For the ones among us who need to be focussed for an extended period of time during their workday we’re all familiar with it: Loss of focus.
It’s detrimental to our productivity and some days are just harder than others. Where focussing might be more difficult than you’d hoped. Or you have simply been away on vacation for a while and haven’t needed to focus and be productive for a while.
In this blog we will review methods and ways of thinking to guarantee a regain in your focus when applied correctly! Read on here for foods that help with performance and focus at the office.
- Structure your workday, and abide by this structure!
One of the first things that kids in their first grade of school learn is structure. As structure is key for everything productive and good in life. And the same applies to our workplace. Regaining your focus can be a hard endeavor as so many aspects influence it. But a clear schedule and structure make it much more realistic to get the most focused time out of your workday. What I want you to do is to realize that it is okay to take more breaks than usual or than is acceptable. As true focus out values time semi-focused many times on the productivity schale. So planning your workday accordingly, with time to get yourself ready to work, and small breaks for you to relax and focus a bit on something else. This so you can work the following timeframe much more focused and according to your schedule. It is of importance to strictly abide by what you have planned your structure like as you will get used to this structure. With time you can gently shorten the breaks in between until you are on the focus level you were when you were optimally focussed!
Conclusion: Discipline, discipline! Abide by the structure you created yourself! You tend to know what is good for you and what you can or cannot do. Don’t let fatigue or laziness change your pre-set structure goals. Eventually it will pay off greatly when the structure is embalmed into you. Check out our preferred time management methods here.
- You have to read long books slowly and in detail
This is a very interesting fact/training. As mentioned above in the structure part. We tend to get used and good at the things we do regularly. Because the reading of various online content has exploded, we got used to reading short texts globally to find the right answer we need quickly. Instead of reading it with greater focus to be able to explore complex concepts. You can try it for yourself and see. Reading a long book very focused and slowly truly reading interpreting every word slowly. And reading some article you looked up. It’s a different, more intense focus. Practice it! Read assertively and focus with all your focus put into the book. You’ll notice after a while that your general focus will improve too! Check out here how to improve your brains neuroplasticity for optimal performance!
- Add physical exercise to your daily routine
Working out is important for your heart and general health. We all are aware of that. But researchers have shown that working out increases the focus and attention span. Particularly the ability to avoid distractions! And working out requires a certain type of physical and mental focus to perform an exercise correctly and effectively. Hence why individuals when they generally start acting more healthy, exercising and eating well they notice an increase in focus! So I can tell you that you cannot expect good and healthy focus and attention span if you’re not exercising enough. The good news is you can start right away! A standing desk is a great way to incorporate standing into your daily workspace!
- Practice assertive and attentive listening
We have probably all gone through it at some point. During a conversation with a colleague or at a long Teams/Zoom meeting at work. There is so much speaking going on that we lose the thread to the story. And we have to think really hard to remember what exactly was said or we even don’t remember anymore. This is highly annoying and this might be the highlight moment of you thinking: Jeez, I need to focus!
Luckily for you, you can practice this focus and increase you attention span within a week drastically if you do the following: Let someone tell you a long story, be it what they did last week. What their summer plans are. Don’t interrupt them, and try to remember everything as detailed as possible that they have told you. Between breaks, respond with ‘Ok, Allright etc’ To stay engaged and keep the conversation going. You can practice this at home with your partner or with a colleague. The longer you go the harder it gets but the more benefits it has. It doesn’t only make you more focused and keep your attention up at important times, it helps you come across as more decent and polite.
- Meditate and repeat your core values in your head. And be grateful.
Meditating from 10 to 20 minutes a day has already shown that it can increase daily focus significantly. Meditating, taking a deep breath and repeating why you are doing what you are doing, for whom you are doing it can be extremely focussing. But only if you do it with true effort and realize the huge benefits meditation can have for you and proper mindfulness.
Being grateful for what you have, realizing what you have achieved or how blessed you are for what you have. This increases the underlying appreciation for oneself and oneselves situation, which can have a calming and motivating effect. Giving you the inner motivation and push forward that one would need to be more focused, productive and have a greater attention span for all occasions. Also repeating you core values why meditating makes you remember how you came this far, and what you stand for pushing you forward even more! You’re doing this all for you! Check out here how much posture affects your health!
- Do puzzles and play cards
Frog jigsaw puzzles with 100 to 10000 pieces, and other kinds of puzzles. They are the old school way to train your brain! The senior population swears by them as we all know ha-ha. They tend to stimulate your brain to think differently and stimulate different parts of your brain that you don’t usually activate as much. It has shown scientifically to improve the cognitive functions of your brain and battles the aging process of these cognitive functions by forcing your brain to focus on every piece and think of a way to put it into the puzzle. Great stimulation that you will notice in your problem solving capabilities and focus. Playing various games of cards can also increase memory skills and critical thinking skills and stimulate certain brain activity that usually you would not activate as much. Games like: Solitaire, Poker, Crazy-Eights etc. work especially well. Don’t play for money though as this can lead to dopamine rushes and have a opposite effect on your focus, and you wallet! Want to learn more about age-proofing your brain as much as possible? Have a look at our blog about the Centenarian Olympics!
No products in the cart.