How to Focus Better: Top Strategies for Improved Concentration

We live in crazy times. The constant urge to do more, better, and quicker, along with the fast pace of life and endless to-do lists, makes it more and more difficult to maintain focus. There are always so many things to do. And people can only focus so much.

In general, staying 100% focused on a task may be challenging (science says that our brains are prone to spotting dangers amid our daily activities, the so called fight-or-flight response).

Also, there’s the endless buzz of the social media and technology—alerts, notifications, calls, and breaking news updates that pull us in and make it nearly impossible to stay fully engaged.

Luckily, despite all the challenges, you can keep your focus sharp, or at least help yourself survive in difficult times. Here’s your short guide on how to focus better.

Understanding Focus and Distractions

If you’re having difficulty concentrating, you’re not the only one. One of the most popular studies used in the field of human brain—population based prospective study—presents repeatedly proven results.

And that is, our ability to concentrate naturally declines as we age, but it’s also heavily impacted by lifestyle factors such as stress, sleep quality, and screen time. Numerous analyses reveal that modern distractions, like continuous digital notifications and multitasking, overstimulate the brain, making it harder to focus on single tasks.

What is Focus?

So what exactly is focus and how does it work? And why is it so important?

Focus is a skill that helps you concentrate on a task, shutting out distractions and encouraging productivity.

It’s a mental muscle that can be built up with practice, but it requires effort and changes to daily habits.

Focus is so important for one simple reason—it’s essential for success, as it allows you to concentrate on something in your environment and direct mental effort toward it. It’s the key to reaching your goals and achieving success.

Common Distractions and Challenges

If you or your employees have trouble concentrating, there are probably several main reasons that contribute:

Fatigue, lack of sleep, too much stress, and lack of exercise can all affect focus.
Mental health conditions, such as ADHD, depression, or anxiety, can also impact focus and concentration.
Distractions like social media, email, and phone notifications can derail focus and productivity.

Still, distractions are the main cause of poor focus. A study by Workamajig shows that an average of 6 hours and 33 minutes are lost weekly in the U.S. due to distractions, which equates to more than 26 hours per month in lost productivity.

These are just a few examples as the way to which you suffer from poor concentration may result from your personal situation, social factors, or other external circumstances.

Strategies for Improving Focus

One of the research suggests that while all brains have the ability to focus on a rewarding task and filter out distractions, some are better at it than others. But the ability to focus can be improved.

And you can implement smart, science-based strategies that will make your life easier.

Here’s what you can do to improve your concentration in 5 steps.

1) Eliminate Distractions

The statistics are cruel—the already mentioned study by Workamajig shows that 63% of respondents need around 10 minutes to regain focus after a distraction. In comparison, 21% and 11% require up to 30 minutes and 1 hour to get back on track.

Here’s what you can do to eliminate or, at least, minimize distractions:

Minimize distractions by turning off TVs, radios, and other sources of noise, as well as social media notifications. However, some people find it easier to concentrate when listening to specific sounds, for example, background music or white noise.
Set aside a specific time and place to work without interruptions, or seek out a quiet location. It’s especially helpful if your work requires you to stay in touch with other people.
Use tools like website blockers or apps that help you stay focused to prolong your attention span and complete tasks on time.

2) Practice Mindfulness for Improved Focus

Mindfulness meditation has become increasingly popular. Whether you are or aren’t a fan of it, it’s worth giving it a shot, as it can improve concentration and focus by training the brain to stay on task.

Mindfulness is a simple task that can quickly boost concentration skills for two main reasons:

Exercising mindfulness can involve meditation, but it can also be as simple as taking a few deep breaths or short breaks.
Mindfulness can help you stay focused and efficient, even in complex multitasking situations.

3) Prioritize Self-Care for Better Focus

Take care of yourself so you can perform at your best. That includes:

Good sleep hygiene. Getting enough sleep is essential for cognitive function and focus.
Regular exercise, such as aerobic exercise, or even spending time in nature, can improve concentration and cognitive function.
Eating a healthy, balanced diet that positively affects your general well-being.

As it’s said, “A healthy body makes a healthy mind”. Improving concentration skills is easier when you feel physically and emotionally well.

4) Exercising Your Brain (and Body)

Cognitive training is good for your brain. It also improves problem-solving skills and makes it easier to work on complex tasks.

You can, for example, play memory games, learn new skills, play chess, or crossword puzzles. Even a few minutes a day can make a difference and significantly improve cognitive function of your brain.

And don’t forget about your body. Physical activity (especially coordinated bilateral physical activities which engage both sides of your body) helps to lower high blood pressure and reduce stress. Even a few hours a week will be enough.

Getting enough sleep also helps you recharge your batteries and work better.

5) Focus on One Thing at a Time

Our brains are limited and can only do so much, that means, one task at a time. Performing two or more tasks simultaneously has a negative impact on our performance and health, according to research. Our brains aren’t made to multitask.

So stop multitasking and focus on a specific task to make the most of your mental resources.

Additionally, you can use focus-centered time management strategies, such as time blocking, timeboxing, day theming, or the famous Pomodoro technique, to work in focused increments.

6) Take Breaks and Recharge

Taking brief breaks can improve mental focus by giving your brain a chance to rest and recharge.

Although working in deep focus sessions is important, researchers believe that the brain’s tendency to ignore constant stimulation can lead to decreased focus, so taking breaks can help. Even a short break can work wonders.

Hence, use breaks to do something enjoyable or relaxing, such as taking a short walk in a green space or practicing deep breathing exercises.

7) Track Your Time

Track your time to understand your work patterns and see where your time goes.

Just remember to choose an automatic time tracking software, such as TimeCamp, that tracks your work time so you don’t have to spend extra hours filling out timesheets, time logs, and writing down all the things you’ve done.

Onboarding

TimeCamp is a free, time tracker that automatically tracks time. Here’s how it can help you increase concentration:

The desktop app automatically tracks all tasks and projects so you can focus on your work.
Self-generated timesheets provide you with an accurate overview of all your work hours.
Time reports show how exactly you spent your working time.
Productivity analysis: tracking productive and non-productive activities lets you quickly spot and eliminate distractions.
Real-time dashboards give you insight into daily activities so you can quickly rearrange your attention and refocus on important tasks.
Available for all electronic devices, you can access it from any place at any time, fast and easy.

Additionally, TimeCamp easily integrates with other productivity tools and apps so you can smoothly synchronize work and stay focused on what matters most.

TimeCamp is a great personal and team productivity tracker with plenty of helpful features. You can choose which modules you need to use to optimize and automate your work.

Get to know where your time goes with TimeCamp!

Track time in projects and tasks, create reports, and bill your clients in just one tool.

8) Prioritize

Prioritizing helps to plan and organize work in such a manner that you know where you’re going and what you want to achieve. Having a plan can positively affect attention.

How do you prioritize work effectively? You can take three easy steps:

Think about the what, why, and how: what you want to achieve, why you want to achieve it, and how you can do it. Write it all down to clear mental clutter and see what it is that you want.
Organize your to-do list into tasks and set goals. Don’t work on multiple tasks but break large tasks into smaller chunks.
Use dedicated tools to track progress and refocus when things go wrong. These include task management apps, to-do lists, daily planner apps, or project management software.

What’s more, to prioritize even more effectively, you can use popular prioritization methods such as SMART goals or the Eisenhower Matrix.

9) Use Proven Time Management Techniques

There are as many time management techniques as many minds. And it can be difficult to choose the right one.

Remember that something that works for some, may not be best for you. So, how to choose the best time management technique to improve concentration? Consider the following factors:

Assess your current work habits and observe how you spend your time.
Define your work, workload, and challenges.
Explore time management techniques based on your focus needs.
Experiment with techniques, evaluate results, and adjust.

If you’re not sure which option would be the best for you, try, combine, and experiment.

👉 For more, check our comprehensive guide: 15+ Most Effective and Proven Time Management Techniques

10) Cultivate Workplace Satisfaction

Satisfaction at the workplace is one of the main pillars of productivity and focus. If you’re an employer, it’s essential to create an environment where employees feel appreciated and motivated.

This means offering fair pay, recognizing PTO with additional compensation, providing bonuses for exceptional work, and fostering positive relationships among team members. When employees are genuinely happy in their roles, their ability to concentrate and deliver high-quality results significantly improves.

If you’re an employee, take charge of your own work satisfaction. This can involve setting boundaries, prioritizing work-life balance, and advocating for what you need to stay focused and engaged. Small changes, like organizing your workspace or scheduling breaks, can also make a big difference in how focused you feel.

For freelancers or individual contractors it’s a bit different, not necessarily easier, though. But takes a lot of self-awareness. In this case, your workplace happiness depends on such factors as project profitability, tools and apps you choose to streamline your workflow, clients (luckily, you’re free to move on from those who don’t align with your values or work style), or the way you decide to organize your workflow.

Maintaining Focus in the Present Moment

While all the above-mentioned tips are science-proven and can bring lots of improvement, there are extreme situations, during which it can be really tough to keep your focus sharp.

For example, when you have mental health problems, ADHD, chronic conditions, serious personal or family problems, or have a very tight deadline. These all affect the cognitive abilities of the human brain.

Staying Present

How can you stay present in tough circumstances or the environment to improve focus?

In general, it all comes down to two things:

Being present here and now. It’s essential for recapturing your mental focus and staying engaged in the current moment. Staying present helps keep your attention sharp and your mental resources honed in on the details that matter instead of dwelling on things that don’t bring you closer to your goal.
Practice mindfulness and meditation to improve your ability to live in the present moment.

Tracking Your Progress

In really difficult situations, time tracking software and productivity apps can help you stay on top of your work. They help to eliminate distractions, break difficult projects into smaller tasks, and provide a clear structure for your day, making overwhelming workloads more manageable.

By setting reminders, tracking progress, and visually organizing tasks, these tools make it easier to maintain focus, even when stress levels are high.

Overcoming Obstacles to Focus

When you’re low on energy and resources but need to stay mentally agile, you can regain focus even in just a few seconds.

Here are the key quick strategies for overcoming procrastination and distractions:

Break down large tasks into smaller, manageable chunks to reduce feelings of overwhelm.
Use the “2-minute rule” to get started on a task: if it can be done in less than 2 minutes, do it immediately.
Create a “stop doing” list to identify tasks that are not essential or that are distracting you from your goals.

Can Too Much Focus Be Harmful?

While staying focused is crucial for achieving goals, it’s not always beneficial.

Research presented in this article on Harvard Business Reviews shows that “Excessive focus exhausts the focus circuits in your brain. It can drain your energy, make you lose self-control, impair your decision-making, and make you less collaborative. The brain operates optimally when it toggles between focus and unfocus.”

Sustained attention for longer periods of time doesn’t necessarily mean better focus and it’s important to find the right balance.

That’s why it’s taking short breaks, nutritious diet, good night’s sleep, and the right time management system are so vital.

Conclusion: Putting it All Together to Improve Focus

Improving focus requires a combination of strategies, including eliminating distractions, practicing mindfulness, and prioritizing self-care.

By incorporating these strategies into your daily routine, you can improve your mental focus and achieve your goals.

Remember that focus is a skill that can be developed with practice, patience, and persistence. And don’t forget about the right tools.

Sources:

The science of staying focused by Jory MacKay: https://medium.com/swlh/the-science-of-staying-focused

Understanding the stress response: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response

Physiology, Stress Reaction: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541120/

Top distractions at work killing productivity in 2023: Statistics by Workamajig: https://www.workamajig.com/project-management-software/top-distractions-at-work

Penn Medicine Neuroscientists Identify Brain Mechanism that Drives Focus Despite Distractions: https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2023/august/neuroscientists-identify-brain-mechanism-that-drives-focus

22 brain exercises to improve memory, cognition, and creativity: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/brain-exercises

Multicosts of Multitasking: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7075496/

Cognitive Rest: 4 Reasons Why Your Brain Needs a Break: https://www.amenclinics.com/blog/cognitive-rest-4-reasons-why-your-brain-needs-a-break/

How Americans View Their Jobs: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/03/30/how-americans-view-their-jobs/

Your Brain Can Only Take So Much Focus by Srini Pillay on HBR: https://hbr.org/2017/05/your-brain-can-only-take-so-much-focus

Check out our other popular posts

Kate Borucka Kate is a professional freelance copywriter and translator with a niche focus on time tracking software, time management, and SaaS solutions. With a degree in English studies, she has a knack for turning complex technical topics into clear, engaging content that resonates with diverse audiences. When she’s not immersed in the latest software trends or navigating linguistic differences between English and Polish, she’s busy trying to master the art of squeezing more hours out of the day—juggling work, life, and embarking on new adventures with her endlessly curious daughter, discovering the world together (and loving every minute of it), always finding ways to weave the insights from their adventures into her creative work.

Blog

CUSTOMER STORIES