Table of contents:
- Tips to improve concentration and how to focus on work
- 1. Know what is often causing you to become distracted
- 2. Try to be alone
- 3. Focus first on one job
- 4. Think about the present, not the past or the future though
- 5. Calm your mind
Working on something complex, whether it's an office project or a final project on campus, requires a very high level of concentration. But it is not uncommon for thoughts to disperse instantly when you are distracted for just a moment - by group chat which is suddenly busy gossiping, or for fun driving away boredom by scroll timeline FB / Twitter which continued for hours. As a result, work that should have been completed on time was delayed and brought overtime. Don't make procrastination a habit. Here are tips that you can copy to improve concentration and how to focus on working until it's finished.
Tips to improve concentration and how to focus on work
For those of you who like to fail to focus on one job or another, here are tips for increasing concentration and ways to focus that you can try.
1. Know what is often causing you to become distracted
Before starting to work on increasing your concentration at work, it's a good idea to find out first what makes it difficult for you to focus.
For example, maybe you can't stand watching funny videos on Youtube or peeking at the Twitter timeline during business hours just because you don't want to miss the latest information. To solve this, you can install extension or a special application for your internet browser that can block sites of your choice within a certain period of time, which you can set yourself. Examples are StayFocusd and Block and Focus (extension for Chrome), SelfControl (apps for Mac users), Cold Turkey (apps for Windows and Mac users), and Rescue Time (apps for Windows, Android and Mac users).
Or, do you like to get distracted because of the ringing group chat on your cellphone that never stops? You can temporarily mute nagging groups, switch to silent mode, or go unresponsive: airplane mode. Keep your cellphone in your bag so there is no temptation to check your cellphone back and forth.
2. Try to be alone
One of the tricks to improve your concentration and focus on working is to be alone, aiming to avoid and ignore distractions around you. You can do assignments in the library, bedroom, or other location that can prevent your concentration from breaking. Or, plug in a headset with your favorite music as a sign to those around you that you can't and don't want to be disturbed.
Another thing to remember, not all distractions are external (from other people). It could be that your loss of focus is due to fatigue, worry, anxiety, and poor work motivation. If you have this, it's a good idea to take a short break to increase the focus of the work you want to achieve. That's why it's actually important for office employees to take a nap, just 15 minutes before returning to work after lunch
3. Focus first on one job
Sometimes, failing to focus can be because you are multitasking. Although it looks effective because you can do 1001 things with just two hands, the brain actually works Disorganizedbeing forced to focus on different things.
So, there are two memories competing in your brain, namely the memory of the first job and the memory of the second job. When this happens, it is not uncommon for the signals in the brain to collide and as a result the brain actually gives the wrong response so that your focus is easily distracted and is prone to making mistakes between the two jobs.
If you are presented with two or three jobs at a time, try to set priorities: which ones are more important and urgent to complete, which ones can be done later because the deadline is also a bit long.
4. Think about the present, not the past or the future though
Concentration and how to focus on working can decrease when you even reflect on past mistakes or worry about the goals of this project in the future, or even imagine other things that are not necessarily going to happen. It's a good idea to focus on the present moment. Train your mind to keep thinking about what is in front of you and needs to be resolved. When it's finished, then you can think of something else.
5. Calm your mind
One of the best ways to improve your concentration and the way you focus is through meditation. Researchers found that regular 8-week meditation practice can sharpen the brain and memory, especially for those of you who have difficulty concentrating.
Apart from meditation, trying out breathing techniques is also a powerful way to focus your mind on the things you are aiming for. Start by taking a deep breath while focusing on each breath you inhale and exhaling slowly. When your mind starts to scatter out of focus, refocus your mind on the breathing exercise you are doing. Do it over and over in order to get maximum results.
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