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Usually, when you need to concentrate, they advise turning off notifications and removing the smartphone from the field of vision. And there is a point to this.
Research shows that even if a smartphone is turned off and lying nearby, it distracts and consumes cognitive resources.
But what if the smartphone has long been hidden, notifications are turned off, messengers and unnecessary browser tabs are closed, and thoughts still return to the video on YouTube, a cup of coffee, and email? Here are some tips for such a case.
Why has it become difficult for everyone to concentrate?
Blaming multitasking for our decreased productivity is not uncommon. We often believe that doing multiple things at once can help us speed up our work. However, the brain is not designed to process and perform two or more tasks simultaneously. Switching between tasks can also cause mental fatigue and trigger the release of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline.
As a result, our work suffers, and we tend to make more mistakes. It can also lead to a feeling of overwhelm and inadequacy. Studies have found that people who frequently multitask struggle to concentrate on a single task.
According to Canadian neurobiologist Daniel Levitin, dopamine may be the reason behind our difficulty in staying focused. When we get distracted by notifications on our phone or email, we receive new information, which triggers the production of dopamine. This neurotransmitter is part of the brain’s reward system and produces a feeling of pleasure. Thus, the more we get distracted, the more our brain gets used to not being attentive because it feels rewarding.
TIP #1: Mentally transport yourself
Difficulty concentrating is a common issue that can often stem from anxiety, particularly when faced with important tasks. This can lead to procrastination, where one spends an excessive amount of time seeking further information and clarification, rather than focusing on the task at hand.
To combat anxious thoughts that interfere with concentration, psychologists recommend an exercise called “Leaves on the Stream.” Picture yourself sitting by a calm stream with leaves floating on its surface. Imagine placing your anxious thoughts or distracting mental images on the leaves and let them drift downstream as you observe them passively. This exercise teaches you to observe your worries from a distance rather than allowing them to consume your attention.
The aim of this technique is to help you return to the present moment and let go of future uncertainties. Detaching from anxious thoughts is one of the fundamental principles of acceptance and commitment therapy, which has been shown to be effective in reducing anxiety in several studies.
If mindfulness isn’t your thing, don’t worry, there are other tips to try.
TIP #2: Turn on music
Playing your favorite songs while working is a bad idea: strong emotions are distracting.
Here’s what the ideal music for concentration should be like.
? Quiet. If the background noise is too loud, it distracts attention and reduces the speed of information processing. Therefore, adjust the volume to be lower than when you listen to music for pleasure.
? Monotonous and uniform. For example, “white noise”: sound with uniform distribution of high, medium and low frequencies, which masks other sounds – from door knocks to colleagues’ phone conversations. Experiment with A Soft Murmur or Noisli apps: you can mix a variety of sounds, from the howling wind to the noise of a coffee shop.
? On the contrary, moderately rhythmic. But then the compositions should not be too fast, too complex, or too boring. To understand what is meant, you can listen to brain.fm or Focus@will playlists – they are compiled for concentration based on neurobiology data.
TIP #3: Take a walk in the park
When you feel like you’ve lost focus, take a short walk in nature – 15 minutes will be enough. Even a small park will do. Here’s how nature contemplation can help:
? Reduce stress levels and quickly regain concentration. Scientists even have a whole theory about this – the attention restoration theory. To test it, in one experiment, participants were offered a short break – only 40 seconds – and asked to look at photos of tall buildings or a blooming meadow. The concentration of those who looked at tall buildings decreased by 8%, while the concentration of those who contemplated nature increased by 6%. Living nature, with its smells and sounds, is likely even better for attention.
? Train your brain to be attentive. When you walk slowly and attentively in the park, you learn to notice details that usually escape perception. It’s almost like meditation, and meditation, as research shows, can improve attention concentration.
TIP #4: Go for a run
Or walk briskly for at least twenty minutes. This aerobic exercise improves cognitive function, including concentration.
The method works quickly: attentiveness increases immediately after a run or walk for about an hour. If you engage in physical activity every day, then after about four weeks, your ability to concentrate will improve overall.
TIP #5: Watch videos about cute animals
More precisely, with kittens, puppies, ducklings, and other young animals. Watching them is beneficial for attention – more beneficial than watching adult animals or something less cute.
Japanese researchers showed participants in the experiment photos of kittens and puppies, adult cats and dogs, or neutral images that did not evoke feelings of affection. Then they asked them to complete a task that required concentration. The result: participants who looked at the kittens and puppies were the most meticulous in completing the task.
What to do if you still can’t concentrate?
If nothing helps, it is important to analyze the causes of blurring.
Pay attention to the thoughts, feelings and sensations in your body that arise when you can’t focus. These are internal triggers that urge you to distract yourself. They may include, for example, thoughts of your incompetence, anxiety and tension in your chest. Write down the triggers in a notebook. Record the time and circumstances: where you were, what you were doing.
Do this exercise for at least several days and analyze the recordings. What often becomes a trigger for procrastination? What fears and thoughts? At what moments do they appear?
Can you adjust your behavior to worry less? For example, not checking Instagram before work or checking your mailbox less often?
The more often you do the exercise, the better you will understand what prevents you from being attentive and how to fight it.
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