Many students have difficulty concentrating while studying. During a typical workday, it can be easy to lose focus and suffer from a loss of concentration on the job. In order to reverse this, you’ll want to devote your full attention to every task. You can keep your attention focused by using common tricks, including listening to music or chewing gum. Despite your best intentions, you just can’t concentrate. We’ve all been in this familiar, frustrating situation, and it’s something that can really undermine our performance. All millionaires and billionaires have mastered the art of single focusing on one thing until completion before they move onto the next task. Your brain is simply not equipped to deal with the massive number of ‘shiny objects’ that are perpetually trying to disrupt your focus.
For more long-term ways to improve your daily concentration at work, plan to keep an orderly workspace, and keep yourself from becoming distracted by limiting unnecessary time on your phone and computer.
Make sure you’re comfortable:
Start by ensuring that your chair and desk are at the right height for you to work comfortably. If your chair is too high or your desk is too low, you’ll be uncomfortable, and you’ll be tempted to use this as an excuse to get up and walk away.
Make notes to stay concentrated on a task:
If you’re losing focus in a meeting or conversation, jot down a few of the speaker’s talking points to sharpen your focus. It keeps you more awake and prevents you from completely disengaging due to boredom. However, if you think you might get distracted more by working with a partner, then stick to keeping notes on your own.
Play your favourite music:
Keep a pair of headphones at your desk and put them on for breaks. As you listen to music, try to remove all work-related thoughts from your mind, take a few deep breaths, and listen to the music. Then, once your break is finished, dive back into work. If your office is loud, you can also use headphones to cancel out all of the noise. Simply put them on and then resume your work.
Some people also find that listening to music without lyrics helps them to concentrate while they work. Try listening to some classical, electronic, new age, or even some white noise while you work.
View up pictures:
Viewing a natural scene or watching wildlife can help improve concentration. If you’re able to put up pictures in your office or work area, then choose landscapes or natural images that you enjoy. This can help your focus, especially if you can see the pictures from your desk.
Turn off your phone while working:
When you arrive at work, place your phone within a closed drawer. Or, turn it off and place it screen down on your desk. Make a point to only check your phone on breaks. Frequently checking your phone will provide a constant distraction, and will result in lower productivity and concentration.
If your office phone is a distraction, see if you can place it on silent as well. Check your voicemail at particular times and respond to messages then.
If you rely on your phone as a way for family to notify you in case of an emergency, then you might want to designate a co-worker as the person your family can contact in case of emergencies.
Take three-minute breaks:
Watch the clock and take breaks of three minutes for every twenty minutes of concentrated work. You can make a bathroom run, walk around the office, grab a quick snack, or even just stand and stretch. Having these set break times will keep your off-time under control and allow you to focus better while working. Timed breaks will also give you something to look forward to.
Start work with the tough tasks:
Likely have the most energy at the start of your work day, so jump right into those jobs that require additional concentration. Focus on tasks that are new to you or need a high level of creativity. Leave the mindless or basic work until the end of the day. Avoid procrastinating or putting off difficult tasks. Your concentration throughout the day will be diminished if you’re worrying about a challenging task that you put off until the afternoon.
Concentrate on work on a single task at a time:
Multitasking, or jumping from item to item and trying to juggle many tasks at once, quickly drains your energies. Instead, choose a particular task and concentrate on finishing it. Single tasking will also help you to set reasonable goals and resume work despite interruptions. While single-tasking, you can also break down a large task into smaller pieces. If you have a large task that needs attention, spend some time thinking about how that task could be segmented into a series of smaller projects.
Prioritize:
Having too much to do can be distracting, and this sometime causes procrastination. Or, you may quickly jump from task to task, creating the illusion of work – but in reality, you’re not accomplishing very much. If you’re not sure which tasks to start or which are most important, take 10-15 minutes to prioritize.