Content

• Steps
• Advice

Concentration can help you complete a variety of professional and personal tasks, from reviewing exams to completing tasks up to an hour earlier. There are many practical steps you can take to help yourself focus better and stop checking Facebook or your phone every 15 minutes. To stay focused on the task at hand, you need to resist the temptation of distractions, make a to-do list (including breaks) and try not to do too much at once. job.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Stay organized for better focus

1. 

   Arrange your workspace. Whether you're working in the office or studying at home, a clean and tidy space can help you focus and get work done more efficiently. Get rid of anything that is irrelevant and may distract you. Tidy your desks with items needed for work, leaving only a few photo frames or souvenirs to help you relax.
   • If you devote 10 minutes to cleaning at the end of each day, you will maintain a new tidy routine.
   • If you don't need your phone to work, put it away for a few hours. Do not leave your phone on the desk, making your workplace cluttered and distracting.

2. 

   
   
   Make a to-do list. A to-do list listed at the beginning of each day or the beginning of the week can help keep you focused and motivated to stay on task. If you have a to-do list, short or long, you'll feel fulfilled when you cross out your work and move on to the next task. This can also help you stay focused on the task at hand.
   • Prioritize tasks. Put the most important tasks first. It is better to leave tasks easier or more manageable towards the end of the day, when you are more tired and less pressure to complete the toughest tasks. If you put off difficult tasks until the last minute, you will have to worry all day about completing them.
   • For example, a to-do list might look like this: “Call me. Set birthday cake for your child. Call the doctor back. Arrived at the post office at 2 pm. ”

3. 

   
   
   Set a deadline for each task. Time management goes hand in hand with your to-do list. Next to each item in your to-do list, write down how long each task will take to complete. Be realistic when estimating this time, then try to complete each task within the time set. This will reduce distractions or spend an hour texting friends instead of completing a task.
   • You can break time-consuming tasks down into smaller, easier chunks. That way, you won't feel overwhelmed with so many difficult tasks. You can view the smaller quests as a small reward.
   • For example, you could write: “Latte: 5 minutes. Reply to email: 15 minutes. Company meeting: 1 hour. Meeting note: 30 minutes. Report editing: 2 hours. ”

4. 

   
   
   Take some time off during the day. While it may sound unreasonable to include relaxation time in your daily schedule, it is an organized way to really stay focused. Take 5-10 minutes of breaks every hour or 3-5 minutes for every half hour you work. This will give you more motivation to complete a task, give your eyes a break, and your brain time to move on to the next task.
   • You can even set a bell every half or hour to let you know you have to rest. If you're really in the mood for work, you can skip a break, but don't let it become a habit.
   • If you have a smartphone, you can also use an app like Pomodoro to schedule your day, including breaks.

5. 

   Choose a place to rest that won't distract you. Taking a break won't relax your mind if you keep checking your work email. So, get up during the break. Look out the window, go out for a few steps or climb the 5 floors of the stairs to increase blood circulation. Such short breaks will energize you when you get back to work.
   • For example, you could set a goal of reading for 30 minutes out of a 3-hour work time. When you look away from the screen and read a whole chapter, you will be more motivated to complete a task.
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Part 2 of 3: Improving concentration

1. 

   Increase concentration. Even if you think you might get distracted easily, anyone can improve your ability to focus with a little bit of motivation. All you need to do is choose a task and give yourself 30 minutes to just do it without paying attention to anything else - not even getting up. Keep doing this to see how long you can concentrate.
   • After a few weeks, when it's easy to stay focused for 30 minutes, try to see if you can extend your focus by 5 minutes or even 10 minutes.
   • While it is advisable to take at least an hour off break, learning to focus for longer will make it easier to complete immediate tasks and increase your ability to focus in less time. than.

2. 

   Don't put off tasks that need to be completed. Avoid procrastinating any activity in the form of a rescheduled appointment until tomorrow, next week, or next month. Instead, do it now and move on to the next project.
   • For example, if you know you need to call a customer this week, don't leave it on until Friday afternoon. Call on Monday or Tuesday morning, and so this task won't hang over your head for a week.
   • The habit of procrastination destroys your ability to focus and drastically reduces your productivity.

3. 

   Avoid doing more than one thing at a time to increase concentration. Many people have the misconception that multitasking is great because they will complete many tasks at the same time. In fact, this confuses the brain, slows down, and prevents you from fully focusing on a task. Each time you switch between two jobs, your mind will have to adjust, leading to a slowdown in your work speed.
   • Now is the time to have your to-do list: it will give you more motivation to complete each task.

4. 

   Avoid distractions online. Distractions are the enemy of concentration. If you want to be highly focused, you need to know how to avoid different distractions. There are countless distractions that you need to find ways to avoid.
   • To avoid distractions, try to have as few tabs open on the internet as possible. The more tabs you have open, the more tasks you'll have to do at once and get distracted. After every 2 hours, you can give yourself 5 minutes to check your email, Facebook or any other social networking site you must see, then exit until another 2 hours has passed.

5. 

   Avoid outside distractions. Whether you're working in the office, the library, or at home, try not to distract you from others. Do not let your work be ruined for someone else, whether they are a classmate, a colleague or a friend who asks for it. Put your personal affairs aside until work is done. This way, you will complete the task faster and will have time to enjoy more personal pastimes.
   • Do not let your surroundings distract you. If you're in a noisy place, listen to soothing music or buy noise-canceling headphones. While it is tempting to look around to see what people are doing, try to allow yourself to look up every 10 minutes to maintain focus.
   • Work in productive environments like a coffee shop or library. When you see people productive, it will be easier to focus on your performance.
   • Listen to classical music or nature sounds to help improve concentration. Avoid listening to music with lyrics, as you might be distracted by the lyrics.

6. 

   Take a few deep breaths to calm your mind and increase your concentration. If you feel excessively stressed, restless or excited while working, sit down and close your eyes. Take 3-5 deep breaths and full breaths. Increased oxygen levels stimulate the brain, making it easier to focus on the task at hand.
   • If you have time, you can take long, deep breaths instead of just 3-5 deep breaths. For example, during lunch break, sit or lie down and focus on breathing deeply for 15 minutes.
   • Accept the task to do. When you go up against a quest, you will only make it more difficult.

7. 

   Chewing gum. Studies have shown that chewing gum can temporarily increase your ability to focus. The act of chewing increases the amount of oxygen you need in your brain, which in turn helps you stay focused.
   • If you don't have chewing gum, try a healthy snack for the same effect as chewing gum, such as a handful of nuts or a few carrot sticks.

8. 

   Avoid consuming too much caffeine. Although a cup of coffee or tea a day can help energize you to get ready to start your day. But if you drink too much caffeine, you may get so excited that it will be difficult to concentrate, even get restless or shaky after a few hours. Resist the urge to refill a cup of coffee every time you need to focus.
   • It is best to stay hydrated and only drink one cup of tea a day instead of drinking too much caffeine that makes you jittery and unable to do anything.

9. 

   Look at an object in the distance for 20 seconds. Most of us work on computers or desks, and usually look from a distance of 30-60 cm. This can cause eye strain, irritability, and decrease in concentration. So give your eyes a break by looking at a distant object for a few seconds. This way, your eyes (and mind) will focus better when you return to looking at the computer.
   • Try the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, you'll spend 20 seconds looking at an object about 20 feet (6 meters) away.
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Part 3 of 3: Stay motivated when trying to focus

1. 

   Remind yourself of the things you're working towards while working. With a goal in mind, you'll be motivated to get the job done, and you'll be more successful if you keep your focus. Part of the reason we lose focus is that we don't see the importance of getting done and we tend to turn to something else.
   • For example, if you are studying, remind yourself why this task is important. Maybe for you it is not important to get an A on the exam, but the important thing is that the test score will affect the result of the course, and you need to get a good score to graduate. .
   • Or, if you are at work, tell yourself why this job is important to you. Remind yourself of everything you can buy from the job or all the fun you can enjoy after a day's work.

2. 

   Identify a specific goal that you can strive to achieve. People easily get bogged down with a series of distracting little things if not aiming for a single big goal. One goal to reach will be a reward after much hardship, making you feel your efforts are completely worth it.
   • So what are your goals for getting the job done? Is it as simple as completing a day of work / study, saving enough money to buy a boat or advancing in a career?
   • For example, your goal might be to clean up an entire house for a party, or run for 40 minutes without giving up to get in shape.

3. 

   Read or write down the “spell of concentration.Once you know your purpose and goal exactly, you can come up with a "spell" to help you return every time your mind wanders. If you feel embarrassed reading the spell aloud, try writing it down on a note and stick it on your desk.
   • The spell could be something like, "Don't watch Facebook, don't text until you're done. Once I have finished my work, I will get the maximum score on the chemistry exam, and when I have maxed out in chemistry, I will reach top rank in my class!
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Advice

• If you find yourself constantly distracting and feel like you're always wasting your time, try creating a time management board to look at it and see how you've spent your time.
• If you are frustrated with the workload that is not completed during the day, try creating a table that keeps track of your completed and unfinished jobs. Try to increase the number of jobs completed. This will further motivate you to focus on the tasks at hand rather than the distractions.
• If you want to upgrade your to-do list, try splitting it into three lists: to-do list for that day, to-do list for the next day, and to-do list for that week. When you finish your day's tasks and you still have time, you can move on to the next list.