In a world full of distractions, it can be difficult to maintain focus. However, there are ways to improve attention span, such as treating focus as an active exercise, eliminating preventable distractions, getting enough rest, creating mental deadlines, and practicing mental exercises.
Considering the number of distractions available in the modern world, it’s remarkable that anyone can stay focused on anything for a long time. This is the era of the short attention span, and many people find it extremely difficult to stay focused on an important project at work or an exercise program at home. There are ways to improve your focus and increase your attention span, however.
It’s important to understand that maintaining focus is an active physical and mental exercise, not a passive or automatic response. You should think about focus the same way a sharpshooter would think about his target. Nothing else matters other than the task or goal at hand, and giving in to a preventable distraction could ruin the mission. Take an active role mentally whenever a situation requires your full concentration or attention.
Some might suggest eliminating all possible distractions when trying to stay focused on a task, but this isn’t entirely realistic. A certain amount of ambient noise or tumult could actually help you focus by forcing you to actively block it out. Working in a complete vacuum may seem ideal, but sometimes your mind will seek out a distraction of its own when none are available. Decide between distractions you can’t control and those you can, then take steps to eliminate only those that might distract you, like a loud television or phone.
Make sure you get enough rest before engaging in any activity that requires full concentration. Sleep deprivation and mental exhaustion can make it especially difficult to stay focused, so you might want to take a nap or a long walk before starting a new project. Drinking caffeinated beverages or taking a cold shower may temporarily improve your ability to concentrate, but be prepared for an accident. Too much stimulation can be just as hard on your ability to concentrate as too little.
You may want to give your mind a more compelling reason to stay focused on a task. If you don’t have a fixed deadline to meet or a quota to meet, it’s much easier to get distracted or lose focus. By creating your own mental deadline or other imperatives to get the job done quickly, you can trick your mind into staying focused. If you give yourself an incentive, or even a punishment, to keep working, you may be less inclined to give in to a distraction.
Attention and concentration are mental skills and as such can be improved through exercise. There are a number of computer games available online designed to test a player’s ability to focus on the details, often under time constraints. You may benefit from playing these games occasionally as a form of mental exercise. Improving your ability to focus on the task at hand can be beneficial to your work life, which in turn can positively affect your home life.
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