claim suggesting that
music and classical music to be precise can help your brain receive and interpret new information
more easily the researchers had reason to believe that music can engage your brain
in a way that trains it to pay closer attention to events and predict the possible outcomes if
you have trouble wrapping your mind around a new concept for example listening to music allows
you to process it more easily so whatever songs you're into turn it up and get down to business
before we continue do me a quick favor by kindly giving this video a like it really helps with the
youtube algorithm thank you for your support now let's continue 6. exercise one of the best things
you can ever do for your brain and well-being is start your day with some exercise no one says you
have to spend countless hours in the gym all you need is a few minutes to get your blood flowing
this will spark your mind and enable you to have better focus throughout your day and according
to research exercise improves concentration in people regardless of age in young people being
involved in physical activities such as walking or playing during recess affects their concentration
positively as helpful as it may be on a child's focus this effect only lasts for a little over
an hour and therefore they should take advantage of every chance they get in school to be active
there's less evidence when it comes to adults but research still shows that little bouts of physical
activity enhances concentration too this could be a half hour walk or a jog it doesn't really matter
taking breaks for physical activity during the day improves not only concentration
but your overall mood as well both of which improve productivity a few other activities
to try are yoga cycling and swimming aside from being low impact these activities are very fun
7. get enough sleep sleeping enough has a number of benefits
one of them being it allows you to be focused on whatever you're doing
a lot of successful people accredit their success to getting at least eight hours of sleep at night
denying yourself sleep does more harm than good you might think that staying up late allows you
to achieve more but what good is it if you can give your full attention nothing ruins your
focus more than sleep deprivation waking up tired yawning throughout the day and coming close to
falling asleep on the job due to a lack of enough sleep leaves you unable to function at your best
your brain is just too tired making it nearly impossible to concentrate or remember things well
the amount of sleep we each need varies from one person to another certain factors need to be
factored in such as age infants need roughly 16 hours of sleep teens need about 9 hours
and adults 7 to 8 hours of sleep on average per day the amount of sleep also depends on the amount
of recent sleep deprivation the hours of sleep you deprive your body only catches up with you
and you'll have to repay them eventually failing to sleep well will very likely impair your ability
to function properly 8. meditation mindfulness and meditation offers several benefits concentration
being one of them it's believed that mindfulness training can help increase attention and focus
it also improves memory and other cognitive abilities although mindfulness meditation has
been practiced for thousands of years it's only recently that its benefits are being recognized
practicing mindfulness can involve learning how to meditate but it can also be as easy as trying
a quick and easy deep breathing exercise the good thing about these exercises is that you can do
it anywhere at whichever time soon enough you'll discover that it becomes easier to disengage from
intrusive thoughts and return your focus to where it should be as you train your mind to remain
present and focused fully on one thing a physical sensation or the process of breathing for example
you learn to let go of other thoughts and distractions too it feels amazing getting
to know that you don't have to be mindful of every single thing that pops into your mind
your ability to concentrate increases when you can be mindful at will 9. live in the moment as
hard as it sounds ruminating about the past or worrying about the future won't do you any good
many people talk about the importance of being present but it's not emphasized enough if you do
choose to remain present you save yourself from unwanted distractions that affect your focus
the now moment will help you recapture and attend to things that require your mental focus
you'll be using your mental resources on the details that really matter at the current
point in time it may take constant practice to be able to achieve living in the moment status
but your mind will thank you in the long run to avoid beating yourself up
you can't change the past and the future has not happened yet but what you do today
can help you avoid repeating past mistakes and pave a path for a more successful future
10. find your peak hours it's not always that we may find ourselves in the mood to get things done
some people work better in the morning hours while some work better in the afternoon
others are completely off the spectrum and are considered night owls doesn't matter where
you lie the most important aspect is that you understand the hours that you're most productive
and utilize them effectively in short you need to determine your peak hours pay attention to
your energy thought patterns distractions motivation and moods while experimenting
with different work hours make sure you allow at least a week to establish your favorite work hours
11. have a plan you feel clear about planning works hand in hand with focus one of the most
common challenges faced while trying to maintain focus is the lack of clarity of what needs to
be done next it's like the idea of losing weight if you're not certain on what steps to take next
towards this goal chances are you'll stagnate the same happens to the mind when we don't plan before
the computer goes on use the first five minutes of your day to invest in planning and write out your
day's activities physically writing down your activity goals for the day using paper and pen
engages more functions within your brain which trains it to recognize these activities is highly
important since it's registered in your mind as a thought it will generate feelings feelings lead
to actions and actions lead to results 12. vary your diet the foods we eat not only affect our
bodies but our minds as well processed foods fatty foods and foods that contain too much sugar should
be avoided as they can affect your concentration there are plenty of foods that boost concentration
among them being blueberries eggs fatty fish like salmon and spinach among others
a healthy breakfast gives you the energy you need to go about your day and boost focus go for meals
that are high in protein and fiber taking lots of water also impacts concentration positively
even the least bit of hydration messes with your ability to focus and remember information
with the many ways of helping you to maintain concentration it's very easy to forget that
food contributes greatly to how we feel throughout the day the brain takes up only two percent of the
average adult's weight but uses 20 of the energy that the body produces so if you don't fuel your
brain with the essential nutrients you'll begin to feel a variety of symptoms including fatigue
memory problems and have trouble concentrating and since your days are probably packed you
can't afford to be low on energy so pick up a healthy snack and have a productive day
if you want to learn more on how to unlock your brain's limitless potential
check out the mind valley course super brain which you can access using the link in the descriptions
superbrain is an online masterclass taught by mastermind trainer jim quick it's a 30-day
adventure towards a bulletproof memory unshakable focus and superhuman productivity so i highly
recommend you check it out if you're interested well folks that's all we had for you today
thank you so much for watching have an awesome day and i'll see you in the next one take care guys