By Hermoine Macura-Noble
Special to The Times Kuwait
In today’s digital world, the constant flow of information means that staying focused can be a struggle. Human resource experts complain that this new digital matrix has reduced the attention span of people, and more staff are coming into the corporate world suffering from attention deficiency. “They find it hard to be off their phones… It’s usually one of the social apps like Instagram or Tik Tok. Most people start first thing in the morning and continue throughout the day checking for messages, emails, or current events on the social channels,” explains HR consultant and Learning and Development Advisor, Amrita Singh. But the good news is that concentration is much like a mental muscle, the more you exercise it, the stronger it will get. Here are the top ten ways to improve your concentration and develop razor-sharp focus.
Eliminate distractions: “Phones are kept near beds and are checked the last thing before going to sleep and during the night, affecting concentration levels. As a result, it is challenging to engage many people in deep conversations that need time, focus, and attention, like problem-solving or creative thinking, adds Singh.
According to research, just seeing our smartphone impairs our ability to concentrate. Block out as much distraction as possible. Close your social media and other apps, silence notifications, and put your phone on mute to avoid being distracted by incoming calls or texts.
Practice mindfulness and meditation: Mindfulness and meditation can help you increase your attention span by focusing on the present moment. Even just 20 minutes of meditation will help you improve your concentration.
Get a good night’s sleep: Getting a good night’s sleep can significantly impact your ability to concentrate. Experts recommend getting seven to eight hours of sleep every night. Turning off the television and putting your phone away an hour before bed and winding down instead with some relaxing music, a warm bath, or a book is the ideal way to go.
Vary your diet: The foods you eat can affect your cognitive functions like concentration. To boost your concentration, avoid processed foods and sugar-loaded or greasy foods. Instead, try eating more fatty fish like salmon and trout, eggs, blueberries, walnuts, avocadoes, and spinach, which have all been shown to support brain health. Studies have also found that eating breakfast can improve your concentration.
Take regular breaks: Research has found that even taking very short breaks by shifting your attention elsewhere can dramatically enhance your ability to focus. Take a few moments to break, with a subtle reminder to get up, stretch your legs, and get a dose of social media or news every 90 minutes.
Work Smarter, Not Harder: Blocking off time for specific tasks can help you focus on one thing at a time and lower the risk of distractions. Setting a time limit can help you focus on the job because you know the limited time you can spend on it.
“You may want to consider applications like MS Teams and Zoom for meetings, training, and presentations with hundreds of people simultaneously maximizing time and resources. Conversations limited to one-to-one, or one to a few, can now happen as easily as one-to-many. Digitalizing processes allows people to be freed up to focus on higher-level thinking tasks. Storage of information using the cloud allows companies to store copious amounts of information to make work easier for their staff,” says Singh.
Connect with nature: Boost your concentration naturally by getting outside every day, even for a short while. Spending time in nature benefits your mental wellbeing. Studies have shown that people’s mental energy bounced back just by looking at pictures of nature.
Train your brain: Playing certain types of brain games can help to improve your concentration. According to research, people who often do crosswords, sudoku, or jigsaws have better brain function later in life.
Multitasking is a myth: Scientific studies have shown that the human brain cannot focus on two things simultaneously. Juggling more than one task at a time dramatically reduces your productivity. So try focusing on one study at a time to get the best results. “A company is only as strong as its weakest employee, and its growth and success are linked with its employees. With stress levels and absenteeism rising, experts say that for companies to thrive in 2023, HR needs to take employee wellbeing more seriously. Companies must decide on the importance of their staff wellbeing, so stress levels that affect work are kept low… Ergonomic furniture and policies not to disturb people outside working hours are also important to staff wellbeing,” says Singh.
Make time for exercise: Regular exercise is a great way to improve concentration and physical health. Studies have shown that people with an active lifestyle perform better on tasks requiring a high concentration level. Even just 20-30 minutes a day can make a big difference in your ability to focus. Going for a brisk walk or doing a stretch class can give you a new sense of focus.
By Hermoine Macura-Noble
The first Australian English speaking News Anchor in the Middle East. She is also the Author of Faces of the Middle East and Founder of US-based 501c3 charity – The House of Rest which helps to ease the suffering of victims of war. For more from our Contributing Editor, you can follow her on Instagram, here.
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