Concentration refers to the mental effort you direct toward whatever you’re working on or learning at the moment. It’s sometimes confused with attention span, but attention span refers to the length of time you can concentrate on something

If you’ve ever found it difficult to get through a challenging task at work, studied for an important exam, or spent time on a finicky project, you might have wished you could increase your ability to concentrate.

Factors that affect concentration:

It’s easy to become frustrated when you’re trying to concentrate but just can’t. This can lead to stress and irritation, which tends to make focusing on what you need to do even more of a distant dream. Most people forget things more readily as they age, and decreased concentration can accompany memory loss. Head or brain injuries, such as concussion, as well as certain mental health conditions can also affect concentration.

If that sounds familiar, keep reading to learn more about research-backed tips to help improve your concentration. We’ll also go over some conditions that can affect concentration and steps to take if trying to increase concentration on your own just doesn’t seem to help.

• TRY TO DO MEDITATION :

Meditation and mindfulness practices can offer multiple benifits. Mindfulness can also improve memory and other cognitive abilities. Meditation doesn’t just mean sitting silently with your eyes closed. Yoga, deep breathing, and many other activities can help you meditate.

If you’ve tried meditation and it hasn’t worked for you, or if you’ve never meditated before, this list can give you some ideas for how to get started.

• mindfulness meditation
• spiritual meditation
• focused meditation
• movement meditation
• mantra meditation
• transcendental meditation
• progressive relaxation
• loving-kindness meditation
• visualization meditation

• LISTEN TO MUSIC :

Turning on music while working or studying may help increase concentration.

Even if you don’t enjoy listening to music while you work, using nature sounds or white noise to mask background sounds could also help improve concentration and other brain functions, according to research.

The type of music you listen to can make a difference. Experts generally agree classical music, particularly baroque classical music or nature sounds are good choices to help increase your focus. If you don’t care for classical music, try electronic music without lyrics. Keep the music soft, or at background noise level, so it doesn’t end up distracting you.

• DO CONCENTRATION WORKOUT :

Concentration workouts often help children who have trouble focusing. This mental workout involves fully devoting attention to an activity for a set period of time.

Try these activities:

• Spend a few minutes tossing a balloon or small ball with another person.
• Draw or doodle for 15 minutes.
• Set a timer for 3 to 5 minutes. Try to blink as little as possible.

After completing one of the activities, ask your child to write a short summary or sketch how they felt during the experience. Young children can simply use words to describe their feelings.

Talking about where they lost concentration and how they managed to refocus can help them develop these skills for use in daily tasks.

• SPEND TIME IN NATURE :

If you want to boost your concentration naturally, try to get outside every day, even for just 15 to 20 minutes. You might take a short walk through a park. Sitting in your garden or backyard can also help. 

Any natural environment has benifits. Scientific evidence increasingly supports the positive impact of natural environments.  Including plants in office spaces helped increase concentration and productivity, as well as workplace satisfaction and air quality. Try adding a plant or two to your workspace or home for a range of positive benifits.

• AVOID MULTITASKING :

Multitasking has been proven to reduce our cognitive abilities due to the fact that the brain can only fully focus on one task at a time. Even though multitasking can be beneficial in various situations, you should avoid it as much as you can whenever you deal with important tasks. Give your full attention to the task at hand to improve the quality and speed of work!

Things to do to avoid multitasking :

• Schedule time for individual tasks.

• Seek a quiet place to work.

• Turn off distractions.

• Create a list of daily priorities

• Be prepared to say no

•  IMPROVE SLEEP :

Sleep deprivation can easily disrupt concentration, not to mention other cognitive functions, such as memory and attention. Occasional sleep deprivation may not cause too many problems for you. But regularly failing to get a good night’s sleep can affect your mood and performance at work. Being too tired can even slow down your reflexes and affect your ability to drive or do other daily tasks.

A demanding schedule, health issues, and other factors sometimes make it difficult to get enough sleep. But it’s important to try and get as close to the recommended amount as possible on most nights.

Many experts recommend adults aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. Improving the sleep you do get can also have benefits.

 A few quick tips:

• Turn off the TV and put away screens an hour before bed.
• Keep your room at a comfortable but cool temperature.
• Avoid using mobile at night times.
• Wind down before bed with soft music, a warm bath, or a book.
• Go to bed and get up around the same time each day, even on weekends.
• Exercise regularly, but try to avoid a heavy workout just before bed.

• BUILD WILLPOWER AND DISCIPLINE :

Very few of us are making real decisions. A decision is a deal with your mind that no matter what happens, your decision sticks. Therefore, when you say, “I should exercise”, you should immediately replace the “should” with “must”. Otherwise, your brain won’t take your intent seriously and it won’t “care” to help.

Willpower and self-discipline are two related traits that should be developed at the same time. Your willpower is the fuel of your actions. Your discipline is your ability to go past intrusive thoughts, comfort zone, and laziness.

“These skills require constant practice, building them is not easy, and giving up is not an option.”

• FIND YOUR PEAK HOURS :

Some people perform better during the day, while others do great during the night. To find your most productive hours – the “peak hours” – you should actively measure your productivity during various hours of the day.

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 these peak hours. So, if you try to get your most important tasks done from 8 AM to 10 AM, experiment with it for a week. Next week, focus your attention on critical tasks starting from 10 AM and ending at 12 PM.

CONCLUSION :

Some ways to improve concentration may work well, while others may not seem to do much for you. Consider giving a range of approaches a try to see what helps.

Experts still debate the benefits of certain methods, such as brain training. But existing evidence suggests most of these tips can promote at least modest improvements in concentration for many people.

“What’s more, these tips are unlikely to decrease concentration or cause other harm, so giving them a try shouldn’t have any negative effects.”