Six Proven tips to improve focus and concentration

You must have heard umpteen times from your professors or colleagues that the right focus could make things easier for you and no matter how hard you try, you simply lose your concentration. The moment you start to work or study, your mind wanders to thoughts that not just make you lose focus but you end up losing precious time which is enough to make anyone panic.

Asia Pacific Institute of Management lists down six important helpful points which are sure to help you focus and improve your concentration skills-

1. Organise yourself– An unorganised lifestyle is sure to disturb your body clock and will create unnecessary mood swings. Following a routine makes it easy for the mind to relax and bring focus to the tasks of the day. An erratic lifestyle not just spoils health but is a big time killer too and creates a lot of confusion.
2. De-clutter your work environment– Just as an organised mind and body is important for greater concentration. According to a study done at Princeton University Neuroscience Institute, clutter competes for your attention and it affects your ability to focus. So when you clean your desk on a daily basis, it not just saves you time by helping you find things easily, it also creates a calming effect on your mind, helping you improve not just concentration but also productivity.
3. Meditate– All researches prove it and it is undoubtedly the healthiest and easiest way to relax an agitated or stressed mind. You could begin with a mere 2-3 minutes and then take it further ahead for a longer period. It not just shall help you relax and focus more, but also help you in becoming physically and mentally fitter and stronger.
4. Exercise more in short bursts– Exercises are known to turn on the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which you may call the CEO of the brain. Short quick bursts of any aerobic exercise turns on that CEO of your brain increasing the level of neurotransmitters like dopamine in your body and flooding the brain with oxygen. This helps immensely in increasing concentration and focus.
5. Watch what you snack on– If its sugary foods or foods with trans fats is what you binge on while studying or working, maybe they are the real culprits for a weak concentration or focus. These sugary foods make your mind foggy and hamper concentration levels. Eat healthy brain foods which stimulate the brain rather than making it dull and groggy. Have more berries, eggs, fatty fish rich in omega-3s, avocados, celery, dark chocolate etc. They will keep your mind active for longer.
6. Restrict your mobile and social media usage– You must learn to use technology in the right way. Keep yourself away from smart phones and if working on the social media log out of all your social media profiles. Do not check your emails constantly. Mobiles have drastically reduced our attention span and make us crave for stimulation of something new. This keeps us making check it frequently.  We do it unconsciously quite often. It’s because all activities that give pleasure make our brain release dopamine. To control our mind and make it productive and work according to our will, we surely need to master all these tricks and get the most out of our efforts.

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