How to Maintain Focus Longer
If you have trouble sitting still and maintaining concentration for an extended period of time, the negative effects could have wide-reaching consequences. An inability to bear down as long as you need to can make you score worse on examinations and cause you to miss key information during important meetings and appointments. Razor-sharp focus offers a variety of advantages, including better use of time, increased productivity and improved quality of performance.
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Instructions
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Prioritize. Prevent your mind from feeling distracted by opting to concentrate on just one topic at a time. If you bog your brain down with a multitude of concerns, you risk confusion and a short attention span. Identify the most pressing issue in your life at the precise moment, and make a point to only focus on that. For example, if you're at work, concentrate only on the work in front of you instead of obsessing over the evening's dinner plans.
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Turn off possible nuisances. If you need to concentrate on something for a while, ensure your environment is as distraction-free as possible. Shut your door. Turn off the radio and television. Put your cell phone on "silent" or "vibrate." Turn everything off before things get the chance to disrupt you and break you out of your concentration. If people could interrupt you, place a note on the door that simply states, "Busy. Come back in 30 minutes."
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Avoid being too ambitious. Do not overwhelm yourself with impossible goals for short spans of time. For instance, if you tell yourself you need to finish a 300-page book in one sitting, it may overwhelm you to the point you feel too antsy to focus. Instead, break hard tasks up into smaller segments. If you tell yourself you only need to get through 30 pages, for example, you'll be able to enjoy the book and may find yourself reading beyond 30 pages, therefore exceeding your expectations.
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Get enough sleep every night. Your lifestyle also affects your ability to focus longer. Dr. Kathleen Nadeau, director of the Chesapeake ADHD Center in Annapolis, Md., told CNN that being tired can lead to problems with focusing and memory issues. For optimal focus, try to receive at least eight hours of rest at night.
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Eat something small. When you're losing concentration, get a quick boost in the form of a snack. Drink water and munch on something nutritious, such as carrot sticks or apple slices. Even if you think you're doing yourself a favor by drinking caffeine, skip it. After the initial jump in energy, you will find yourself crashing and feeling more sluggish and distracted than before.
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Keep lists. If you are unable to focus due to anxiety over the many things on your plate, organize your brain by jotting everything down. Release all of the obligations swirling inside your head by putting them onto paper, whether you need to take your cat to the veterinarian after work or pick up milk at the supermarket. Once you complete a task, cross it off your list.
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Tips & Warnings
Exercise. When you can, start your mornings off with a workout. Exercise can help you clear your mind and gain perspective on your upcoming day and what you need to do, allowing you to focus later on with more clarity and patience.
References
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