According to Microsoft research, we lose interest after only eight seconds. [1] This indicates we have a shorter attention span than a goldfish (which is nine).
The fight for our minds is a genuine one. Never before has there been such a diverse range of cars competing for our attention.
Which is bad for us. Disney+, Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok are just a few of the big names out there, and they’re all extremely brilliant at what they do, which is bad for us. The good news is that we have the ability to fight back.
I assist customers in regaining their concentration in a variety of methods as a productivity consultant. Here are 11 natural techniques to improve your attention.
1. A Good Night’s Rest
We have grown preoccupied with getting ahead as a culture. We come in early, stay late, put in time on weekends, and work until the wee hours of the morning.
We do so to get an advantage over our peers and competitors, resulting in promotions and greater wages. Every time I audit, every time a new customer enters through my door (metaphorically speaking in today’s environment).
I’d like to know how they spend their time, where the holes are, and how I may best assist them. Almost every CEO who comes to me for help shortchanges himself when it comes to sleep.
The sleepless elites (1 to 3% of the population)[2] can get by on fewer than five hours of sleep, while the majority of us just cannot.
According to studies, we require between seven and eight hours of sleep every night to work at our best. [3] Some of the people who get a good night’s sleep are Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Jack Ma, and LeBron James.
A good night’s sleep helps our bodies to reboot, decreasing stress and muscular fatigue. Our capacity to concentrate improves and we are able to make fewer mistakes.
Solution: It’s hardly rocket science: plan your sleep as you would a crucial customer meeting. It’s that critical.
2. Dust Off Your Jogging Shoes
We have evolved into a sedentary culture, with the typical person sitting for 10 hours each day. As a result, our bodies suffer.
We need to exercise to counteract the negative consequences of sitting, so dust off your running shoes and go out there. It doesn’t have to be running, but we must get our hearts racing.
Martial arts like Karate or Aikido are a wonderful method to not only increase your stamina and attention organically but also to acquire the capacity to defend oneself.
Another wonderful sport that can be done alone is bouldering. Going to a bouldering gym is fantastic since you can use your AirPods to listen to your favourite podcast or lectures, thus slaying two birds with one stone.
Regular exercise has a long list of advantages. Everyone benefits from exercise, from the very young to the elderly. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), even a year of moderate aerobic physical activity can help prevent or even cure memory loss. [4]
When it comes to exercising, most individuals fail because they attempt to do too much, too quickly, and then quit up.
Consider your health more of a marathon than a sprint. Play for the long haul. It’s become clear to me that the true issue isn’t simply working out, but rather forming the habit.
Solution: Begin by exercising for five minutes each day. Everyone has five minutes to spare. It’s simple to raise the habit to ten or twenty once it’s established, but without the habit, your chances of success are slim.
3. Nature is Your Friend
Nature is a winner when it comes to natural approaches to increase attention. Too many of us spend our days hopping from one screen to the next.
We concentrate on our forthcoming PowerPoint presentation on our laptop, then check our social media feeds on our iPhone before turning on our 65-inch TV to catch up on our favourite shows. Our eyes are under a lot of pressure, and we aren’t even aware of it.
The remedy is straightforward: put your phone aside and go outside. Even a short stroll of 15 to 20 minutes might help you concentrate better.
Do you have a case of writer’s block? Getting outside and simply enjoying nature is the same thing. A quick stroll around the neighbourhood or a stroll around the park
Even great if you’re near a beach or river.
Any natural setting offers advantages. According to studies from 2014, merely adding plants to your office space can improve focus and productivity[5] as well as work satisfaction and air quality.
Natural surroundings are beneficial to people of all ages. A 20-minute walk in the park, rather than a simple walk in the city, might help children with ADHD improve their focus. [6]
Solution: Spend more time in nature.
4. Brain Training Activities
Sudoku, crosswords, chess, and jigsaw puzzles are all quite popular. They are not only difficult, but they also assist to increase attention and patience.
Solution: Add more games to your mental diet.
5. Music
Classical music has been found to boost cognitive performance in studies. [7] Perhaps it’s the combination of lovely sounds and a lack of lyrics that work so well.
Our minds aren’t distracted by attempting to sing along with Taylor Swift, and we feel more relaxed as a result.
Solution: Increase the amount of classical music, natural noises, or BGM in your workspace.
6. Noise-Cancelling Headphones
We live in a noisy world. Notifications, buzzes, phone calls, children, automobiles, and so forth. When I was sitting in a park with no one around or lying on a deserted beach, I was at my most productive.
Unfortunately, not everyone has that opportunity. Thankfully, noise-cancelling headphones allow us to create our own private spaces. It isn’t exactly a natural technique to enhance attention, but it is much too crucial to leave out.
Solution: Get some AirPod Pros and block out the rest of the world. Just remember not to use them while riding or driving.
7. Tai Chi
It’s neither a combat art nor a kind of meditation. Tai Chi is an ancient type of mind-focused exercise that has been described as “medicine in motion.”
This low-impact, slow-motion workout requires you to concentrate on your breathing and circular motions without tensing your muscles.
Solution: If you’ve always wanted to practise martial arts but prefer a gentler approach, Tai Chi may be right for you.
8. Work from Paper
Our culture has become so reliant on technology that most children know their iPads better than their books. I adore my iPhone, but I am well aware of its limits.
One natural method to improve attention and recall is to work on paper. Picking up a new language and jotting things down has a certain charm to it.
Typing consists of pressing a series of keys in ostensibly random order. We are forced to construct each letter as we write (or character for languages such as Japanese and Thai).
As a result of the movement, different areas of our brain are stimulated, which increases attention.
Solution: Real pros use pens and paper in today’s digital world.
9. Caffeine
While I’m not a big fan of including caffeine in your diet, I can’t deny that it can help you concentrate. Most people believe that implies they should drink coffee, but I recommend that they try green tea, often known as matcha.
Green tea not only contains caffeine but also contains phytochemicals that boost cognitive performance while also promoting relaxation.
Solution: If you need a caffeine boost, go Japanese and drink green tea.
10. Meditation
I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. We live in a noisy world. Meditation, on the other hand, is the polar opposite. It gives us the opportunity to clean our heads. “It just dawns on you when you get silent,” Thomas Edison famously observed.
Not everyone is a good fit for meditation. It takes time to unlock its potential, and some people lack the patience to do so. Instead, I recommend attempting yoga for those folks. Yoga and meditation are linked in many ways.
Both focus primarily on breathing techniques, so yoga is a better choice if you have difficulties sitting still. Many sportsmen, like Kobe Bryant, were avid participants in both activities, with impressive outcomes.
Solution: Incorporate a healthy dose of yoga or meditation into your everyday routine.
11. Improve Your Diet
“You can only be as productive as you feel,” I like to remark. Our emotional and physical wellness are intertwined in our situation.
Many of the items on this list are geared toward enhancing our mental health, but our physical health is just as essential, which is why exercise is ranked second. However, exercise is just half of the equation when it comes to our overall health. The other is our eating habits.
Too many of us don’t take the time to prepare a nutritious diet that will help us focus and be more productive. I was one of them, and I had to deal with it.
Thankfully, my wife was able to right the ship, and I now feel better than I did in my twenties at the age of 46.
Creating the ideal diet is the subject of whole books. I don’t feel we require quite as much. Simply said, eating a more well-balanced diet is the key to living a healthy lifestyle.
The proportions of chicken, fish and meat in my seven lunches and dinners each week are generally 40 percent chicken, 30 percent fish, and 30 percent meat.
With the exception of the occasional burger, every meal includes a variety of veggies. Finally, and maybe most significantly, I seldom eat until I’m satisfied.
Solution: You don’t have to go vegan to enhance your attention; a well-balanced diet can help.
Bottom Line
The battle for our focus is very real. We need to fight back! The 11 ways above will help you increase your focus naturally and boost productivity.