[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The great bane of getting things done isn't a lack of time but choosing how to use it.
Most days, I accrue a mind-boggling number of hours mired in mundane stuff — checking email, washing dishes, opening (then later closing!) blinds — while dread thuds in my chest because I have a half-dozen meaningful things to tackle. I don't get to them because they require more effort and concentration than rubbing a sponge on a mug.
In other words, I make admirable work of the seemingly urgent but unimportant, while largely ignoring the important but less urgent.
Finding focus is an intentional act and by many measures, a skill. If it weren't, we wouldn't try to hack our way to meditation, the poster child for honing focus. Being experienced enough in meditation to reap an on-demand ability to focus takes … time. By all means go for it. There's no downside.
But if you need to cut to the chase and concentrate — right now — these four tactics deliver.
How to Focus: 4 Tips to Improve Concentration
Simplify
If you unequivocally need to focus at this very second — to bandage a bleeding arm, for example — you will. Nothing else matters in the moment because what's happening in the moment is paramount.
Force similar circumstances by eliminating or ignoring conditions that deter you from concentrating.
If silence and stillness best serve you, but you’re in a room that’s noisy or busy with people or animals, go somewhere quiet that lets you be solo, or put in earplugs and block your vision. This is a no-brainer, but I can't tell you how many times I'm trying to finish an editorial assignment, but wind up reading the same sentence over and over, because someone keeps walking past me or chirping up periodically.
On the other hand, if a quiet room drives you mad, go somewhere whose ambient action squeezes you into a pinpoint of purpose. If you can’t relocate, turn on noise that creates a din conducive to concentration. This isn’t how I work best, but I imagine streaming a podcast that makes your eyes glaze over would do the trick.
Prioritize
I'm 100% sure you have at least 10 things you could tend to right now. I'm also sure you'll pick whatever is easiest and seems most pressing, even if it's not as important as something else. Checking your hyper phone instead of starting that sales spreadsheet is an easy example.
Ignore the low-hanging fruit until you've taken at least a few steps toward what's more important. Once you get the ball rolling, you’ll be in the rhythm, making it easier to stay focused. An object in motion — you, in this case — will remain in motion unless stopped.
To that end, make prioritizing easier on yourself: Silence your devices and electronic notifications. If you know that other visual cues could derail you, hide them from view or turn away from them.
Monotask
The best way to concentrate on something is to literally concentrate on it, to do it and only it.
There is no such thing as multitasking. There is only moving from one task to another, while losing the traction and headway on whatever you just stopped doing in order to do something else. We are most successful and least stressed when we
monotask.
“Human beings are built to monotask,” though the digital age tricks us into thinking otherwise, says Thatcher Wine, author of
The Twelve Monotasks: Do One Thing at a Time to Do Everything Better. “Our relationship with our devices is partially to blame.” (Like I said earlier: Silence your devices and notifications.)
Become present
You might feel too anxious to execute any of the previous suggestions. Don't beat yourself up for it. We've all been there. What's more, sometimes even if you successfully eliminate distractions or bear down on one thing, your mind is not on board. Turns out, getting your body on board helps get your mind on board.
The best way to encourage a mental shift to the present if it’s not happening of its own accord is to plop yourself in the here-and-now with a straightforward
mindfulness exercise.
The two practices below require just five minutes each. Pick one. Both anchor you to the present moment by way of your physical senses, halting rumination and preventing anticipation.
Take slow measured breaths throughout, inhaling low in your torso and exhaling slowly.
Get grounded: Sit on something and place your feet flat on the ground. They can be in or out of shoes. Rest your palms on your thighs. Close your eyes. Notice how your soles feel against the stable surface beneath them. Let that sense of grounding travel up through your legs and merge with the sensation of your palms against your legs. If your mind wanders, draw your awareness back to the sensation at your feet, thighs and then palms.
Observe: Notice what's around you: Pen. Chair. Pile of stuff on the ground. Keep going. Start with what's in front of you and methodically widen your field of vision. You're labeling what you see, connecting to the present moment by noting what's in your physical space. If you prefer using aural identification, close your eyes and instead label the sounds you hear, one by one.
Mitra Malek is a former Yoga Journal editor who has taught yoga since 2006. She’s least distracted when she’s practicing yoga. Or sleeping.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title="Featured Products" border_width="2"][vc_row_inner equal_height="yes" content_placement="middle" gap="35"][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="177457" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1724447737690{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/natures-way-sustained-focus-brain-health-improved-focus-concentration"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="177456" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1724447765556{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/olly-laser-focus-berry-tangy-tangerine"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="177455" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1724447790505{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/gaia-herbs-focus-brain-support-blend"][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]
