Secrets To A Greater Span Of Attention

Do you get distracted easily? Don’t worry. It isn’t such a big deal. You can increase your attention span easily. All you need to do is modify your focus patterns a little. The shift in focus will give you a longer attention span so that you learn a lot in less time. Simple changes in the way you do important tasks will improve the quality and quantity of your tasks. Check out how a longer attention span can be achieved.

No Multitasking

The most common reason for a broken attention span is multitasking. When you try doing more than one task at a time, the quality is affected. You will lose your grip over both the tasks. The outcome of neither task will be good. This happens because you are unable to give your undivided attention to any task. Multitasking causes chaos in your working style leaving you confused. You run out of time and end up with tons of unfinished work. To focus better, ensure you take up only one task at a time.

Say Yes To Exercise

Research proves that exercise can boost mental abilities. While strengthening your muscles, exercise helps you concentrate better. A session of exercises directs your focus to the task at hand until you are done with it. You achieve better concentration because of sharpened cognitive skills. This sharpening is a direct result of the exercise you give to your body’s muscles. It is a double-benefit activity that takes care of your mind and body at once. Make time for it and you will enjoy the benefits exercise brings back to you.

Meditation Is The Answer

Meditation may be an ancient method of improving attention span, but it’s effective. It is effective enough to be listed as the most popular way of achieving undivided attention. Whenever you catch yourself wandering away in unrelated thoughts, focus on your breath. Concentrate on the passage of air from your nose in and out of your body. Doing this will bring your distracted mind to the task at hand. There are additional benefits of meditation – greater sustainability of attention, faster information processing and more. Your working-memory capacity is also enhanced with meditation.

Spend Time With Nature

Nature rejuvenates your mind and makes it work better. Step out of the concrete jungle once in a while. It will give you the much-needed refreshment while boosting your attention when you get back. Nature sharpens your thinking, reasoning and problem-solving abilities. The proof of this fact lies in research conducted in 2008. It is a periodic recharge you must give your cognitive skills. It is something similar to recharging your smartphone and other devices you depend on every day.

Get Away From Interference

Look around yourself. How many things do you find that can distract you? Get away from all of them. Research shows that keeping your environment boring improves attention and productivity. The smartphone has great potential to distract. Choose a time to use it and stay away from it for the rest of the day. The same is the case with television. With so many channels, languages and programmes to choose from you will always be tempted to look. Move to a room where you are not distracted by the television. Professor Bill Thornton at the University of Southern Maine experimentally proved this.

Smaller Goals, Better Results

Smaller and realistic goals are key to improve attention. Think about how much you can do in the given time. Be realistic while allotting time to the tasks you need to complete. Smaller goals are easy to achieve, resulting in greater motivation for further achievement. This acts like a chain reaction making you act and achieve continuously. If you master this trick, your issues about attention span are resolved for life.

Be Organised

Prioritise your activities in a day. The best way to do this is to make a to-do list. Write down all the activities you need to do. Put the most important task on top of the list. Follow it with the items of less importance. Each time you complete one task, tick it off. This will motivate you to finish the remaining tasks too. It will save a lot of your time and energy. You will have a lot of time and energy to do the things you love when you’re organised. If possible, set a specific time for each task. Ensure you put your energy only in that task during that particular time. This kind of organisation will help you focus better. Make your priority list right away.

Video Games For Recreation

Video gaming can enhance your concentration and increase your span of attention like nothing else. If you choose this proof-backed activity for recreation, you will surely benefit. A study on 28 people in 2018 revealed that video games boosted visual selective attention. Visual selective attention is the ability to concentrate on something while ignoring distractions.

Add Some Music To Life

Another research-backed fact encourages people to listen to music while doing a task. It may sound like a distraction, but it blocks off the noise around you. This way you will attend to the task at hand.

Employ these methods for better attention and productivity.