There are many factors that can affect our powers of focus and attention, and compromise them throughout the course of a day, including our energy levels and health, engagement with activities, temporal structure, and modern-day distractions, among others.
When you first open your eyes in the morning, on a good day, the world may seem full of promise and potential. You have a long to-do list ahead of you, including a busy day at work, some social engagements and a passion project, all of which will receive your attention in the ideal day lying ahead. However, it is often the case that we fail to reach our grand ambitions for a given day. We feel that we can’t maintain our attention, we lose interest in the tasks at hand, allow ourselves to become distracted, and generally fritter away our time. If you have experienced this sensation, don’t worry, you’re not alone.
Despite our best intentions and efforts, we often find it hard to remain focused and productive throughout the course of the day, which can lead to a variety of problems, including a negative opinion of ourselves, our attention span, and our work ethic. Why is this such a widely experienced problem, and perhaps more importantly, how can we fix it in our daily lives?
The Threats to Focus
While we may be desperate to remain attentive and focused throughout our days, there are many reasons why it can be difficult, if not impossible, including everything from our evolutionary history and the structure of our days to modern-day technology and our personal wellness.
Evolutionary History
It may be hard for some people to understand how the evolutionary of humans affect their inability to stay awake during a 9am meeting, but there is certainly some connection. For hundreds of thousands of years, our ancestors operated like any other species, with their survival under nearly constant threat. Their need to feed themselves and protect against predators required that they pay attention to all new information or occurrences in their surroundings. “Novel” information could mean the difference between life and death, so we became more skilled at the rapid processing of these external stimuli.
In the present day, most of the novel information or fast-moving objects in our environment aren’t threatening to our wellbeing, but some part of our brain is still immediately entranced by it. This may come in the form of a new product on the market, the loud rev of a sports car, a brightly colored billboard or a new article on a newsfeed. These stimuli aren’t essential to survival, but they still sap us of mental focus and energy because of our prehistoric instincts.
Health and Nutrition
Personal wellness is one of the most fundamental factors affecting concentration and focus. Our bodies require a certain amount and combination of nutrients to function properly, as well as adequate time to rest and recover. When you don’t eat enough, your brain and body lack the energy to remain productive, whereas if you eat too much, or maintain an unhealthy diet, you might feel sluggish, or experience regulars crashes in energy. Consuming too much caffeine or sugar to increase energy levels is a short-term strategy that will negatively affect productivity in the long run. Studies have also found that a lack of sleep affects our clarity and powers of attention, and may even be permanently damaging to brain cells, so getting adequate rest is also critical.
Strategies to Improve Attention
Now that the main threats to focus have been outlined, some of the solutions should appear quite obvious, including eating right, structuring your time, minimizing distractions, and overcoming procrastination, whatever the reason behind it, but there are a few other useful tools to employ that might help to boost your powers of concentration.
- Time Outside – Taking a short walk outside not only gets your blood moving, which can increase energy levels and deliver nutrients and oxygen to the muscles and brain, but it also provides a daily dose of sunshine (and vitamin D). This can be time away from screens and other people, a time for you to focus on what tasks lie ahead, and improve your mood to tackle problems with renewed determination.
- Unplug – A large percentage of the population now spends hours of every day peering at an electronic screen, whether a computer, tablet or phone. Between an increasing amount of work being done digitally, in addition to our obsession with smartphones, taking time away from screen when possible can give your eyes and brain a break from the constant barrage of draining stimuli.
- Work Smart – Our bodies operate on a series of Circadian rhythms, which affect our energy levels throughout the day. Learn to identify your high-energy, focused periods of the day and maximize your efforts during those windows of time. Starting a mentally grueling task right after lunch, when your body is digesting and relaxing, is not using your time wisely!
- Reward System – Some people find that establishing a reward system provides the right level of motivation and accountability to stay productive. Breaking larger tasks down into smaller segments can make the process feel less insurmountable, and the small rewards you give yourself (e.g., trip to the vending machine, 10 minutes on Instagram) can help you keep moving forward.
- Stay Hydrated – As simple as this sounds, it is estimated that more than 70% of Americans are regularly dehydrated, which affects metabolic processes all over your body. If you want your mind and body to operate at their highest level, you need to provide them with the most fundamental component of life!
- Posture and Breathing – Although every job has different physical demands, be conscious of how you are treating your body while performing a task. Whenever possible, maintain good posture that allows for even blood flow and clear deep breathing. If you work in an office, your chair should be comfortable and at a level that prevents any muscle strain. This may seem like common sense, but a tiny twinge in your back can undermine a whole day of productivity!
Comments
Post a Comment