6 simple tactics to help you focus and improve concentration
Can you stick to a single thought in your head right now?
Our brain typically produces over 6,000 thoughts in a single day, science research suggests, which can make it extremely hard to stay focused. Selecting the most important ideas in an array of various thoughts might be a challenge too. Zooming out is great—it allows you to scan the world for new, valuable details. But zooming in and applying focusing techniques is just as essential when you want to make the most of your new findings.
True achievers know how important it is to remain concentrated on things that are important, be it actual goals or values and directions. Staying focused is essential to concentrate on tasks, meet goals and deadlines, and ultimately achieve more success in your business.
So, let’s explore six simple and effective ways of how to concentrate in everyday work, both individually and in group environments.
Set clear and appealing goals that help to focus
It’s easy to lose focus and procrastinate when goals are unclear. So, in order to achieve various objectives, set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals to have a clear sense of purpose and direction.
When a goal is written this way, it becomes simple and easy to understand, so always try to make your tasks:
Specific: Try to avoid vague descriptions—instead of “I want to boost sales,” say “I want to increase sales by 10% within the next fiscal year.”
Measurable: Establish criteria for evaluating progress and determining if the goal has been achieved. For example, instead of saying “I want more clients,” say “I want to add 10 clients to our current client base within the next quarter.”
Achievable: Setting unrealistic goals can lead to disappointment and demotivation, so be very specific with what you want. Instead of saying “I want our company to become a top one within the next year,” say “I want to have 70% of the market share by 2024.”
Relevant: Make sure your goal is relevant to your overall objectives and aligns with your company’s long-term vision. For instance, if your major goal is to have multiple locations and a strong online presence, a relevant goal would be to increase online sales by 20% within the next year.
Time-bound: Give yourself a realistic (it’s important) deadline, this will help create a sense of urgency and keep you motivated.
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Try prioritizing tasks
It’s not an easy thing to do multiple things at a time, so try to evaluate them and figure out what’s more important and what can wait. When there’s so much to do and the pressure accumulates, it’s quite difficult to prioritize properly and preserve mental focus, so stick to these rules that explain how to focus:
- Write down all of the tasks that you need to complete (including both short-term and long-term goals). Look at them and identify the most important tasks that need to be completed first (these are the tasks with a tight deadline, high impact, or are dependent on other tasks). Use a tool such as the Eisenhower matrix to categorize tasks based on their level of urgency and importance.
- If something sounds hard to achieve, divide it into smaller chunks. This way, the task at hand looks less intimidating. An approach like this allows one to stay focused on details and do things one by one.
- Keep your planning up to date—review and adjust your tasks regularly. Learn to say “no” to goals that used to be important, but are no longer in line with your priorities.
➡️ Learn how to effectively prioritize tasks in a workplace in our article.
Start eliminating distractions
We live in a world of information, and sometimes, it’s easy to get lost in it. According to a study by Gitnux, over 80% of people are distracted at work, with the most common distractions being email, phone calls/texts, co-workers, and (yes, you got it right) online media (yes, Instagram and TikTok take the reins).
Finding focus in a world of distractions can be a true challenge, but it’s a manageable one. The best strategy here is to create your own list of the most distracting things, and invest your time and effort into arranging a space that will be tailored to your needs.
Start with clearing your workspace of anything that may distract you—such as your phone and social media notifications (set the “Do not disturb” mode on on your laptop or smartphone). You can also avoid any unnecessary noise in your environment by using noise-canceling headphones, background noise, or white noise.
Personal interactions can also distract a lot. So, it can be useful to set boundaries with coworkers or other people you contact with during work to minimize unwanted interruptions. Clearly communicating what is ok and what is not while you’re focusing on a task might be extremely helpful. You can design a “Do not disturb” sign and hang it up on your door to inform people.
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Try focusing techniques such as meditation
You’ve probably heard it about a million times, but mindfulness techniques are one of the most effective and affordable ways to boost concentration. According to studies, meditation can certainly give a considerable boost to your ability to focus—be more conscious about what really needs your attention right now and what can wait.
Today, most of us live with a lowered attention span. So, of course, a 10-minute mindfulness practice won’t solve everything overnight, but it will enhance your ability to become more resistant to noise around you or even in your head over some time.
If you’ve never tried meditation, you can do so with dedicated apps like Headspace or Meditopia, find a meditation teacher, or just try focusing on clouds passing in the sky. In general, there are a variety of approaches that help to focus, but we recommend trying out these three:
- Guided meditation. This one is led by a teacher or a recording, and it can be a good way to start meditating if you’re new to the practice. There are multiple meditations of this kind available online or in app stores—or you can just start with breath awareness that involves focusing on the sensation of breathing.
- Body scan meditation. This one is all about focusing on each part of your body, one at a time, and releasing any tension or stress. You can practice this while lying in bed, showering, or even sitting in your chair at the office. Such scanning techniques can make you more aware of your body and give you a better understanding of how to improve focus.
- Mindfulness meditation. This one involves paying attention to your breath, thoughts, and emotions in a non-judgmental way—you can just name your thoughts, feelings and emotions just as they come. This can help you become more aware of your thoughts and emotions, and improve your ability to focus on the present moment.
It is important to note that meditation is not a one-size-fits-all practice and it may take time to find the type of meditation that works best for you. To get the most out of meditation, make it a regular practice—and be patient with yourself as you learn. You can start with a few minutes each day and gradually increase the time as you become more comfortable.
Give your brain some rest
When you put all of your effort into work for a long period of time, be aware of the sad fact that emotional burnout is a real thing—your mental potential might be huge, but too much stress won’t do it any good. Give your brain and body an opportunity to recharge—and schedule your rest just like you would with any other activity.
One way to deal with huge volumes of information is to frame your time and space. Allow distractions, but only in specific timeframes. Set 15-minute breaks every two hours or customize the routine to suit you.
Get enough sleep to help the body and brain recover. Try daytime napping if your night’s rest was not enough. Another 20–30 minutes of napping between 1 pm and 3 pm can be beneficial in providing an additional boost of energy, improving alertness and cognitive performance, and reducing feelings of fatigue and irritability.
Listening to a playlist of soundscapes can also help reduce stress, promote relaxation, and improve focus. Soundscapes can be tailored to various preferences—these can be birds singing, waterfalls, rain dropping, ocean waves, or even white noise, like the soothing sounds of a fireplace.
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Learn how to focus
A great way to absorb knowledge about focus and mindful concentration is through TED or theme-related podcasts. There are a variety of tried and tested options, so take some time to figure out which one works best for you.
Consider going to a silent retreat or finding a life/career coach who will help with your goals and values. After embarking on a self-discovery journey, you will develop the best techniques for yourself and create a great and customized plan for making your focus better. Try to figure out what works in your particular case—for many, music is a great distraction, but there are also millions of people who love listening to some tunes while focusing.
Learning how to focus is all about exploring your inside world, as well as the outside. Spend some time discovering the best ways to adapt to both, and it will certainly give you the impact you deserve. And never neglect any help during this process. If you feel like people (personal assistants or colleagues) or services (VistaCreate with its templates or Asana with its planning tools) can add to making your space more structured, certainly use this wonderful opportunity.
