All of us have experienced difficulties in concentration and we are not able to focus on the task at hand, it could be a report to be sent to our superior or presentation for a client meeting, or it could be a nice emailer you want to write to your new friend, we are struggling to focus. All we are moving to is a closing deadline and a wandering mind, despite your best efforts, things are not progressing. 

You’re motivated to do it, but you just can’t concentrate, in this digital world, we are easily distracted. The dependency of digital devices has led us to loss of concentration and derailed our ability to focus. This a very common problem faced by most of us. Most of us would like to know how to focus better and improve our concentration so that we can perform better and be more effective in our lives.

Let’s first look at factors affecting concentration

Concentration isaffected by both internal and external or environmental factors. We must first understand what is getting in the way of our concentration, only then will it be easier to address it.

• Distraction. Distractions are a major cause of lack of concentration, today’s digital world bombards us these through notifications, alerts, new messages, and calls. If you want to focus on your task at hand, put your phone away till you complete the task. Let the people around you know that you are not to be disturbed. Our minds tend to roam around and explore, you have control it and didactic it to be disciplined. Your first step towards achieving focus is to banish distraction.
• Insufficient sleep. Sleep is a very important factor for our body and our mind. Scientists have found that lack of sleep can lead to reduced alertness, slower thought processes, and lower concentration.
• Low physical activity.  Your mind and body are connected and are a part of the overall engine, so if the body does not get worked out, there is higher chance of reduction in mental abilities. Physical activity and mental alertness, they both go hand-in hand.
• What you Eat. Our eating habits play a large role not only in our physical wellbeing but also in how we feel, including our mental wellbeing and its clarity and capacities. It is important to cultivate a habit of having balanced diet, over dieting can affect our capabilities adversely, so would overeating.
• Our Environment. Sometimes we are exposed to external disturbances like there could be noisy activity going on next to our house/ workplace. Having said this some people also have difficulty concentrating when it is too quiet, even a small hum of a coffee machine or any electronic equipment may cause a lot of distraction. The lighting in the room that you are working is also a point of matter for concentration. A lighting is too loud or too dim can also reduce your ability to focus and cause distractions. The temperature of the room can cause disturbances.
• Lifestyle. Fatigue, hunger, and dehydration can derail concentration. Lifestyles that involve too many missed meals, rich foods, or excessive alcohol consumption can challenge our memory and ability to concentrate and focus.

All the above factors can affect your ability to concentrate and focus, luckily, there are also remedies that can help you to improve your concentration.

15 Ways to improve your concentration and stay focussed

There’s no one answer for how to improve focus, but the following solutions can surely help.

1. Remove distractions. How Make it a practice to block time for all activities on your calendar, including attending to messages and calling up friends. This way you know that there is another time for social activities. While attempting to do important tasks that need you to concentrate, keep your mobile away. Get into your comfortable space with only the tools that you would need for that task. Let others know you are going to be busy with an important task, it’s not bad to put up a ‘do not disturb’ signage, do it if it’s convenient or really required. Commit to yourself that you would not let anyone/anything to interrupt your activity.
2. Avoid multitasking. We assume that multitasking will help us get ahead on our task list, it only makes us feel good, however it results in poor focus and lower concentration affecting our productivity as well as quality. If you are listening to music while drafting an email, there are higher chances you will commit mistakes.
3. Practice mindfulness and meditation. Accommodating meditation as a habit will help you in your ability to focus and concentrate. Alternatively practicing mindfulness will also help you achieve similar results. Practicing meditation and mindfulness activities will lead to better mental fitness and improve cognitive capabilities. The process of meditation helps us to make our brain calmer and focus on any single thought, thereby sharpening our ability to focus.
4. Sleep well. Adequate sleep is necessary for your body to recuperate and function at optimum level, it is hence important to take a well-rested sleep. In case you have difficulty in sleeping, please ensure that you exercise daily, hydrate yourself by drinking water at regular intervals and avoid overeating at dinner, have your dinner at least an hour before going to sleep.
5. Train yourself to focus on the task. Firstly, understand that you can choose where you want to focus, turn your back on any distractions that come your way, it’s sometimes tough, but it is necessary. It’s very much possible that your mind might just wander, you need to tell yourself to shut it and come back to the task at hand.
6. Short breaks can help. Despite your best efforts if you are not able to get your mind to come back to the task, then sometimes, a short break (recess) can help. Just get up from your seat, take a brief walk, coffee break, a quick chat with a colleague, these short breaks, can help you to declutter the thoughts and will help you to calm down and focus again.
7. Training your brain. You can train your brain with games like chess, sudoku, jigsaw and some brain stimulating video games, to help improve focus and concentration. Research has shown that brain training activities can enhance cognitive abilities, including concentration, in youngsters.
8. Exercising. When you exercise it help boost the brain’s dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels and all these will affect focus and attention. According to research individuals who do some form of exercise or sports perform better on cognitive tasks when compared with those who have poor physical health.
9. Eating well. Balanced diet will help you to moderate blood sugar, maintain energy, and fuel the brain. Fruits, vegetables, and high-fibre foods can keep your blood sugar levels even.  Reduce sugary foods and drinks that cause spikes and dips in your sugar levels make you feel dizzy or drowsy.
Your brain needs lots of good fat to function properly. Nuts, berries, avocados, and coconut oil are all great ways to get healthy fats into your diet and help your brain run more smoothly. Green leafy vegetables such as spinach contain potassium which help accelerates the connections between neurons and can make our brain more responsive.
10. Writing down your daily priority. When you write down what you want to achieve each day. This will help you to focus your brain on the tasks that matter the most encouraging you to complete the list of tasks at hand. This also helps you to break down large goals into small tasks and thus help you progress.
11. Create your space for study / work. Create your own space for your study or work, it should be calm, dedicated, if possible. Not all of us can have a separate study/work room, however even a corner of a room can be created to suit your needs and make you comfortable. Clear clutter out of sight, make it as ergonomic and comfortable as possible, and try to keep your space neat and ventilated. 

Learning how to improve concentration is not a very easy task, it may take effort of several days. However, with above mentioned methods, you can slowly improvise your focus and gain your ability to concentrate. One of the keys to start improvising is to acknowledge how lack of focus is affecting your current life, recognising that it is stopping you from reaching excellence. If you are struggling to meet commitments, constantly distracted by the unimportant activities, it is time to seriously work on developing your focus with the above-mentioned ways.

Learning how to concentrate on your studies or your work is essential for succeeding in your studies, career, and life. Improving your concentration, can help you accomplish more of what you value and feel better doing it. This in turn will help you find time for joy and happiness so that you can achieve a meaningful and satisfying life.