How to Improve Your Focus

One of the most important things in doing things right is focus, which means our ability to pay attention to objects, thoughts or subjects, depending on what we are doing, and the ability to exclude all other stuff that could disrupt what we are doing at the moment. 

There are many factors that affect our focus. And to make everything work just fine for us and the others around us, we need to be able to make things work the best we could, and without much stress and anxiety. We simply need to focus on the things we are doing as much as possible, because that is the best way to avoid making mistakes which can only lead to waste of time and energy. And one mistake leads us to another, and that is exactly what we need to avoid. So, we need to stay focused at least during our working hours, and then we need to be focused on our free time that we spend with our families. Focus, focus, focus…. 

But how can we manage it?

Factors that can disrupt our focus and tips on how to stay focused

There are many factors that can disrupt our focus and lead us to mistakes and stress. Let us mention some of them:

A good night’s sleep is the most important factor to help us keep focused. A person who did not have the right conditions to rest, did not “recharge their batteries” and is not able to concentrate enough is not a person that can focus. A person who suffers from lack of sleep is not able to think quickly, gets easily confused, and is very likely to make mistakes and wrong decisions. As it is very important to have a good night’s sleep, here are some tips on how to make your sleep better:

• Adopt the right sleeping habits: take a short and easy walk, have a light supper, take a warm and relaxing shower before going to bed.
• Watch some nice and relaxing programs before going to bed.
• Make sure that your room is aired-out before going to bed and is not too hot or too cold
• Make sure that you have comfortable bedding, meaning that the pillow, the mattress and your covers are comfortable enough so you can have enough quality sleep. If you are in search for some of those, click here.
• Make a habit of going to bed at the same time every night.

Adjust your environment

Environment is one of the focus enemies which is not very easy to control.

• Different kinds of noises can seriously affect our focus. If the noise is too loud, it has a very bad effect on our ability to stay focused. Even if the noise is not very loud, but is constant, or the same annoying sound keeps repeating over and over again, it can affect our concentration. Loud music is also far too much for our concentration.
• Lighting is another thing that can spoil our focus. Too bright of a lighting is not easy to stand, for it is very unpleasant for the eyes, and one of the most important senses is sight, as we all need to see what we are doing in order to maintain our focus. The same goes for dim lighting which can distort us in different, but nevertheless unpleasant ways.  
• The environmental temperature is also a very important factor, because it is not comfortable working in environments that are too hot or too cold.

Be mindful of your diet

Our eating habits are also very important, because our brain needs good quality nutrients to be able to function properly, and to avoid symptoms like lack of concentration, memory loss and fatigue. 

• Some restrictive diets are not good for our body and brain, because if our body is hungry, our brain won’t be able to function properly. 
• If we eat too much, on the other hand, we will feel drowsy and sleepy, and our productivity and focus will be very low. 
• Staying hydrated is of great importance as well. Drinking water is number one in hydration, but sometimes a nice glass of juice will make us more focused and more productive. 

Get rid of distractions

Interruption is one of the most famous focus-killers. If you need to stay extra focused be sure to:

• Turn off or volume down the radio or TV
• Don’t let music play too loud
• Put your phone on silent mode

Exercise is very important to keep our body and mental health in good shape. Exercise depends mostly on our physical condition, it does not matter if we go to a gym or take a fast walk, it is important to move all our muscles and to breathe deeply. This will free us from bad emotions and stress and make our rest more effective. 

Some tips on how to train your brain

It is very important to train your brain if you want to be able to reach the needed level of focus at any time. Here are some tips:

• Play some brain games like sudoku, chess, crosswords, word searchers
• Buy a set of puzzles
• Use coloring books
• Play a video game that needs creativity or strategy, either one is good.

Take a short break when you feel your level of focus decreases, it will help a lot.