 Credit: Blake Farris, Mito Coaching | www.mitocoaching.com Today’s fast-paced world is filled with distractions and demands. Maintaining focus and concentration has become an uphill battle. Many of us are struggling to stay on task at work, study for exams, or hold a conversation with friends. Enhancing your ability to concentrate is essential for productivity, success, and well-being. In this article, we’ll explore 5 strategies to help you increase focus, sharpen your attention, and unlock your potential.
Focus: Your Golden Ticket Attention has become a commodity. Fought for tooth and nail, by advertisers, apps, friends, and family members. With the expansion of digital media and the heavy reliance on phones we are at risk of overstimulation. One minute you’re focused on work. “Ding” Now you’re replying to your friend. “Ding” back to work. “Ding” scrolling Instagram. Your attention bounces from one thing to the next, while your brain becomes unable to focus on what is important. Focus is the ability to hold your attention in a single place. Letting distractions float by as if they don’t exist. It is what you feel when you enter the “flow” state. Focus is what allows peak performers to be efficient and get things done fast. When you filter out distractions your true self can shine through. Strategies to Enhance Focus 1. Set boundaries with Technology Advertisers, developers, and marketers make their living by grabbing your attention. Notifications “ping” your brain, making it difficult to ignore. Millions of dollars have gone into making notifications as enticing as possible. Limit screen time by scheduling designated periods for device usage. This means turning off notifications. Establishing tech-free zones in your home or workspace. Leaving your phone outside of the bedroom while sleeping. Taking your time before checking it in the morning. All this will have tons of benefits for sleep, anxiety, and overstimulation. 2. Practice Meditation Meditation is, at its core, a focus exercise. While practicing, you are asking your mind to hold attention to one thing, your breath. You will also build up mindfulness. Mindfulness allows you to notice your attention running in many directions. You can then bring it back to a focused state. Start with a short session (~2–5 mins) and build up from there. Meditation is a practice, and should be treated as such. Start by practicing for short sessions and add as you get better. Over time, you will notice a significant increase in concentration. 3. Proper Sleep During sleep our bodies replenish important neurochemicals. This includes dopamine. Dopamine is our universal currency for motivation. A poor sleep means that we have very little currency to offer to our day. When motivation is slim, focus becomes very difficult to achieve. Sleep is different for everyone. Find out how long you need to sleep and do everything you can to get it as often as possible. A dark room, a warm shower before bed, and no screens in the bedroom go a long way. Trust me, you don’t “need” to watch a show while you fall asleep. 4. Avoid Indulgent Behaviors Speaking of dopamine. Be wary of social media, notifications, junk food, drugs, alcohol, and other pleasurable behaviors. These all release dopamine at inflated levels and result in decreased focus. When pleasure is so cheap and easy to get, your brain no longer wants to pursue long term goals. This one is hard because all these things can feel good in the moment. But, they will be detrimental in the long haul. If you are doing all these things, take one away. If you only have one vice, work on using it less. Your attention will be better served elsewhere. Future You will thank you for your sacrifice. 5. Learn to Say No Learn to say no to commitments that drain your energy and contribute to burnout. When you say yes to every activity, advertisement, and work need you invite overstimulation through the front door. Rank your goals and values. This will allow you to make simple decisions on what is worth your time and what is not. Remember to balance achievement based activities with relaxing, calming things, such as time with friends or a bath. Concentration is a skill that requires practice and takes time to develop. It requires patience, persistence, and self-awareness. Start by practicing meditation, setting boundaries with technology, and avoiding indulgent behaviors. This will enhance your ability to stay single minded and allow you to achieve your goals. The world will belong to those who are able protect their attention and focus on long term goals. Meet Our Contributor — Blake Farris Blake Farris is the Founder and Head Dopamine Coach of Mito Coaching. He is a professional executive coach with several years of experience in the personal wellness industry. He combines neurochemical expertise with the art of coaching. This allows him to produce customized plans for clients to achieve their dreams. Blake’s mission is to help clients navigate a world of abundance with the neural circuitry meant for a world of scarcity.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |